Last weekend Central NY was the place to be for skiing and riding. Lake effect snow made its way south over Skaneateles Lake to the I81 corridor where it deposited over a foot of snow in some places. It was clear I should head south of Syracuse.
I called my Dad and we made a plan to hit Greek Peak on Saturday. It was a sweet day of packed powder groomers, ski on lifts and steady snowfall. It was so good that I called Alex and we made plans to go back to Greek the next day.
Greek reported an additional 8″ on Sunday morning. The lot was filling as I pulled in but I managed to get a spot just a few rows deep. Alex wasn’t far behind and soon enough we were headed up the lift.
Skiing Greek back-to-back really brought back my memories from college, including which trails were the best. We didn’t exactly make first chair so I figured our best chance to score untracked snow was Chair 4. The powder in the Elysian Fields during the traverse over got us stoked.
No need to warm up, we headed right down the headwall of Hercules. I think I may have skied this run twice in the 4 years l lived in Binghamton and never in conditions like this. There were a few tracks before us but it was largely untouched, and especially deep along the sides.
We gained speed and even the lightest carve sent snow billowing around us. The run out is mellow and we had plenty of fun seeing who could take the biggest slash.
Next to Hercules are the steep Labyrinth glades, a run I’ve oddly never been down. We dipped right in and were immediately rewarded for our curiosity. There was one set of tracks and the rest was ours for the taking. It was just going to be one of those days!
The line was growing at Chair 4, so we made our way to the east side. We took Arcadian gate down to Chair 5, avoiding the groomers on the left and enjoying the fields of snow on the right.
I love the vibe of Greek Peak East and back when I had a season pass this was the place to park and start. There’s only 4 runs on this side but they have so much character, dotted with the trees left in the middle of the trails, it just feels more natural over here.
We rode up Chair 5, and then headed for the Alsos glade. These glades were a little busier and we passed a few families as they meandered through the trees. More than a few times on Sunday I heard congratulations being given out to first timers in the trees. On a day like this how could you not dip in?
Our timing on the East Side was perfect. We headed back to the main area for the opening of chair 2 at 11am.
Aesop’s glades hold a special place in my heart. I remember coming to Greek on a high school ski trip and thinking, “they let you ski in the trees here?” As we ripped through the trees 15 years later, I had all the same feelings. That’s the beauty of riding, old and young alike, when we strap in, we’re all just kids on the playground.
After a few hot laps on Chair 2 it was time for a break and some food. The Trax Pub and Grill is one of my favorite slope side eateries. The food is always good with loads of local crafts available. I polished off the jerk chicken sandwich in a minute and before long we were headed back out.
On my way to Greek I saw temperatures as low as -2, but by midday with the sun out it felt like we were on a beach. We opened up our vents and let it all hang out on our last couple of runs. No day would be complete without a few hot laps through the park.
I’ve been following the CNY freeride team recently and these guys have been killing the park scene in upstate. Their handy work was evident in the park, the setup was sweet and there were some gnarly features. When I was done scaring myself, we headed over to Chair 1 to finish the day.
It seemed appropriate to finish the day the same way we started, on the steeps. We stopped at the top of the headwall of Olympian and soaked it all in. It was definitely going down as one of the great days of the season.
I’m in your photo of the chair 4 lift line (raspberry parka next to the dude in the chartruse parka) next in line to load.
You probably didn’t ski Hercules when you were in high school if you hadn’t been to Greek Peak in 15 years. I think that trail is less than 15 years old. Before they cleared the trees there Hercules was an off-the-map glade with just a few lines (you can still ski in the right side of Labyrinth).
This past weekend was amazing. Glad you got at it both days. There are a ton of new glades (they made these when they made the bike trails) and the powder stays fresher longer in these because they are relatively unknown since they are so new. They also cleared out a lot more lines in Aesop’s Glade (formerly Ronnies Run) making for many more opportunities for fresh snow late in the day. We had fresh snow all the way to the end of our day and the same was true on Tuesday. Glory Days!
Now it’s all frozen up. It was great while it lasted. We had a great winter here and we hope we get a few more storms out of it before it turns to spring.
Beautifully written clearly a beautiful day. The nostalgia is making me want to check out Jiminy Peak again, where I learned. Maybe next year. CNY is killing it this year. Where next?
Agreed about the nice glade skiing in GP East. Nice pic of Chair 4, the oil dripper!
I too have a soft spot for Ronnies Run (Aesop’s), it’s a fun glade to ski. CNY Freeride Team has most definitely put in an amazing amount of work this year. Major congrats should go out to Travis MacDowell for making it all happen.
Yea the pandemic, but I believe we’ve had more powder on the front page than ever before.
I like the permanent “Thin Cover Bare Spots” sign at the entrance to Ronnies. 🙂
Nice one Robert!
Loved Chair 4 all through my Cornell days. Back then 5 rarely ran, but when it did we were rewarded.
So beautiful. Those glades look amazing. One of these days will make our way east of the ADKs for some of that deep lake effect snow.
First time to GP this past Sunday. Conditions were phenomenal!
What a season, Robert.
Cool pictures and write up!
The signs are pretty telling, looks like your riding at the edge of the “trail as per the orange blaze on the trees
Ride on!
When Greek Peak is 100% open it has some truly excellent terrain. When 100% open, and then you add some daily lake effect, conditions can become epic. The Labyrinth glade you mentioned is fairly new, maybe in the last 5 years or so. Thanks for the great report of my home hill.
Nice write up. I was there both days and conditions were amazing. I’m even in your photo of the lift line.
They made snow last night and they announced they plan to stay open until May 1!
Sounds (and looks like) awesome conditions. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Robert, nice scenes!
thanks a lot, Chris Stearns
Thanks All! Definitely one of the days I will look back on this year.
A great year for the trees!
Saved on p-tex!
Here is a link to historic Greek Peak trail maps that show the evolution of the trails/woods
I’d like to see all of Atlas come back as a trail, the upper part is nice and holds snow nicely, it has a weird fall like but fun to bank off of (we skied this in packs in high school and hit the road jumps in a big way).