Mount Peter: Home Again

A home mountain is more then the place where you have a pass or where you ski the most. It’s about where your skiing story began, where your roots are. Your home mountain is your origin story, like the planet Krypton in Superman.

Mount Peter new quad

My ski story began at Jiminy Peak on a Sunday in 1989 that ended in a trip to the emergency room. Because of that, and all the time I spent there in the following years, I’ll always think of Jiminy as my home mountain. For my kids, and many New Yorkers, Mount Peter in Warwick New York is home.

Mount Peter has a decent amount of terrain variety for a 450-foot, 60-acre feeder hill, with some pitch over on skiers’ left where the racing kids practice. When my first son was born, I chose Mount Peter as the spot to teach them to ski.

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Chasing Plake

We were on our way north when my preferred social media network alerted me that Glen Plake was bringing his Down Home Tour to Plattekill this weekend. I heard just in time too — right before we had to make that Freedom Pass call: Plattekill or Magic.

Glen Plake hucks
First Descent of Plake Chute courtesy John Tunis

There was no way I was gonna miss the chance to meet the star of the “Blizzard of Aahhhs” —  Glen has to be considered one of the legendary pro skiers of all time.

Plattekill is always fun, and even if it turned out that Plake’s visit was a photo-and-handshake publicity stunt, I knew we would have a great time. We turned onto Route 28 and headed west.

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The Old Stop-n-Go

Every time I’m on a lift that stops more than once I have to wonder if it’s a mechanical problem, beginners having trouble loading or just a good old fashioned Stop-n-Go.

skiing in a fur
The Ultimate Sin?

The first Stop-n-Go I saw was possibly the most egregious abuse of power I’ve ever witnessed. It was early in the season when I worked as a liftie at Alpine Meadows. I was learning the ropes at the upper loading station on the Weasel Chair. A middle aged woman was skiing in an expensive fur coat on a sunny day and she was obviously getting a kick out of people noticing her. I’m not sure if the liftie was an animal lover or just offended by the ostentatious display of wealth, but the sight of that coat set him off.

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