A small avalanche slid down a closed black-diamond trail at Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville, N.Y., on Monday, Dec. 15, according to a statement from the resort’s marketing director, Dash Hegeman. He said the resort can’t confirm the exact time it occurred, but believes it happened late Dec. 14 or early Dec. 15.
The slide took place on The Wall, Holiday Valley’s steepest “expert-only” run, which was closed at the time. No injuries were reported.
Hegeman said the most likely cause was a heavy layer of manmade snow sitting on top of a solid base of natural snow. He described the pitch as roughly 30 to 35 degrees, noting that on slopes that steep, adding snowmaking on top of natural snow can increase the chance of a slide.
He added that ski patrol and mountain operations routinely monitor the area, watching for cracks and checking conditions to keep the terrain as safe as possible.
The Wall remains closed while crews continue monitoring and is expected to reopen later this month, WBEN reports. Other trails at the resort are currently open.
Crews have already begun cleanup work, using grooming equipment to push the slid snow back uphill and spread it across the slope.
While avalanches are far more common in Western states such as Utah, Montana, and California, Hegeman noted that a similar small slide occurred at the resort last year, WBEN reported.
Holiday Valley opened for the season on Dec. 5 with 31 inches of snow, according to Snow Brains. Hegeman also told WBEN the resort has logged more than 62 inches of natural snowfall so far, calling it evidence of an unusually strong start to winter.
