Popular Thunder Ridge Resort to Open This Week in Patterson
DAVID PROPPER PHOTOS
The Thunder Ridge Ski Area in Patterson, which had a chance of closing earlier this fall, is scheduled to reopen for the new ski season this Friday (Dec. 19) afternoon.
The fate of the popular resort, which has over 300 employees, was up in the air after former Putnam County legislator Mary Conklin and her husband Robert, who operated Thunder Ridge for 19 years, decided not to do so this winter. Brothers Wayne and Dean Ryder, the owners of the resort, have decided to also operate it.
Dean Ryder said last week running the resort, which has been part of the lives of him and his family, is a labor of love. Ryder, a 68-year-old Carmel resident and Putnam banker, said he has been a skier since he was five and his three daughters are ski racers who also have used Thunder Ridge since childhood. “That is a life skill,” Ryder said.
About 100,000 visits are typically made by skiers to the resort every winter, Ryder said, adding Thunder Ridge is generally open for skiing through March 15. Closing Thunder Ridge would have been devastating to local skiers, Ryder said. “I can’t tell you the number of calls that I got” when it appeared the facility might not open for the new ski season, he said, adding he was told by callers that their children were crying over the possibility of no longer having Thunder Ridge open.
Ryder said Thunder Ridge has about 350 employees, including “a lot of ski instructors.”
Ryder said the top reason he and his brother wanted to keep Thunder Ridge open was its employees. “The main reason is they are such a great group of people,” he noted.
A series of renovations have been completed at Thunder Ridge, including painting and upgrading the “magic carpets,” which allow young skiers to be lifted up hills without the need to sit in ski lift seats, Ryder said.
Aside from skiing, Thunder Ridge can cater events, such as parties, and has a portion of the property available for paintball, Ryder said.
Patterson Supervisor Michael Griffin said Thunder Ridge is an important part of the local economy. Not only does the facility employ over 300 people, it also provides customers to local businesses including restaurants.
“It’s great to have this facility in town,” Griffin said.
The resort has some site plan issues the new operators still need to address, including parking, Griffin said. But the town has provided the Ryder brothers additional time to deal with the issues and did not want to prevent the facility from reopening for the season, Griffin said.
The Thunder Ridge Ski Area is located at 137 Birch Hill Rd. in Patterson. For more information call 845-878-4100 or visit thunderridgeski.com.
