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This last season, Windham Mountain Club, located two hours north of New York City in the Catskill Mountains, proudly debuted its new name as it moved to a membership model. Formerly known as Windham Mountain, the resort also unveiled its first master plan update, outlining a substantial investment of more than $70 million in enhancements over the next several years to the mountain’s amenities and services.
Part of the reconceptualization was the creation of a private members’ club offering that will be part of Windham Mountain Club. As part of the members’ club experience, upgrades to the golf course, led by award-winning golf course architect Tom Fazio, and renovations to the clubhouse are set to begin in the fall of 2024.
The change sparked some controversy as locals in the area circulated a petition calling upon town leaders to stop the mountain’s makeover. The resort did not clarify how many members of the public would be able to purchase lift tickets on any given day and they argued that the costly new membership system would seal the town’s fate as a haven for select, wealthy out-of-town families. Additionally, local business owners were left wondering if their shops, restaurants, and other businesses would suffer as prices potentially rise and price out their normal clientele who keep their livelihoods afloat.
Now the resort has offered clarification on how much the public will have access to its amenities, and it looks to be substantial. There are currently about 1,000 members and membership will max out at 1,500. The resort has also stated they will cap skier visits to 4,000 per day. This means that assuming two-thirds of members ski on any given day, they will only make up 25% of the daily number, meaning the majority of visitors will still be nonmembers. In pre-pandemic years, the resort allowed as many as 7,000 visitors per day.
The club may still restrict tickets on peak days such as weekends and holidays. It will also continue to guarantee ticket availability to those staying in seven area hotels including Wylder, Hotel Vienna, Union & Post, Eastwind, Albergo, Cave Mountain Motel, and Chrismans. It will also continue to give season passes to students in the Windham-Ashland-Jewett school district.
It appears that Windham Mountain Club heard the concerns that were brought up previously and have addressed them. The plan will continue to be reviewed by the Planning Board and receive approval from several town, county, and state government groups. In some cases, projects have to go through a state Environmental Quality Review Act, which could be lengthy. The new plans will be presented to the planning board during its regular meeting on June 20.
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