Lake Placid Loppet: The Forecast Called for Pain

I haven’t blogged much for NYSB this year. Skiing at Mt van Hoevenberg on 1 December, I crashed hard when Pumphouse Road turned from groomed powder into a rock garden. A torn acromioclavicular ligament put me outta commission. When I returned to skiing, it was decent early season conditions. No one wants to hear “It’s thin, but really good” when downhill writers are contributing stories with epic powder shots.

Lake Placid Loppet

Early on, the big storms were missing us in Saranac Lake. Gradually, conditions improved in the Tri-Lakes. Three inches here, three inches there, and pretty soon you’re skiing in good conditions. By the time the Lake Placid Loppet rolled around, we had serious midwinter conditions.

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A Great Season at Whiteface

Now that spring seems to have arrived, it is safe to say that this will be one of the best of my dozen years skiing Whiteface.

Going into the season it seemed like management had planned to open the summit as early as possible. As in recent years, the peak of the mountain was in play right away with Paron’s Run open from the top. This was several years in the making with snowmaking upgrades that were promised and now delivered.

Cloudspin opened early with good coverage
Cloudspin opened early with good coverage

Sure, there will always be mechanical issues at a ski area, but this year seemed different.

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Oak Mountain: Head East for Pow

For the second weekend in a row, Evan and I made a last-minute call to chase fresh lake-effect snow. We planned to explore two new New York ski areas on Saturday before the storm rolled in, keeping our eyes set on the prize, Sunday, at Oak Mountain. With home base in the Finger Lakes, it’s a haul to the Adirondacks, but when conditions look promising we don’t hesitate.

Oak Mountain

With a weekend of new mountain exploration ahead, we met up with Robert kicked things off Saturday morning at Cazenovia Ski Club before squeezing in some afternoon laps at Woods Valley.

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