MAGIC CARPET, BigAirBag JUST PART OF NEW YORK’S EVER-IMPROVING SKI AREAS

New trails, lodging and more add to skiing fun in the Empire State! Albany, NY - New York’s ski areas just keep getting better. This year, downhill skiers and riders are being treated to more than just great ski weather … improvements and additions at New York’s mountains are providing even more reasons for getting out and enjoying the snow! Big Projects Underway at Greek Peak, Holiday Valley A long time dream at Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland, Hope Lake Lodge, a four-star condominium hotel, is nearing completion. The whole family will love splashing through the Cascades Indoor Waterpark, skiing at Greek Peak and playing on the Sandy Beach at Hope Lake. Add to this the Acorn Grill Restaurant, the luxurious Waterfalls Spa and the on-site Fitness Center and you’ve got a unique resort vacation destination. With the opening scheduled for this fall, now is the time to take advantage of pre-completion pricing for full ownership condominiums as well as the unique quarter-ownership option. Take a tour now! Visit www.hopelakelodge.com for more information. For Greek Peak Mountain Resort information, call (800) 955-2SKI or visit www.greekpeak.net. Construction is also underway at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville of the Tamarack Club. This four star 79-unit hotel-condominium project is located adjacent to the Clubhouse Chalet base lodge and offers amenities such as ski-in, ski-out convenience, a year ‘round pool and hot tub, a health club and spa, a restaurant, underground parking and conference facilities. The Tamarack Club is projected to be completed for the winter of 2009-10. For more information and other Holiday Valley News, visit www.holidayvalley.com. New Magic Carpet Surface Lift Now Open At Bristol Mountain In Canandaigua, Bristol Mountain Winter Resort’s newest lift, the Lunar Launch Magic Carpet conveyor type surface lift is now open. The new lift’s conveyor belt technology has become a snow sports industry standard as it provides beginner skiers and riders easy, user friendly access to the slopes, no matter what their age. The new lift, which is 400 feet long and has a thirty inch wide belt that glides along flush with the surface of the snow, can transport up to 1,500 riders per hour. The new lift replaces the resort’s Mighty Mite rope tow surface lift on the Launching Pad learning area which is located at the south end of the base area of the mountain. For more information on the new lift or for other Bristol Mountain information, call (585) 374-6000 or visit www.bristolmountain.com. New Trail, Adult Camp Weekends at Gore For a different kind of ski adventure, check out Gore’s all-new, off-the-beaten-path Burnt Ridge. Skiers making the extra effort to reach it are rewarded with some of the mountain’s most amazing views and interesting terrain. Gore’s adult camp weekends are now underway. It’s the perfect time of year to better your skills so you can explore new trails and grab style points for the rest of the season. As with Gore’s adult day camps, skiers 18 years or older are welcome and the package includes a lift ticket, breakfast and lunch, equipment discussions, plenty of practice time with effective feedback, video analysis – and lots of fun with great results. Reservations are recommended; please call (518) 251-2411 or visit www.goremountain.com for more information. As always, group and private lessons are available daily for all ages and abilities. The BigAirBag has arrived at Windham! Are you ready to fly? Windham Mountain’s BigAirBag (www.bigairbag.com), a training tool for skiers and riders, is a huge air-filled pad which cushions the landing for aerial maneuvers. Windham Mountain is the sole distributor of this product, manufactured in the Netherlands, in the United States. Measuring 56 feet long by 33 feet wide, the inflatable compression bag is situated near the halfpipe, where skiers and riders have easy access and visibility. Made of a heavy gauge nylon, the black and yellow double-compartmentalized bag refills every 10 seconds to allow for a constant flow of traffic. The BigAirBag is a great benefit for Windham's freestyle skiing and snowboard programs, allowing athletes who are ready to perfect their routines to land safely on the bag. Prior to using the bag, athletes are required to view a short video on the proper use of the bag. Once out on the snow, the skier or rider goes off a kicker jump, performing the desired aerial maneuver, and then lands on the BigAirBag, sliding easily off onto the snow. Windham Mountain, located in the northern Catskills town of Windham, is just 2.5 hours from New York City. It’s a family-friendly winter resort offering skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and many other winter activities. For more information, call (800) 754-9463 or visit www.windhammountain.com. This weekend at Whiteface … The FIS Freestyle World Cup Tour comes to Whiteface/Lake Placid this holiday weekend, Jan. 18-19. The Nature Valley Freestyle Cup features a nighttime aerials competition on Sunday evening at the Olympic Jumping Complex, and for the first time ever on the East Coast, a world cup competition in ski cross at Whiteface. For more information, visit www.orda.org/newsite/events/worldcups/200809/freestyle/index.php. Learn a Snow Sport! January is Learn a Snow Sport Month in New York State! All month (except the weekend of Martin Luther King’s birthday, Jan. 17-19), learn to ski or ride for free or at a 50 percent discount, depending on the chosen resort. Participants get a beginners package which includes a beginners lift pass, rental ski or board package and a professional lesson. Just visit www.learnasnowsport.com to download and print a coupon. In addition to the learning package, skiers will also receive a return coupon for a 50 percent discount off their next package. And every person who participates in this promotion receives coupons from Dick’s Sporting Goods for discounts on winter apparel and equipment at all Dick’s locations in New York State. Check out discounted lift ticket prices at www.skiandrideny.com. Start your skiing adventure at iloveny.com! In addition to keeping you updated on great travel deals, new events, lodging information and much more, New York State’s travel and tourism site, iloveny.com now brings you daily ski conditions. Just log on to iloveny.com and get the latest downhill and cross country ski reports! About New York State New York State features 11 beautiful vacation regions. New York’s attractions span from landmarks such as Niagara Falls, to the wine trails of Hudson Valley and treasures like the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Whether it’s wide-ranging outdoor activities for the whole family like fishing, hiking and boating, culinary wonders and farm-to-table fresh foods, or the rich history and culture of one of the 13 original colonies, New York State offers diverse activities for all travelers. For more information, visit www.iloveny.com. Media can find press releases and more at thebeat.iloveny.com. ###

Contact: Eric Scheffel, Empire State Development, (518) 292-5274; escheffel@empire.state.ny.us