Can Summer Save Windham Mountain Club, New York's Most Controversial Ski Resort?

Windham, a tiny ski area in New York’s Catskill Mountains, has been a hub of controversy ever since it was acquired in 2023. The new owners, Kemmons Wilson Jr. and Sandy Beall, came to town with a black belt in hospitality: Wilson’s father founded Holiday Inn, and Beall is best known as the founder of one of the country’s preeminent luxury resorts, Blackberry Farm in Tennessee.

The play was straightforward: Windham is a two-and-half hour drive from New York City; if Beall and company could glitz it up enough, they bet that they could entice well-heeled New Yorkers to throw down for a membership. “Why would you drive four hours to Vermont from Manhattan when you can just drive two-and-a-half hours to Windham?” says Beall. “Especially with kids. That extra driving time is a big deal with kids, and most of our members have kids. Most of our future members will be families.”