Belleayre and Plattekill

I had one day to ski last weekend and for me, this year, that means the Catskills. I wanted to ski those intermediate pitched bumps underneath the Belleayre Express. I also yearned to be back with my people, at Plattekill, on what was likely closing day.

race course

Early in the week, Plattekill was promoting St Platty’s Day without specifically mentioning skiing. Believe me I get it, Saturday was a long ways off. I decided I’d ski Belle in the morning and head over in the afternoon for Plattekill’s most excellent corn beef and cabbage dinner special.

I arrived at Belle an hour before first chair. There were already hundreds of cars in the lot at Overlook.

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Gore Mountain: Snacking on a Donut

The rain has been relentless. On my last two drives to the mountains I found myself doing my best Brook Benton baritone. It helps me adjust to a March that looks like April. Still, I haven’t given up on winter. Last week, with a chance of snow in NY, and a bit of now or neverism in my mind, I started making plans.

driving in the rain
Did you ever feel like it was a rainin’ all over the world?

I skipped skiing Saturday, convincing Scott to roll with me to our camp in the Adirondacks that night. More accurately I convinced Scott to roll the dice with me, and ski Gore on Sunday. When I left NJ in early afternoon, I was driving up in a dreary winter downpour at 41 degrees.

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Snow Ridge: Back at Full Strength

Snow Ridge has gotten a lot of attention from us this year, for good reason. Or maybe more accurately, for a bad reason. On August 7 of last year, the hill was ripped by an EF-3 tornado. Tornados are bad, and when they come to ski areas, late in the off-season, they are really bad. Snow Ridge scrambled to get ready for winter.

Lyons Falls cemetery
Lyons Falls cemetery

We covered the event, and the even more astounding recovery. Evidence of the storm is still obvious as many downed trees remain. But every functioning piece of the ski operation has now been restored. On Thursday, the last piece of the puzzle, the North Chair, was certified to run.

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