Plattekill: Riley Season

Saturday wasn’t my first time driving south to ski Plattekill, but it was the first time “leaving home” to do it. I’m now 30 minutes closer to one of my favorite ski areas and the drive is much more relaxed than traveling north out of New Jersey.

Route 30

No matter how much Google Maps insists I take the shortest route, I’m sticking to the interstates as much as I can: 87, 90 and 88. Once you are off I-88, it’s a scenic and comfortable drive down Route 30 through Grand Gorge.

When it comes to skiing Plattekill, especially early in the season, you can’t overestimate the value of having a friend like Sean Riley.

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Plattekill: Family, Skiing and Community

I’m skiing my way through all of the lift served ski areas in New York over the next three seasons. That’s my goal. I believe it should be requirement for the editor-in-chief of the New York Ski Blog. Now, newly retired, I’m going to level up and make it happen.

Esopus Creek bridge

Since I began skiing, I’ve found joy at every family-owned mountain I’ve visited. That may be corny, but it’s real for me. It’s why I continue to ski and support the independents.

My NY family ski area resume includes: Titus, Dry Hill, Snow Ridge, Woods Valley, Royal Mountain, Hickory, Greek Peak, Holiday Mountain, Mount Peter, and of course Plattekill. I want to ski all the rest, by the end of 2028.

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November Snow in the Catskills

This has been a year of transition for my family. Our daughter is in her first year of college. My wife and I are building a house in New York, and planning to move in the first half of next year. And after forty years of employment with one company, I’m retiring. I’ll be honest, it hasn’t been easy keeping it all together.

Galli Curci Road

Finishing our house and managing my exit from the company are taking priority. The season snuck up on me, even more so than usual, and I definitely don’t have my act together. Last weekend I skied Gore with a cotton teeshirt under my fleece. This weekend, I couldn’t even find my real camera.

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