Royal Mountain: Roll Out the Red Carpet

Royal Mountain may look like a ski slope, but for those who know, it’s more of an establishment. Like so many locally owned ski resorts it’s an integral part of the community. Its walls are adorned with plaques, posters and trinkets of its people and past. It’s all part of the rich history the resort is steeped in going back to its inception in 1955.

Royal Mountain memory wall

Three owners laters, and following the footsteps of the famous Jim Blaise, the Tennis’s are blazing a new trail forward, literally and figuratively. I found Brooke and Jake Tennis behind the ticket desk shortly after opening on Saturday. She was slinging tickets and he was giving an operations update.

Continue reading

Royal Mountain Powder Day

Sitting on my porch in shorts today, it’s hard to believe a week ago I was riding in a big storm. Last week was the best of the season for me, snowboarding six days in a row.

Wednesday and Thursday was the finale of night skiing at Woods Valley. I made my last turns under the lights before heading to Gore on Friday with coworkers.

Then I set my sights on Royal Mountain for the incoming powder on Saturday.

To finish the week I headed south to the Catskills for Belleayre on Sunday and a private rental at Plattekill on Monday.

Continue reading

Royal Mountain: Get Up and Go

In New York, early season conditions can be fickle, to say the least. The first year I moved to Utica, I remember a lake effect storm dumping 2’ of snow on Tug Hill a week before Thanksgiving.

Royal Mountain lift

This year I felt I would be lucky to get any turns in before Christmas. Saturday’s weather was a bust. I got my booster Friday night so I didn’t feel bad wasting Saturday, while it steadily rained. I had no expectation Sunday would be any better, but it was.

I woke up late on Sunday and saw a seemingly benign share on Facebook by ISKINY. Royal mountain was open, freshly groomed and from the picture it looked like loads of base.

Continue reading