Closing Woods Valley in Style

Winter was still hanging on by the tips of its fingers last Sunday in Westernville NY. It would be the last day of the 59th season for Woods Valley and the stage was set with beautiful spring conditions for the annual pond skim. I arrived just at the first chair and met up with the usual suspects.

Woods Valley Ski Area

We took a few laps and before long the firm conditions gave way to perfect corn snow. Coverage was edge-to-edge on all the main trails, with a few rollers and jumps remaining in the terrain park. The boys were getting adventurous jumping dirt gaps and going for grass slides. It’s just that time of the year to ride loose and carefree.

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Greek Peak: All in the Family

I feel fortunate to have come from a family of skiers. Skiing families raise skiers, and I’m grateful that I learned to ride at a young age. Part of my family lives in California; they’re hardcore skiers who access terrain through backcountry gates, almost exclusively skiing the trees. My aunt and my uncle, in their 70s now, seek out soft snow and bluebird days with no crowds.

Greek Peak

Unfortunately for the cousins out East, the options are not quite as deep as they are in Tahoe. For us any new snow is good and there’s nothing wrong with cruising the groomers. We make the most of it, and with winter returning the East Coast family was ready to get back on the slopes.

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Woods Valley: Any Given Sunday

On any given Sunday athletes suit up in the pursuit of the thrill. Some are found on the football field while others are at their local mountain. They shed their 9-5 attire to take a few laps and get a taste of freedom.

For New York skiers and riders that means getting our thrills where we can. It’s not always a tree skiing powder day, sometimes it is a spring park laps kind of day. Superbowl Sunday provided just those conditions, spring weather, in the middle of February. Woods Valley is home to an assortment of weekend warriors who go full send and make it to work on Monday.

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