A Prescription for Cazenovia

Some skiers and riders dream of a private ski resort. Others buy a mega-pass, take a shuttle from the paid parking lot to the lodge, and wait in line to ski crowded terrain. But take heart if you’re reading this blog, there may be hope.

I fortify myself with a steady dose of independent New York ski areas. For those who have gone over the edge, a shock to the system may be needed for a full reset. If you have mega pass fever, only a hidden gem will save you. I prescribe some Cazenovia Ski Club.

I don’t have mega pass, but since I first rode Cazenovia two years ago, and I’ve been dying to get back.

When we announced the addition of Caz to the Indy Pass in October, I knew I’d be back this season. Earlier in the week I’d heard from club member Jeff, who told me conditions were all time. I texted Evan and Tiff as they’re always ready to go off the beaten path.

Saturday morning I pulled into the Caz lot and started booting up. Usually I jam out while getting ready, but the quiet stillness was something to behold. My meditative minute was cut short when Ev and Tiff pulled in next to me.

Without any help from a shuttle, we made the 25-foot trek from the lot to the ticket window. Along the way we spotted Jeff coming out of the Wax House. The club is hyped to be on the Indy Pass and Jeff mentioned they had as many as 30 redemptions on powder days. After the brief chat, he pointed us to the ticket window where his daughter was slinging passes. If you want to be in the club, you have to work for it.

We quickly redeemed our Indy passes and headed to the “fastest T-bar in the East” sans lift lines. I’ve been trained on T-bar, riding the Snow Pocket at Snow Ridge, but this morning I ate a slice of humble pie falling on my first attempt. Undeterred, I popped up, grabbed the next bar and was on my way.

As advertised, we were at the top in no time. We tried new green trail — Russ’s Roundabout — for a warm up. The trail named for a beloved member, is new this year and for the first time Caz has a top to bottom green trail. Jeff and another member Jay joined us on our next ride up. We headed skiers right down the headwall of Trillium to King’s run.

The sun was poking through the clouds and the groomers started to accept deeper carves. After crisscrossing our way across the trail map, Jay recommended Falso’s Forest.

These lower angle trees provided just what we were looking for. Hidden from the sun, the snow was still a little crunchy, but coverage was awesome. We ripped through trees while I scored some shots of Evan boosting off the bumps.

Down on the main deck, the grill was smoking and the crockpots were simmering. We stopped by to take a break and to check out the iconic A-frame. We felt like part of the club as we chatted with members and heard old stories. Jeff told us the history of grooming at the ski area. The club had been subsisting on an old piston bully from Mad River Glen.

They recognized the need to modernize and went shopping. Just down the road in Massachusetts, Ski Ward was selling one of their groomers. The club pooled their money together, but fell short of the asking price.

A few of the members went to Ward to check out the groomer, and after a night of drinks and ski industry camaraderie, drove home with a new groomer. Jeff laughed “I think they felt bad for us and gave us a deal”.

I continued to relax on the deck as Evan and Tiff took a few more laps. We had a lot of skiing planned and I needed to conserve energy. When 1 o’clock rolled around, we loaded up and headed to our next destination, Woods Valley. By the time you’re reading this, you will have already missed out on an epic powder day at Caz, don’t miss the next one. If you have a case of the mega-pass blues; pickup a prescription for the fastest t-Bar in the east.

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NYSkiBlog is joining with The Indy Pass to bring exposure to independent mountains.
This piece is part of our effort. For more information visit the Indy Pass.

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