The Adirondacks Blog

Paul Smiths: Cruising the VIC

Posted on by Peter Minde

Saturday: band rehearsal in Sea Girt, NJ. After a productive session with my most excellent bandmates, I loaded the Fortunate Son and returned north. Driving at Warp Factor 4, I made it to Saranac Lake by 9:30 PM.

Heron Marsh

When I finally arrived home, I was fried. For most of my life, I’ve reckoned drive times north starting from Morris County NJ. I could tell you when I’d arrive in Lake Placid, or Craftsbury, or Woodford, within 10 minutes’ accuracy. Departing Ocean County is a whole other ball of wax.

Sunday morning, drinking coffee, bleary eyed and listening to WFMU with a cat in my lap, I considered my options. Gym? Ski? Chill?

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Nordic Skiing, Paul Smiths5 Comments

The Backside of Big Tupper

Posted on by Peter Minde

Late Sunday night, I returned to Saranac Lake from band rehearsal in NJ. As I passed through Schroon Lake it began to snow. The last 40 miles, the roads were covered with snow. The last three blocks, all uphill, hadn’t yet been plowed. I bulled my way into my driveway. Let’s hear it for studded snow tires and a digital transfer case.

Route 86

Four more inches of snow on Monday night. Dewey Mountain, my new local, was open. But the urge to ski in Tupper Lake was irresistible.

Twelve or 15 years ago, in one of the worst snow droughts can remember, one of the only races I skied was the Lumberjack Scramble in Tupper Lake.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Big Tupper, Nordic Skiing9 Comments

Hickory is a Magic Machine

Posted on by Harvey

I first met Stuart of The Storm back in 2020 on an off-the-hook powder day at McCauley. We got to talking about all the great small ski areas in New York. He told me “NYSkiBlog has more Hickory content than anyone else on the web.” At the time, I wondered if we’d ever publish an on-snow piece about Hickory again.

An enormous amount of work has gone into getting the hill open. Led by Hickory founder Hans Winbauer’s daughter, Sue Catana, the hill has navigated operational, inspection and insurance challenges. With significant help from the Indy Pass and Unofficial Networks, Hickory announced they’d spin lifts on Saturday, for the first time since 2015.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Earning Turns, Hickory Ski Center, Indy Pass30 Comments