Author: NYSkiBlog

The source for NY and Northeast ski info and stoke!

Andrew Newell: Cross Country Skiing in the Park

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Andrew Newell was born in Bennington Vermont. After finishing high school and some post-grad work at Stratton Mountain School, he joined the US Ski Team as a nordic racer.

Newell has competed internationally since 2001. His best finish in the Olympics was 16th place in the sprint at Turin in 2006. In March of the same year, he won a bronze in a World Cup race in China. The medal was the first in over 20 years for an American Nordic skier.

Andy makes films as a hobby, and is the owner of X Ski Films. He’s known for his aerial acrobatics and huge backflips on skinny skis. While park skiing isn’t something we really focus on at NY Ski Blog, you have to be in awe of his ability to telemark, flip and jib on such light gear.

Tagged: Nordic Skiing6 Comments

Ski Mountaineering on Slide Mountain, NY

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Ron Konowitz, also known as RonKon, is a resident of Keene, NY. As a member of the “Ski to Die” Club, he pioneered many of the steepest backcountry descents in the Adirondack High Peaks.

In this newly released YouTube Video, Ron and Mike Whelan retrace the route of Irving Langmuir with this ski of Slide Mountain. An avid outdoorsman, Langmuir is credited for establishing ski mountaineering on this side of the Atlantic in 1907 on Slide Mountain in New York. Slide — the tallest peak in the Catskills at 4180 feet — was the first mountain in North America climbed and skied from the summit.

Langmuir, a prominent chemist and physicist, is probably most noted for his work at General Electric. His research lead directly to the invention of the incandescent lamp.

Tagged: Backcountry, Catskills10 Comments

Joe Bastardi’s Final Call: Winter 2010-2011

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Joe Bastardi, Accuweather’s rockstar, hype-meister meteorologist, has revised his winter forecast. His early winter forecast issued in August, wasn’t quite as tantalizing as this, his final update.

His accuracy was uncanny last year, and this year’s forecast is not out of line with what the East could expect from a moderate La Nina. In his forecast video, linked below, he calls for full on winter north of I-90. He does hedge somewhat calling for a big thaw in January.

The full story is here: Accuweather Winter Forecast 2010/2011.

Tagged: Weather3 Comments