Another Hickory Believer

The sticker is modeled after one of the most iconic images in skiing: a rectangle with two lines of elegant, efficient text offset by white and red: “Mad River Glen: Ski It If You Can’t Ski Hickory.”

Winfall Poma-2

When I first saw one, I chuckled at the different possible meanings presented by both the original and the parody. Like too many New York State skiers, though, I continued driving right past Hickory Ski Center on my way to Gore for years without much consideration for the mysterious mountain in Warrensburg.

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Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin NY

I love the cool smaller ski areas of New York and I want to ski them all. This weekend I got my first day at Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin; a small mountain gem that skis bigger than expected.

Snow Ridge Ski Resort view from The Lodge

My first trip to Tug Hill began at 5:45 am in North River.  At first glance, Turin NY didn’t seem that far, but with the frost heaves running rampant this year, the drive took every bit of Google Maps predicted two hours and 15 minutes.

As you come through Turin, you can see the wide east-facing trails, North and South Slope, from a distance. They rise above the surrounding terrain and dominate the view from the lodge. But its what you can’t see that makes the Ridge so much fun.

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Hunter Mountain Valentine’s Day Pow

Once I got my skis in today’s fresh snow I didn’t want to stop, or even slow down. Lots of other people at Hunter must have felt the same way, because it’s been years since I saw such a powder-crazed group in the Catskills.

Valentine's Day Powder on Westway

Rope drops were well attended, especially on Hunter West as people clamored to get on the big terrain of Westway.

After two runs on old 44, I considered, for a moment, giving my legs a break, until I saw the rope coming down on Annapurna. The headwall was exceptional.

Hunter-Mountain-View

The storm delivered both deep and dense preventing my skis from hitting bottom on even the steepest pitches of natural snow terrain.

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