Cross country ski resort planned in Lewis County

OSCEOLA, N.Y. (WWNY) - If you build it they will come. It was true of a baseball field in the movies and it could soon be true for a cross country ski trail in Lewis County.

"Started out as my dream and my wife agreed with me," said Dustin Hite, owner of Osceola Ski and Sport Resort.

Hite is building his own cross country ski resort in Osceola in the very southern tip of Lewis County. He was inspired after the place down the road went up for sale.

"Skiing has been a huge part of my life and outdoor activities are a huge part of my life so I'm trying to keep that going for my family and other families," he said.

The new resort, Osceola Ski and Sport Resort, will have 15 kilometers of trails for cross country skiing and snow shoeing. A lodge is also being built that can be used for events in the off season.

Hite says he believes the new resort will bring tourists from all over to the Tug Hill region.

"People that come here from out of the area tend to spend quite a bit of money helping our local economy. I've noticed most of the skiers that come to Oceola about 3 quarters of them come from at least one to two hours away," he said.

Even though the place down the road, Osceola Tug Hill Cross Country Ski Center, is up for sale, its owner, Hugh Quinn, says it will be open this season. He says there is room for more than one ski area in Osceola.

"If you're going to look for a car dealership, are you going to go to place that has one car dealership or street that's got five or six? So to me I think this area could support three or four commercial areas. Half the people that come here come from out of state. If there are three or four other choices, they will come up for a whole week rather than 3 or 4 days," said Quinn.

Hite says his new ski resort should be open for the season in December.

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