Royal Mountain Opens 2025

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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Gore Opens in 2025

It’s been cold in the northeast and here in the mountains, it’s been snowing. Lows have been in the twenties every night for a few weeks and the ski areas have been taking full advantage, opening more terrain, faster than any year in recent memory.

Gore Mountain opening day 2025

Gore was no exception, opening a week before Thanksgiving. Lifts spun on East Side and the North with three lifts and ~four ways down the mountain for the weekend. Conditions were good, and skiers were impressed with the wall-to-wall coverage on all the open terrain. Friday was for passholders and the weekend was open to the public.

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Panther Gorge Trek

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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