Killy Closer

I had a decent season, but some big omissions kept it from great or all-time status. I never had an over-the-top deep powder day, and somehow, as hard as it is to do, I missed out on a perfect spring day too.

Deep powder is something that you — or more accurately I — might not get in any given season. Apparently.  It’s a fact of life: powder comes when it will and often doesn’t last long.

But spring is more durable.  Or it’s supposed to be. Each year some snow falls the sky and some is made by man. Eventually it all melts. The days become sunny and warm and the skiing is good. On occasion, these days fall on weekends too.

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The Plattekill Plunge Army

I really like skiing lift lines. Something about them is just a bit more exciting to me. Maybe it’s dropping directly down the fall line, or maybe it’s the extra pressure from above to do your best.

Plattekill sign

On top of that, I’ve always had a thing for Plattekill’s Plunge. For starters, it’s a steep and narrow trail below a Hall Double. Plunge has snowmaking on its upper and lower third and is mostly all natural in the middle.

From the top, Plunge is often groomed about 60% of the way across starting from skier’s right. Down skier’s left 2 or 3 bump lines will form if given enough time. The middle — after the split with Giant Slalom — is almost never groomed.

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Gore Mountain: Love the One You’re With

NYSkiBlog was originally designed to be a skier’s decision engine. The Weather Center was created to help road warriors — those who have to travel far and plan ahead — make the best possible decisions to get good snow.

It’s certainly not a fool-proof tool. Weather data requires persistent monitoring and educated interpretation to pay dividends. And even with all that, things can go wrong.

My idea at the beginning of the week was to ski Plattekill in the warm sunshine that was forecast for Saturday, and then move north to ski Gore on Sunday. But as the week wore on, a spring storm crept into the forecast and affected my plan.

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