The Adirondacks Blog

Skiing with Duck

Posted on by Harvey

On average, Gore gets less snow than some other mountains. Most Vermont hills claim more than Gore’s official 150 inch average and other mountains in New York get more snow too.

But one thing is sure, we do a lot with the snow we get, at Gore. Over the last week, the mountain reported more than fifteen inches and everyone you met said it was the best skiing in quite a while.

A nice midweek storm dropped over a foot, and in a show of mercy for us weekend warriors, it snowed again on Friday night. It looked like two inches at our place. I assumed that there would be more on the mountain.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Gore Mountain3 Comments

McCauley is the Real Deal

Posted on by Harvey

Last weekend I drove to the Southern Adirondacks looking for more magic.  I’m here to report that I did find it, at McCauley Mountain in Old Forge, NY.

Big Chair 1973

From some crazy reason, the mountain has been off my radar. I vaguely remember seeing a sign for McCauley on the drive to Snow Ridge last season. Then last week, the mountain was top of mind with powderhounds in the forum as it was forecast to get a potentially significant lake effect snow.

As it turned out, the intense snow band was tantalizingly close, but just off to the north and only a few inches of snow fell in Old Forge. To me it felt like a low-key and unhurried opportunity to see a new place and expand my understanding of skiing in New York.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, McCauley22 Comments

Stepping into Winter

Posted on by Harvey

I always look forward to the moment when I first step into the snow. It gives me a line on what to expect from the ski days ahead.

storm-skiing-at-gore
Storm Skiing

On Tuesday, I was surprised by what I found. That first step into the snow step was soft-ish, with just a hint of crunch. Ten inches of compressed snow remained from the last liquid event and it didn’t feel super saturated. Of course it was just above freezing.

Now, I know the Almaguin Highlands guys don’t ski the pipeline before it sets, but that’s not how we roll down here on Christian Hill. If it’s skiable we’ll hit it, consequences be damned.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Backcountry, Gore Mountain11 Comments