I recently had a chance to tour the North Creek Depot Museum on Railroad Place. I ran into Michelle San Antonio — director of the museum — at the Farmers Market Organic Brunch, and she graciously agreed to fit me into her schedule.
I was especially interested in the new exhibit that focuses on the history of the snow trains and the development of skiing at Gore Mountain. I’m fascinated by the 1930s and 1940s when lift assisted skiing was born.
“We recently purchased a Bombardier BR350 Sherpa Winch Cat. We’re looking forward to using it to improve the surface quality of our groomed beginner and intermediate trails. In addition, the winch gives us the ability to do the minimum required maintenance grooming on our legendary expert trails.”
The quote above is from Bill Van Pelt, a driving force behind the rebirth of Hickory. We asked him what he meant by “required maintenance grooming” on expert trails. He elaborated:
After inspecting the base area and touring the lower mountain with David Tomberlin, I finally connected with local legend Cliff Levers. Originally from Tupper Lake, Cliff has worked in oil fields, as an ironworker, and as an electrician. He came back to Tupper Lake in 2002, and has been there steadily since.
Cliff was understandably very focused on reaching the top of Lift 3 and the 3136-foot summit, as was I. Up we went. The road was steep and slick. At times, Cliff would stand up on the ATV. I assumed he was trying to get more weight on the front wheels, so, when ever he stood up — I threw all my weight forward into the space he’d vacated.
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