The Adirondack Dream Week

Some things exist, while others are only in your mind. Still perfect conditions can make reality fantastic. Or put another way, just because something exists doesn’t mean it’s not fantasy.

The Adirondack Dream Week is something I’ve come to expect every September, or at this time in my life, every August. This is not to say that conditions are dreamy every year. But it’s often enough to keep the dream alive.

This year was just about perfect. Sunny, cold, breezy and almost bug-free.  We didn’t really have big plans when we arrived. Mountain biking, glade clearing, trail maintenance, gymnastics, paddling, walking and drinking it in.

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Smugglers Notch

Smugglers Notch has been on my radar for more than five years. Without ever setting foot on the hill, I knew that Smuggs had it all: snow, terrain and old school vibe.

smuggs trees

My experience in Northern Vermont is limited. I skied Stowe many years ago, as an intermediate. We had friends in the area and we would ski for a few days around Christmas. In those days I wasn’t a tree skier and I don’t remember us getting any new snow.

Then, about five years ago a bunch of us skied together for three days at Jay. The first morning the Jay Cloud went off at opening and delivered 5-8″ before lunch. My first experience with nice powder skiing in really widely spaced trees.

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A Little Help from My Friends

After a big day at Plattekill on Wednesday, I went home to work Thursday and Friday morning. Out the door at 1pm on Friday afternoon, I drove to our ski hut in Johnsburg, NY.

The next morning I was at the North Creek Ski Bowl early. Things were looking good when my friend Duck stepped into the yurt before first chair to boot up. After a lone warmup run on Moxham, we went into the trees, and struck paydirt.

We hit our favorites hard and then headed up to Burnt Ridge. We ran into another musketeer — Suds — en route. Riding the quad we could see that ropes were down on the trees, and we hit Boreas in fine shape.

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