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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Algonquin: After a Storm

This winter season has been, at times, difficult. Especially for a skiers who earn their turns in the backcountry, relying on Mother Nature to make it possible. After a March Nor’easter pummeled New York with 2 feet of snow in some places, it seemed like a fitting time to head back into the High Peaks wilderness in search of soft snow.

Algonquin intersection

My friend Jack and brother Bailey and I decided upon a couple classic lines within the MacIntyre Range: Algonquin’s northeast bowl and the historic Wright Peak Ski Trail.

Our skin began at 7am at the Adirondack Loj, a popular summer trailhead which grants access to over a dozen High Peaks. It was 15 degrees and cloudy with light snowfall.

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