Author: Robert

McCauley: Going Strong

Posted on by Robert

The first signs of spring appeared last weekend and the doomers were out in full force. The winter is over! The rain is coming! If you internalized the social media discourse then you might as well pack your gear and call it a season.

The rest of us will be enjoying the warmer weather and soft turns.

summit view

Way up North in Old Forge the locals had missed the news that winter was over. The Olympic snowfort built the previous weekend stood tall while kids played in the snow below. At the top of the mountain conditions were supreme with soft snow and excellent coverage everywhere.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, McCauley11 Comments

Cazenovia: Hitting the Club

Posted on by Robert

There’s nothing better than hitting the club on New Years Eve. The club I favor has an old Hall T-Bar and this year featured 16 inches of new lake effect snow. When Evan, Tiff and I pulled into the lot and looked up the hill, we knew it was going to be all-time. Untouched snow as far as we could see.

Riding the Tbar

We geared up and headed to the new lift ticket window in the Wax Hut. I saw friend and member Jeff getting the outdoor fire going. He came over and chatted while we redeemed our Indy Passes. It sounds like the pass has been successful at Caz, allowing the members to share their little slice of heaven. There were more than a few Indy Pass redemptions that day as word spread locally about the snow totals.

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Tagged: Cazenovia Ski Club, Central NY, Indy Pass, Powder10 Comments

Royal Mountain Opens 2025

Posted on by Robert

I’ve noticed a pattern among the family-owned independent resorts here in New York. Often I find a female owner running the business behind the ticket desk, while a male owner is off dealing with operations. Royal mountain was no exception last Sunday on opening day. Brooke Tennis was all smiles as she handed me my ticket, telling me she was surprised by the turn out.

Jake Tennis manages the crowd

The parking lot was filling up fast. I strapped in and pushed down to the Hadley Chair to start the season. I thought I was running late as I saw the first wave of skiers ripping down the mountain. Royal prides itself on tight operations and if they can spin the lift a little early, why not? I rode right on to my first chairlift.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Royal Mountain7 Comments