Chasing Powder on The Tug

The lake effect storms that normally blow across Ontario and dump feet of champagne powder onto the Tug Hill Plateau have been somewhat lacking this season. Mother Nature has had other plans, sharing the snowfall in the Adirondacks, Western NY, and the Catskills. There have been small and intense bands here and there, but not what we are used to seeing coming off of Ontario in November and December.

North Slope
Snow Ridge

This was the case for until just days after Christmas. The National Weather Service of Buffalo released their highly-anticipated Expected Snowfall map. As a Tug Hill local, you could say the map was very exciting. Dry Hill, Snow Ridge, and Woods Valley saw a forecast for 12-18” of new snow.

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Song Mountain: Surprise Jackpot

There’s something special about setting out on a ski road trip with no expectations other than spending quality time on the slopes. That’s exactly how Evan and I felt as we headed north from Ithaca, making our way to Song Mountain in Tully, NY, for the first time.

Song Mountain

With a string of recent weekends spent chasing powder and the mixed precipitation earlier in the week, we were prepared for mixed conditions. But winter had other plans, and we were in for an incredible surprise.

As we drove past Cortland, it was as if we crossed into a snow globe. Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the landscape transformed, coated in a fresh blanket of lake-effect snow.

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Another Big Mac Wednesday

My season has been a mix of things: handling my transition into retirement, managing the construction of our home and chasing NY lake effect snow. I was at it again last week, rolling over my 401k and scoring a powder day at McCauley.

Good morning

It’s weird being retired. It struck me again early last week when I realized the potential for another Big Mac Wednesday. McCauley is closed on Tuesdays, and if you pay attention, you can score some deep untracked from a two-day snowfall. I thought hell yea, I could be there. On Tuesday I drove to our camp in the Adirondacks, started a fire in the woodstove and skied our woods.

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