Trey Clauss, of Ellicottville, has been an avid skier since he was 7 and still enjoys hitting the slopes with his family.

"It's a major part of our life. It's basically been my life since I was about 16 years old. I competed in freestyle moguls through my high school years," said Trey.

What You Need To Know

  • Holiday Valley is re-investing $9M back into the resort

  • Major improvements include a new lift and renovations to The Inn

  • The new lift is expected to be ready in time for fall foliage tours

After one last run recently in Killington, Vermont, it's now time for Trey to pack up the winter gear and put it all away.

"As a diehard skier, you have to have a closing chapter of the season to prepare for the next season right," Trey said.

Trey and his family spend a lot of the season at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville.

Marketing Director Dash Hegeman says the resort is reinvesting $9 million in renovations and improvements.

"It's an incredible number," said Dash.

Starting with replacing the Mardis Gras High-Speed Quad and towers with a new six-pack lift, allowing skiers to ride up the hill quicker.

A crane on hand to remove the very first high-speed quad installed at Holiday Valley. 

"People really spent a lot of time on the lift, enjoyed the lift, coming down Mardis Gras, and a lot of memories were made. So, there's certainly a level of nostalgia," said Dash.

Funding also is replacing underground pipes and water lines to improve snowmaking.

Inside, renovations are already complete to the lobby of the Tamarack Club, one of two lodging facilities at the resort.

"Always trying to bring about a better guest experience. This is an opportunity that we saw that we could take advantage of," said Dash.

The Inn at Holiday Valley also getting a major lift, as improvements have already begun in the lobby. Other changes include turning the library into a store with snacks and merchandise, updating and redecorating the rooms and renovating the heated outdoor and indoor pool.

"There's a lot of that commonality throughout the ski industry. A desire to give a very iconic location that we have a little bit of a facelift so, things aren't being drastically changed," said Trey.

Still, the changes are enough to make Trey and his family look forward to future runs down the mountain.

"Sharing the excitement with them. It just goes to show that my parents brought me up as a skier, and passing that down to them, it makes me even more excited because now I get to go out and share my enjoyment of skiing with them," said Trey.

Holiday Valley says it hopes to have the new chair lift operational in time for this year's fall fest.

As for the Inn, complete renovations could take up to three years to finish.