Holiday Mountain had once been one of the primary sources for winter fun in Sullivan County, dating back to the late 1950s. However, the facility fell into serious decline for decades, but is now getting a massive facelift (or rather ski lift) under new ownership. The story of how it got from there to here is bookended by one local family.

As current owner Mike Taylor tells it, it all started with his great grandmother’s backyard. The year was 1955 and New York State was starting to construct Rte. 17. She owned a boarding house in the Town of Thompson, mainly catering to Irish and German people from New York City. The state appropriated some of her property to make way for the new highway. Split in two, she sold the property that was to become Holiday Mountain to the town for $5,000.

The Town then operated a small ski center that offered lodging and a ski school, and hosted high school racing programs. But financial troubles eventually resulted in its sale in 2000 to operators who ran a fun park with rides and amusements for children. The site suffered from years of poor snowfall and lack of investment, and fell into disrepair as grand plans by various new owners for revitalization never panned out.

Taylor purchased the property in 2023, when he says there were only three slopes, a not-very-functional chair lift and no usable infrastructure. So he decided to get to work.

“We embarked on this crazy project to bring it all back and a lot more,” he said.

Upon completion of the now-underway construction, Holiday Mountain will have 20 trails for skiing and snowboarding, and a couple of cross country trails as well. Taylor explained that his motivation is two fold – to give local families a top notch facility to get outside, and to help the area by attracting more visitors to ski and stay.

“We’re within 100 miles of 20 million people, and a lot of them want to ski,” he noted. He also wants to help expand the ski programs of local schools.

Taylor is investing $15 million in the property. He said the first year was spent on site cleanup, and the next two on installing new chairlifts and state of the art snow making equipment. This year, they opened a summer camp with a brand new lodge, a swimming pool, basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts, and several ballfields. He said the facility will employ around 180 people throughout various seasons, and is particularly pleased to be able to employ many young people in various capacities.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, the site will hold its third annual Holiday Mountain Beer Festival for those 21 and older, with an extensive offering of local craft beers and ciders, food and live music. There will also be chairlift rides for attendees to view the fall foliage. To learn more, visit facebook.com/holidaymtn.