The Belleayre Blog

Catskills Postseason Finale

Posted on by ml242

The bell rang as I pulled into the lot at 9:30 am. I didn’t know who’d win this final round of March Madness, but Hunter led off weighing in with a base elevation of 1600 feet and temps around 35 degrees.

Hunter Mountain

The warm weather had punished the mountain, but as we climbed the temperature dropped and both the snow and air grew cleaner. The now unfamiliar feeling of cold precipitation hitting my face left a terrific sting. I used the latest in technology to stay warm and ping base camp via twitter @NYSkiBlog to let HQ know that I was indeed, still alive.

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Tagged: Belleayre, Catskills, Hunter10 Comments

Catskill Valentine Jackpot

Posted on by ml242

My girlfriend Amy has really jumped into skiing this season, traveling with me across NY and VT at early hours in search of snow. I decided it was time to slow down the pace from Wu-tang Clan to Marvin Gaye. Instead of a six AM wake-up call to action, I surprised her with a double rainbow moment: a relaxing stay at a funky Catskill hotel to celebrate Valentine’s Day and ski.

Valentine's Day getaway hotel.

Although no one will confuse Roxbury, NY, with preeminent vacation destinations Lake Placid or Niagara Falls, it’s a charming town tucked into a valley with views of hills on all sides. The star hotel, The Roxbury, recommended by a friend, impressed my better half with lots of modern and quirky art, plenty of shiny surfaces, and high brow bath products I wouldn’t even know how to procure.

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Tagged: Belleayre, Catskills2 Comments

Funding New York’s State-Run Ski Areas

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

OpEd: Funding NY State Run Ski ResortsA recent editorial in the Glens Falls Post Star asked the question: “How much longer can New York taxpayers continue to subsidize ski centers at Whiteface and Gore Mountain?”

The next paragraph yielded a vague response: “It’s time for state officials to rethink the financial and ownership model that has sustained them for the past 30 years.”

With a sluggish economy and state and local tax revenues in decline, there’s no question that public funding for everything is becoming problematic. While the editorial poses a legitimate question, it ignores some important issues, and has logical inconsistencies that make it hard to take seriously.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Belleayre, Catskills, Gore Mountain, ORDA, Whiteface12 Comments