The Gore Mountain Blog

On a summer day in 2010, I was in Mike Pratt’s office, learning about plans for Burnt Ridge. The Gore GM had a drawing of the area on his desk. It was a topo map, all in done in black, except for one trail, drawn in red pen. It was labeled Barkeater.

Mike told me that the trail wasn’t going to be cut right away, for the time being it was being cleared as a glade.  Over the years Barkeater, and all the glades on Burnt Ridge, have become classic favorites among skiers who thrive in zen-long tree runs with moderate pitch. Some of us, likely a minority, loved Burnt Ridge the way it was: a bit inaccessible with a beautiful high speed lift and four mile-long glades.

Continue reading →

In March, when I first heard rumors of Gore’s plan to spin lifts on May 1st, I didn’t think it would happen. The base looked deep and the forecast was cold, but May Day was a far off destination. If nothing else, the now famous leaked ops calendar convinced me of ORDA’s commitment to the effort.

Holding up my end requires some commitment too. It’s a challenge to get up for a long drive north, whether it’s the middle of the night or the middle of the day. It’s especially hard to get into the right mindset when I’m packing the car in shorts. Either way, it all makes sense after I arrive in the mountains.

Continue reading →

When Gore is one of NY’s last men standing — and you have a season pass, and a beautiful day off, and you’re a wannabe ski writer — you’re going to ski it and write about it. That’s how it goes. More Gore.

This spring there have been rumors at Gore about pushing the season to the first weekend in May. I haven’t seen this done at Gore, since 2008, when I started keeping track. Then evidence of a conspiracy circulated on the internet. There it was, a digital reality, closing day, Sunday May 1.

Gore has blown a lot of snow this winter and it has extended the season.  Most obvious is “Mount Gondi” — the snowmaking remains of the trial run for next year’s University Games.

Continue reading →