Bristol Mountain Ski Resort Review

It's beautiful for the fall festival. Way over crowded and takes hours to get back down from lift.

Great area to wander around in the summer. Went for a marathon race so was there for that. Race is a tough one and you need to prepare for it.

Bristol is a great mountain. Lots of runs spanning broad range of technical tastes. Kids have excellent opportunity also. Very well-run overall. The lifts are run very professionally.

Felt normal. Even during pandemic. Amazing weather. Amazing staff. Safe. Clean. Loved it!

The VIP and gold packages they are offering in 2016/17 are phenomenal deals. The ski instructors we got weren't just your run of the mill instructors. They were passionate skiers who were eager to share their passion with me. I had such a good time. This hill is a beast for the area too. Coming from Ontario I thought I had to travel a lot further to get to a hill this big.

I love this place! I have been skiing there for 43 years and it is still great. I love the bar and bar staff,food is good too, now there is a new whiskey/canned beverage bar, check it out.

Love this resort. Lifts are fast and trails are excellent. I learned to snowboard here 25 years ago...Now my kids are learning to ski and board here!

We booked the new to skiing lessoon package as a group of four adults who have never once put on a pair of skis. Our lessons were with Doug and Brian, they did an amazing job of making us feel comfortable out there and having a lot of fun while learning. Highly recommended, especially for new skiers!

I was here in the fall before season but it's a cool resort with 1200ft vertical. They have some climbing courses / ziplines in summer....

Great trails, nice staff, good food. Perfect place for anyone who wants to get outdoors in the winter!

5% of their year is actually decent conditions. And for that reason alone is why I complain that they charge waaaay too much. And every year it goes up! For literally no reason. Greedy business but if you want to ski or snowboard in Rochester, this is your best and closest mountain.

My 9 yr old son had a blast here, I recommend walking down hill from fall festivities.

Right niw in the fall Bristol is offering fall rides and the leaves are so beautiful. The trails are well taken care of and most you can hike up or down. In the winter love ti ski here. Sometimes the lift lines are a little long but it is worth it. Would recommend skiing here for intermediate to advanced skiers but there are a couple beginners trails.

Good overall experience. Snow was ok. Some on the steeper runs got really ice as the day went on.

4 hr lift tickets do give a rushed feel but understand during the pandemic

My favorite ski mountain in the finger lakes. Bristol offers many trails to a variety of skiiers and boarders from beginners to experts. They have two fair sized lodges for personal belongings and a place to warm up and a high-speed quad chairlift that is always worth the wait. Beware that the right side of the mountain contains moguls!

Bristol has been the highlight of our year the trails are perfectly groomed, staff is helpful and ensures safety.

Fun mountain with some long runs. They could probably use some faster lifts though. My 4 year old did ski school for the first time and the instructors were really great.

Im new to the area, but love coming here. Went skiing a few times last winter and had a lot of fun. The fall ski lift ride was fun too. So many beautiful leave colors!

Nice Ski resort. With all amenities and hospitality

Great ski and snowboard condition most of the time. I love night skiing here because it isn't that busy most of the time. Great place for some exercise. I have been skiing for 3 maybe 4 years and it's is a lot easier because you know the mountain and even if you don't the green and blue trails are the best for a beginner or and intermediate skier or snowboarder.

Down hill skiing! Get outside bring the family and enjoy winter sports! Its stunning to drive up to, well lit in the evening, scenic & fun. Great observation area for those who aren't skiing. Overall great experience, and great winter activity!

Unusable website, terrible customer service. Deceptive practices and deadlines.

Terrible website to buy Solar ticket!
Will have to call to purchase

Bristol Mountain, is a great place to ski. I like the 1200 vertical. I think they had a good idea, when they named the trails. Everything is space related.Its a little challenging on some trails, but have a veriety, to my ski level.

Had a wonderful experience. Never been skiing before in my life!!! I took the First Timers course and my instructor Warren was the best!!! He took his time and really showed me a lot. He is a very passionate guy and wants to see you do well. When I come back to visit it want to have him as my instructor again.

The rental process was good as well. Everyone was very helpful.

It is great for beginners and experts the lessons are realy good too

Probably, one of the best, if not the best, ski resort in upstate NY. Mountain and all the facilities are well kept and they always have a bunch of deals going on.

As a life long skier or Bristol Mountain, I feel like I need to defend some of these reviews. I understand we all have different opinions, and that is the point of the review, but some of these are a bit off in my opinion.

**Comparing Bristol, the lift line wait and the 5 minute run time compared to the 45 minute runs from resorts in Utah and other places out West is ridiculous. We are dealing with 1200 vertical feet here, not 5 times that the Rockies can offer. Bristol has no control over that.
**The ticket prices ARE more than Lab or Song but the mountain boasts so much more than anything in CNY. Bristol has high speed detachable chairs, a much more diverse terrain and they actually make snow. Also, you cant groom DURING busy days unless you want to close trails and further congest others?.
**Running snow guns when there is already snow on the trails costs money. Not only the actual electricity to run the pumps and compressors but the maintenance on the snow making system and the staff who are on the hill monitoring the snow. The same people who are complaining about the ticket prices being too much are saying the snow guns need to be running??
*** The trails DO get skied off later in the day and the lines are long on the weekends. That is all because everyone who wants to ski or snowboard in the area comes to Bristol.

Sure, Bristol is a bit pricey and the staff there are not always the friendliest but it is by far the best ski/snowboard mountain in Western NY if you actually just want to ski and don't come to the 'resort' to shop and judge it based on the cafeteria. I have literally skied all local areas in the course of my life and no other mountain, short of driving to the Adirondacks, is comparable. I have had Bristol season passes on and off all throughout my life, went there as part of ski club in grade school, raced there, and am looking towards next season when my wife and I will be bringing our child as a beginner to enjoy the mountain.

All in all, Bristol is the best option around.

Great place on weekdays, but the weekends tend to be crowded

What a difference from past years! Now you have to pay 5 bucks just to walk around! You also have 10 bucks for 10 tastings of wine. Never had to pay before. Just another venue trying to get rich quick! Vendors are overpriced. And should not allow dogs! Won't be going back anymore.

I went in to hike. It was a fantastic experience. Good elevation. Stellar views! Can't wait to come back to ski!!!

We love skiing bristol. They are close by and it makes it easy to meet up with friends

Way too expensive for what you get. The price for an 8 hour pass has skyrocketed over the years, mainly because there really isn't any competing ski areas nearby. The hills are decent when they groom them but they have a tendency to get icy. Stay away on the nights weekends because it gets absolutely mobbed and they close off a couple of the most popular trails for races pretty much every weekend throughout the winter.

Many trails closed at night. School programs started, so kids everywhere.

Way to crowded (night skiing) for a pandemic, They stagger arrivals but you have to pay full price, got 3 runs in and they shut down a lift early.

Took three friends to this place who had to rent gear. Two of them ended up walking down the hill because the boards wouldn't slide on the snow. We noticed there was no wax at all the boards. All we wanted to do was switch them out and got a hard time from the staff. He said it was because they use 'universal wax' yet the third rider had no problem. When they finally switched out the other two had no problem either. Made a complaint by email and they disregarded us and said it was the riders experience yet the most inexperienced person had no trouble from the begining. Overall the mountains' trails are good but this is a terrible experience.

Snowmaking is good. Trails are well lit. Terrain parks features are great when we get enough snow lol.

I've been skiing here since I was a kid. The hill is fine for a central NY ski resort. No issues there.

The lodge on the other hand is a different story.... In one word...dirty! The tables are never cleaned, the floors are sprinkled with trash, the bar are is always a mess, the bathrooms stink all the time. This place needs a major remodel and a cleaning crew.

When we ski here we hit the slops and head home as soon as we're finished. Nothing to keep us in the lodge.

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself.

Come on Bristol staff, this is a easy fix.

My2cents

Bristol mountain is a good place for beginners, intermediates and experts. They offer very nice rental equipment to use. The package deals to get in are very fair. The lodges are comfortable to take a break in. They do have a website, so you can view the trails, deals and etc.

For upstate NY, bristol is a really great ski area with lots of trails for all skill levels and ages! Our experience here has only been positive. Friendly staff, nice facilities and good quality snow (mother nature permiting). They keep the trails well maintained and covered. The terrain park is a lot of fun for the kids as well as those with the actual skill to do the tricks. Prices are a bit on the high side when comparing season passes against colorado prices - but totally different markets.

When the season is good, bristol is good! however we havent had a good season in a few years so the high prices are pretty rediculous

Bristol Mountain Ski resort one of the best resort in this side, its really very fun place. Mountain shape & maintenance is very up-to the standard. Price is not cheap for entry, training & rental. Also there is ski equipment sales center which have all good brand but too much expensive. Overall is good.

What a great mountain for beginner skiers! Also fun for more advanced too. Just don't expect VT like black diamond trails. Lodge was super clean too.

The staff is always friendly and very helpful. The buildings and equipment are in good condition. The slopes are well maintained, within weather-related constraints.

Definitely the best mountain to ski near Rochester. All their slopes are well maintained and they have plenty of trails.

I d give it a 5 star but 4 will have to do for now since it can get very busy there. The bar and cafe can get so crowded on weekends that there s no where to sit. The lodge area next to the shop is a free-for-all so there are groups, bags, and equipment everywhere. This is only on the weekends. The weekdays are not so bad.

On the mountain side of things... very quick chair lift. Even with a long line, that line moves quickly. I love the terrain parks. Also, watching the China/US team do freestyle jumps is simply amazing. Fun stuff! Great mountain overall. Minus 1 star for very crazy busy weekends.

First time ever going down a mountain two weeks ago. Had so much fun, but the lift operators tried to stop me from riding back up a few times all the way up until 9 p.m. because I was using Sled Dog snow skates. I found it funny actually. Will definitely come back.

Did the Fall Fest. Kids had a great time. This food and live music everywhere. We enjoyed the trails at the top.

Friendly affordable and fun. Great little resort with quick lifts.

Good trails, inconsistent snow quality, rare that all trails are open

I will never go to their fall festival and lift rides again. I prepaid for lunch and ride tickets. No one seemed to know where you needed to go to redeem either one, after being sent to multiple locations we finally got lunch. Went for lift ride and was told there was a 45 minute wait to take the ride and then another 3 hours to ride back. At that point I left and didn't care that tickets were prepaid. It was the most unorganized event ever. Even the workers didn't know what was going on.

First time visiting a place like this, awesome for beginners, the personnel are always willing to help, very friendly, they treat you with respect and consideration, enough patience. Good to take advantage of their training. For people used to other activities it might be pricey , but it seems theirs are in the normal range for these type of things.

********** FOR FIRST TIMERS**********

PLEASE make sure the board they give you is waxed. I went there and did a class for first timers and waisted MY money. I was having a hard time moving in my board. I m an athletic gal so I was getting frustrated that I was barely moving. Something was off. I was doing everything right.. It wasn t my boots.. I felt like it was my board. I told the instructor to check if my board and boots were ok. He told me everything looked fine and it s normal for first timers to struggle and that some people take slower to get the hang of snowboarding. Ok.. fine. After 2 runs down the mountain, I finally gave up. Luckily one of the guys who worked there wearing the red vests saw I was struggling bad. He examined my boots and my board and said I needed to change my board. ..all this WASTED time.. it s ridiculous that an EXPERIENCED instructor has no knowledge or didn t even bother to tell me to change my board. I m sure he knew it was my board that was he problem all this time. Why waste my time and money? I wasted 3 hours of my time that day looking like a dumb*ss. I should have gotten a refund.

Well kept for a WNY ski resort! Lots of fun to ride here, the place has been evolving a lot the past few years!

Awesome place to spend a day skiing or boarding, lots of trails and awesome staff

Best snow making in the area for our global warming Winters

My favorite trail is milky way, you can go pretty fast and for a certain part, you need to

Close ski resort and there's always activities for the family to do.

Great day of skiing today. Conditions continue to hold up week with all trails open.

Buying tickets online was a hassle as I had to check out 3 seperate times. I appreciated that they are doing block times so that it doesn't get over crowded.

We went on the lift ride in fall. We go every year. It amazing!

Went for the fall foliage ride on the chairlift. Nice peaceful, beautiful scenery. Walked some trails.

They work hard to get and keep snow on the mountain. Excellent snowmaking and grooming. Lots of activities thru out the season.

My daughter & son started skiing at the end of this winter season. The quality of instruction is superb! The attentive instructors provide not only adequate attention, but motivate the children to excel. Extremely personable and friendly staff. The entire staff actually cares about their guests! Very calm and relaxed atmosphere. The elderly lady (I cannot recollect her name unfortunately) who checked us in was super nice! She, is a complete gem! My daughter was paired up with an instructor Emily. Emily was not only motivating my daughter but consistently and constantly ensured my daughter progressed and excelled to the next level. So unexpected but much appreciated without even being asked Emily took video of my daughter so that I could see her progress while skiing! I cannot stress how AWESOME EVERYONE was even the male instructors in the ski camp that both my kids were in! BRAVO for hiring caring, motivated & dedicated staff and instructors! What a great asset all of them are!!!

Covid protocols are pretty whack, dont see how this is safely open right now