Gore Mountain: Closing It Out at Home

It’s natural to want to close it out at home, skiing that last day of the season on your turf. I did it this season at Plattekill, and I came pretty close at Gore, skiing both Friday and Saturday before Gore closed on Sunday. Connecting with friends, the weather was sunny and the snow was soft, a closing day feel.

booting up

I’m starting to believe a home mountain is a responsibility of sorts, a little like having a nephew or niece. You want to be there on big occasions, like opening day, powder days, perfect spring days, maybe the pond skim, and yes, closing day.  Beyond all those specific occasions, you need some minimum number of ski days at home to actually be a part of the community. At least I do, and it’s more than ten.

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Plattekill Closing Day 2023

I’ve got 26 days so far this season. I skied Gore 10 days, Plattekill 7, Belleayre 3 plus Titus, McCauley and Hunter once each. There were three days of nordic skiing in the Adirondack woods. I’m not saying this because I’m done or anything, just setting up the story.

Plattekill Closing Day 2023

At the end of the season I always seem to feel I didn’t ski Plattekill enough. I usually get five days, this year I got seven, but I still feel it.

Robert once claimed there were No Bad Days at Snow Ridge. I feel that way about Plattekill, like it’s actually foolproof when I go, I’ll have a good time.

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Belleayre with a Few Friends

In the offseason, when I think about spring skiing, I recall sunny days, skiing soft snow, all day long. I remind myself that spring is wonderful and it’s also generally reliable. The snow has to melt sometime, and you know the skiing is going to be good at the end of the season.

Right? It’s not as simple as it sounds. When it’s actually spring, I find I’m juggling things nearly as much as I do to chase powder.

Will the weekend include a sunny day with temperatures above freezing? Can I get a weekday off? Is the mountain I want to ski still spinning midweek?

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