Bristol Mountain Ski Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bristol Mountain |
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Bristol Mountain in autumn 2009
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| Location | Bristol Mountain, 5662 NY 64 |
| Nearest city | Canandaigua, New York |
| Coordinates | 42°44′42″N 77°24′16″W / 42.745°N 77.404444°W |
| Vertical | 1,150 feet (350 m) |
| Top elevation | 2,150 feet (660 m) |
| Base elevation | 1,000 feet (300 m) |
| Skiable area | 160 acres (0.65 km2) |
| Runs | 35 |
| Longest run | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
| Lift system | 5 chairlifts (two detachable high-speed), one surface lift |
| Lift capacity | 10,200 passengers/hr not including surface lift (1,500 pph) |
| Terrain parks | One advanced and one beginner |
| Snowfall | 130 inches (330 cm) |
| Snowmaking | near 100% |
| Night skiing | near 100% |
| Website | http://www.bristolmountain.com/ |
Bristol Mountain, also known as Bristol Mountain Winter Resort, is a fun ski resort in South Bristol, New York. It's located in the beautiful Finger Lakes region. The resort is about 30 miles (48 km) from Rochester, New York, which is the closest big city. It's also about 10 miles (16 km) from Canandaigua on NY 64.
Bristol Mountain has lots of ski trails for everyone, from easy green circle trails to super difficult double black diamonds. It boasts a vertical rise of 1,200 feet (370 m). This means it has the highest vertical drop of any ski resort between the Rocky Mountains and the Adirondacks! Bristol also has two cool terrain parks where you can practice jumps and tricks. You can also enjoy cross-country skiing at the top of the mountain. At the bottom, there's a ski shop and a place to rent gear. Bristol Mountain Resort also runs other fun places like Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventures & Zip Line Canopy Tour, Roseland Waterpark, and Roseland Wake Park.
In January 2018, Bristol Mountain celebrated some amazing news! Two athletes who grew up in the Bristol Mountain Freestyle Program joined the 2018 US Olympic Freestyle Team. Morgan Schild, a freestyle moguls skier, and Jonathon Lillis, a freestyle aerials skier, both made the team. They learned their skills early on with their coach, John Kroetz. Morgan and Jonathon competed in PyeongChang, South Korea, at the 2018 Winter Olympics. They are part of the "Bristol Mountain Super Six," a group of six US Ski and Snowboard Team members from Bristol Mountain's program.
As of 2010, the resort has two fast detachable chairlifts. The Comet Express lift was added for the 1999-2000 season. The Galaxy Express was installed for the 2009-2010 season. Both lifts take about four minutes to reach the top. In the autumn, you can take "Fall Sky Rides" on the Comet Express lift. It slows down to take 15-20 minutes, so you can enjoy the beautiful fall colors. Once at the top, you can ride back down, hike, or get back on the lift. In 2014, the Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventure Park was added. It's a high ropes course at the top of the mountain with climbing challenges and zip-lines.
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History of Bristol Mountain
Bristol Mountain started in 1964. Fred Sarkis bought the land in South Bristol, New York. About 50 acres were cleared, and the main lodge was built for the opening on December 12. In 1965, they added snowmaking and a new lift. In 1967, Senator Robert F. Kennedy even skied at Bristol! By 1968, Bristol Mountain was the biggest lit-up ski resort in the world.
In the 1970s, over 100,000 skiers visited Bristol each year. The resort was open seven days a week. They kept improving their snowmaking. By 1985, they could make snow on 100% of their trails. This meant they could promise over 100 days of skiing each season. They get water for snowmaking from ponds fed by Mud Creek.
Back in 1969, skiing cost seven dollars for the day and four dollars at night. Even then, Bristol had the longest vertical drop between the Adirondacks and the Rockies. They used to say the drop was 1,000 feet, not 1,200 feet. Interestingly, they stayed open later then, until 10:30 PM instead of 10:00 PM.
In 1999, the first modern chairlift was added. This was the Comet Express, a fast detachable lift. It's still the main lift that helps skiers get to almost all the trails.
From 2009 to 2010, another fast detachable chairlift, the Galaxy Express, was added. A new trail called Lower North Star was also created for the 2010-2011 season. This new trail ends at the bottom of the Galaxy chairlift. The new trail is 2,600 feet long and 120 feet wide, adding over seven acres to the mountain.
In the summer of 2014, Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventures opened. This is a three-acre aerial park with 7 challenging courses. It has almost 100 tree-to-tree obstacles and 10 zip lines. It's located high up in the forest at the top of the mountain. There's even a special kids' course for ages 4-7. This park is open from May to November, making Bristol Mountain a fun place to visit all year round!
The winter of 2014-2015 was very cold and snowy. This meant great conditions for snow sports at Bristol Mountain. The season lasted 139 days, opening on November 20.
Winter Weather Challenges
After a great year, the 2015-2016 winter started late for Bristol Mountain. It opened in mid-December after only two days of making artificial snow. Only one trail and one lift were open at first. The resort even had to close by Christmas because it got so warm! November and December that year were the warmest on record in the Northeast.
Bristol Mountain reopened on December 29 after more snowmaking. A wider opening with normal prices didn't happen until January 5, 2016. Even with the challenges, Bristol Mountain was one of the first resorts in New York to open. By the end of January, almost all trails were open. The winter was one of the mildest ever in the Rochester area. Skiing relied a lot on artificial snow. The season ended on April 1, 2016, lasting 100 days. Bristol Mountain turned 120 million gallons of water into snow that season!
The 2017 winter was also mild in western New York. By mid-January, there was no natural snow after a rainstorm. Bristol Mountain had made enough snow to keep most trails open. Many ski resorts in the state were closed that week, but Bristol stayed open. The trend of warmer winters in the 2010s made many ski country resorts add summer activities. This helps them be fun places to visit all year.
The 2017-2018 season started well. Bristol Mountain opened one trail by November 11, their earliest opening since 1991! The season was good until late February. Then, record warm temperatures caused them to close about half their trails.
Bristol Mountain Statistics
Bristol Mountain says it has 138 skiable acres, even though it's often said to have 160. The new Galaxy high-speed quad chairlift usually runs during busy times like afternoons and weekends. Bristol Mountain's winter season is usually about four months long, from December to March. Sometimes it opens in late November and closes in April. Early and late in the season, only a few trails and lifts are open.
Trails: 34 total; 33% are for beginners; 49% are for intermediate skiers; 18% are for advanced skiers.
Chairlifts:
- Galaxy Express High-Speed Quad (new for 2009/2010)
- Comet Express High-Speed Quad
- Morning Star Quad
- Rocket Triple
- Sunset Double
Surface lifts:
- Lunar Launch Magic Carpet
Vertical Drop: 1,200 feet (370 m)
Summit Elevation: 2,200 feet (670 m)
Skiable Acres: 160
Average Annual Snowfall: 120 inches
Night Skiing: 96% of the trails have lights for night skiing.
Snowmaking: 97% of the terrain has snowmaking capabilities (all trails except Quantum Leap).
Bristol Mountain uses a lot of snowmaking during the winter. They use millions of gallons of water, lots of electricity, and a huge amount of compressed air every day during peak times.
Chairlifts at Bristol Mountain
Bristol Mountain has 5 chairlifts and one surface lift. The surface lift is a conveyor lift for beginners. It's called Launching Pad and only goes up 60 feet.
Galaxy Express High-Speed Quad
The Galaxy Express was installed in 2009. It's the mountain's newest lift. This is a detachable high-speed quad chairlift made by Doppelmayr CTEC. It's located at the base of Lower Galaxy on the northern side of the mountain. This lift takes skiers to intermediate and advanced trails on the "Galaxy-side." On slower days, this lift might be closed. The ride takes a little over four minutes. It can carry 2,000 people per hour. The lift goes through the woods and over the Upper Galaxy ski area.
Comet Express High-Speed Quad
The Comet Express was installed in 1999 at the base of Lower Rocket. This is the most popular lift at Bristol Mountain. Like the Galaxy Express, it's a detachable high-speed quad chairlift. It was made by Garaventa CTEC (now Doppelmayr CTEC). This lift can take you to all types of terrain at Bristol, from easy to expert. It also reaches most of the trails. It carries 2,000 people per hour. The ride from the bottom to the top takes a little over four minutes. The lift goes over Outer Orbit (a black diamond trail) and Comet (a double-black diamond race trail).
Morning Star Quad
This is a fixed-grip quad chairlift located in the middle of the mountain. It takes guests to easy and intermediate trails and a terrain park. Garaventa CTEC made and installed this lift in 2000. It goes up 600 feet, and the ride takes about eight minutes. This lift can carry 2,000 people per hour over the Morning Star Trail.
Rocket Triple
The Rocket Triple is a fixed-grip triple chairlift at the base of Lower Rocket. It takes guests to intermediate and advanced trails. CTEC made and installed it in 1984. It was later moved and rebuilt in 2000. It carries 1,800 people per hour on its 12-minute ride from the bottom to the top.
Sunset Double
This is a fixed-grip double chairlift at the base of Sunset. It takes guests to easy, intermediate, and advanced trails. CTEC refurbished and reinstalled it in 1992. This makes it the oldest lift still working at Bristol. The lift carries 1,200 people per hour up 400 feet.
Lunar Launch Magic Carpet
The Lunar Launch Magic Carpet is a conveyor-lift installed in 2008. It serves the Launching Pad area at the base of the mountain. This area is for beginners and students learning to ski. The lift carries 1,500 people per hour up the 60-foot rise to the top of the Launching Pad.
Bristol Mountain Trails
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Bristol Mountain Ski Resort has 35 slopes and trails. It also has terrain parks, including the progressive Shooting Star park. The Morning Star Terrain Park has moved to the Galaxy trail. For the 2014-2015 season, "Family Cross" was added on Orion's Belt. There are also "Rail Gardens" on Galaxy and between Rocket and Meteor. In the 2015-2016 season, the Lower Universe trail was added on the North side of the mountain. The longest trail is about two miles long. It's made up of three easy trails: Milky Way, Eclipse, and Infinity. This long run goes around the back of the mountain.
All the trail names at Bristol Mountain are related to space! This is because the resort opened in the 1960s, during the Space Race. Also, it's located close to the CEK Mees Observatory. The Challenger trail is a special memorial. It's dedicated to the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.
Cross Country Skiing
Bristol Mountain also offers cross-country skiing at the Summit Nordic Center. It has two trails, and one of them has snowmaking and lights for night skiing. You can't get to the Summit Nordic Center directly from the main ski lodges. You need to drive up the mountain to South Hill Road off of County Road 32 to reach it.
Images for kids
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Bristol Mountain transmitter coverage map.
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The Bristol Mountain transmitter.
