Belleayre + Highmount, NY: 02/15/07

[jamesdeluxe]

Apparently, Wednesday was the real powder day. The tech guy in the shop was going on about 24-28 inches with some drifts over three feet. But overnight, 30-45 mph winds compacted most of snow into stiff coral or blew it into the woods, which is where I spent most of the day. Well more than two feet there and it skied great but very cold: 5 degrees + 30 mph winds. Didn't matter though; I skied bell-to-bell: best EC day so far this season.

No in-action pix. I was solo, and you could sit on a trail for 10 minutes and no one would come by. A week ago, the only thing the woods were good for was hiking. One storm later, it's game on and I didn't hit any rocks or stumps the entire day.

Around 1 pm, I couldn't resist the allure of Highmount next door so I glided over and did three laps. The third time I was busted by a patroller who said that I should be walking back from the road and not traversing through the forest.

 

[Country Gun]

I also was there that day after the Valentine storm.
I called off work, thank goodness the route that we took to work 81 ,in the middle of Pennsylvania was closed for three days, cars stranded everywhere, running out of gas.
Instead we headed to the Catskills, one of the few weekday fresh snow ski days I’ve ever been part of!

 

[Ripitz]

One year ago, yesterday.

 

[tirolski]

Apparently, Wednesday was the real powder day. The tech guy in the shop was going on about 24-28 inches with some drifts over three feet. But overnight, 30-45 mph winds compacted most of snow into stiff coral or blew it into the woods, which is where I spent most of the day...

The third time I was busted by a patroller who said that I should be walking back from the road and not traversing through the forest.

I’d wager yer boots never walked on the road JD.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I’d wager yer boots never walked on the road JD.

Correct. Either I bushwacked through the woods back to the bottom of Dot Nebel or during the few times I was with someone (Jason or my brother), we spotted a car at the bottom of the Friends chair. I assume the reason the patroller chewed me out was that the property between Highmount and Belle is privately owned.

Speaking of: what happened to the big controversial plans to annex Highmount and build the Belle resort? 20+ years of UMPs and it just died? The fact that Country Gun asked about organizing a work day to clear out new growth at Highmount suggests that the resort and/or annexation are never going to happen. I'd be happy with a Cannon/Mittersill solution because, as many have stated, even though Highmount is only 900-ish verts, it's a more continuous pitch than next door at Belle.

 

[Ripitz]

The land between is NYS land. From the skier bridge all the way to Highmount’s old Poma.

Technically the only entrance and exit points for the patrolled ski area are the base areas and the summit hiking trail. That area in the UMP is shown to receive a new lift and trails for skiing and mountain biking.

With the bottom terminal at the sign.

The development was approved at a much smaller size than was originally planned. The developer is looking for a financial backer and hotel management corporation to proceed.

 

[Ripitz]

Do you have any spare change kicking around JD?

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Do you have any spare change kicking around JD?

I'm a card-carrying member of the bankrupt jetset.

 

[tirolski]

I don’t see any golf course.
Maybe just hit balls in the parking lot like we did at Copper Mountain once in a summer.