That Next Big Step

When your kid turned three years old, maybe you gave her ski lessons, like I did. Maybe you did it because skiing can be an exciting part of a great life. Or maybe you did it because you hoped she’d grow into an effortless, natural skier. Or maybe you did it because you wish you’d started at three years old.

Or maybe it’s a bit of all of the above.

We started our daughter in daycare at Gore when she was six months old. It seems that many ski areas don’t take kids that young, but I think it’s brilliant. If you can keep both parents skiing when the kids are really little, you might be helping to create another ski family.

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I Never Made It To The Top

In New York this season, the snow has been piling up. Still, many of our weather events have been close calls. Last Wednesday a storm brought snow and sleet to much of the east, but this time it was all snow at Gore. My first shot at it was Friday, with a forecast of mountain snow and valley rain.

The North Creek Ski Bowl

On the road from the flatlands before 3am, I arrived the cabin at 7am, unloaded the car and turned on the heat. Back down into town, I had breakfast at Sarah’s and then headed over to the Ski Bowl Yurt to boot up for first chair.

I’ve been busy at work, and I neglected to find a ski partner in advance.  Still the ski gods smiled down and sent master trailbuilder Steve Ovitt and his friend Rick to meet me, as I waited for the Hudson Chair to spin. A stroke of great luck.

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North Creek Ski Bowl: BIG Nordic

Snow-starved times call for desperate measures to get one’s ski fix. On a recent spring weekend, I day-tripped to North Creek Ski Bowl to get my fair share of abuse. The year season turned around for the metro area and points north. But on this weekend other options were closed, from the mid-February thaw.

north creek ski bowl nordic

The North Creek Ski Bowl is 40 miles further from my home than my go-to day trip destination, Prospect Mt in VT.

Last year in the miserable 2015-2016-ski season, the Ski Bowl pretty much saved New York cross-country ski racing. ORDA laid out a serpentine — some might have called it Mickey Mouse — course winding around and turning back in on itself, uphill separated from downhill by surveyor’s tape and prayer. Not unlike a cyclocross.

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