Royal Mountain Ski Area — Attraction in Town of Caroga

Royal Mountain is a small mom & pop mountain nestled in upstate New York. It’s only open on weekends, holidays, and school breaks from 9am to 4pm, but it was perfect to try out after Friday the 13th on Gore and my intercostal muscle strain.

PARKING Plenty of free parking, lots of off-roading.

TICKETS & PASSES I had my reservations about the quality of Royal due to the prices of tickets and passes. Super affordable! Adult all day was $60.

THE MOUNTAIN & SLOPES I first learned about Royal Mountain after meeting Billy, a ski patroller there, while my boyfriend and I were at Gore. He invited us to check out Royal so we wouldn’t leave empty-handed after a rough time at Gore. He knew I had been struggling there, psyching myself out, and assured me I would have a much better time at Royal. He was right—I’m not going to lie, I reclaimed my confidence at Royal and was able to take it easy without further injuring myself.

Billy’s enthusiasm for the mountain was undeniable. He showed us around, and it quickly became clear just how much love the community has for Royal. Everyone helps run it together, and it was so well-kept. Every inch of the mountain was covered in snow—so much snow! But I wasn’t surprised since this was Upstate New York. I had my reservations at first, based on previous experiences with smaller, family-owned mountains, but Royal exceeded my expectations.

Billy had us start on the bunny slope, assuring us not to judge it by its name. He spends a lot of time on it himself because, unlike most bunny slopes, this one is different—way more fun. He wasn’t wrong! Once I felt confident enough to ride without straining myself too much, we explored more of the mountain, riding ski lifts and different trails. For a Saturday, it wasn’t too crowded, which was perfect. I’m not a fan of crowds—not just as a snowboarder but in general. Crowds make me feel claustrophobic, like I can’t even hear myself think.

Watching Billy interact with the kids on the mountain was heartwarming. They trusted him completely—he was their guide into the world of snowboarding. You could tell he knew exactly what he was doing. At some point, he left us to explore on our own while he accompanied the groms down some much more difficult terrain. I wasn’t about to follow, not with my intercostal muscle strain. I could still ride, but strapping in took nerves of steel. I’ve had this same strain before, but never from something as cool as a snowboarding mishap.

This was also my first time riding back-to-back multiple days in a week, but I love snowboarding too much to give up!

Needless to say, I had the best time thanks to Billy and his recommendations. I hope to come back one day and really enjoy the mountain—especially without any injuries!

FOOD & BATHROOMS The bathrooms were awesome. They had character. Everything was so well-kept and had slice of history shown with the decor.

The food & refreshments were affordable and tasted amazing. Everyone was so kind!

GIFT SHOP Although there isn’t much of a gift shop, Royal still had vinyl stickers to choose from FOR FREE! I loved it! Very much so appreciated!

OVERALL I had a really pleasant experience at Royal Mountain and cannot wait to do it again. I definitely want to explore the mountain some more, when I come back. I will be 100% healed and ready to take on any of the trails. I hope to run into Billy again because he’s definitely an amazing guy and clearly, you can tell, the community thinks so too!

I was going to give this mountain a four out of five star because I fully believe everything can be bettered upon BUT I can’t really think of anything quite wrong with the mountain. It’s well-kept, well-loved, and a great hidden gem! The website is gorgeous too! Easy to maneuver. I can find everything I was looking for. Not just anyone can attain this high level of...

This was my first time here. I brought the Niskayuna Ski Team up for a Slalom competetion. (yes, I drive school buses) This is a little hidden gem. You've heard about Gore, West and Willard locally, well now you (Upstate New Yorkers) got another one to go to.

There is plenty of parking, I can atest to it because there were 14 schools, free skiers and snowmobilers (came in late afternoon when the event was done) There is a upper lot and a lower lot.

There are two lodges ..the Base lodge and the T-Bar. (I was only in the Base Lodge.) The Base Lodge has plenty of seating, especially if it was a normal day of free skiers. It has a bar area for the adults. Not sure what they had there as far as drinks so that will be a wait and see if you go. The snack bar is awesome, especially their WAFFLES ! The air smells like fresh baked waffles the entire time...The staff were remarkable! Friendly, courteous and full of smiles...especially with the amount kids that were there!

The mountain itself has several differnet ski runs (see picture). By what I saw they were very well maintained and groomed. I couldnt tell much more than that because I couldnt ski due to being on the job. The ski pass was pretty reasonable ALL DAY pass $50. Pretty good for a Full day of skiing (9 to 5)

Check out their web site if you want more info. I;m guessing you already have because you wouldnt be reading this...LOL

Go hit the slopes....Enjoy the down to earth, friendly atomsphere. Wish for Freshies...

Royal Mountain is a great local, small town, low key, affordable place to take your family. Each staff member we interacted with was wonderful. They were helpful in ticket sales, rentals, food, and lift operations. Fortunately I didn't have to talk to the ski patrol but I saw them moving around a few times and seemed to be active and ready to help with cheerful countenances.

Lunch was fresh, quick, and tasty at great prices. The whole lodge area to eat was neat with a few heat stoves where guests were drying out gloves and the like after a rainy morning on the slopes. In my opinion the other guests seemed to be local teens and young adults. A few parents with smaller children but overall it was a great experience with great people all around.

They have a ton of snow making machines and had great coverage even though we have not received a ton of snow in the area this year. It's a small area but because the lines were either short or non-existent it felt like we got to ski down and take the lift back up quickly to get a lot of runs in. I can't think of anything they could do to improve the experience and found it to be a relaxing and glorious day outside this winter.

Thanks Royal Mountain staff for making it a great experience for everyone looking to enjoy the...