The Powder Blog

Petersburg Pass: Skiing the Far East

Posted on by Harvey

For some reason, I’ve started responding to those facebook offers to re-share photos from the same date in previous years. Recently I shared a shot of a brand new and unmounted pair of telemark bindings — Rottefella RT8s — from five years ago.

driving Route 2

I’m not really sure why I shared it, other than I liked the picture. Brian, a fb friend I’d never met, commented “Dammit.. I can use Cobra parts right now.”  I knew I’d probably never use them, so I offered them to him.

Brian lives in the capital district so theoretically I could do some kind of handoff on a trip to our place near Gore. But he had a different idea: He offered to meet me for some earned turns on the Taconic Crest Trail, near the NY/MA border.

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Tagged: Earning Turns, Powder20 Comments

Plattekill Powderdaize 2021

Posted on by Harvey

There have been some drives, and there have been some drives from hell. Aside from the occasional bout with lake effect bands on my way into the Tug, most of those battles involve big coastal storms. Sometimes in the east, when it snows in the mountains, it snows in the flatlands too. Sometimes, I have to drive through it.

snow on Main Street
Main Street Flatlands USA

The new normal can complicate things. It’s always better to arrive in the mountains before the snow starts to fall. It’s often much easier to do that when you stay overnight.

We have a place in the southern Adirondacks and I have used it to my advantage. But in the Catskills this year, I’ve had to improvise. A few times in the past I’ve been able find a place to stay and it’s paid off.

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Tagged: Catskills, Plattekill, Powder16 Comments

A New York Ski Journey

Posted on by Harvey

For reasons you might know, I hadn’t skied in nearly a month. I knew I was out of shape, but not sure how far. I wondered about my wind, would it be affected? It was time to figure it out, on my first trip, back in the game. On Friday morning, I headed north toward the snow.

Plattekill

I still have this feeling that I’m on borrowed time, like skiing could go away at any moment. Planning to ski four days in a row was a sign, I was going to push it. It had been snowing all week, and physically there was no reason I shouldn’t ski.

My doctor, a skier herself, told me to “take it easy.” I think we both knew that advice would be heeded, but only up to a certain point.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Catskills, Gore Mountain, McCauley, Plattekill, Powder, Snow Ridge, Tug Hill27 Comments