The New York State Ski Blog

Harvey Road was launched in October of 2008. It started out as a place to store our Gore Mountain ski pictures and trip reports. In time, we added all important weather links on the home page, and started to think of the site as a resource for southern Adirondack skiers.

In the summer of 2009, we realized Harvey Road would be more valuable if other skiers contributed, so we reached out to new authors. As others came on board, and we began covering more ski areas. We soon realized that the common denominator was our love for NY State skiing. Whiteface, Gore Mountain, Hunter, Belleayre, Plattekill, Hickory Ski Center and Greek Peak were key components of our collective ski seasons. To reflect our expanded focus, Harvey Road is now the New York Ski Blog located at:

www.NYSkiBlog.com

Please bookmark our new url as one of your favorites and make the move with us. It's our new home on the web. We're still Harvey Road, but at a new address.

A Simple Twist of Fate

Posted by Highpeaksdrifter:

Since I was 6 years old I’d always had a season pass at Hunter Mountain. My parents, Dororthy and Jack skied Hunter and Dad was a ski instructor there for a long time. After they moved to Florida; Orville Slutsky, still comped my son and me a season pass every year. An act of generosity I’ll always remember.

At the time, I didn’t have many friends/acquaintances that skied. Those that did wanted to go on to Vermont instead of going to Hunter. I'd ski Hunter with my son or by myself. Once he went away to college I either went to Hunter by myself or with a couple of guys from work. Since I'm a teacher, I also skied one night a week with my school ski club.

My wife was never too interested, but as my daughter and youngest son got older, I took them with me and we had a great time. I was getting out probably 30+ times a year, either alone, with my kids, with the occasional friend or on a school trip.

Life was good, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. I felt unfulfilled. When I was a kid we had a house at Hunter that we shared with my uncle who was also a ski instructor. There was always friends and family, loads of people to ski with, après parties. We felt very much connected to the Hunter ski community, especially with those involved in the ski school. It was more than just skiing, it was a lifestyle. I missed that lifestyle and it didn’t look like I was going to be a part of it again anytime soon.

Highpeaksdrifter joins Harvey Road

Highpeaksdrifter has joined Harvey Road as an author for the 2010/2011 season.

As our go-to guy for Whiteface and northern Adirondacks, Highpeaksdrifter will be checking in during the ski season with trip reports from his home hill, and news from ORDA headquarters in Lake Placid. After the snow melts, you'll find him hiking, biking, or kayaking throughout the High Peaks. Chances are, you've read his informative and passionate posts on ski forums including AlpineZone and SkiADK, where he also moderated.

In addition to repping for Nordica, Highpeaksdrifter has also worked the past nine seasons as a mountain host at Whiteface. If you ask him to name his favorite trails there, he doesn't hesitate. "Cloudspin's my favorite. I love that there are so many different lines on that trail. I became a big fan of Hoyt’s High this last season and, of course, I love the Slides: the best slack-country skiing in the Northeast."

Moose River Plains to Open

From the NY State DEC:

Thanks to a creative state-local partnership, the Moose River Plains Road — which provides access to one of the largest blocks of remote lands in the Adirondack Park — will be open to motor vehicles this summer, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today.

DEC worked with local officials from Inlet, Indian Lake and Hamilton County, as well as state legislators, to cover maintenance duties and costs for the season. The Moose River Plains includes more than 40 miles of dirt roads, approximately 170 primitive campsites and 50,000 acres of wild forest in the central and southwestern sections of the park. DEC had previously announced that this road would not be opened in 2010 because the state’s historic fiscal crisis had limited agency maintenance funds. Instead, local communities will assist by providing gasoline, trucks, materials and law-enforcement personnel to help cover operational needs.

Full text of the DEC News Release at Adirondack Explorer.

Skier Perceptions of Gore and Belleayre

Posted by Jamesdeluxe:

Since joining the Harvey Road crew last fall, I’ve been initiated, from a distance, into the lively discussions about Gore Mountain.

Gore Mountain - Under the Gun(s)

Similar to the Alta crowd in Utah, knowledgeable and passionate Gore skiers can spout details about every single trail, lift, glade, and rock on command. Take a look at the reader comments to Harv’s Gore entries this season and you’ll see an array of detailed and divergent theories on everything from snowmaking, grooming, and midweek lift service to parking and placement of terrain parks. Very little seems to escape their laser-like scrutiny, including a growing impatience with the way that operational decisions have been communicated to customers.

Gore Mountain Skier Visits by Region

Source: ORDA Annual Report 2007

The Garden State: Wild Roses

Posted by Jamesdeluxe:

Over the past few days, my favorite wildflower, the Wild Rose (aka the Multiflora Rose) has exploded across the New Jersey landscape.

With their trademark five white petals, Wild Roses are virtually everywhere: in the middle of forests, along the sides of highways and roads, next to ponds and streams. Even if you have a blindfold on, they're tough to miss. They have, IMHO, the most intoxicating, beguiling, and alluring aroma ever -- like that of a hybrid rose, but sweeter and much much stronger. If it were a food, I would eat it.  If it were a woman, I would marry it.

Gore Mountain Summer Update (2010)

January's Interview with Mike Pratt was one of the most widely read pieces ever published on Harvey Road. At that time, he promised to allow us to follow up in the offseason.

I had a chance to connect with Mike this past week on issues related to Gore, the ORDA budget, summer projects, the rebirth of Little Gore, parking and of course ... snowmaking.

* * *

Harvey: Mike ... thanks for making time to answer a few questions. What projects you are working on this off-season?

Mike: We're performing our annual maintenance on the lift grips and line machinery.

We're preparing for the Scenic Gondola rides and the Mountain Bike operation with some new, exciting terrain. We're making trails easier for the cross country bikers and giving the downhillers more options. We will be opening Sat and Sun May 22-23 and 29-30.

And we're working on the new bridge over Roaring Brook - back filling and preparing for the deck installation. We'll accelerate construction after we complete our annual maintenance.

Revised Interconnect Trail Map

(click to enlarge)

Roaring Brook Bridge

"Ready for the deck."

DEC to close North Country Roads

From AdirondackDailyEnterprise.com:

RAY BROOK - Funding reductions to state Department of Environmental Conservation's budget will limit the agency's ability to maintain roads in the Adirondack Forest Preserve and delay construction of recreational facilities on easement lands, the DEC announced Thursday.

Due to the inability to maintain or patrol roads and nearby recreational facilities, a number of roads will remain temporarily closed to public motor vehicle access. These roads were already closed for mud season, as they are each year. While gates on these roads will remain closed and locked to prevent access by motor vehicles, the roads and surrounding lands will be open for authorized recreational use by the public.

Each of the roads that will temporarily remain closed has parking available near the gate. The public is asked not to block the gates or the roads, as DEC may need to access the roads for routine maintenance and emergencies. Road maintenance tasks generally include gravel placement to maintain road surfaces, road grading, culvert replacement and removal of road hazards such as leaning or downed trees. Maintenance of campsites along and near these roads also requires a significant effort by DEC staff, including the removal of trash.

Full article and list of closed roads here.

Works Stops on ORDA Conference Center

From www.LakePlacidNews.com:

Construction has halted at the Lake Placid Conference Center.

"Gov. (David) Paterson has put ... a halt on state construction projects which are not being funded by federal funds," said Jon Lundin, spokesman for the state Olympic Regional Development Authority, which is building the conference facility at Lake Placid's Olympic Center. "We're all kind of in a waiting game."

Projects across the state are being held off while the state Legislature haggles over a month-late 2010-11 state budget. Lundin said his best guess for when work on the Conference Center will get going again is when a budget is passed.

Ski Your Ass Off

www.bhandf.com