Gore Mountain, NY: 12/28/10

After a Nor'easter that withheld significant snowfall, but delivered wind in generous amounts, expectations and crowds were minimal at Gore this morning.

And while it's getting late in the season to be truly excited about skiing manmade snow, skiers that did make the trip to Gore today seemed pretty happy. Given the high wind and the cold temperatures, a surprising number stayed until the 4 pm close.

Read more>>

East Hill, NY: 12/25/10

by Jamesdeluxe

Growing up in the western suburbs of Syracuse, I remember classmates referring to this 120-vertical-foot feeder hill, mentioned briefly in the recent ThatNYguy interview, as "Mount East."

Instead of heading off by myself to Greek Peak for Xmas Day turns, we decided to have a family afternoon, so my wife and son came along to go sledding.

Happy Holidays from NYSkiBlog

We'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to NYSkiBlog over the past year. When we launched the Harvey Road on Oct 24, 2008, it was envisioned as a place to publish trip reports. But, for me at least, it has turned into something bigger — a community of hardcore New York and Eastcoast skiers.

We've tried to make Harvey Road a fun site and worthwhile bookmark for dedicated snowriders. Since our launch we've had over 200,000 visits. Thanks for your time and for everything you've contributed. Be safe, have fun and think snow.

Columbia Omni-Heat Field Test

I received an email from Columbia asking if I would test a parka with their new Omni-Heat insulating technology. The rep was very forthright: "All we ask is that you fill out a questionnaire on the product, and do a blog entry about the performance of the coat. We do not expect you to pull any punches." With the Gore-tex coating on my North Face shell gone, I figured I had little to lose.

To be honest, I was skeptical about the coat. My perception of Columbia was that they make nice gear, but I have never considered it to be expedition grade. While I'm not even sure what that means, if you'd asked me a few months ago which coat I'd rather be in on a planned or unplanned night in the woods, I'd have chosen my North Face.

Whiteface, NY: 12/18/10

Ski Day 5: I met Danzilla at his place in North Creek at 6:15. We got to Wilmington at 7:30 and booted up. It didn't snow much on the drive up, but it was snowing lightly at the base when we arrived.

There wasn't a ton of snow at Whiteface, but today, there was soft, natural snow stashed in the corners, it snowed most of the day, and the mountain just felt snowy.

The Mountains Less Traveled: Snow King, WY

This week, Jamesdeluxe is on his first destination trip of the 2010-11 season, visiting one of his favorite western ski towns: Jackson, WY.

The big show, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, is about 20 minutes away, but only a few blocks from the village square is a classic local hill that fits right into our Mountains Less Traveled series: Snow King.

In this issue of NY Ski Magazine:

Snow King, WY: Local Hill Makes Good

Plattekill, NY: 12/11/10

Ski Day 4: When you are based deep in the heart of the flatlands, day-tripping the Catskills requires dedication. In bed by 10pm, alarm set for 4:45 — another alpine start.

All day Friday, I tried to find a partner for Saturday's ski. Jamesdeluxe was packing for Jackson Hole; Jason hit Hunter on Friday; and Xman was tied up. Left to my own devices, I ignored conventional wisdom and followed my heart, past every other hill in the Catskills, to Plattekill in Roxbury, New York.

Big Tupper Trail Map (2010/2011)

(Click to enlarge)

Jason's Weather: 12/9/10 (Updated)

Dec 8: After having a great run of cold weather and significant snow for some areas, we have to deal with a bump in the road. The storm that is currently giving the Cascades huge amounts of snow will move into the Lower Ohio Valley and strengthen, then it will move up the Appalachians to Central NY and on into Canada.

Whiteface, NY: 12/4 - 12/5/10

Whiteface recovered nicely from the rain. When I arrived, it was in the 20s and windy. The roaring of the snow guns was music to my ears.

I didn't get a chance to take my first run until 9:45 and was anxious to ski Essex because I'd missed it last weekend. I asked a couple of guys on the Gondi how it was skiing — they found a breakable crust at opening, but hadn’t skied it since.

Hunter Mountain, NY: 12/5/10

Ski Day 3: Jamesdeluxe and I arranged a pre-dawn departure from NJ to take part in the maiden voyage of Hunter's Kaatskill Flyer: New York's first six-passenger detachable lift.

First Flyers

The Flyer is a beauty: comfortable, fast, and smooth. Things ran well today, with the spanking new lift designed by Leitner-Poma covering 1,477 vertical feet in a brisk five minutes. There were very few stoppages, and little confusion on the loading and unloading platforms.

The Mountains Less Traveled: Burke Mtn, VT

As we get ready to kick off the 2010-11 season, Jamesdeluxe takes us to Vermont's gorgeous Northeast Kingdom for yet another ski area that I've read about for years, but never had the chance to visit: Burke Mountain.

Often described as "criminally underrated," Burke looks like a perfect stop on the way north to the Eastern Townships or Jay Peak.

In this issue of NY Ski Magazine:

Burke Mountain, VT: Pride of the NEK

Interview with ThatNYguy: Russ LaChapelle

by Jamesdeluxe

Belleayre Single Chair

I first became aware of Russ LaChapelle through his posts on the Snowjournal forum under the screen name “ThatNYguy.” In addition to his extensive nuts-and-bolts knowledge and outspoken opinions about New York’s rich ski history, I liked how he conveyed the emotions behind his passion for Empire State skiing. In 2002, Russ launched “Skiing History in New York” — a website designed to tell the stories of the state’s lift-served ski hills and mountains, both those still in operation as well as the many that had closed.

But what really fascinated me were Russ's ongoing reports about the rise and fall of Bearpen Mountain, a ski area in the western Catskills that closed 50 years ago, and his efforts to make it accessible to skiers once again. Following is a discussion that details one man's views of the changing landscape of NYS skiing from the late 1960s to the present.