Until a certain New York Times article thrust it into the spotlight last year, Plattekill was known solely among local Catskills skiers – its name whispered on chilly winter winds, chanted on bluebird powder days, and shared over après pints of regional craft beer with only the most deserving outsiders. In many ways, that’s how Plattekill Mountain owners Danielle and Laszlo Vajtay preferred it.

“Word of mouth has been huge for us,” says Danielle of the community-based approach that has kept the couple’s under-the-radar Roxbury, New York, ski resort afloat for the last 28 years. “People looking for that organic, grassroots experience from the ‘60s and ‘70s come here. You get this genuine feeling that a real person puts money and heart into the place. We’re not getting corporate or government funding to do this.”

Plattekill has indeed earned itself a reputation as (in Danielle’s words) the Little Mountain That Could, standing in stark contrast to its bigger, more celebrated neighbors: Vail Resorts–owned Hunter Mountain and private equity–backed Windham Mountain, as well as state-subsidized Belleayre Mountain Ski Center.

The story of Platekill began in 1993, when Laszlo purchased the mountain after a real-estate scheme gone wrong sent its former owners into bankruptcy. Looking back, you might say it was fate: Lazlo had been skiing Plattekill since the age of seven, eventually becoming the ski school director and marrying his wife (a one time ski instructor) at the resort. Fate aside, it was also a good business opportunity. Plattekill is situated like a bowl, with twin peaks straddling a wooded valley that receives 150 inches of lake-effect snow annually — more than almost anywhere else in the Catskills.

The beauty of Plattekill as it exists today, and what has made it so successful where other mom-and-pop mountains have failed, lies in the fact that it doesn’t rely on that snow alone. The Vatjays have spent the last nearly quarter-century reinvesting profits into the mountain’s snow-making capabilities. In the early years, they scraped together used snow guns and equipment to blanket its 38 trails in Grade A powder, and then purchased state-of-the-art snowmaking machines — guaranteeing their livelihood with the promise of skiing, snow tubing, and more no matter the weather. They also landed on a business model in which they offer group buyouts during the week from Monday through Thursday, and are open to the public on weekends (thereby lowering their operating costs).

“A lot of it was hands-on figuring out as we went along: getting the right staff, paying off debts, and putting any residual money into snowmaking,” Danielle recalls. “We didn’t know much about running a ski resort from an operational standpoint, but we knew we had to get the snow on the trails if there was going to be any chance of surviving. We’re still here so we must have done something right!”

Most locals would agree. When they’re not shredding the region’s longest continuous 1,100-foot vertical on black diamond trails like Blockbuster, you’ll find them in the updated lodge or outdoors in the Platty Shack lounge sipping mugs of Peppermint Platty, a spiked hot chocolate, and house-made Bloody Marys topped with spicy dilly beans sourced from Amish country. A full Plattekill experience also includes cheering on children in junior alpine races held most winter weekends, listening to live music in the lodge on Saturday evenings, or gearing up for popular events like Plattekill’s annual beach party.

It’s true there are no high-speed chair lifts or flashy multi-resort pass partnerships to hype at Plattekill. What there is, though, is plenty of accessible snow, a convivial only-in-the-Catskills atmosphere, and the knowledge that once Platty’s secret charms have won you over, you’ll be back time and time again.

Find @plattekill_mtn in Roxbury, New York
www.plattekill.com

Adult day passes start at $56 for weekdays/$75 for weekends; whole mountain rentals are available mid-week from $7.5K

By Jennifer Fernandez

Images by Moriah Wolfe and courtesy of Plattekill

Volume 7