Friday Fantasy Photos

We're interested in publishing your best ski photos of the season. While we're especially interested photos of NY State skiing, both resort and backcountry, we'll consider any great picture of skiing in the northeast.

What makes a Friday Fantasy Photo?

It's a skiing (or snowriding) photo.

Currently contenders are judged on three criteria:

Is it a good photo?
Is it in NY State? (Vt second best, Northeast third!)
Are the conditions good?

Three points maximum for each category for a total maximum of nine. Anything 7 or better makes it to the finals. How would YOU judge it?

Submit your photos to harvey44@nyskiblog.com. Please include your name or screenname, the resort or area where the photo was taken, the date it was taken, and the trail or location, if it's not a secret stash.

Jay Peak, VT: 4/22/11

by Laszlo

We walked onto the slopes just in time to snap a picture of the first tram loaded with powder-chasers after what could be the last powder day of the season. We loaded Tram 2 — it was full before we departed.

We skied powder all day, run after run, trees upon trees, and the bottoms of our skis were still perfect at the end of the day. Not a rock to be found. The only danger was the occasional sink hole in the woods where the running water had melted through the 3-4' base. We almost landed in one, but both Matthew and I managed to jump over it, even though my eight-year-old is only three feet tall. He skied everything I did and loved every minute.

Jay Peak, VT: 4/21/11

by Laszlo

The kids were up at 6, ready to go. You'd think that with a season of real early mornings and real late nights, a guy in the ski industry could sleep in because someone else is taking care of everything, but not in this family — it was time for first tracks.

Midwinter conditions and snow at Jay today. Very windy, all high-speed lifts were closed including the tram. We all stepped out of the condo and yarned back on the bridal as the sub freezing temps hit us like a ton of bricks. We layered up and prepared ourselves for a mid-winter day. We skied down to the base lodge alongside the magic carpet.

Laszlo at Jay Peak

Have you ever wondered what it's like for an owner of a ski area to visit another resort? Is he constantly checking out the lifts, the prices of food, if the ticket people are friendly, or the kind of snowmaking guns they use? Or is the idea to get away, forget about your profession for a few days and just ski — and let someone else deal with things?

This week, Laszlo Vajtay, owner of Plattekill in the western Catskills, is skiing with his family at Jay Peak in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. He'll be checking in with reports about his vacation: skiing, food, accommodations, skating, curling, or just hanging out with the kids. Here's the first installment, about his arrival at Jay.

Whiteface, NY: 4/9/11

Ski Day 34: We skied Whiteface today, for a big spring corn harvest, and a shot at the slides, and we got both. In the early morning, we skied the steepest groomers in softening corn.

Gore Mountain, NY: 4/8/11

I wasn't really sure what to expect at Gore today. It'd been almost three weeks since I'd been here an a lot had happened. A cold snap, some wet weather, and then last weekend's off the hook debut of spring.

Plattekill, NY: 4/2/11

by ml242

My first trip to Plattekill dates to the year 2000 ski season. I was living in Dutchess County at the time, and they kept reporting astonishing totals. Finally, I decided to head over at the last minute to find that the snow was indeed bountiful, and even my late arrival didn’t preclude me from claiming fresh lines all over the place.