Author: Harvey

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

Magic: You Never Forget Your First Time

Posted on by Harvey

It seems like everyone has an opinion about Magic Mountain in Londonderry VT. I certainly had one, and I’d never skied there. Over the years I absorbed enough to know that the old school hill was the place to be when storms dump on Southern Vermont.

Magic door

I started to think about skiing Magic at the end of a big pow day at Hickory back in 2014. I met GetAmped who told me he lived in Schenectady, which was as he described it, “perfectly positioned in the center of the Magic Triangle.” I was already a big fan of the other two of the vertices of triangle, Plattekill and Hickory. But I’d never been to Magic.

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Tagged: Magic, Powder, VT11 Comments

Plattekill: The Life of Riley

Posted on by Harvey

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve improved my ability to deal with missing out. I’ve learned to smile, while sitting at my desk on a powder day, as my phone buzzes off the hook with incoming photos. At the same time, I fully appreciate those moments of logistical magic that allow me to be in the right place at the right time.

the drive to Plattekill

Early last week, a winter storm was flirting with the various weather models. Forecasts ranged from a gully-washing rainout to an epic nor’easter. One thing remained consistent across the models; if it did snow, the Catskills were in the bullseye. And as the week wore on, the chances for snow in New York were on the rise.

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Tagged: Catskills, Plattekill, Powder17 Comments

Plattekill: Chasing a Moment

Posted on by Harvey

After my second day of the season at Plattekill, I sat down to write. For a ski blogger from the flatlands, the underlying themes don’t really change much. Life is often a balance between responsibility and the pursuit of a moment.

Plattekill Lodge

Our plan was to spend the holiday at our place near Gore. But my girls weren’t feeling it. They didn’t want to make the drive, and based on reports from the mountain my enthusiasm for an all out sales pitch was limited.

The recent weather has been hard to ignore. Last week’s rain was followed by colder temps, leaving things firm across the east. There was however one small ray of light: the National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the NY metro area and parts of southern NY for Saturday night.

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Tagged: Catskills, Plattekill10 Comments