Author: Harvey

Skier, Blogger, Ski Blogger. Editor-in-chief NYSkiBlog.

Return to Smugglers Notch

Posted on by Harvey

I love New York. I love the ski history, the vast wilderness and the assortment of old-school ski hills. I also dig the proximity to Vermont and all that Green Mountain snow.

Vermont farm

Northern Vermont is something else. The East is challenging for skiers, as conditions can quickly go from pow to crunch.  But NoVT often escapes this fate, and even when it’s afflicted, it recovers more quickly than any other other part of the northeast.

Then there is Smugglers Notch.  For me the place has everything: old school vibe, Hall lifts, excellent tree skiing and 300 inches of snow. I haven’t been to every ski area north of I-89, but of those I have skied, I really dig Smuggs.

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Tagged: Smugglers Notch, VT12 Comments

I Never Made It To The Top

Posted on by Harvey

In New York this season, the snow has been piling up. Still, many of our weather events have been close calls. Last Wednesday a storm brought snow and sleet to much of the east, but this time it was all snow at Gore. My first shot at it was Friday, with a forecast of mountain snow and valley rain.

The North Creek Ski Bowl

On the road from the flatlands before 3am, I arrived the cabin at 7am, unloaded the car and turned on the heat. Back down into town, I had breakfast at Sarah’s and then headed over to the Ski Bowl Yurt to boot up for first chair.

I’ve been busy at work, and I neglected to find a ski partner in advance.  Still the ski gods smiled down and sent master trailbuilder Steve Ovitt and his friend Rick to meet me, as I waited for the Hudson Chair to spin. A stroke of great luck.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Gore Mountain, North Creek Ski Bowl9 Comments

Plattekill MLK Weekend 2019

Posted on by Harvey

File this one under the best-laid plans. At the end of last week, forecasters were calling for more than a foot and a half of snow at both Gore and Plattekill by Sunday. I only felt certain about one thing: driving in the storm early on Sunday morning wasn’t wise. I weighed the pros and cons of my choices.

storm track
If Only

Option #1: We’ve got a small cabin near Gore, about five hours away. It provides us with a good deal of flexibility at a low cost. Still, time is precious on a one-night trip to ski country and it takes a few hours to get our building warm. The drive to the mountain is 10 miles that should be driven with care in a storm.

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Tagged: Catskills, Plattekill11 Comments