Harvey Road

A History of Mount Van Hoevenberg

2012-05-12T12:00:00.001-04:00

by Peter

“When I was a boy, we made skis out of barrel staves. We didn’t know we were supposed to use poles,” George Remington recounted.

photo courtesy of ORDA

George, my grandfather, grew up on Racquette Lake, where his parents were caretakers for a great camp. Some historians posit that Racquette Lake got its name because a retreating Tory brigade abandoned their snowshoes (“racquette” in French) on their flight to Canada during the Revolution. It’s a paradox that Grandpa was figuring out skis in a place named for a huge pile of abandoned snowshoes.

My grandfather would have been on skis in the early 1920s, about the same time that the first ski races were held in Lake Placid. Originally a summer resort, the town began promoting winter sports around 1905. One account suggests that winter vacationers back then had to be taught how to have fun on the snow.

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Plattekill Acquires Assets at Tanglwood

2012-05-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

In December of 2010 it was announced that the Tanglwood Ski Area in Tafton, Pennsylvannia was closing. On April 26th of this year the ski resort's infrastructure was liquidated. Snowmaking equipment, lifts, groomers, the rental shop and everything else was auctioned.

Tanglwood's Double Chair will serve the Plattekill Teaching Hill

Representatives from Plattekill, Thunder Ridge, Kissing Bridge, Mount Peter, Big Bear and Camelback were on hand to look for values in ski area equipment. Laszlo Vajtay, co-owner of Plattekill mountain has built his business by recognizing and capitalizing on these kinds of opportunities. I spoke to Laszlo about the auction and his acquisitions.

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Gore Capital Improvements: Next Steps

2012-04-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

I recently had a few minutes to sit with Mike Pratt, the general manager at Gore. I asked him a few questions about the season past, plans for the summer and the future beyond.

Pisten Bully PB 600

NYSB: Mike the 2011-12 season was obviously challenging in the east and across the US. How did it compare for Gore?

Mike: For starters, the season was a short. We were open for 111 days this season, compared to last year when we spun the lifts 137 days total. We had a late start and our earliest finish since I've been at Gore.

NYSB: Skier visits? Revenue?

Mike: Numbers aren't official yet, but you are going to see both of those figures down by maybe 15%.

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Spring Awakening at Seven Springs, PA

2012-04-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

by ml242

I spent the day Monday watching the NWS radar in total disbelief: a huge, swirling, stalled storm was dropping snow on western New York and Pennsylvania. It was hard not to think, "why couldn't this have happened in February?"

But something was different about this "after the bloom" storm; there were shades of blue, grey, and white over the higher terrain, and up to 24" was expected when things were said and done.

Seven Springs was tweeting that they were going to spin the lifts. My skis and boots came out of the closet in the afternoon, but I still wasn't sure would drive west towards the snow. For years I've ranted about ski areas closing with perfectly good snow on the ground, and I felt the need to put my money, time and fuel where my mouth is.

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Summer 2012 at Gore Mountain

2012-04-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

This summer Gore is planning to expand use the mountain's facilities and terrain to attract more visitors to North Creek. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the Northwoods Gondola will operate from noon to 3pm on weekends. In addition, the gondola will run seven days a week from Saturday July 7 through Monday September 3, 2012.

Mountain Biking Trails on Gore's East Side

The lift will serve 1700 feet of downhill mountain biking. Gondola hours are structured to allow convenient access for passengers along the Saratoga North Creek railroad. The newly renovated Gear Source on Ordway Lane in North Creek will serve as a primary source of rental mountain bikes in town.

In addition there are plans to offer interpretive hikes, guided hikes from the summit of Bear Mountain, and a climbing wall on the lawn in front of the base lodge. Other base area attractions will include food and entertainment on Friday afternoon/evenings in July and August. A weekly cooking class is being considered, in addition to instruction or camps on mountain biking and photography.

The Mountains Less Traveled: Chic Chocs, QC

2012-04-19T08:30:00.002-04:00

by ml242

This year I've taken a relaxed approach to the end of ski season. I've put storage wax on but left my the skis by the door. To some extent I've been right and wrong. Local hills have long since abandoned attempts to stay open and the lucky few who skied the recent dump in the Greens surely know that the curtain is lowering on winter.

My unhurried approach this spring is the result of a secret card I've had up my sleeve, a trip booked months ago to the far reaches of the Northeast, the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. The area is home to the Chic Choc mountains, a backcountry paradise of huts and deep snow at the tip of the Appalachian range. What follows is my first taste of adventure in this exceptional place, although I am sure that this could easily become a yearly installment.

Read this issue of NY Ski Magazine:

Chic Chocs, QC: The Long Road to Paradise

Elaine Supp: USASA Boardercross Champion

2012-04-16T09:00:00.007-04:00

The USASA Nationals Snowboard Competition was held this year at Copper Mountain, Colorado from March 31 to April 5. The annual event draws competitors from all around the country in Superpipe, Slopestyle, Boardercross, Slalom and Giant Slalom. The event is generally recognized as a proving ground for Olympic snowboarding hopefuls.

Elaine Supp of Syracuse NY — a Plattekill regular and a competitor in the Catskill Mountain Series — traveled by herself to Colorado to compete in Boardercross for Senior Women 23-29.

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NY Nordic Ski Area Directory

2012-04-11T16:00:00.009-04:00

In the original blog entry announcing the NY Ski Area Directory we included a comment about the possibility of developing a section for cross country ski areas. At the time, I didn't know what was involved.

While my roots are in cross country skiing, I had no idea how many nordic centers were in the state and didn't know what would make a directory valuable to both classic and skate skiers.

Shortly after the original post, I got a note from Peter Minde, a forum member and follower of NYSkiBlog. He was enthusiastic about the nordic section of the directory, so I asked him if he was interested in being the guest editor of the directory. He agreed.

Peter is a dedicated and knowledgeable nordic skier. He’s the editor of www.oxygenfedsport.com and a freelance writer who contributes to both fasterskier.com and Trail Runner magazine. He’s also an age group winner at the Lake Placid Loppet and has skied more than 100 races. He regards both Mount van Hoevenberg and Vermont’s Prospect Mountain as home bases, but he’s also happy setting tracks old school in the park near home in the NY metro area.

Each listing in the nordic directory includes a trail map and statistics about the area including elevation, trail counts, snowfall statistics, links to conditions reports and information about area amenities for each area featured.

The nordic directory is a work in progress. It's our goal to produce a complete profile for each area based on actual skier experience. Peter has been incredibly valuable in this regard, but we will continue to build out the directory over the summer and in the years to come. We hope NYSB reader will share their knowledge to make the directory as complete as possible.

Input on the directory as a whole can be added as comments below this blog post. Comments or additions on specific area profiles can be sent to harvey44@nyskiblog.com or posted in the comment section below each entry:

NY Nordic Ski Area Directory

A History of Whiteface

2012-04-05T08:00:00.018-04:00

Governor Harriman at Whiteface 1958

Whiteface Mountain stands alone, separated from the rest of the High Peaks, presenting a ubiquitous presence that looms over Lake Placid and the northern Adirondacks.

Likewise Whiteface Ski Center has a prominent place in the history of skiing. The ski area's development is linked to key figures and milestones in the sport. Jackrabbit Johannsen, a legend in both nordic and alpine skiing, was involved in the early development of trails of the mountain's slopes. The Whiteface Memorial Highway — which required a constitutional amendment to construct — was a first of it's kind in the East, providing unprecedented access to high elevations. And Averell Harriman, a pioneer of the chair lift and governor of New York, was a driving force behind the development of the first trails on the slopes we ski today.

As part of our ongoing effort to develop profiles for the ski areas of New York state, we'd appreciate it if you'd take a some time to click the link below and read NYSkiBlog's history of Whiteface Ski Center. Feedback, additions and corrections are welcome as comments beneath the piece:

NY Ski Area Directory:

A History of Whiteface

Catskills Postseason Finale

2012-03-30T12:00:00.010-04:00

by ml242

The bell rang as I pulled into the lot at 9:30 am. I didn't know who'd win this final round of March Madness, but Hunter led off weighing in with a base elevation of 1600 feet and temps around 35 degrees.

The warm weather had punished the mountain, but as we climbed the temperature dropped and both the snow and air grew cleaner. The now unfamiliar feeling of cold precipitation hitting my face left a terrific sting. I used the latest in technology to stay warm and ping base camp via twitter @NYSkiBlog to let HQ know that I was indeed, still alive.

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Skiing: Evolution to Sport

2012-03-27T08:00:00.005-04:00

While people have been skiing for thousands of years, the activity as a sport is a relatively recent development. In Norway as far back as 3000 BC, skiing was a part life, used for transportation and hunting.

It's generally agreed that around 1850 Sondre Norheim started the transformation of skiing from a norse necessity to sport when he pioneered advancements in technique and technology that remain the basis for skiing today.

Through the 1920s skiing remained a sport for the most fit and adventurous. All turns were earned turns. Then, in 1932, the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid sparked more widespread interest and the first rope tows began to spring up on slopes across the country.

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The NY Ski Area Directory

2012-03-22T09:00:00.011-04:00

Introducing NY Ski Blog's New York Ski Area Directory, an all-in-one resource for those who ski in New York State. The directory will feature current trail maps, mountain statistics, and a profile/history of the ski mountains of the entire state.

The idea for the directory was born out of the need to create a larger format to display trail maps, and that will be a primary function of the directory. The NY Ski Area Directory will be added to NYSkiBlog's top nav bar and found at directory.nyskiblog.com.

We've also included basic statistics including base and summit elevations, vertical, ski area acreage, trail mileage and lift capacity for each mountain featured. It's our goal to customize statistics for each ski area detailing numbers for ski area peaks or pods and other useful information that you can't get from other directories.

Perhaps the most ambitious part of this project, hasn't even been started — it is our goal to compile a history of each ski area. Over the next three summers we'll work our way through all the currently open ski areas producing a basic history for each mountain. After our initial draft is published, we'll open each profile for comments, in the hope that others can add detail (or make corrections) that will result in a richer profile for each mountain.

The directory will be divided by region including ski areas of the Adirondacks, Catskills, Tug Hill, Central New York, Western New York and Downstate. This initial launch is considered an "alpha" phase and we will continue to refine and fill out data and upgrade images as possible. Beyond that we'd like to include a comparative stats section, nordic ski areas and possibly a section on vintage maps.

For now, comments or additions on area profiles should be sent to harvey44@nyskiblog.com with the name of the mountain in email title. Input on the directory as a whole can be added as comments below.

Plattekill's Bumpin Blockbuster Mogul Competition

2012-03-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

With record high temperatures gobbling up the snowpack across the northeast, several New York ski mountains chose to move their spring party events up to this past weekend. At Plattekill, the first annual Bumpin' Blockbuster Mogul Competition was slated for St Patrick's Day and in true Roxbury style, the event was festive family fun.

We drove toward the mountains passing in and out of thick fog banks. Eventually the serene, temperature inverted morning soup relented and gave way to a day without clouds. When we arrived at the mountain at 10am, the parking lot was filling up on a bluebird day.

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Worth Skis, Middlebury VT

2012-03-14T12:00:00.003-04:00

I became aware of Worth Skis while "lurking" in Teton Gravity Research Forum's East Coast Roll Call thread. A group of passionate TGR skier's seem tied to the brand and I wanted to see what I could learn about the company. Worth owners, Dalton Harben, Adrian Kostrubiak and Jason Duquette-Hoffman agreed to bring me up to speed.

NYSkiBlog: Tell me about the genesis of Worth Skis.

Dalton: Worth Mountain Designs was incorporated in September of 2011. We first imagined the company in the spring of last year and incorporated once we had our ideas and business model refined. We wanted to create a company that designs skis for eastern skiers wherever they ski. There are some great indie ski companies out there, but for the most part they're designing skis with western skiers in mind.

We wanted to bring skiers into the design process. That's why we developed the semi-custom model. By providing customers the ability to mix and match elements of the build to their preferences, recreational skiers can have what pros have had for years.

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MegaHarv Snow Totals 11/12

2012-03-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

Gore Mountain Snow Totals 2011-2012

Ski Day 27: Done for the Season

2012-03-08T09:00:00.009-05:00

Last Friday after I'd skied six days in a row, I got greedy and went for a seventh. I already had a great week with three powder days in that six day romp: powder at Gore on 2/25, powder at Mad River Glen on 2/26 and powder at Cannon on March 1st.

Gore Mtn Feb 25 2012

I spent four of those ski days in New Hampshire at the blogger's summit skiing Cannon/Mittersill, Attitash, Wildcat and the Sherbie on Mount Washington. We couldn't have had better luck, with a week picked months in advance, especially when you consider the low snowfall totals recorded this year.

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Ski Car: 2012 Honda CRV Extended Test Drive

2012-03-05T08:00:00.020-05:00

After swearing that I'd bought my last Honda, we test drove a Subaru. While it was exactly what I was looking for on paper, it just didn't win me over. Then I noticed that Honda had redesigned the CRV, and it felt it deserved a closer look. We're now the owners of another CRV.

2012 Honda CRV-EX

This isn't to say that I don't have issues with the CRV, but on the whole, the choice just made more sense for us then the widely acclaimed Subaru Outback. To quickly review our requirements — we were looking for a vehicle with good highway mileage and manners, cargo room for three skiers, that can negotiate a steep, slippery driveway at the end of our long drive to the mountains.

The 2012 is our third CRV and it's a quantum leap beyond our 2006. The automatic transmission (the first I've owned) is extremely smooth, and while the gearbox lacks a manual shifting option, with careful use of the accelerator you can control rpm to some extent.

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Bretton Woods, NH: A Walk on the Mild Side

2012-03-01T23:00:00.008-05:00

by Jamesdeluxe

Practically since the moment we arrived in New Hampshire for our four-day whirlwind tour of the White Mountains, everyone’s eyes were at least intermittently glued to weather sites about a potential storm for later in the week.

After returning from dinner every evening, our suite at the Attitash Grand Summit transformed into a meteorological war room, with everyone comparing wildly divergent forecasts.

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Wildcat, NH: Location, Location, Location

2012-02-29T23:00:00.273-05:00

Wildcat Mountain is in a sweet spot in Pinkham Notch. Like all the ski areas in the valley, it has the greatest views. It's near the visitors center and across the street from Mount Washington. We stopped at VC for breakfast and then headed over to the Base Lodge.

Pinkham Notch Visitors Center

We started on the groomers, and at opening the cord was similar to what we found at Attitash yesterday — grippy and rippy. Flying along in front of a spectacular backdrop, groomed runs have a front row seat to some of the most beautiful and talked about views in the northeast.

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Attitash, NH: Groomers and Trees

2012-02-28T20:00:00.005-05:00

I didn't really know what to expect from Attitash. I had a general sense that it was a tamer place than Cannon, and that we'd be skiing groomers, but beyond that, to me the mountain was an unknown.

Attitash Mountain Resort is two peaks: Attitash and Bear Peak. Bear Peak was added to the mountain in the 1990s, nearly doubling the size of the mountain. Since we were staying on the Bear side, we started our day on that peak riding the Flying Bear high speed quad.

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Cannon, NH: Man and Mountain

2012-02-27T23:00:00.024-05:00

Cannon has a wild feel and it's a beautiful, inspiring place to ski. The mountain is big, rugged and the Franconia Ridge is a stunning backdrop to everything you ski and do.

The Northeast Ski Bloggers Summit chose New Hampshire as its base of operations for this year's meeting. Our first day was spent at Cannon; arguably the state's most challenging lift-served mountain. With the reopening of Mittersill, the mountain has a little bit of everything.

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Jason's Weather: Storm Call 2/24/12

2012-02-24T13:00:00.001-05:00

This week's storm presents a rare case: a disturbance tracking to our west is going to produce a measureable snow storm. This is due in part to some redevelopment off the coast, but the primary driver of this event is a vigorous upper-level low.

The map above is the surface forecast for 10pm tonight. Note the tightly wrapped low over Lake Ontario. As far as accumulations, the last model run has backed off the qpf and I'm calling for 2-4 inches of snow in the Catskills, 4-10 in the Adirondacks, and 6-12 along the top half of the Green Mountain spine in VT. Models are showing from .5-1 inches of liquid equivalent.

There may be some more on the backside snow in favored upslope areas. As is often the case with storms on the east coast, wind will be a issue late Friday and Saturday and may effect lift operations.

Coach Z: A Mature Approach to Bump Skiing

2012-02-21T08:00:00.077-05:00

I love to ski bumps; however I’ve had to modify my approach as I get older so that the repeated impact doesn't wear me out. While I can ski a "zipper line" of bumps, I find that it's much harder on my body. I try to avoid the much bigger absorption that skiing directly into the front of the trough requires.

This discussion assumes that you can already ski short-radius turns on a black slope. If not, you can revisit my previous post on short turns. With those skills in-hand, there three keys to mastering the bumps: pressure control, pole usage, and tactics.

Pressure control in the bumps is the flexing and extension of your legs to keep your skis in contact with the snow over uneven terrain. As you ride up onto the bump, allow your legs to absorb the impact starting with your ankles. Keep your core strong and don’t break at the waist. As you come off each bump, extend your legs so that you can absorb the next bump. I see skiers forget to do this and after a few bumps, they "explode" as they have no way to absorb the terrain.

Pole usage in the bumps is essential. You must touch every bump you ski with a pole. This helps your timing and flow, and allows you to stabilize your upper body.

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Catskill Valentine Jackpot

2012-02-18T06:00:00.002-05:00

by ml242

My girlfriend Amy has really jumped into skiing this season, traveling with me across NY and VT at early hours in search of snow. I decided it was time to slow down the pace from Wu-tang Clan to Marvin Gaye. Instead of a six AM wake-up call to action, I surprised her with a double rainbow moment: a relaxing stay at a funky Catskill hotel to celebrate Valentine's Day and ski.

Although no one will confuse Roxbury, NY, with preeminent vacation destinations Lake Placid or Niagara Falls, it's a charming town tucked into a valley with views of hills on all sides. The star hotel, The Roxbury, recommended by a friend, impressed my better half with lots of modern and quirky art, plenty of shiny surfaces, and high brow bath products I wouldn't even know how to procure.

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Sugar Shack at Mont Blanc, QC

2012-02-16T16:00:00.014-05:00

by Jamesdeluxe

As you drive northwest from Montreal through the Laurentians, there are a number of family ski areas right alongside Autoroute 15. While these smaller hills can't compare with the region's big destination area, Tremblant, in vertical, skiable trail acreage, or base village amenities, they offer great access, no-frills ambiance, and affordable rates for families on a budget.

Mont Blanc is a prototype Laurentians area. With a reported 1,000 vertical feet, it has the same general footprint as Greek Peak, but a more consistent pitch. With easily edgeable hardpack on the menu, the skiing was fast and fun, so we worked our way across the hill, skiing every trail and dropping into a few glades to mix things up.

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