Plattekill Mtn, NY: 10/30/11

Ski Day 1: Plattekill Mountain snagged bragging rights as the first ski area to spin lifts in New York this season. With six inches of snow on Thursday and over a foot on Saturday night, Laszlo Vajtay, Plattekill's co-owner and chief of operations, made the call late Saturday night.

While the decision caught some by surprise, Laszlo had indicated as early as Friday afternoon that if the second storm delivered over a foot, he would open for business. ML242 and I had been discussing the possibility of skinning the mountain for turns since Thursday. And while we liked the idea of Plattekill being the first ski area in the state to open, we were selfishly hoping to have the hill to ourselves.

First Turns of the Season at Killington

NY Ski Forum regulars Fujative and Condor, rose before dawn, and headed over to Vermont to capitalize on the first skiable snow of the season. Following is an excerpt and a link to the full trip report.

"Snow in the forecast? Hell yeah! I didn't know who was getting what, and toyed with the idea of going to Whiteface for Toll Road v2.0. With reports of 12" new at Kmart, I decide to go for the blue light special.

There was about 8 inches of snow with more in drifts and less where the wind was blowing. Having a base would have been nice as there were patches of overgrown grass that grabbed your tips. But it was a bluebird day with temps just above 30. It was a hell of a day."

Read more >>

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Hickory Ski Reporter: Pk Gerstenberger

Pk Gerstenberger is joining NYSkiBlog this season as the ski reporter for Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg, NY. He's a 17-year-old all-mountain skier who has been skiing at Hickory since he was two years old. Pk's family has been skiing the hill since before he was born. They love the atmosphere and the challenging terrain.

Pk is a junior at Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, NY. He plays for the soccer team and is active in the high school ski club. Last season, Pk took first place in the Hickory Terrain Park competition.

From the time he started skiing, the only seasons Pk missed at Hickory were during the years when the mountain was closed. During that time, he filled the void by skiing Whiteface, Gore, West Mountain, Jiminy Peak and other mountains across the northeast — but in his mind, there is no mountain quite like Hickory.

“It’s incredible to experience the diversity of the mountain. Hickory's got a lot to offer the expert skier: steep terrain, tree skiing and new terrain park. It's a great spot for an up-and-coming skier, one of the most challenging mountains in New York."

Pk has made it a point to ski every trail and tree shot at Hickory each season. While he will continue to roam a variety of ski hills during the week, every weekend he's cruising the trails, tricking in the park, or ripping through the trees at the mountain he loves the most.

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National Weather Service Winter Forecast ('11-12)

The National Weather Service and the NOAA have issued their annual winter outlook. While far from definitive, maps and analysis reflect the best insight long-term models can offer. Forecast excerpts follow.

For the second year in a row, La Niña will influence winter weather patterns across the country, but as usual, it’s not the only climate factor at play. The wild card is the less predictable Arctic Oscillation that could produce dramatic temperature swings this winter.

NOAA expects La Niña, which returned in August, to strengthen and continue through the upcoming winter. It's associated with cooler than normal water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and influences weather throughout the world.

North Creek Ski Bowl Trail Map

We were doing our annual check of all of our ski links and resources, and noticed that the Gore Mountain trail map has been updated to include the glades added to the North Creek Ski Bowl this off-season.

(click to enlarge)

The obvious new additions to the map are the tree runs on skier's left: the Hudson and Ski Bowl Glades. Two years ago in September, I walked the Hudson Chair liftline when it was being installed. There are some great, wide open hardwood stands on that side, that have the potential to be as exciting the rest of the North Creek Ski Bowl terrain.

The Mountains Less Traveled: Québec Ski Safari

As much as I love the mountains of New York State, getting outta Dodge is also an important part of my ski season. October is the month where I stop dreaming and start making concrete plans for destination trips.

View of the St. Lawrence from Le Massif

For me, it's all about the process — first, committing to specific dates and deciding on the region or mountain I'd like to ski. Then comes the hard part, asking myself what I want from that fantasy week. Stay in one place or travel around? Dirtbag or detonate my savings? Visit something truly different or stick with the familiar?

Sometimes, the answers to these types of questions come easily, and everything falls into place quickly. Other times, it takes years to make a dream trip happen, but those are often the most memorable.

Read this issue of NY Ski Magazine:

Ski Safari Along The St. Lawrence River, Québec

Funding New York's State-Run Ski Areas

A recent editorial in the Glens Falls Post Star asked the question: "How much longer can New York taxpayers continue to subsidize ski centers at Whiteface and Gore Mountain?"

The next paragraph yielded a vague response: "It's time for state officials to rethink the financial and ownership model that has sustained them for the past 30 years."

With a sluggish economy and state and local tax revenues in decline, there's no question that public funding for everything is becoming problematic. While the editorial poses a legitimate question, it ignores some important issues, and has logical inconsistencies that make it hard to take seriously.

The piece states further that ORDA operates "vitally important tourist attractions, generating tens of millions of dollars each year in business revenue, sales tax and occupancy tax money. Their continued operation and maintenance is vital to the state and regional economies."

The conclusion is that venues currently run by ORDA should continue to operate, but must be privatized to relieve the state of investments for infrastructure and operations. Unfortunately, it's just not that simple.

One member of the NY Ski Forums pointed out what he called the "constitutional elephant" in the room — i.e. the editorial makes no mention of Article 14 of the NY state constitution, which clearly states that forest preserve lands "shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed."

The state constitution could be amended. During World War II, when titanium was discovered at the Tahawas iron mine, after lengthy discussion, an exception was made. But amending the constitution isn't a simple matter and challenges would come from many directions.

Windham Benefit Raises $171,000 for Irene Relief

This morning, Windham Mountain reported that its recent Hurricane Relief Benefit Dinner and Auction netted $171,790 — 100% of which will be donated to the Windham Chapter of the Catskill Mountain Foundation to assist in the continuing recovery process.

The evening included a sold-out dinner for 160 guests (many of whom are second-home owners in Windham), followed by a raffle and auction headed by Windham Mountain managing partner and first-time auctioneer Randy MacDonald.

With so much bad news coming out of the Catskills in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, it's great to hear that Windham Mountain not only hosted this event, but helped make it into an overwhelming success.

The story, sent to NYSkiBlog by Beth Barry, Media and Community Relations Manager for Windham Mountain, was accompanied by this short note: "You heard from Irene. Now hear from us! We will open as planned — Thanksgiving 2011."

Wanted: Hickory Ski Center Reporter

Harvey Road, the NYSkiBlog is looking for a reporter to cover skiing, ski conditions and happenings at the Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg, NY.

Re-opened in 2009 after a four-year stint on the NELSAP list, Hickory is gaining momentum as an alternative to the larger New York ski areas. We want to feature more incredible trip reports from Hickory in the upcoming season.

Reporter responsibilities include skiing, picture taking, writing and posting for NY Ski Blog and the NY Ski Forum. We'll provide you with a Hickory 2011/2012 Season Pass in exchange for your trip reports.

We'd like someone who will ski the hill at least twice a month, from the time those surface lifts start turning until the end of the season. If interested, send a note explaining why you think you're qualified, along with a writing sample via email to harvey44@nyskiblog.com.

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Accuweather Long Range Winter Forecast 2011-12

AccuWeather is again predicting a promising, cold and snowy, La Niña winter for the Northeast. Following are excerpts from that forecast.

Accuweather is calling for above average precipitation through most of the Northeast from January into February. With the exception of northern parts of New York and New England, temperatures are forecast to average near normal this winter.

While the winter's predominant storm track won't be focused over the major Northeastern cities, coastal areas won't escape unscathed. Meteorologist Paul Pastelok warns there could significant snow or ice storms in the early part of the season along the I-95 corridor.

The interior Northeast is predicted to be colder and snowier than areas closer to the coast. An early, heavy lake-effect snow season could bury areas from northwestern Pennsylvania into western New York.

New York's Winter Sports Snow Trains

The 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid inspired the locals of North Creek, New York to build ski trails on the slopes outside of town. Logging roads were cleared and widened on the flanks of Gore Mountain.

image courtesy North Creek Depot Museum

On March 4, 1934, the first Delaware and Hudson's first snow train, transported nearly 400 enthusiastic skiers from Schenectedy to the station in North Creek. The dedicated train spent the weekend in town and included dining and lounge cars. The round trip ticket was $1.50.

The snow trains brought an economic boost to the south central Adirondacks. Many families supplemented their incomes by renting rooms, feeding, transporting and entertaining skiers. By 1936, the trains carried as many as 800 skiers from as far south as New York City.