Thunder Ridge Ski Area in Patterson, New York, has long served skiers from the New York metropolitan area by emphasizing accessibility and extensive snowmaking rather than natural snowfall. Operating successively as Birch Hill, Big Birch, and since 1995 Thunder Ridge, the mountain has seen trail changes, new ownership improvements, and major equipment upgrades that expanded snowmaking coverage to about 95 percent by 2018. It offers 23 trails, a mix of easier and expert terrain, and a lift system with chairlifts and magic carpets. Beyond recreation, it has been an important venue for night skiing and high school racing since at least the mid-1960s.