Hickory is a Magic Machine

I first met Stuart of The Storm back in 2020 on an off-the-hook powder day at McCauley. We got to talking about all the great small ski areas in New York. He told me “NYSkiBlog has more Hickory content than anyone else on the web.” At the time, I wondered if we’d ever publish an on-snow piece about Hickory again.

An enormous amount of work has gone into getting the hill open. Led by Hickory founder Hans Winbauer’s daughter, Sue Catana, the hill has navigated operational, inspection and insurance challenges. With significant help from the Indy Pass and Unofficial Networks, Hickory announced they’d spin lifts on Saturday, for the first time since 2015.

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The Whales on Chatiemac

I go into the office to work every day, I actually prefer it. I have a desk and a chair and a light and everything else I need, just a few miles from home. Much of our staff comes in three days a week, while a few of us come in everyday.

On Fridays before a holiday, we often let those who are in the office leave early, a perk for coming in every day. It was pretty quiet on the Friday before Christmas, and when I remembered all this it was almost 3pm. I wished everyone a Merry Christmas, and sent them on their way. Then I did something I haven’t done before: I decided to take the rest of the day off myself.

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Oak Mountain’s 75th Opening Day

My first time riding Oak Mountain was five years ago. I had just started writing for NYSkiBlog and was starting to go off the beaten path. In the years before that time, I drove past the hill on my way to Gore. Now it’s my mission to get to Oak at least a twice each season.

Lake Pleasant

The family-owned resort offers some surprisingly good terrain, a real vibe and no lift lines. Weather delayed their opening to this past Friday. Seeing an opportunity to rack another opening day in 2023, I drove to Speculator early Friday morning.

At the ticket booth I was greeted by Laura O’Brien, half of the husband-and-wife team that runs Oak.

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