Author: Peter Minde

Taking the Pineridge Plunge

Posted on by Peter Minde

Turning off of I-90, I headed east on state highway 43. Albany suburbs fell away swiftly to more rural scenery. The road began to climb and twist, and snow swirled in the air as I headed towards Petersburg NY.

Stoney Brook Trail

Being an essential worker in the retail booze business these days, my weekend consists of Wednesday and Thursday. With Vermont’s travel restrictions, Prospect Mountain, my go-to day trip destination, isn’t on the table this winter. Unfortunately, Bearpen, is only open on weekends. North Creek is too far for a day trip. Then I remembered Pineridge.

When I was putting together NYSkiBlog’s nordic directory, I ran across Pineridge, but I’d never been there. My goal is to get to at least one new ski trail each winter, so here we go.

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Tagged: Nordic Skiing4 Comments

Kickstart My Heart: New Trails at Mt Van Ho

Posted on by Peter Minde

Part 1: New Years

On New Year’s Eve, I drove to Lake Placid with the child for a short, socially distanced ski break. Lake Placid had only been brushed by the storm that dumped 30 inches elsewhere in the northeast. When we arrived Mt van Hoevenberg was operating on machine made snow on the new trail system designed in advance of the World University Games.

Biathlon Range

Everything at MVH is different this winter, and not just for the reasons you’d expect. I parked and walked to the towering new lodge. Part of the building is open, and construction is still underway. I collected my season pass and headed out.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Mount van Hoevenberg, Nordic Skiing6 Comments

Millbrook Mountain: The Nose Knows

Posted on by Peter Minde

Normally, on the weekend around my birthday, I’d be celebrating at the Climb to the Castle on the Whiteface Toll Road. The new normal has changed all that, but I still wanted to get outside.

Minnewaska view

Unfortunately, at the end of running the Slide-Cornell-Wittenberg loop in the Catskills in late August, I fell and broke my right wrist. Driving home that night wasn’t fun: I had to reach across and select fifth gear left-handed.

I’ve got a few more weeks with this miserable cast. Anything steep that requires three-point contact isn’t happening: I can’t put pressure on my wrist. So when I returned to Lake Minnewaska, I was looking for something I hadn’t been on before.

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Tagged: Gunks, Hiking5 Comments