As someone living in Southeast PA who has work and family responsibilities, it is rare that I can decide at the last minute to travel all the way to the Adirondacks or Vermont when the conditions are good. Therefore, the majority of my trips up that way involve committing months in advance and hoping for the best. I tend to go to Vermont because, for the most part, they get more snow. Have I been skunked on a Vermont trip? Of course. I’m still not over my trip to Jay Peak last year. Day 1 involved all groomers having freeze-thaw conditions, any non-groomed trail being ice moguls and all glades were without snow. Day 2 was even worse (i.e., same conditions as day 1 but now there were wind holds)! That said, I’ve had far more Vermont ski trips with fantastic snow conditions than bad snow conditions. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for my trips to the Adirondacks. I’ve taken five separate preplanned trips to the Adirondacks in the last five years and all five of them were a bust (two trips to Gore and three trips to Whiteface). Come to think of it, I have never skied in the trees in the Adirondacks because there has never been snow off the groomers or all tree runs were a block of ice for all my visits up that way. Therefore, you can understand why I ski more in Vermont than the Adirondacks. However, I really do want to have a positive ski experience in the Adirondacks. I’m already planning a trip to McCauley/Snow Ridge for next year (and I’m hoping for the best)!