ThatNYguy: Russ LaChapelle

Belleayre single chair
Belleayre Single Chair

I first became aware of Russ LaChapelle through his posts on the Snowjournal forum under the screen name “ThatNYguy.” In addition to his extensive nuts-and-bolts knowledge and outspoken opinions about New York’s rich ski history, I liked how he conveyed the emotions behind his passion for Empire State skiing. In 2002, Russ launched “Skiing History in New York” — a website designed to tell the stories of the state’s lift-served ski hills and mountains, both those still in operation as well as the many that had closed.

But what really fascinated me were Russ’s ongoing reports about the rise and fall of Bearpen Mountain, a ski area in the western Catskills that closed 50 years ago, and his efforts to make it accessible to skiers once again. Following is a discussion that details one man’s views of the changing landscape of NYS skiing from the late 1960s to the present.

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Harvey Mountain TBar

There were some who considered this small, family run ski area as competition to Gore and the Skibowl. Total vertical was about 400′ and it was served by a single Tbar:

Harvey Mountain

Harvey Mountain Ski Area was actually on South Mountain in North River – off Barton’s Road, just downhill from the hairpin turn. I first noticed it maybe fifteen years ago. I was skiing and exploring the summit and cliffs of Harvey itself you could faintly see the old runs illuminated by the difference between the newer and the older growth.

I never knew what I was looking at until I connected with Jeremy Davis of NELSAP a few years ago. With Jeremy’s permission I excerpted a piece on Harvey Mountain last fall. There’s more at nelsap.org too.

Harvey Mountain Ski Area

Harvey Mountain is in our back yard (front yard really) and we’ve spent a lot of time skiing on her flanks and summit. Zelda had her first winter camping experience up there.

We’ve known for years that from the southeast facing cliffs on Harvey, you can see the faint remains of an old ski area over at the base of South Mountain. It wasn’t until I found NELSAP did I realize that what we were seeing was called the Harvey Mountain Ski Area.

The following is excerpted from the work of Jeremy Davis of NELSAP – the New England Lost Ski Areas Project.

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