Dennis Eshbaugh is the President and Common Supervisor of Vacation Valley, one in every of New York’s largest resorts. He got here to Ellicottville within the Seventies as a ski teacher assumed his management place within the mid-Nineties, overseeing vital development and the transformation of the resort.
Below Eshbaugh, Vacation grew into some of the profitable ski areas within the East, including facilities and changing into a year-round vacation spot. He has targeted on a neighborhood method to resort administration, permitting the resort to thrive with out changing into a part of one of many main ski cross conglomerates.
He graciously agreed to element his rise by the corporate and the philosophy that has contributed to this success story.
The place did you develop up? When did you begin snowboarding? What was your first house mountain? When did you first ski Vacation Valley?
I grew up in Erie, PA. I began snowboarding after I was 15, my pal Chuck Brown took me to Peek‘n Peak, which grew to become my first house mountain. I first skied Vacation Valley in 1975, I believe.
Have you ever skied any of New York’s misplaced ski areas?
I’ve skied Grosstal/Ski Wing, Eagle Ridge, Val Bella Allegany NY, Poverty Hill, Cockaigne and Little Valley Ski Slope. I visited Bluemont however didn’t ski there. I want all of them have been nonetheless in enterprise! Each space was distinctive and particular in its personal method. They made snowboarding accessible and gave everybody a possibility to ski.
The place else do you ski? What number of days a yr do you get?
I attempt to ski over 50 days a yr. I make it some extent to go to a minimal of 10 totally different areas yearly. I’ve been lucky to ski in a number of Canadian Provinces, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington within the West. At coronary heart I’m an Jap skier who has loved too many ski areas to depend in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts.
California is presently a favourite vacation spot for me as a result of my youngest daughter works at Sugar Bowl. I’ve skied Mammoth, Palisades, Alpine, Northstar, Boreal, Heavenly Valley and others. I’ve had the nice fortune to get pleasure from cat and heli-skiing journeys.
Each skier ought to go to Tuckerman Ravine not less than as soon as within the springtime.

In case you have free time on a powder day at Vacation Valley, the place do you head?
Eagle, Hoot Owl, Foxfire… chasing the snow!
What was your first job within the ski enterprise?
As a scholar at Indiana College of Pennsylvania, and I did every part from elevate operator to rental store to ski faculty and ski patrol. My second job was ski teacher at Peek ‘n Peak.
When did you begin working at Vacation Valley? What jobs have you ever held?
I began right here within the 1975-76 season. I used to be a ski teacher, then director of Ski Faculty, Venture Supervisor, Common Supervisor and eventually President.
In your thoughts what are Vacation’s largest strengths and challenges?
It begins with an unbelievable group of individuals together with the hardworking workers and nice management of the Board of Administrators. We’ve got a robust model as a high quality resort with an important number of terrain, glorious elevate system, unbelievable automated snowmaking (the most important HKD automated system within the East) lodging on website and (that is large) the Village of Ellicottville.
Challenges: We concentrate on managing the impacts of the climate in our enterprise. It will possibly change on the hour, by the day and each season is exclusive. It’s a must to be adaptable, nimble and all the time prepared to reply.
On a granular stage, the better problem for Vacation Valley and the ski enterprise typically is convincing individuals to take the danger, getting a share of their restricted free time after which introducing them to snowboarding and snowboarding in a method that makes them need extra. On prime of all this, managing to maintain a sustainable enterprise.

How do you exchange freshmen into lifelong skiers?
Encourage them to carry buddies to ski with and encourage them to satisfy different new skiers/riders. Make it inexpensive, handy and fascinating to take classes.
Our eight-session ski packages for faculties embrace classes and children can hold with their buddies in a cool setting, with out their mother and father! These packages are additionally out there to adults, people and golf equipment. We additionally provide season-long children’ packages (type of like winter camp each weekend) for teenagers beginning at age 4 as much as teenagers.
The 2026 Olympic yr will assist get individuals within the sport.
How do you view the affect of mega-passes?
These passes are within the information usually which definitely helps to maintain snowboarding prime of thoughts. One disadvantage is the expense — they discourage individuals who wish to strive the game.
Vacation Valley isn’t a member of any mega-pass or reciprocals (SANY excepted). We’re fiercely impartial! We keep targeted on what works greatest for Vacation Valley and our buyer. I’d by no means communicate towards the advantages of a multi-area cross for skiers; nevertheless, our efforts are focused on methods to greatest serve the Vacation Valley skier.
How a lot of your income falls outdoors of winter?
Vacation Valley usually generates 20% of our income outdoors of snowboarding. That is per most ski areas which have summer season actions. Income turbines embrace golf, Sky Excessive Journey Park/Mountain Coaster/Chairlift rides, swimming pools, and meetings-weddings-conferences.
• The place do your skiers come from?
Enterprise comes from the West (Ohio – 25%), North (Buffalo 30%, Canada 20%), South (PA 15%) and East (Rochester 10%)

Has current financial stress between the US and Canada had an affect on your corporation?
Considerably, principally people who find themselves not Vacation Valley regulars. We’ll see what the winter brings. Canadians who know Vacation Valley and Ellicottville know we love them!
What makes Vacation Valley totally different from different areas?
The muse of Vacation Valley is individuals dedicated to service and having enjoyable. We provide a top-notch high quality of lifts and infrastructure. The Village of Ellicottville is a big profit. We’ve got quick access from a number of metro areas (Buffalo, Toronto, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Cleveland). We profit from lake impact snows and customarily good climate.
Inform us about “operating your corporation so that you’re not a predator for native enterprise.”
Our affiliation with the real village of Ellicottville and the neighborhood is a big a part of our success. It’s a symbiotic relationship: Vacation Valley brings enterprise to city, and, on the similar time, the city is another excuse individuals love Vacation Valley. We work laborious to cooperate with native companies and don’t compete with them. We keep targeted on the areas the place we excel.
What’s Vacation Valley’s tree snowboarding coverage?
All our terrain is open to snowboarding/using and we’ve 4 designated glade runs. There’s a tree snowboarding tradition that’s evident in snowy years, like final season.

What enhancements are deliberate for the subsequent decade?
Extra lifts, extra buildings, extra snowmaking and pickleball (Jane’s concept.)
What’s the most shocking factor about Vacation Valley?
Persons are stunned at what we’ve achieved with 750 vertical toes. Because of the structure of our mountain winds round 4 totally different faces, it offers us unbelievable number of terrain.
What are the highest actions for non-skiing guests?
Tubing, Mountain Coaster, procuring, eating and spas in Ellicottville, XC ski or snowshoe, visiting native Amish retailers, playing and reveals on the close by Seneca on line casino. Pub crawl – no simply kidding (kind of). 4 nice impartial ski/snowboard retailers with glorious boot becoming. The tubing Park is nice is new this yr – coloured lights on the hill!
Thanks on your time Dennis.
You’re welcome and thanks for the chance.