The Backcountry Blog

Jean-Claude Killy Skis the Trees

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

You can learn a lot about skiing by following SkiMadWorld. And on Friday nights, you can learn while watching great video.

Recently MadPat posted a piece on Jean-Claude Killy and his legendary accomplishments, in the late sixties and the 1968 Olympics. When I finished reading, I got drawn further into YouTube, and I found this silent video of Jean Claude in the trees — it’s really beautiful skiing.

“Killy came to a ski camp I was at in 1970 — Lange International Racing Camp at Mammoth Mountain. He could ski so well. He ran a course and we all went over to look at his perfect carved turns in the salted snow. I have never seen anyone with such body control and quickness in my life. It was otherworldly.”

-YouTube Comment

Tagged: Backcountry, Ski History8 Comments

Catskill Park State Land Master Plan

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

location of Catskill ParkCatskill Park spans 700,000 acres inside the “blue line” in Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster counties in New York State. Over 40 percent of the land within the blue line is Forest Preserve owned by the state and managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Another 5% is owned by New York City to protect four reservoirs that are within the park.

The park boundary stretches from near the Hudson River just west of Kingston NY to the East Branch of the Delaware River. Its northern extreme is at Windham and its southernmost point is near the Rondout Reservoir. In contrast to the Adirondack Park, the Catskill Park doesn’t include every peak of the Catskill Range. Only 33 of the 35 highest peaks are inside the Catskill Blue Line.

Continue reading →

Tagged: Backcountry, Catskills8 Comments

Ski Mountaineering on Slide Mountain, NY

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Ron Konowitz, also known as RonKon, is a resident of Keene, NY. As a member of the “Ski to Die” Club, he pioneered many of the steepest backcountry descents in the Adirondack High Peaks.

In this newly released YouTube Video, Ron and Mike Whelan retrace the route of Irving Langmuir with this ski of Slide Mountain. An avid outdoorsman, Langmuir is credited for establishing ski mountaineering on this side of the Atlantic in 1907 on Slide Mountain in New York. Slide — the tallest peak in the Catskills at 4180 feet — was the first mountain in North America climbed and skied from the summit.

Langmuir, a prominent chemist and physicist, is probably most noted for his work at General Electric. His research lead directly to the invention of the incandescent lamp.

Tagged: Backcountry, Catskills10 Comments