Black Friday at Hunter Mountain

There had been some debate about whether Black Friday would be a good day to ski. My plan was to ski Hunter the day after Thanksgiving. Somebody suggested it was a blackout day on some Epic passes so that meant it would be crowded. Harvey thought Sunday would be better.

Catskill Flyer

I’ve always had good luck skiing on those days that are famous for something else — like Super Bowl Sunday for instance. My thinking was that a big event — like football or shopping — distracts the casuals away and only hardcore skiers are on the slopes. And Sunday skiing would mean driving home with the weekend traffic.

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Winter Starts When Killington Says So

Winter starts when Killington says it does. That may sound like marketing hype, but it rings true to me. In addition to being big and burly and awesome, Killington is known for doing whatever it takes to extend its season on both ends. As soon as temps drop low enough, even if it is still October, Killington’s snowmakers get the mountain open.

K1 Lodge

This year that turned out to be Wednesday — November 12. I wanted to be there for opening day but couldn’t get away midweek so I settled for Friday.

Killington is a long haul for me. I don’t do well getting out of bed before 5 AM, so I cheat a little to day-trip the place.

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Annsville Creek Paddle

Long time readers may have noticed that I’m an adventure-in-your-backyard kind of a guy. I wholeheartedly believe that you don’t have to travel far to find exciting, challenging or even just pleasant things to do in nature, even if you live in the big city or, like me, in the suburbs.

The downside of sticking close to home is that I find myself running out of things to write about. Earlier this summer when I paddled Rondout Creek and hiked Plattekill Mountain, I had a great day but we’ve written about these places so many times before, it didn’t make sense to do it again. I could say the same about Harriman Park and the Hudson River.

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