Perhaps the best thing is the opportunity to dust off the skis or snowboard and hit the slopes. With three resorts within about two hours or less by car, a weekend skiing excursion could be the perfect cure for the winter blues.
Getting off campus and out of Rochester for an exciting day of falling down a snow-covered hill at high speeds can really clear your mind after a long week of studying.
The closest resort to Rochester is Bristol Mountain, a decently sized ski area with 32 trails that’s only 35 minutes away. It features a new terrain park with a half-pipe for all you hardcore types. You can ski all day, until 10 p.m., for $43 or just go for four hours for $39. The value isn’t outstanding, but it’s so close that it’s hard to complain.
Holiday Valley is a bit farther than Bristol, but it is definitely worth the drive. With 52 trails and 12 lifts, spending a full day, or even two, at Holiday is well worth it.
They claim to be the best ski area in upstate New York and I might agree with them, although Lake Placid’s Whiteface is pretty sweet. That’s a bit farther, though. It takes about 5 and a half hours by car, but they do have the greatest vertical drop in the East. This is the most like a major ski area of the resorts that are mentioned here.
Greek Peak is your last resort — literally. If you’re tired of the other two places, go there. Or, if you’re just tired of skiing, try out their tubing area. It’s $15 for five hours of tubing or your lift ticket will get you in. It’s the perfect thing to do at the end of the day when you’re tired but still have time left on your ticket.
They even have a lift for the tubing slope. You get in your tube, grab onto a handle, and get pulled up the hill in a manner similar to a T-bar. Once you’ve reached the top, you can go down single or with friends. Or make some friends by grabbing onto that random stranger and sliding down together. You won’t regret it.
Yunis can be reached at tyunis@campustimes.org.
