Snow Ridge: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Boots

It was late in the evening, and Snow Ridge NY was touting a storm capable of producing five feet of snow. I convinced my girlfriend to take Saturday off and come with me to Tug Hill.

Snow-Pocket

The stoke was high, for skiing and adventure in general. I am filled with a profound gratitude to have found a partner so ready to abscond on long and snowy journeys at every hour. A few podcasts and some Paul Simon helped to keep me awake.

The ride went pretty quickly even as Amy slept. At 7:30 am, Siri was able to bring up the snow report. A foot had fallen and maybe more was on the way. We decided to bypass the Adirondacks and head West.

Continue reading

Hunter Mountain December 2014

In some ways, Hunter is the victim of its own success. On yet another drive up 87 with a recent transplant, I was asked to describe the hill. Being articulate or coherent at a quarter-of-six is hard work, so I settled on my gold standard of sports analogies.

Hunter Mountain December 2014

Hunter Mountain is kind of like the Yankees. Even if they win 100 games, the season is a failure if they don’t win the World Series.

Since not everyone knows about Baseball, The Yankees are not only my favorite team but they are historically, the most successful. And in other news, precisely because of this, they have as many passionate detractors as they have casual fans.

Continue reading

Plattekill Opening Day 2014

At Plattekill Mountain, NY, the ski season started off with a bang. The 3-day storm that punished the northeast with rain and snow held on to cold temps near the mountains of Roxbury.

Plattekill Opening Day 2014

In the end we were left with a soft fluff that clung to the slopes with the tenacity of a much older base. Taking advantage of early season rates ($35 thru 12/21), powder hungry skiers gathered early for a chance at shredding the weeks accumulation as the lift turned for the first time.

Our group was wide-eyed and diverse.

Continue reading