Hickory Ski Center
An Adirondack ski area founded by 10th Mountain Division veterans in 1946, famous for its 1950s Poma lifts, which closed in 2016 and reopened in 2024.
- Region
- New York
- Country
- USA
- Status
- reopened
- Year opened
- 1946
- Year closed
- 2016
- Reason for closure
- Closed in 2016 through lack of profitability; reopened for the 2023-24 season and paused again for 2025-26 during a change of management model
History
Hickory was founded in 1946 by veterans of the 10th Mountain Division. Hans Winbauer, a draftsman from Queensbury, together with his wife Fran and friends Ken and Flo Bates, studied snowfall patterns, sun direction and topographic maps before settling on Pine Mountain above an old farm ten minutes south of Warrensburg. After a summer of clearing they opened with a single trail in 1946 and expanded from there. The area has 1,200 feet of vertical with views over the Hudson River toward Gore Mountain, and is best known for its vintage Poma lifts, the first of which was installed in 1955. Hickory closed in 2016 for lack of profits and reopened for the 2023-24 season, but did not operate in 2025-26 while it moved to a new management model.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poma Lift | Platter | Poma | First Poma installed in 1955; the area is known for its vintage 1950s Poma lifts |
| Additional Poma lifts | Platter | Poma | Further lifts added as the founders cleared more terrain |
Sources and further reading
More in USA
Location
43.4700, -73.8000