Adirondack Ski Community Gutted: Ski Hickory Has 'No Plan' To Operate For 2025-2026 Season

Hickory Ski Center, the historic Adirondack mountain known for its rugged terrain and old-school charm, announced this week that it will not be opening its lifts for the upcoming 2025-2026 ski season. The news, delivered via a cryptic social media post, cites a pivot towards developing a "new management model" intended to secure the 80-year-old ski area’s long-term sustainability.

The announcement states that the mountain has "no plans to operate this season" but expresses hope that the transition will ensure Hickory "will again be a place for families to gather, friends to connect, and kids to learn to ski." The temporary shutdown is expected to facilitate construction work on the base lodge and the launch of a new digital presence.

They say: "The season is changing from fall to winter. There is a chill in the air, changes are in the wind. Many are looking forward to a chance to ski the legend, fly up on the poma and hit the back country glades. Currently, there are no plans to operate this season. Our hope is that as a new management model unfolds, Hickory will again be a place for families to gather, friends to connect and kids will learn to ski.

"Please be advised that public access is no longer available for hiking, skinning, snowshoeing, disc golf or camping. There will be opportunities for reserved group use. There will be construction work on the lodge and a new web page being designed. New beginnings for The Legend that will emerge in the coming months.

"Our current website will be deactivated on or around November 1st as the Hickory story gets a new chapter, so too will the social media presence undergo changes.

"If you have questions, please email hickorysc2@gmail.com

"Thanks everyone for being part of the Hickory story that created the Legend,"

In the past Indy Pass and Unofficial Networks have combined efforts to provide financial assistance to Hickory Ski Center. “After Tim called, we did a quick assessment and decided that Entabeni would step in on this one. It is important to recognize the collaboration between Entabeni, Indy Pass, and Unofficial Networks. The more organizations we can get involved to stabilize these small, independent areas, the better our chances of scaling this movement,” said Erik Mogensen, CEO of Entabeni and Indy Pass at the time.

The move comes after several seasons of inspirational, community-driven fundraising efforts that managed to bring the lifts back online after a previous closure in 2016. The most recent success story, in which partnerships with organizations like Indy Pass helped secure critical insurance funding, had given locals optimism that the mountain was back on solid footing.

Compounding the disappointment for the tight-knit ski community is the immediate closure of the mountain to all individual public access. The mountain’s owners confirmed that during this transitional period, hiking, skinning, snowshoeing, and other previously available off-season activities—including disc golf—will not be permitted.

“This hill is a big resource to the backcountry community in the area,” one local user wrote on the mountain's Facebook page, expressing the collective frustration over the closure of skinning and hiking access. While the center stated limited group rentals may be available upon request, the loss of individual access removes a vital resource for outdoor enthusiasts during the transition.

Founded in 1945 by veterans of the famed U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division, Hickory Ski Center has always stood apart from larger resorts. It proudly shuns snowmaking technology, relying solely on natural snowfall to open its 17 trails, which span a 1,200-foot vertical drop. Its vintage Poma and T-Bar lifts and steep, glade-filled slopes have fostered a devoted following who cherish its authentic, unpretentious atmosphere.

While the immediate future holds quiet slopes, the current owners—many of whom are descendants of the original developers—are positioning the pause as a necessary step toward longevity rather than a final curtain call. The hope is that the restructuring will solidify the foundation needed to keep “The Legend” alive for generations to come, transforming its current challenge into a robust new chapter.