Gore Mountain Opening Surprise

Gore usually targets Black Friday for opening day and I rarely make it.  This year was no different. Thursday we feasted. Friday morning we bought our Christmas tree and stood it up, ready to decorate. In the afternoon, I drove to our place in the Adirondacks, solo, to ski the weekend. The snowfall forecast was favoring northern zones, and it looked like Whiteface could be the right call for me.

Gore Mountain base lodge
Gore Mountain Nov 27 2021

When I arrived in North River, I was surprised to see 4 inches of new snow on the ground. It was still snowing lightly. Recently my tires have been the subject of scorn, and the driveway wasn’t plowed. I considered walking up to eliminate drama. Instead, I chose to run and gun, and I made it up.

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Hickory or Not?

There’s a significant group of skiers out there who’ve had a great day at Hickory. Certainly enough to fill up the ski center after a storm. When you consider the total number of ski days Hickory has operated over the last 10 years, that’s really kind of amazing.

Hickory fire pit

Personally I’ve had six days at Hickory, five of them in winter, all were unforgettable. So yea, people like me, we’re out there.

Many of us wish we had another shot at it. I know I do. If I had known my last Hickory ski day was going to be my last Hickory ski day, by golly, I would have skied harder. Many also understand why Hickory has been closed the last few years.

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The Punishment Remains the Same

After a year off, the Climb to the Castle returned to Whiteface Mountain on October 3rd. I drove up on Saturday with some misgivings. Two weeks earlier, I DNF’d the Macedonia Brook 25 kilometer trail race in Connecticut. I ran my plan in the hills and on the flats. But there were two brutally steep, technical downhill bits where I was so slow I didn’t feel like I was racing. I dropped halfway through. I drove home wondering if I was done.

Whiteface foliage

After collecting my bib and buying groceries, I headed to the hostel. As it turned out the the Saint Lawrence University women’s nordic ski team was staying there. They were racing the Climb to the Castle to top off a long training weekend.

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