Plattekill: Catskill Score at Last

It’s been impressive to see the snowmaking efforts in the Catskills this year, combatting an absence of natural snowfall around here. March though, always seems to provide a selection of good ski days in the Northeast. It’s typically the snowiest month of the season.

Plattekill

Finally this week, winter decided to throw us a double shot of the good stuff; a twenty-plus inch storm cycle in the span of just a few days. Discussion amongst snow chasers showed many felt Plattekill might lie outside of the sweet spot for the second storm,  and to an extent the National Weather Service agreed.

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Catskill Double: Birthday Surprise

Each year I find a way to make my birthday fun. I get a few days off work and drive north to the mountains looking for adventure. When I pull it off, for the moment, I can forget I’m a year older. There’s really only one rule for the trek: it has to include skiing Plattekill.

driving at night
Required element

For me, being born in early January was a blessing.

When I was a kid, it stunk having a birthday right after Christmas. Nobody was the mood to party. But now, there’s something I really want, that I can give myself, every year without fail. My present to myself is a solution to a problem: how can I avoid pondering the relentless march of time on the annual reminder of my birth? It’s simple, go skiing.

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Plattekill Opening Day 2022

My ski season got off to a slow start. I’ve been obsessive, watching the weather, figuring out where to look for powder nirvana. After watching the storm track for most of last week, and not being able to ski Friday or Saturday, I set my alarm for 4:30 Sunday morning with plans to go to Magic or Plattekill.

When I awoke, I did a quick search online and opted to get a couple more hours of valuable sleep by skiing closer to home, at Plattekill. I grabbed a quick coffee and headed west into the Catskills. There were at least a couple of good omens: a beautiful sunrise and the mountain tops were glistening under a fresh layer of snow.

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