The Catskills Blog

Plattekill Tree Skiing Work Day 2024

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

The Roster is FULL. 50 lopper hounds, we are at our max. Thanks everyone!

Plattekill Mountain and NYSkiBlog are stoked to present the 14th annual Plattekill Tree Skiing Work Day at the ski area in Roxbury NY on Sunday October 27th, 2024. There is no rain date at this time.

Plattekill fall aerial photo

The tradition — imagined in the mind of dedicated NY skier— lives on. We’re recruiting a motivated, smiling crew of lopper wielding powder hounds to continue our maintenance and expansion of some of the Catskills’ best tree skiing.

Our longterm goal is to clear as much terrain as possible under the legendary double chair. As Plattekill regulars know, the mountain is committed to helping skiers pursue their passion and find great lines all over the mountain.

free tree lines

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Tagged: Catskills, Earning Turns, Plattekill214 Comments

Spring Hiking in New York

Posted on by Steve Aaron

Ski season gave way to hiking season in April for me. After a few local hikes to stretch out the legs, in late April, my dog Stella and I joined my friend Ken for a hike up Wittenberg Mountain in the Catskills. This was my first “big” hike of the season, with the goal of meeting up with my daughter Alison and her friend Alice as they completed their Catskill 3500 peaks on Wittenberg.

Climbing Wittenberg

Ken, Stella and I started at Woodland Valley, trudging along to the base of the steeps of Wittenberg. The climb up the steeps was a great challenge so early in my hiking season and it went well for all three of us. There was one spot where I had to hand off Stella to Ken to pull her up a tall, steep section.

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Tagged: Catskills, Gunks, Hiking3 Comments

A New York Skier’s Season in Photos: 2023/24

Posted on by Steve Aaron

As I write this in May, some of us are still skiing Killington, but for me the season ended in April. Much like last season, this season started with optimism, followed by a mid-season lull due to poor weather, and it wrapped up with an absolutely amazing season end. As a photographer always carrying a camera when skiing, here are my favorite photos from the 2023/24 season.

Snowmaking Cloud On Hunter

This December photo from Hunter looks mundane at first glance. It’s a nice clear day, not too cold — very nice early season conditions. Interesting to me is the cloud created by the snowmaking. Follow that cloud downslope, then off the ski area far into the Schoharie Valley off to the right.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Catskills, VT21 Comments