McCauley: Winter Returns for a Moment

I spent the holiday week trying to dodge the rain and find what little of the white stuff that’s left. The search had me riding some mixed conditions at Windham, Hunter and Gore. Fortunately my favorite chairlift partner, Farah, was able to join during her winter break from medical school.

McCauley view

After skiing Gore last Saturday, we drove to the Old Forge Camping Resort where we’d rented a cabin with our friends Conor and Leslie. They had been cross country skiing McCauley that day and said it was slick.

But on cue, snow started to fall and we started to feel better about our chances for the next day. We welcomed winter’s appearance with a big campfire and a drink. You could hear the snowmobilers in other campsites doing the same.

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McCauley Opens Big in 2018

There have been a lot of early and surprise openings across the east this season. This past Saturday McCauley Mountain got in on the action, spinning the lifts for the first time, a week ahead of their planned opening. The website warned of thin cover, but as I suspected, there was a lot of deep and untouched snow.

Conor and I made the hour-long drive from Utica to the hill in Old Forge. At first he questioned the decision, the ground was almost bare in the city and everything was melting. His fears were chilled as we drove into Adirondack Park where it was colder and every tree and patch of ground was covered in beautiful white snow.

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First Tracks at Lapland Lake

The winter of 2018-19 seems to be picking up right where last season left off, with unusually early snow accumulations across the region. Resorts have opened, with more terrain than expected, and ski areas that rely entirely on natural snow are feeling it this Snowvember.

Almost winter

With my alpine setup not quite ready, I headed up to Lapland Lake Nordic Center, who set a new record on this year opening on November 14th, their earliest ever. With three trails totaling ~4-6 km of beginner and intermediate terrain, it was looking like a great day to get back in the swing of things. I arrived to see only a few other cars in the lot, which I took as another good sign.

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