| Bristol Mountain Winter Resort | |
|---|---|
Bristol Mountain in autumn 2009 |
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| Location | Bristol Mountain |
| Nearest city | Canandaigua |
| Vertical | 1,200 feet (370 m) |
| Top elevation | 2,100 feet (640 m) |
| Base elevation | 900 feet (270 m) |
| Skiable area | 160 acres (0.65 km2) |
| Runs | 33 |
| Longest run | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
| Lift system | 5 chairlifts (two detachable high speed), one surface lift. |
| Lift capacity | 10200 passengers/hr not including surface lift (1500 pph) |
| Terrain parks | One advanced and one beginner |
| Snowfall | 130 inches (330 cm) |
| Snowmaking | 97% |
| Night skiing | 96% |
| Web site | http://www.bristolmt.com/ |
Bristol Mountain Ski Resort, also known as Bristol Mountain Winter Resort, is a ski resort located in South Bristol, New York in the Finger Lakes region.[1] It is located 30 miles (48 km) from the center of Rochester, New York, the nearest major city to the resort, and about 10 miles (16 km) from Canandaigua on State Route 64. Currently, Bristol Mountain Resort features many trails ranging from easiest (green circle) to difficult (double black diamonds). Bristol Mountain has a vertical rise of 1,200 feet, claiming to have the highest vertical of any ski resort between the Rocky Mountains and the Adirondacks. Bristol also offers two terrain parks and cross country skiing at the resort's summit. Also at the top is a ski shop and rental facility. Bristol Mountain Resort also operates in conjunction with Roseland Waterpark, open during the summer season in Canandaigua. As of 2010, they have two high speed detachable chairlifts. The Comet Express lift was installed for the 1999/2000 season and the Galaxy Express for the 2009/2010 season. Both make a full pass in about four minutes. In the autumn they offer Fall Sky Rides using the Comet Express High Speed Quad chairlift[2] slowed down to take 15–20 minutes. Once at the top the riders may stay on and ride or hike down the trails.[3]
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Bristol Mountain was established in 1964 after the land was bought in South Bristol, New York. 50 of 360 acres (1.5 km2) was cleared, the base lodge built for the December 12 opening. Snowmaking capabilities and a new lift was added in 1965. In 1967, then Senator Robert Kennedy skied at Bristol. In 1968 Bristol Mountain was the world's largest illuminated ski resort. By the 1970s, Bristol was getting over 100,000 skiers per year and opened seven days a week. They progressively made snowmaking improvements and by 1985 they had 100 percent coverage and guaranteed over 100 days of skiing per season.[4]
In 1969 the rate for skiing was seven dollars, with four dollar nights. Even then they had the longest vertical drop between the Adirondacks and the Rockies. However, back then they only claimed the drop to be 1,000 instead of 1,200 feet.[5] Surprisingly, they were open later then, closing at 10:30 instead of 10:00.
In 2009–2010, the new high speed detachable chairlift (Galaxy Express High Speed Quad) was added. A new trail, Lower North Star, which ends at the bottom of the Galaxy chairlift was added for the 2010–2011 season. The new lift replaces an older, non detachable, lift that started half way up the mountain in the same place. The new trail is 2,600 feet long and 120 feet wide,[6] adding a little over seven acres to the mountain.
The summit of Bristol Mountain has been a broadcasting site for the Rural Radio Network since 1948, before the ski resort was ever formed. The station now known as WFXF signed on June 6, 1948 as WVBT, licensed to Bristol Center, New York and transmitting from Bristol Mountain on 101.9 MHz. It was the next-to-last link in the Rural Radio Network chain of FM stations broadcasting to farmers across upstate New York. WVBT changed call letters to WRRE and changed frequency to 95.1 in the early 1950s. When the Rural Radio Network became the Ivy Network under new owners in 1960, WRRE became WMIV. It would retain those calls under the network's next identity, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), broadcasting religious programming from studios in Ithaca between 1968 and 1981. WMIV was sold to Empire Broadcasting and in early 1982, it changed format to adult standards and it's call letters to WYLF. This station operated from a studio in a converted house on Route 332 in Farmington. On July 28, 1986, WYLF was sold and became WZSH. On December 26, 1991, WZSH became WRQI, "Rock-It 95," programming a rock format. In 1993, Rock-It 95 added the syndicated Howard Stern Show to its lineup, bringing the station attention and ratings in the larger Rochester market. WRQI made several attempts to improve its main signal on 95.1 as well, briefly moving from its historic Bristol Mountain site to a tower in Farmington owned by Rochester Telephone Company, but was forced to return to Bristol after interference complaints from the tower's neighbors. On April 21, 1995, WRQI became WNVE, "The Nerve," a modern rock/alternative station. In 2001, WNVE left its Bristol Mountain transmitter site for the last time, changing city of license from South Bristol to Honeoye Falls, New York in a swap with sister station WLCL (107.3), which took the South Bristol city of license and the Bristol Mountain transmitter site. On July 4, 2004, Clear Channel moved WNVE from 95.1 to the lesser Bristol Mountain 107.3 signal. Replacing it on 95.1 was the former 107.3 classic rock format, "The Fox," with new call letters WFXF. The Bristol Mountain station now broadcasts on 107.3 as sports radio WHTK-FM.
While Bristol is often claimed to have had 160 skiable acres, Bristol states that with the addition of the latest trail they are up to 138 skiable acres.[7] 160 is probably the total cleared acreage, including the summit and base area. Bristol's new detachable chairlift, the Galaxy high speed quad, will only run during peak times such as afternoons and weekends. Bristol Mountain usually has a winter operating season of about four months (December to March), sometimes opening by late November and closing sometime in April. Early and late in the season only a few trails and lifts are open. In 2010, they opened on December 5, but only the Comet Express lift was running and only Rocket Run was open, from noon to four pm.[8]
Trails: 34; 33% Novice; 49% Intermediate; 18% Advanced
Chairlifts: 5 total, including two high speed detachable chairlifts. There is also a conveyor surface lift to a beginner slope known as Launching Pad which only rises 60 feet
Surface Lifts
Vertical: 1,200 feet (370 m)
Summit elevation: 2,200 feet (670 m)
Skiable Acres: 160
Average Annual Snowfall: 120 inches
Night Skiing: Yes. 96% of the trails have trail lighting
Snowmaking: 97% of terrain has snowmaking capabilities[9] (all trails except Quantum Leap)
Bristol Mountain Ski Resort has 34 slopes and trails, including two terrain parks and two half-pipes. The Morning Star park features a half-pipe 450’ long with 14’ high walls. The easier Shooting Star Progression Park includes a 100' half-pipe with 3–4' walls made out of snow instead of earth.[10] The longest trail/run is about two miles and is made up of three trails, starting at Milky Way, then to Eclipse, and Infinity. All three are easy trails; this goes around the backside of the mountain.
The trail names all have to do with space. This is due to that fact that Bristol Mountain first opened in the 1960s, during the space race.
* = Short Connecting Run
Bristol also has cross country skiing available at the Summit Nordic Center, consisting of two trails, one of which has snowmaking and lights for night skiing. The Summit Nordic Center is not directly accessible from Bristol Mountain's downhill base lodges; visitors must use the separate entrance by driving up the mountain to South Hill Road off of County Road 32.[11]
On February 16, 2010, a Penfield man died in a snowboarding accident at Bristol Mountain. 48 year old Elliott A. Eklund was pronounced dead at Thompson Hospitol in Canandaigua at 8:20 after striking a tree on Bristol Mountain's Shooting Star run at about 7:30.[12] This is the first death that has occurred at the resort since 2001, when a 36-year-old Palmyra man died after skiing into a tree.[13]
Coincidentally, on February 16, 1988, 17-year-old David Elliot of Penfield died after being injured in a skiing accident at Bristol Mountain.[14]
General
