Author: ThatNYSkier

Panther Gorge Trek

Posted on by ThatNYSkier

Panther Gorge is a unique zone deep in the High Peak wilderness; it’s one of the most remote places in the park, and for good reason. Lying between the highest peak in the state (Marcy) and the third highest (Haystack), the Gorge is in a world of its own.

view of Panther Gorge

From The Garden, it’s about 7.8 miles; the Loj is 7.5 miles, Elk Lake is about 9 miles, and Upper Works is 10.7 miles, and these are just the distances to reach the area, without including exploration and a return to the trailhead. If you’ve ever hiked Haystack or Marcy and looked across towards the other’s peak, then you got a glance of Panther Gorge.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Backcountry, High Peaks7 Comments

Colden: New Slides, New Adventure

Posted on by ThatNYSkier

The Adirondacks are unique in many ways. They’re rugged, dismal, rocky, muddy, densely populated with spruce trees, and most are miles away from any trailhead. One thing that I think truly sets them apart from other mountain ranges in the East, or the country at that, would be their magnificent landslides.

Mt Colden aerial photo 2025
Aerial photos by Jonathan Zaharek

While almost completely lacking in Vermont and Maine, New Hampshire has a fair share of slides that are frequently climbed. However, most are very different from the slides we have in New York. They’re usually small, full of rubble and dirt with minimal slab, while the slides of the Adirondacks are beautiful streaks of smooth anorthosite that can rise hundreds of feet wide and long up a mountainside.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, High Peaks, Hiking13 Comments

June Turns on Mount Marcy

Posted on by ThatNYSkier

For many skiers, the season in New York ends sometime in March. For those a bit more passionate about the sport, some may make the pilgrimage to the more elevated resorts such as Whiteface or Gore, which usually spin their lifts until around the second half of April. And, for those who just can’t let the amazing NY season end, we find a way to continue making turns through May and even into June (if you’re crazy enough).

Marcy Dam Slides

Whiteface’s Skyward, which sits at over 4,300’ in elevation at its top, usually holds a decent snow patch that is hiked and skied for a good couple weeks into May, eventually becoming too sparse and rocky by the time the Veteran’s Memorial Highway opens in the middle of the month.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Backcountry, Earning Turns, High Peaks12 Comments