Plattekill Mountain: The Post Season Begins

The regular season ended for me a week ago on a fine spring day at Gore. Still, sometimes the best turns come during the post season and mine got off to a sweet start at Plattekill on Sunday.

Tractor

I’d been eyeing the PlatteCam all week. There was still good snow on a few of the trails in view and Blockbuster looked especially choice. I spoke with Laszlo and asked if he’d mind a few skiers earning turns.

He told me that on Sunday he was meeting with Plattekill’s Lift Ops team to review what they learned at LMS Conference at Jiminy Peak. They were going to be working all day, his only request was that we stop in to say hello.

Continue reading

Plattekill: Sending It In Style

Last summer in the gym, I met a professional climber from Colorado who had relocated to NYC for a girl. When I asked if he skied, he recounted his glory days of competing in bumps and gates at Vail.

Plattekill Mountain

“Sweet!” I replied, following with an offer to show him the East.  His reply was anything but sweet. “Why would I want to do that? I know all about East Coast skiing by reputation already.”

The conversation went downhill. I took some ill-advised shots at Colorado and it was uncomfortable running into him at the gym. Eventually we exchanged apologies, and I made my offer again.

Continue reading

Catskill Ice: Old Dogs, New Belay

Time spent guiding brought me a deep appreciation of the Catskills. I crossed many peaks and crannies, stashing secret spots away for personal endeavors that I couldn’t take with guided groups.

Ice-Wall

I loved the area near Kaaterskill High Peak, perhaps because of the many days I spent looking at it from across the river when I lived in Dutchess County.

Fast forward a few years, as Director of Operations it was my job to find new hikes. I would also strive to find swimming holes as a side project, and I often ended up back in the area.

Continue reading