The Ski Season in Photos #12

Bumpin Riley • Plattekill Mtn • March 19, 2012

After the snow gods delivered a solitary week of winter across the northeast, a cruel blow was served: the winter hating heat wave. In mid-March temperatures soared to mid-summer levels reaching in the 70s and 80s for nearly two weeks.

Already limited snowpacks began to vaporize and mountains across the state scrambled to figure out how they could cram in the normally extended party that constitutes the spring farewell to the lift-served season.

Plattekill bumpfield

The jump from winter to summer coincided with St Patrick’s Day and many mountains scraped together whatever snow they could find and scheduled parties for the weekend of March 19, 2012.  Plattekill unveiled an new annual event — a mogul competition — to take place at midday on St. Plattekill’s Day.

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Time Travel to the Summit of Rusk Mountain

Maybe I’ve seen the Last of the Mohicans one too many times: it seems I’m now obsessed with local lore and the “old days.” On a recent canoe trip down the Delaware I couldn’t stop talking about the Lenape Indians, their travel routines and dress. And on a hike up the highest mountain in Orange County NY, I drove my companions nuts detailing the meaning of the word Schunemunk.

Saint Anne's Peak
Saint Anne’s Peak

Actually I’ve always been fond of remembering the time when men were men, and hiking meant figuring out how to get from point Algonquin to point British without the use of marked trails.

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The Ski Season in Photos #8

lemmycaution on Blockbuster • Plattekill Mtn • Feb 12 2012

NYSkiBlog serves a community from two worlds: those who live in the mountains and those from the cities and suburbs.  New York skiers are a diverse group, brought together by our love for the mountains. We see it as part of our mission to highlight that which brings us together.

After Hurricane Irene, the owner of The Diamond Bar in Brooklyn threw his full support behind the MARK Project’s effort to enable recovery in the Catskills. When winter arrived, Diamond Dave continued his support of the Catskills by organizing a skier’s party in Brooklyn on a Saturday night, followed by a caravan to Roxbury the next morning to ski: it was Diamond Day at Plattekill.

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