The Ski History Blog

The Raymond Brook Ski Trail

Posted on by Harvey

The Raymond Brook Ski Trail is one of the oldest ski trails at Gore Mountain. Today it’s on state land, but it is still important part of the trail network around North Creek, NY.

Raymond Brook Ski Trail

The Raymond Brook Trail has been through several phases of use. In the “ride and slide” days, it was a major route. The ski from the top of Gore down to the river was long. The need to “sweep” Raymond Brook was one factor behind the creation of New York’s First Ski Patrol at Gore.

At some point in time the Raymond Brook Trail went unmaintained and it stayed that way for many years. When I first learned of the route, I didn’t know it by name.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Backcountry, Gore Mountain, Hiking, Nordic Skiing, Ski History5 Comments

A History of Hunter Mountain

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Hunter Mountain Ski BowlThe history of Hunter Mountain is the story of two brothers whose desire to build would not be denied.

Orville and Israel Slutzky had a vision for a ski area on a steep, rocky mountain in Hunter New York, and no amount of adversity or skepticism was enough to deter them from their goal.

In the mid-1950’s the sport of skiing was gaining popularity in New York and across the northeast. At the same, as people became more mobile and began to travel farther for vacations, the Catskills’ appeal as a summer vacation destination was declining. Meanwhile a few miles to the south, Belleayre Ski Center was attracting visitors and driving economic activity in the town of Pine Hill.

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Tagged: Catskills, Hunter, NYSkiBlog Directory, Ski History

A History of Whiteface

Posted on by NYSkiBlog
Governor Harriman at Whiteface 1958.
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:
The History of Whiteface

Tagged: Adirondacks, NYSkiBlog Directory, Ski History, Whiteface