Olympic Regional Development Authority

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports that's defying nationwide data showing a 5 to 10 percent decline in pass sales last year across the U.S. It's partly to do with last year's historic snow drought in the West, while the Northeast saw consistent powder for much of the season.

The Olympic Regional Development Authority has also made major investments to upgrade its winter sports facilities since 2018.

Earlier this year, Whiteface Mountain installed 76 new high-efficiency snow guns to help when natural snow conditions are bad.

Gore, Whiteface, and Bel Air all saw an over 5% increase in past sales this past season.

Lake Placid held the same event last fall, which generated more than $11 million in economic impact.

That is according to the Olympic Regional Development Authority.

Then in mid-January, the Olympic Ski Jumps will host a freestyle Aerials World Cup.

And then in February, there will be a men's and women's ski jumping World Cup in Lake Placid.

So that also includes things like ice skating rinks and a gondola that serves a ski jump up in Lake Placid.

But let's estimate that at least two-thirds of that went to the three ORDA mountains.

That's great for the skiers of those mountains.

Uh, for, for Belleayre, it's two and a half hours north of New York City.

All have new snowmaking.

Uh, the issue is that these ski areas, which do not have to make a profit, are subsidized by the state for their capital expenditures, and they do not have to pay taxes, and they compete directly against private ski areas that do have to pay taxes.

And the, the quality of skiing that you get at the Olympic Regional Development Ski, Ski Areas, the state-owned ski areas, or ORDA, as I'll call them, uh, i- is not commensurate with the lift ticket price you will pay.

Uh, for example, Plattekill Independent Mountain, which is...