By:  Marty Raminoff

Windham Mountain, a ski resort just over two hours north of New York City, was taken over by a new ownership group last April.  The change was welcomed, as a revamp was necessary and the food and drink had left room for improvement.  The level of refinement, however, has left most former customers stumped, and feeling left out.

As reported by the NY Times, the resort has been renamed the Windham Mountain Club.  Membership for access to the new amenities comes with a whopping $200,000 price tag, or for those who joined right away at $175,000.  Former members, some who had initially paid as little as $25,000 for their spots, will have their memberships terminated on May 1, unless they opt in.  “It’s no secret that they’ve managed to alienate and, frankly, piss off a lot of people,” said Nick Bove, who owns Windham Mountain Outfitters, a local equipment store.

“People in the town definitely feel betrayed about it,” said Gregory Santollo, 38, who has a house on the backside of the mountain.   In September, Windham residents circulated a Change.org petition urging town leaders to block the mountain’s transformation into a semi-private club. The petitioners hoped to keep the town from becoming “an enclave for just a few wealthy downstate families.”  The Windham Mountain area currently houses some 1,800 ski homes.  Locals fear that the new plans will eventually hope to make the mountain an oasis for the ultra-rich, leaving residents and visitors without access to the mountain.

The slick and posh new resort design, which was unveiled on the resort’s website in October, is clearly a bid to attract wealthier NYC clientele, in line with the rising home prices in Upstate New York, since the pandemic began.   The new ownership group is led by Sandy Beall, founder of the restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday, and Webb Wilson, an heir to the Holiday Inn fortune, the Times reported.  The new owners’ initial investment had exceeded $70 million, said Chip Seamans, president of the mountain’s ski resort since 2011.

“The Catskills are hot,” said Mr. Seamans. “The Catskills are happening right now. Sandy Beall and his partners saw that and wanted to be part of it.”  The renovations include a $10 million dining overhaul, and new amenities, “including swimming, racket sports, family activities and expansive outdoor all-season adventure activities,” per the website.

Despite the new membership fees, stand-alone season passes and lift tickets are still available for purchase.  Still, many locals worry that public access will become limited at the 60-year-old ski resort.  Already, in October, the popular bike park was permanently shuttered, and the mountain’s golf course will be renovated to become members-only. Even the mountain’s new membership document, says that public access may be limited in order to ensure member priority.

As for this ski season, which opened on Nov. 24, most of the rules and access have remained the same.  Per the Times, there is one new rule, however, that says that during peak season between January and March, skiers and snowboarders who wish to use the mountain on Saturdays must buy a two-day pass.  This will cost users up to $450, as opposed to a single-day weekend lift ticket which would have cost about $175 last year.