The Powder Hunter

Yesterday I called in sick. I almost lost my job, but it was worth it.

It wasn’t clear to start the day that my gamble would pay off. Plattekill pulled the plug on a planned Powderdaize, when the sun rose on a disappointing three inches of frozen precipitation.

Scottski-Crossover

Fortunately NYSkiBlog HQ got me the information I needed and I traveled an exit farther north on the Thruway to Hunter Mountain where I met up with Lemmycaution and Scottski.

On my way in to grab a lift ticket, I ran into a Hunter employee and asked about the conditions. “They’re, um… interesting. Three inches of wind-effected sleet. I need to do some office stuff.”

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Heading to Plattekill for Shoulder Season

Spring was sure to make an appearance at some point this month, but it was hard to believe that hot on the heels of one of the biggest dumps of the season we’d be skiing without our shells.

Plattekill-Trail

After devouring the pow harvest from my desk on Friday, my brother and I were champing at the bit to ski. Our enthusiasm spread, and we ended up back at Plattekill with several others who came to the mountain for the first time.

I didn’t have to look in the rearview mirror to see the quizzical looks as we drove past Belleayre. I could feel the lasers bouncing off of my neck and quickly pointed out that when skiing, going the extra mile is often worth the effort.

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ORDA 3-Way New York Ski Pass

Ski 3 PassNYSkiBlog has learned that New York’s Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) will announce a new ski pass which will grant skiers access to all three of New York’s state-run ski resorts. The Ski3 Pass will be on sale later today and will allow pass holders to ski Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre any day of the 2013-2014 season.

The early bird price of the new pass for adults — $739 — is the same as the first deadline price of the current ORDA 2-Way Pass for Gore and Whiteface.  The early discount price for young adults is $385, while college students and juniors can pick the pass for only $299. The early discount period ends on April 19.

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