Gore is a Great Big Mountain

At our house, to reduce the impact of the bottle water we drink, we’ve invested in a system where the 5-gallon plastic bottles are reused. We’re trying to remember to bring our own grocery bags to the store. Small steps.

View from the Park + Ride

Of course, the elephant in the room is the impact of my skiing. There’s no question it’s costly, especially the driving. I’ve long thought about this, but never enacted any solutions. And, as I’ve become more addicted to our sport, I find myself driving farther for good snow.

For New Years I’ve resolved to carpool as much as I can. It’s not a new or novel idea, but it should make a difference. Sharing a ride saves energy and engine wear, and it fits with my desire to ski with partners.

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Gore Mountain: A New Home

Balancing work and leisure is not easy for a skier from Northeastern PA. Living a rural life often means a long commute to work and an even longer drive to enjoy good early-season skiing. Most seasons pre-Thanksgiving turns are out of reach for my family. But this year’s early cold and aggressive snowmaking had us traveling north before the holiday.

I’m a job supervisor for an electrical contractor who had a tough summer. A knee replacement and a reconstruction of my wrist left me with four unpaid months at home. Desperate for projects to manage, my only option was to drive long distances for work. In the back of my mind, I wondered how this would affect my weekend ski commutes.

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Gore Mountain: Love the One You’re With

NYSkiBlog was originally designed to be a skier’s decision engine. The Weather Center was created to help road warriors — those who have to travel far and plan ahead — make the best possible decisions to get good snow.

It’s certainly not a fool-proof tool. Weather data requires persistent monitoring and educated interpretation to pay dividends. And even with all that, things can go wrong.

My idea at the beginning of the week was to ski Plattekill in the warm sunshine that was forecast for Saturday, and then move north to ski Gore on Sunday. But as the week wore on, a spring storm crept into the forecast and affected my plan.

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