Author: NYSkiBlog

The source for NY and Northeast ski info and stoke!

Diamond Day at Plattekill (2.0)

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Fifty years ago the northeast was dotted with mom and pop ski hills. Those few that have survived have gotten by with true grit, a few natural advantages and a little help from their friends.

Skiing Plattekill North Face

This scenario describes Plattekill Mountain. The hard working owners of the ski area in Roxbury New York are blessed with great terrain and natural snowfall.

Beyond that, the mountain seems to inspire people to pitch in and help. One such person is known to us as Diamond Dave, the owner of the Diamond Bar in Brooklyn NY.

Continue reading →

Tagged: Catskills, Plattekill5 Comments

Polar Peak Ski Bowl, NY

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Over the summer, we encountered a character on Facebook named Snowmaker Seven. He was an outspoken snowrider from New York who — we assumed — worked at Catamount or in the Catskills.

Polar-Peak-Night-Skiing

Earlier this month, he declared online: “Summers been fun but it’s time to test the snowmaking system! Bring on winter 2013-2014!” Curious, we pushed for information on his home hill. His response: “I work at Polar Peak in Columbia County!”

This got our curiosity up. Way up. Students of the map of New York and yet we barely knew of Columbia County, much less Taghkanic, NY. We found the location with the help of Google maps and tracked down Polar Peak’s website. A fascinating story emerged.

Continue reading →

Tagged: Downstate NY10 Comments

Belleayre Fall Update 2013

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Belleayre-Ski-CenterWe got a quick update on off-season improvements from Tom Tar, the general manager at Belleayre Ski Center.

Snowmaking:  We replaced four submersible pumps that supply our water. We’ve also replaced 9,000 feet of air and water lines that will allow us to increase water pressure and further improve our efficiency.

We added 25 low-energy guns including ten new SMI Polecat Fan Guns  that will further increase our snowmaking capabilities and energy efficiency.

Lifts: We’re replacing the handle tow (Lift #5) on the bunny slope with a magic carpet.  The new lift will be ready for opening day.

Gear: We will have a new rental fleet of new skis and snowboards. As part of ORDA, it’s likely that our rental fleet will be similar to those at Gore and Whiteface.

Renovations: The Discovery Lodge is currently being upgraded. The cafeteria style food service has been replaced with a more modern food court with an enhanced menu and more space for additional seating. This should also help with the flow of customers and alleviate the some of the lines/bottleneck at the cash registers.

Continue reading →

Tagged: Belleayre, Catskills1 Comment