The Catskills Blog

Plattekill: Riley Season

Posted on by Harvey

Saturday wasn’t my first time driving south to ski Plattekill, but it was the first time “leaving home” to do it. I’m now 30 minutes closer to one of my favorite ski areas and the drive is much more relaxed than traveling north out of New Jersey.

Route 30

No matter how much Google Maps insists I take the shortest route, I’m sticking to the interstates as much as I can: 87, 90 and 88. Once you are off I-88, it’s a scenic and comfortable drive down Route 30 through Grand Gorge.

When it comes to skiing Plattekill, especially early in the season, you can’t overestimate the value of having a friend like Sean Riley.

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Tagged: Catskills, Plattekill7 Comments

Black Friday at Hunter Mountain

Posted on by Brownski

There had been some debate about whether Black Friday would be a good day to ski. My plan was to ski Hunter the day after Thanksgiving. Somebody suggested it was a blackout day on some Epic passes so that meant it would be crowded. Harvey thought Sunday would be better.

Catskill Flyer

I’ve always had good luck skiing on those days that are famous for something else — like Super Bowl Sunday for instance. My thinking was that a big event — like football or shopping — distracts the casuals away and only hardcore skiers are on the slopes. And Sunday skiing would mean driving home with the weekend traffic.

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Tagged: Catskills, Hunter8 Comments

A New York Skier’s Season in Photos: 2024/25

Posted on by Steve Aaron

Ski season is over in the east, and it was an interesting one with good snow cover in the heart of the season and then a quick ending with warm temps and no big late season storms. I got my days in, had my fun and took a bunch of photos as the camera is always in my pocket. Here are some of my favorite images from 2024/25.

Hunter Mountain snowmaker

My season opened at Hunter, where I caught this image of the snowmaker looking back to make sure that everything was right. The footsteps in the untouched snow with the lone person initially caught my eye while riding the lift. Behind the scene was this person’s attention to detail, doing what was needed to help ensure opening day was a good one.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Catskills, VT13 Comments