Belleayre Mtn, NY: 1/31/10

Ski Day 17


Jamesdeluxe, Mrs. Deluxe, Miyoko and I arrived at Belleayre after dealing with a variety of obligations ... driving, daycare, ski rental, carpooling, and an involuntary contribution to the Town of Kingston Highway Fund.

Twas a cold, bluebird day in the Catskills when we arrived at 10:30. The ladies and I got on the lifts to see how the mountain had recovered from the devastating NCP event on Monday. James hurried off to interview Belleayre Advocate Extraordinaire Joe Kelly. More from James on that later this week.



Reports we'd seen on Alpine Zone were spot on. Bell was pounding the bump runs with continuous snowmaking, and they were excellent. Groomers had less new manmade and were about what you'd expect. Firm surfaces, with some loose manmade on top, but nothing special.

Harv on Tongora

After making the rounds of the mountain to check things out, we concentrated on the bumps on Tongora, Upper Winnesook, Belleayre Run and Lower Wanatuska. We were happy to be skiing and we lapped those runs until we couldn't make another turn.


James on Winnesook

The company was good, the skiers were game, the conversation was spirited. We finished the day with the traditional stop at The Peekamoose, for a beer and some fancy appetizers. It was a really nice day, and the bumps were fun. But it's getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that natural snow has been sorely lacking, and we're going to need some serious snowfall, to end up with an "average" season.

Whiteface Aerial

Utah Diary 2010

Posted by Powderqueen:

Ithaca, NY: 1/29/10



In 24 hours I'll be jetting to The Promised Land. The skis are in their travel bag, along with an assortment of outerwear and my helmet. Boots and ski pants are in their bag which will be my carry-on. I borrowed Acidchrist's Pieps, shovel and probe. Gear is packed. Tying up loose ends, finishing up work, paying bills, charging batteries and making lists. Bought my Utah Super Pass. Stay tuned to Harvey Road.

Gore's TechnoAlpin Fan Gun Test Drive

photo courtesy of Nick Z

Killington vs Mad River Glen: Fair to Compare?

by Powderqueen

This weekend I set out to ski at two very different Vermont ski areas, Killington "The Beast of the East" and Mad River Glen "Ski It If You Can." I expected two very different ski experiences, but there were some unexpected surprises along the way.

Killington, VT: Saturday 1/23/10


21 Gun Salute on Outer Limits

For me, there are a five things that make a super ski day:

1. Powder
2. Good Company
3. Nice Weather
4. Good Snow Conditions
5. Challenging Terrain

There hadn't been any new snow in the previous 5 days. Let's look at the other four.

Friends (check), Bluebird day (check), Snowpack (check), Big Vermont mountains (check). Four of five ingredients in place. Not a bad start.

Since we decided to ski Killington on a beautiful Saturday, crowd avoidance was key. "The Beast" can see more than 20,000 people on a busy day. With years of Killington Ambassadorship under my belt from my ski bum days, I've got the beta to beat the crowd. For starters, we bypassed the Killington access road and drove over to Bear Mountain.

At 9 am, we pulled up to a man-made snowstorm on Outer Limits. We scored a great parking spot. It was sunny and warming, so we booted up in the lot. Wished we hadn't forgotten the lawn chairs. It did not seem very busy. We took advantage, and spent the morning working the goods at Bear.

Team Gore: EDeO, Powderqueen, Chuck and Pam

The first run had to be under the guns on Outer Limits, Killington's premier showcase mogul run. The snow was soft and sweet. It was the best man-made snow we skied all day. Then off to explore the road less traveled, looking for less manicured, more natural terrain.

Mayor EDeO and More Gore

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/24/10

Ski Day 16

For a variety of (planned) reasons we got to the mountain much later than usual. About 8:30. Just one thing about parking. I made good on my promise to Emily to try the drop off routine. It really isn't a bad solution, if you've got two adults.

Early Uncas

OK. Skiing. Today was really really good. Neve's lesson was at 10 instead of 8:30 as usual. Zelda hung out with Neve, and I boarded the Gondi at about 8:55.

I never really got up top yesterday. A report from AdkSara on the Gore forum said that Lies was one of the best things on Saturday, so that was my destination. First I came down Uncas. It was firm, but carvy.

Over to the Straightbrook Chair, I snapped this pic of Double Barrel-Rumor-Lies with my phone and posted it as my teaser.

Lies was groomed out, firm, with small death cookies, but even more carvy than Uncas. Skis were edging in at least and inch or two, with no trace of scraping. Thanks AdkSara!

My next ride up the Quad, I pondered Rumor - I hadn't been on it yet this season. I'd heard Rumor was chunky funky. But then I had a terrible thought. I knew there was bad juju coming our way. What if I passed up Rumor and ... well I just can't put it in print.

Belleayre Mtn, NY: 1/23/10

Posted by Jamesdeluxe:



With Jason e-mailing all sorts of gloom and doom prognostications for our upcoming NCP event (he LOVES to convey bad meteorological news), I felt that I should get in one more trip before our day of reckoning arrived. So up I went to the Catskills, which are still in the same weather mode as the last time I was there one week ago: dry, sunny, seasonal temperatures.

Belleayre got five inches on Monday, but it didn't do much to improve things -- any trails that hadn't been snow-gunned recently were hard and fast. It was especially disappointing to head down Cathedral Brook, which was so beautiful last Saturday, and find that the snow had stiffened considerably. But on the positive side, Belleayre Run was in perfect shape and the bumps on Upper Seneca were soft and succulent.

While temps in the shade didn't get above 33, the sun was so intense, it almost felt like mid-April... everyone was out on the deck enjoying the sun, drinking beer, and predicting a Jets win tomorrow. So while the skiing was, as a whole, mezzo-mezzo, it was a fun day. On my way home, I swung by the base at abandoned Highmount next door (see pic above) and thought about the Phoenicia Times article I'd read earlier in the day, about ongoing calls for New York State to make draconian, across-the-board budget cuts, this time by an Albany-based think tank.

Belleayre gets a special mention: "The state owns three ski areas —Belleayre in the Catskills, and Whiteface and Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks—which compete to a degree with private operators. The Belleayre ski slope in particular, located within a few hours’ drive of the New York City metropolitan area market, would be a prime candidate for a long-term lease to a private operator.”

This is not the first time we've heard cries for Belleayre to be leased out (similar to Sunapee in New Hampshire) by the "get government out of our lives" crowd, but last time I checked, it would take an amendment to the New York State Constitution to enable this. In other words, this is a very unlikely possibility. But in the next couple days, I'll be back (possibly in the form of an interview with a much better informed source than I) to discuss Belleayre's future.

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/23/10

Ski Day 15



Today was an absolutely beautiful day, by any objective standard. Cold overnight, warming to 25 during the day. Not a cloud in the sky. Soft manmade snow all around, good coverage on almost all of the trails.

The big news at Gore today was the 2010 debut of Sagamore — the long, steep, liftline run that was added to the trail map last year. It's a mile, with 1400 feet of vertical, and it's service by a deluxe Quad that takes less than nine minutes to deliver you to the top. More on that later.

Jamesdeluxe joins Harvey Road

Jamesdeluxe has joined Harvey Road as an author. James began alpine skiing in his mid-30s following a move back to the northeast after, go figure, living five years in Colorado and four years in New Mexico. Because James puts a premium on the "vibe" of where he's making his turns, he's been known to pass over world-famous resorts in favor of smaller, under-the-radar ski areas. Since 2003, James has written for First Tracks Online, Snowjournal, and Alpine Zone.

James travels to the West or Europe to mix things up, but he's an unapologetic champion of East Coast skiing and a perfect fit for Harvey Road. His avatar, above, was taken on Upper Parkway at Whiteface in mid-December 2009 after a 20-inch dump.

Conversation with Jeff Moeckel

Jeffrey Moeckel is the outspoken leader of the movement to convince Gore management to rethink paid parking. He's put this issue in the public eye and in many ways Jmokes has become the face of the issue.

After talking to him, it's clear to us that he loves Gore, and wants to see the mountain thrive. Our interview with him follows.

* * *

Harvey Road: Jeff ... how long have you been skiing Gore?

Jeff Moeckel: I've been skiing Gore since 1994 when I moved here with my wife from Massachusetts. I was looking for a local, friendly mountain with some great terrain. Gore fit the bill.

HR: How many years have you been a passholder?

JM: Ten years - since 2000.

HR: Why did you chose Gore as your home mountain?

JM: Originally it was proximity to home in Saratoga. Then it was about the local feel, the friendliness, the fact that it was state run, the challenging terrain, those little idiosyncrasies like having to "cloud out" if you were skiing the top ... the High Peaks double ... it just had a groovy, throwback feel.

HR: How many passholders are in your family?

JM: All of us (wife, 2 kids) although my 5 year old son doesn't quite count yet...

* * *

HR: How many days a year do you ski Gore?

JM: 35, maybe 40 days a year. Every chance we get.

HR: Can you estimate the amount your family spends at Gore?

JM: Including lessons, food, the occasional beer, locker rental, etc. maybe $2000 annually.

HR: You must be underestimating. We spend $1800 on passes alone and there are three of us. What other mountains do you ski?

JM: Religiously??? My wife and I go to Tremblant just about every year for about a week. I try to get up to Stowe, Smuggs and Jay once a year. I get out West about every other year ... this year it's Jackson Hole, Targhee and some of the Utah areas. I've skied just about everything in the Northeast (VT, NH and Maine) but I haven't skied the Catskills yet.

Jmokes drops in - Deer Valley, Utah

HR: What are your favorite things about Gore?

JM: Tough question...great cruisers like Showcase and Twister. Great fall line skiing like Hawkeye and Chatiemac. Super steeps like Rumor and Lies. The funky front four off the High Peaks double. Epic glades like Dark Side, Tahawus, Double Barrel when it's open.

HR: Sounds like you like the whole damn mountain.

JM: I do. Most of all I really like the "feel." I consider myself a local even though I live in Saratoga. Someone from North Creek called me out on that once, and I guess they were right.

Gore really is a skier's mountain. To me that means incredibly diverse terrain. You can always find an empty trail even on the busiest days. I also know so many people that I'm constantly running into friends on the hill.

And I like the fact that it's run by the state. As a taxpayer I feel a strong sense of ownership and pride in the product that is usually available. You just don't get that "feel" skiing most Vermont areas ... sure Mad River, Smuggs and Jay ... but outside of those I really don't get the vibe I'm trying to vocalize.

* * *

HR: Outside of the parking issue ... if you were the GM of Gore what would you do differently?

Jeff joins Harvey Road

Jeff has joined Harvey Road as an author. A Gore passholder and teleskier for 20 years - he loves sliding on snow. Lift served or backcountry, glades and trees, basically anything off-piste gets him jazzed. Like a lot of us, he wishes he had more time for free-heeling the Adirondack backcountry. He's based in Saratoga Springs. Whenever possible his whole family - wife Beth, and their 2 young kids, Daniel and Sylvie, are on the hill.

His avatar, above, is from a week-long, fly-in hut trip to the Sentry Mountain Lodge in the Selkirks in 2003, just before he and Beth got married. One of the guides took the photo on a run called the Elevator Shaft. He was joined on that trip by some other Gore regulars – Derek, Bill and Michelle. Welcome Jeff.

The Gear Source in North Creek

Last December, after a Top 10 powder day at Gore, Powderqueen turned me on to a new gear store in North Creek, NY - The Gear Source. They carry new and used gear and the prices are really good. I found a pair of ski boots for our 3-year old for FIVE BUCKS.

If you read my TR from Jan 8, you know it was a tough day for my gear. I didn't go into details in my report, but I think part of that tale is relevant here. There's a small nut/bolt that holds the bail onto the cable of my Targa G3 binding. Over time, that nut/bolt assembly worked it self loose. I found myself on Foxlair, right before the big curve, with only one ski attached. Not fun.

I made my way down the hill and into the Gore ski shop. They rigged up something that was probably workable. But it was late in the day, so I called it and headed into town. It surprised me that I couldn't find the part at Braley and Noxon - the recently upgraded and very well stocked hardware store in town. Then it dawned on me ... THE GEAR SOURCE.

The owner, Jeff Palka, hooked me up. I think he may have snagged the part I needed off another binding he had in stock. Whatever he did, I was back on the hill in the morning.

Blockbuster at Plattekill

* Plattekill's BlockBuster by Andyzee *

View from Big Tupper

* Photo Courtesy of Kerovic *

Belleayre Mtn, NY: 1/16/10

Jamesdeluxe and I were invited to attend the MLK day press event at Belleayre, in Highmount, NY. I'd never been to Bell and definitely wanted to ski New York's mountain in the Catskills. We were hosted by the gregarious and energetic Tony Lanza, Belleayre's Mountain Superintendent, the top guy on the hill.



The day started with breakfast in the Long House Lodge, which is situated at 2500 feet, strategically positioned between Bell's lower mountain beginner terrain and the upper mountain. Tony is extremely proud of Bell's lower mountain terrain and led about a dozen of us, through the gentle and well groomed terrain.



Later in the morning we got up top. Bell is known for a leaving a good selection of trails bumped and there were some nice bumps on Winnesook.



Yahoo was also in great shape. Bumps were large, the pitch was steep and even late in the day, surface was still very carveable without any real trace of ice.



Highlight of the day had to be the runs we took on Cathedral Brook. Belleayre has an ancient army surplus vehicle they affectionately call "The BEAST." They use it in the afternoon on selected weekends to haul snow riders over to the terrain on the east side.

A Skier's Mountain

I recently heard Gore called "a skier's mountain." What does that mean? I have some general ideas. But I'd like to hear yours. I'm trying to articulate my thoughts, but I'm having a hard time getting beyond a vague concept that includes increased skier responsibility.

Is Gore a skier's mountain? What are the top skier's mountains in the northeast? What are your criteria for a skier's mountain?

Post a comment.

Greek Peak, NY: 1/13/10

Posted by Powderqueen:

Too efficient at my job meant my work was done by noon. The afternoon was quiet in the office, with everyone at meetings. Emails were sent and it wouldn't be until tomorrow that they would get read. A rare sight out the window: blue skies and sunshine with temps near 30. Two more inches of snow fell at Greek Peak in the last 24 hours. The hill was calling.

In fact it has been snowing 2-3" every day for the last 2 weeks. A very dry and light snow. With the sunshine, the snow seemed to shrink quite a bit today, but it was a worthwhile trade-off from the near zero weather we've been having.

Conversation with Mike Pratt

Recently, I spoke with Emily Stanton, Marketing Manager, and Mike Pratt, General Manager, about Gore Mountain. Part Two, with Mike, is the second of a two part conversation with Gore management.

Harvey Road: Mike, where did you go to school?

Mike Pratt: SUNY Potsdam, Environmental Planning.

HR: What was your first job?

MP: I caddied and worked construction with my grandfather.

HR: At what age did you start riding/skiing?

MP: I started sledding and sliding as early as I can remember and grew up on snow. I mostly skied at small ghost ski areas like Fawn Ridge, Mt. Whitney, and Scott's Cobble.

HR: How do you ride?

MP: I mostly Alpine ski, but enjoy Tele skis too.

HR: What is your favorite trail or glade at Gore? Why?

MP: Showcase, because it is such a great cruiser.

HR: How many days a year do you get out on the hill?

MP: Almost all of them.

HR: What makes Gore different from other mountains in the Northeast?

MP: The people make Gore special. The terrain is my favorite natural resource.

HR: Got to agree with you on that. What is your favorite thing about Gore?

MP: The history and heritage. North Creek is home to one of the first commercial ski areas and ski patrols in the US, and last year we celebrated the 75th anniversary of skiing here.

HR: What does Gore have to work hardest to improve?

MP: We are on a tremendous growth curve that continually makes us strive to exceed expectations. We are always challenged, so we need to continue our operational growth to meet these challenges.

HR: What was your best Gore day off the hill?

MP: That had to be when we received the environmental permits to tap the Hudson River and develop Bear Mountain.

HR: There seemed to be something limiting snowmaking over the holiday week. What was going on?

MP: Tuesday night, late, the power went out on the entire mountain – the entire 35,000 volt distribution system. When the power goes out - on the active lines, hoses and nozzles freeze.

The snowmaking system is 90% gravity drained. We can open up the valves at the bottom and let all the water run out. Even with the late hour of the outage and the extremely cold temps we were able to drain a big part of the system.

If the nozzles, hoses etc don't freeze completely, we can run water through it, and selectively apply torches, and it will eventually clear the lines.

But if the hoses freeze solid, hoses have to be brought inside, to let them thaw out. It's a big labor intensive job.

Another issue over the holiday was wind. We had major wind events on Tuesday and Sunday. When it’s really blowing snowmaking just isn’t very effective.

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/10/10

Ski Day 13

Today was getaway day. I got everything loaded into the car and pipes drained by 7:30 - a new record. Made it to the mountain by 7:50. Plan was to meet Jeff in front of the Gondi at 9am.



A couple of solo runs down the front, a Twister and a Sunway. I hadn't been on the trails up front at all yesterday. Twister, open officially for the first time was firm, but without ice. A few bare spots.

Jeff and I are living parallel lives. Two ski crazy tele guys, with little kid(s), demanding jobs and understanding wives. We've got a lot to talk about.

We went up the Gondi, down Uncas to the quad, and hit Straightbrook and Chatiemac Glades. Uncas was excellent. From the looks of it from the bottom - much better than Pine Knot. Straightbrook was actually in better shape than Chatiemac.



Lies was pretty good on an absolute scale, but nothing like the Nirvana of the last few days.

Dark Side proper looked very hard hit. Other less obvious parts of the DS were in better shape.

* * *

At the top of Lies we ran into EDeO, Powderqueen and the entire gang. I was getting ready to call it a morning, to begin doing battle with 87 and my return to "real life" in downtown NJ. The pull of the group was too much. We did a few runs off Headwaters. Conditions were definitely softer on some of the less popular stuff.

My fatigue from skiing bell-to-bell on both Friday and Saturday really caught up with me. I could barely get my skis around in the tight stuff. When Jeff and I were skiing together, alone, I was lagging. He was very understanding and supportive.

With the big group I definitely a liability. Around 11:30 I bid goodbye to that accomplished group and struck off, down Tannery, to begin the end of my Birthday sojourn.

Thanks to everyone who made the weekend special ... Powderqueen, Matt, Matty, Pam, EDeO and Jay, Jeff, The whole gang at The Source in town. I had a great time.

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/9/10

Ski Day 12: It was colder then a bear at daybreak so morning pictures are limited — every shot was a set back for fingertip warmth. Temps were below zero when I left the cabin, but it warmed up nicely later.

View from High Peaks Chair

Gondi had brake trouble this morning, so I gave up first place in Gondi line and went over to the triple. First run on Showcase, ok but not great. Hit the natural north. Tawahas was decent skiers left, Sleeping Bear was probably better with snowmaking on it.

Gore Snowmaking Capacity

I skied with Mike Pratt this afternoon. I asked him a ton of questions about snowmaking. This is a breakdown on snowmaking at Gore:

Ten years ago Gore used 80 million gallons of water per season.

Last season Gore water consumption was over 300 million gallons.

The LIMIT on the system is the ability to pump water uphill.

There are two pump systems currently.

Upgrading means more than adding pumps.

When operating at full capacity the current "plumbing" is also maxed out.

New systems are a huge expense.

Both Gore systems, cranking at full production can put out 7 million gallons in 24 hours.

If total seasonal output is 300 million gallons and you can do 7M a day then you are planning on blowing the equivalent of 45 days at full capacity.

WHAT YOU PROBABLY WANT TO KNOW if you got this far:

7 million gallons will cover 15 acres with one foot of snow.

For context - SHOWCASE is 18 acres of trail. So with ALL RESOURCES pounding Showcase for 24 hours you could almost put a foot of snow down.

BUT ... it's efficient use of manpower and water to blow on two trails at a time for a longer time. Put one trail on the output of one system, and another trail, on a different part of the mountain, on the other.

The more different trails you blow on, the more water you waste. This is why crews sometimes take a while to get to isolated trouble spots. All that extra effort uses more water and manpower. Today Lies was done, and tonight the are moving it all to Rumor. Big chunks make more snow on the hill from the same amount of water.

This is the answer to the question - why does Gore blow on only two trails at a time. It the most efficient use of the limited resource - uphill water capacity.

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/8/10

Ski Day 11 was an ... "interesting" day. I had some serious equipment setbacks. I'm not going to detail them, because I have a ton to post tonight, and that's the least interesting or fun part. But suffice it to say, it took a positive attitude to shake it off and have a good time.

BUT, I did have a good day. I know you're shocked right. Borderline great really. Had a bit of a love/hate thing going on with PineBrook today. But it wasn't because of the surfaces. The constant drip drip of days of flurries seems to be adding up.

(Note however that certain obstacles/hazards are harder to spot with new snow hiding them.)

The mountain has made HUGE progress on surfaces. Clearly Hawkeye had been POUNDED. On a scale of 1-to-10 Hawkeye went from a 2 last Saturday, to a 7 today. Lots of nice manmade in BIG BIG piles across most of the trail above the ChatieHawk cutover.

Conversation with Emily Stanton

Recently, I spoke with Emily Stanton, Marketing Manager, and Mike Pratt, General Manager, about Gore Mountain. Part One, with Emily, is the first of a two part conversation with Gore management.

Harvey Road: Emily … thanks for giving me time today. I really appreciate it. If it’s OK with you, I’d like to ask you a few questions to get an idea about who you are. After that, I’d like to move into some of the issues of the day. Some of the questions are mine, and some are from the readers of Harvey Road.

Emily Stanton: Sounds good.

HR: How old were you when you started to ride on snow?

ES: I was five years old.

HR: How many days a year do you ride?

ES: Last winter, I was scanned for 20 days at Gore, although we all know that usually means a few more. I also visit Whiteface frequently, did two trips to Killington, an Okemo weekend, and a week in Jackson Hole. This season remains to be seen, but I'll be at Hunter this week and have already booked a flight to Bozeman.

HR: What gear are you riding on these days?

ES: I have a pair of Elan Free Spice, some K2 Free Luvs, and a Rossi Reserve board.

HR: What’s your favorite trail at Gore?

ES: Tahawus. For its views, its glades, and its narrow and winding character. I like the natural snow and solitude. But on a powder day, Little Dipper all the way!

HR: It's no secret - I’m a big Tahawas fan too. And all that stuff under the Sunway Chair gets ignored by a lot of advanced skiers. What is your favorite thing about Gore?

ES: There are so many that I'm going to cheat and name a few: The upper level of the Saddle Lodge, Twister after the Sunrise Service on Easter Morning, or the wave I get from lift a attendant at the top of any chair, on any day.

HR: Emily, if I don’t ask any tough questions, I’ll get booed off the stage. Can you explain the decision to take down the discussion tab on Gore’s Facebook page?

ES: It was not a decision taken lightly. For Gore, Facebook has great potential. We are going to continue with it.

Conversation with Emily and Mike

I had a chance to sit with Emily Stanton and Mike Pratt of Gore Mountain for an hour, on Monday January 4, 2010. We covered a wide range of topics including First Tracks, Epic Dumps, Snowmaking, Grooming, Parking, and the Future of Gore.

In the next few days, Harvey Road will be publishing a piece that highlights some of that conversation.

I tried to cover the issues I think that matter most to Gore regulars and passholders. Time was limited, so both Emily and Mike agreed to answer a few more follow up questions by email.

If you have a question you'd like me to ask please post a comment on this entry before 5pm, Wednesday January 6. I'll do my best, but no guarantees all questions will be posed/answered.

William Blake Pond, NY: 1/3/10

Ski Day 10: Everything's on wind hold at Gore. And it's colder than a bear. Problem? No. Solution? Spend a little time in the woods. The ski to William Blake Pond is a traditional route that has been maintained by the locals for many decades. It's on state land, but still marked in the old fashioned way. With plastic squares, spray paint and blazes.

Leave from the unofficial trail head at Garnet Hill, and ski up to the old Hooper Garnet Mine:

Take in the view of 13th Lake:

(Note the way up to this spot in the lower left of the picture. With today's wind exposed crust, it was definitely do not fall territory, above a sixty foot drop.)

Check out the old magazine where they kept dynamite for blasting:

Ski along a high ridge (2500') that skirts Harvey Mountain. On a day when you only have a few hours ... you can only dream about the wide open hardwoods along Harvey's summit ridge:

Ski up to the beaver pond that feeds into and is more photogenic than Billy Blake Pond, with the Harvey Mtn summit approach in the distance:

Then ski all the way down, past the pond itself and drop a few hundred feet of vertical on skinny skis. Parallel, tele and step turns, double polling ... use your whole bag of tricks to get down. An easy way to get out there, in the woods, in just a few hours.

The Gore Mountain Snow Shadow

This snowfall map represented predicted snowfall for the New Years weekend. There was a low off the coast of Maine, that was moving "backwards" towards New England. Almost every ski area in the northeast scored more than the 5 inches Gore was able to squeeze out of it.

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/3/10

Everything on wind hold. Dangerous windchill.

(via mobile)

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/2/10

Ski Day 9: We did our "new normal" routine today. I won't bore you with the details. I'm going to stick to two things tonight. Conditions and a Patrol Story. Patrol first.

The North Side was open today for the first time this year, on all natural snow. CB and I hit Tahawas as soon as we got to the Saddle for the first time. I saw tracks under the rope to the TTrees and inquired next time around at the Patrol station:

Harv: "Any plan to open the Tahawas Trees?"

Patrol: "We'd need some skier traffic to loosen it up."

Harv: "Are you looking for volunteers?"

Patrol: "They'd have to be true experts. Are you an expert?"

Harv: "I know when to sidestep."

Patrol: "What's your name?"

Harv: "Harvey."

Patrol: Are you skiing alone?

Harv: "My wife can ski the trail, and wait for me at the popout."

Patrol: "OK. Check back in here when you are done."

You have got to LOVE Gore's Patrol.  You can read their signals. This whole thing with putting a rope 3/4 of the way across a trail opening means: "It's harder than usual, but doable." Their willingness to let us into the trees this week pretty much saved my vacation.

On skiers left, Tahawas was windblown and totally turnable. In other places, the crust required step turns. It was a hell of a lot of work. I could probably have skied in the existing tracks and had an easier time, but I was on a crust busting mission.

KHS was decent:

Mineshaft steep, tight and tough, as usual:

The whole Chatiemac Ridge had good coverage:

FINALLY ... Uncas opened:

Best manmade surface I've skied this year:

Conditions: Lower mountain was decent in the morning, but even Sunway had large icy sections at the end of the day. North side was great. If you'd rather ski on thin, all natural cover vs thicker, icier manmade, you could have some fun over there. North chair was also good for getting out of the wind today.

The trails at the summit need real work. It's good that they are hitting Lies tonight, but Gore needs a functional Hawkeye or Chatiemac to work. Cloud also really needs snow. The blue skiers that Cloud is designed to serve, were struggling on it at days end.

Summit trees that were thin: Dark Side, Straightbrook. KHS was really good. Chatiemac was also good. Coverage was decent in Mineshaft but I think those lines need more coverage. If they open Tahawas - go for it.

I found the lower part of Cave to be quite sporty - I did not ski the upper half. I also never got to Pine Brook.

Harvey's Disclaimer

Do not mistake my enthusiasm for a positive review of conditions. I have a good time almost every time I ski.

If you are reading my reports to make your own decisions - please read the words, and try to tune out the enthusiasm.

It's easy to say, look at those pictures — looks like that guy had fun.
Let's go skiing!

But I can't (I won't!) curb my enthusiasm.

If you choose to use my trip reports on Harvey Road to make ski decisions for yourself, please analyze carefully.

Gore Mountain, NY: 1/1/10

Ski Day 8

We did the exact same drill as yesterday. Left the cabin at same time, parked in the same spot. I ran into Matty in the parking lot. He'd read my TR from last night. He showed me his rocks skis. He looked ready to do battle.*

There was an attempt to put some fan guns in positions at the base in the morning which I thought was a nice touch.  But the questions about snowmaking remain.



After getting our daughters lesson going, I hung out to watch and CB rode the triple to get some lower mountain runs. I figured I had time for one Gondi ride, if I came back down Foxlair to Sunway. Both were in pretty decent shape at this early hour.



On Lower Sunway - I scored. Lesson was in progress and N riding the learning slope with BJ - she'd made it up the POMA lift. Yes! I got pics of the whole thing.

One more run on the Sunway chair, some crust busting on Twin Fawns, and down to meet the end of the lesson. After getting the Bear Cub Den thing delt with, CB and I met at the Gondi and headed up top.

The whole summit was in a cloud for a good part of the day.



Chatiemac was borderline bulletproof in all the steepest sections. There was definitely some places to turn, but you had to be on the lookout.



The Straightbrook trees had ok cover, measured on my new sliding scale, that assumes that things are getting thinner by the minute. Christmas week, not much new snow ... it's a reasonable assumption.



We headed back up top and moved over to the Dark Side. Not much fell overnight. It was still a mixture of packed snow, crust with a few inches of powder on top, rocks, and twigs. This pic from Dark Side skier's right was posted via mobile at 11:45 am:

We hit Topridge and took a break for lunch. Had heard the bottom of Topridge was decent and from about halfway down on skier's left there was plenty of loose snow.



We took a lunch break. Saddle Lodge was practically deserted considering it was a holiday. After lunch Zelda and I did some a run on Wild Air that was still sporting the best snow on the mountain. It was a highlight. She .... skiing comfortable down the right ... and me doing my Eddie the Eagle impersonation, hitting the kickers and sticking tele landings.  Plus there were some pretty good acrobats hitting the bigger jumps.



After we split for Harv's afternoon tree fix, I pointed down Wood Out and rode the High Peaks chair. As I went over the Dark Side entrance, patrol was shutting it down. I guess it just got too thin. I think it was around 2pm.

Up top, Lies was now closed. That was the right move too. While there was good snow below, the headwall was unskiable. There's more to this story but that's where I'm going to end it.

Summary: A few guns here and there plus morningtime blowing on Uncas. No significant new snow to speak of during the day. (Had maybe an inch last night.) Surprising continued lack of snowmaking, and all KINDS of rumors about why. We need new snow. There is some in the forecast, but it doesn't look like enough.

I've got to be honest, I STILL had a great time. Based on conversations I heard, I could tell that people were not having the fun that I was. I'm getting more aggressive. The added stiffness of my new boots is taking me places I only dreamed about last year. I had no fear in the trees, which were basically deserted due to the thin cover. I'm not saying I'm elegant, but I am in the game.