Author: Peter Minde

Cruising at Cascade: Winter’s Last Gasp?

Posted on by Peter Minde

“Don’t take off your snow tires yet,” my mechanic advised me. “It’s March. Anything can happen.” Sure enough, the following Sunday, snow started falling in Schroon Lake as I returned from rehearsal with Katye Kellye and The Interruption. I spent Monday, 11 March, clearing my driveway and an elderly neighbor’s driveway.

On Tuesday, I drove to Cascade Welcome Center. When I arrived, it was already above freezing. For all I knew, this might be the last ski of the season.

Cascade Welcome Center abuts Mount van Hoevenberg. In January 2022, the Adirondack Mountain Club bought Cascade XC from the Jubin family, its longtime owners.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Cascade XC, Nordic Skiing4 Comments

Gore Nordic: Coals to Newcastle

Posted on by Peter Minde

This winter, I’ve been content skiing in the neighborhood. There are seven ski centers (OK, two of them are golf courses) within 20 miles of my crib in Saranac Lake. Why travel?

The A climb
A climb

With the disastrous thaw, my local options have diminished. This winter, most of the big storms have gone south of the Tri-Lakes. Paul Smiths VIC was reduced to a few kilometers. Mount van Hoevenberg’s legacy trails, which I’ve only skied once this winter, were toast. I’ve lost count of the number of laps I’ve done on van Ho’s World Cup trails. On Sunday, I cleaned kitty litter, loaded the Fortunate Son and drove down to Gore.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Gore Mountain, Nordic Skiing4 Comments

Paul Smiths: Cruising the VIC

Posted on by Peter Minde

Saturday: band rehearsal in Sea Girt, NJ. After a productive session with my most excellent bandmates, I loaded the Fortunate Son and returned north. Driving at Warp Factor 4, I made it to Saranac Lake by 9:30 PM.

Heron Marsh

When I finally arrived home, I was fried. For most of my life, I’ve reckoned drive times north starting from Morris County NJ. I could tell you when I’d arrive in Lake Placid, or Craftsbury, or Woodford, within 10 minutes’ accuracy. Departing Ocean County is a whole other ball of wax.

Sunday morning, drinking coffee, bleary eyed and listening to WFMU with a cat in my lap, I considered my options. Gym? Ski? Chill?

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Nordic Skiing, Paul Smiths5 Comments