A New York Skier’s Season in Photos: 2023/24

As I write this in May, some of us are still skiing Killington, but for me the season ended in April. Much like last season, this season started with optimism, followed by a mid-season lull due to poor weather, and it wrapped up with an absolutely amazing season end. As a photographer always carrying a camera when skiing, here are my favorite photos from the 2023/24 season.

Snowmaking Cloud On Hunter

This December photo from Hunter looks mundane at first glance. It’s a nice clear day, not too cold — very nice early season conditions. Interesting to me is the cloud created by the snowmaking. Follow that cloud downslope, then off the ski area far into the Schoharie Valley off to the right.

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Jenkins Mountain: There and Back Again

Rain poured out of the sky when I woke up on Sunday. Ugh, it would be a gym day. By the time I fed Ziggy and sat down to my own breakfast, it was sunny. Maybe a run was in the cards after all. Half an hour later, the sky clouded over. One thing I’ve learned since moving to Saranac Lake: If you don’t like the weather, just wait.

trail along Black Pond
Trail along Black Pond

The sun came out again; I checked the weather forecast. Fifty percent chance of showers. The heck with this, I was going out. I mixed up a batch of sports drink, made a recovery sandwich and headed for Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center — the VIC.

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Gore Mountain: Closing Out NY

I’m not sure if it’s ever happened, or when the last time it happened was, but in 2024, Gore was the last ski area open in New York, for the weekend of April 20th and 21st.

I skied at Gore the previous weekend and coverage was starting to get thin. Still, after every other ski area in New York State had called it quits, Gore held on to the hope of reopening.

Gore gondola

Watching the webcams during the week, I saw Cloud getting very thin, so I wasn’t sure how they’d do it, but sure enough, on Thursday, it was announced that they would be reopening for one final weekend.

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