Thunder Ridge is a small ski area located in Patterson, NY. Because it is located just 75 minutes from New York City, the mountain attracts skiers and snowboarders from across the New York area. While it does not receive a lot of snowfall, Thunder Ridge does have snowmaking capabilities which can cover 95% of the mountain. Because it is open at night, Thunder Ridge is a haven for high school ski racing. The mountain hosts part of Hudson Valley League racing.[1]
| Thunder Ridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Thunder Ridge Trail Map | |
| Location | Patterson, New York |
| Status | Operating |
| Vertical | 403 ft. |
| Top elevation | 880 ft. |
| Skiable area | 90 acres (360,000 m2) |
| Trails | 21 48% easiest  19% more difficult  33% most difficult |
| Lift system | 3 chairlifts, 4 magic carpets |
| Terrain parks | Yes, 1 |
| Snowmaking | Yes, 90% coverage |
| Night skiing | Yes |
| Website | Website |
History
editUnder previous ownership the mountain was known as Birch Hill (1957–1968), Big Birch (1968–1995), Thunder Ridge Ski Area (1995–present).
After coming under new ownership, many of the old trails were decommissioned and other trails given priority. Since 2018 around 95% of the mountain is covered with snowmaking equipment, up from 75% under the old ownership. Since 2015, equipment has gone through a major upgrade including the purchase of two new groomers,[2][3] ten new snow fans,[4] and snow guns.[5]
Trails
editThunder Ridge Ski area has 23 trails, nine of which are accessible from the Triple Chair, six from the double chair, four from both chairs, and five bunny trails. It has seven black diamonds, five blue squares, and nine green circles.
| Name | Rating |
| Lovers Lane |
|
| Fawn Meadow |
|
| Santa Fe |
|
| Evergreen |
|
| Sunset Run[6] |
|
| Upper Competition |
|
| (Lower) Competition |
|
| Fools Delight |
|
| The Face |
|
| Blackberry Pass |
|
| Name | Rating |
Bull's Run
|
|
| Eagle's Lair |
|
| Wildcat |
|
| Timber Wolf |
|
| Name | Rating |
| Sissy Schuss (old Halfpipe) |
|
| The Road |
|
| Don's Drop |
|
| Lovers Lane (since 2019)[7] |
|
| Name | Rating |
| Little Thunder |
|
| Fun Run |
|
| You Can Do It! |
|
| Movin Up |
|
| Little Thunder |
|
| Mini Thunder |
|
Lifts
edit
As of 2022, Thunder Ridge has three chairlifts (Two doubles and one triple) and four magic carpets. In 1958 a T-Bar opened at then Birch Hill[8]- servicing the main part of today's ski area. Numerous Tows were also installed on the mountain. Sometime in the 1960s, a Borvig double chairlift was installed to the summit; it remains the area's longest and oldest lift. In about 1967, a short double chairlift was installed which today served Little Thunder. In 1986, a Borvig triple chairlift was installed to supersede and eventually replace the T-Bar lift, which it did. In the early 2000s, four Magic Carpet lifts were installed on Thunder Ridge to replace the Tows. Remnants of the tows can still be seen to this day.
During the mid-1960s the Mahopac High School ski team raced and trained at Birch Hill, as did the teams from Carmel and some other Putnam County and Northern Westchester county schools. The lodge was a simple place with a gravel floor.
Today the area maintains seven running lifts; four carpets (one open all the time (You can do it, "Toyland"), two open on the weekends, one used as a backup), a triple lift (main lift, "the triple"), a double lift (secondary lift, "the double"), and one small double lift (beginner lift, "Little Thunder"). Today there remain three neglected tows (one serving the halfpipe, and one serving the terrain park, and one which served the old terrain park). Both the triple and double were re-surfaced and gained more modern accessories and safety equipment in the late 2010s.
References
edit- ^ Ng, Matthew (2007-01-29). "Horace Mann debuts in Section 1 skiing competition". The Journal News.
- ^ "The crew is working on the Fawn Meadow Park, look for it to be open soon". Thunder Ridge Ski Area — Instagram. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "Filling up before heading out last night. We have begun to push out the piles and will be making snow again very soon. We'll see you on the hill by the weekend". Thunder Ridge Ski Area — Instagram. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "These hard workers are getting some time off, come over and enjoy all the snow they have put out. Open Saturday 9am-9pm, and Sunday 9am-5pm". Thunder Ridge Ski Area — Instagram. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "It's always nice to see the hill starting to get covered in snow! We need a few more weather windows to open, but we are getting closer". Thunder Ridge Ski Area — Instagram. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ No snowmaking equipment permanently placed on the trail.
- ^ In 2019 the Half-way station for the Double Lift was re-opened.
- ^ "#tbt 1958 the year the Hall T-Bar was installed!". www.instagram.com. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
