Plattekill: Chasing a Moment

After my second day of the season at Plattekill, I sat down to write. For a ski blogger from the flatlands, the underlying themes don’t really change much. Life is often a balance between responsibility and the pursuit of a moment.

Plattekill Lodge

Our plan was to spend the holiday at our place near Gore. But my girls weren’t feeling it. They didn’t want to make the drive, and based on reports from the mountain my enthusiasm for an all out sales pitch was limited.

The recent weather has been hard to ignore. Last week’s rain was followed by colder temps, leaving things firm across the east. There was however one small ray of light: the National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the NY metro area and parts of southern NY for Saturday night.

Continue reading

Super Sunday Catskill Thunder

To some, missing the Super Bowl is sacrilege. As far as I’m concerned it’s a ski day, but my eleven year old doesn’t agree. When we were pass holders at Mount Peter, we were close to home and it wasn’t issue. An early arrival and departure would give us plenty of time to ski Belleayre and see the big game.

catskill thunder gondola

Of all the improvements made at ORDA ski resorts this year, the one which generated the most discussion in the NYSB Forum, was Belleayre’s new gondola, the Catskill Thunder. There was skepticism of the need for a gondola and anxiety about the cost while others supported the idea with full-on fanboy enthusiasm. Super Bowl Sunday was a great opportunity to see for ourselves.

Continue reading

It’s Always Snowing at Hunter

Five years ago, in March of 2013, I took my first spin on skis at Hunter Mountain. I spent two days tumbling in slushy spring snow, working my way from the bunny hill to the summit. Finally, on the last run of the second day, I took the Kaatskill Flyer to the top of the mountain and skied Belt Parkway all the way to the base.

I was hooked on skiing, and I have since skied over 120 days since, progressing from faceplants on the beginner slopes to confidently skiing steep western bowls and icy east coast moguls. Every visit to Hunter is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, revisiting the snowy Catskills slopes where I first fell in love with winter.

Continue reading