And Winter Came

Can’t think of too many places on Earth I’d rather be than in Ellicottville, NY at Holiday Valley on New Year’s.

Didn't really seem like New Year's Day, then again, I've never spent it in HV. Like most other days during our ski trip vacation, I was up at 640am. And after a few short minutes, I was in my running clothes and on my way to the Inn @ HV lobby. Thanks to their complimentary breakfast, I enjoyed a quick cup of coffee before bolting out the door for a run. I chatted briefly with one of the servers. We laughed that it was just she and I, as many New Year’s revelers had only recently gone to bed.

It was cold & snowy, only 12 degrees, but I was looking forward to the wintry run. I ran the usual route into town and back. It’s about three miles. I absolutely love it! Back at the Inn near 730am, I poured two cups of Starbucks and scoped out the complete breakfast offerings (Sausage and eggs along with a host of other offerings. Yum!), then headed back to the room. Had a text from David sharing that they were getting on the road to HV from Erie. Said it was snowing – big shocker there! 

Mindy was slow to motivate, even with a cup of hot Starbucks calling her name. I was wide awake and eager for another ski day. I headed out for a walk with my camera. I wasn’t out long, however, it was colder than I expected, especially in sweaty, wet running clothes. I coaxed Mindy up and out of bed by 8am. We were off to breakfast by 830am or so. Like earlier, probably the smallest crowd so far that week. Little wonder with it being New Year’s Day. Mindy and I hoped the slopes would be similar.

Breakfast was delicious. Back to the room to gear up for a day of skiing. Received another text from David sharing that they were driving in very wintry conditions – single lane traffic flow on I-86 east.

On the slopes fairly early – about 930am. It was snowing fairly hard. Collectively, we’d received about 6-8” inches since the same time Tuesday. As such, Wednesday’s skiing condition was by far the best so far that week. Got another text from David just before 10am sharing that they were already at the Inn. He figured out the routine easily. He was at the HV Lodge a few minutes later getting rentals. We skied over to meet him. Jacob & Bella skied together while Mindy and I headed inside to greet David & Anita.

Mindy gave Anita the nickel tour of the new HV Lodge while I assisted David with the ski rental process. It wasn’t long before we were out the door and ready to ski. Spent about 10 minutes talking with an HV ski host. It wasn’t too long into the conversation when I realized he was trying to sell me a condo. NO time for that. It was time to ski! We headed up Mardi Gras.

Pretty sure we skied the Mardi Gras run. David skied it really well, and certainly better than I expected. Next up, I gave David pretty much the same HV slopes tour that Bob & M.A. gave Mindy & I January ’09. We skied Laurel, Tannenbaum, and Spruce Lake – all easy runs through trees

After the easy & pretty stuff we skied Independence and Champagne. Again, David did great. He fell a time or two in a powder cache along the edge of Champagne, but still did great. Skied for a couple hours before making our way back to HV lodge to meet Anita for lunch. Met in the T-Bar - third level bar overlooking Cindy’s and Mardi Gras. I stuck with the tried and true Southern Tier IPA on draft. Snacked on pretzel bread and nachos. Probably a 90 minute break. At HV, long breaks are no big deal as one can ski from 8am until 10pm if they so desire.

After lunch we skied hard and fast. Can’t recall all the runs we completed. David’s phone died so Anita
Stayed in touch via me. She headed to the Inn to check-in their room around 330 or 4pm. She apparently fell while carrying everything in. Yikes! I think it was near 430pm when we called it an afternoon and headed back to the room. David needed to check on Anita, though she insisted that she was alright.
And just like we did Monday and Tuesday, we headed to the hot tub shortly after returning to the room. Told David to meet us there. Mindy and I took our cooler with wine and a growler of St Nick’s Xmas ale. Yum! Good time for all. David joined us a little later, though he stayed in the hot tub just a short time. Mindy & I were in the hot tub for about an hour. Afterwards, we sat in the dry sauna for a bit.

We made plans to do dinner at EBC. By the time everyone was showered and ready – both parties – it had to be close to 630-7pm. The Pilot was buried in snow and ice. I headed out far earlier than the others to warm and scrape. Lovely wintry drive into Ellicottville. We lucked out and got a premo spot on Monroe St just a few car lengths down from the entrance. Always a challenge finding a parking spot.

Enjoyed a beer at the bar before being seated. As one might expect, the crowd wasn’t quite as big as earlier in the week. It was New Year’s Day. Figured most people were taking it easy. Once again, we were seated in the new area, but not before moving our beer party to the covered outdoor patio area just before the table ready text arrived. Nice and toasty, warm out there.

We were seated in a booth plenty big enough for all 6 of us. Nice! Ordered appetizers. Opted to try their pork bellies and then the crab cakes. Big dinner orders for most. I went with Lobster bisque and a burger. I was more than a little surprised when the bisque came in an enormous bowl with a large lobster claw in the bisque. Presentation … “A”. 

Earlier in the day while at lunch, I agreed to take care of the dinner bill. It was a doosey, but worth it. Everybody loved their meal. By the time I settled the check and left for the Inn, I was ready for bed! Back at the Inn near 9pm and in bed no more than 15 minutes later.