Gore Mountain Conditions

[Dmoss]

Must not have been in the budget... You build a multi million dollar Bear Cub Quad lift then do not use it or make it visible.
I will add the Bear Den at Whiteface has its very own designated camera showing the learning area and Falcon Flyer lift. Certainly encourages people to go there... it did me. Maybe it is a trend this year.... that Bear Den camera is NOT working! I notified them, got a 'we will repair it' reply. That was nearly 3 weeks ago. Now from my experience most web cams can be 'repaired' by simply unplugging them... and then plugging them back in. Of course they probably need an ORDA certified electrician with an ORDA approved ladder to get the job done. Once we get past Christmas they will have all the skiers they need or want so the window to do repairs is closing soon.
BTW Fingers-crossed tomorrow, Friday, could be a weekday Bear Cub Quad lift day? But odds are they will go with Sunway Chair instead... So another Gore ski day missed for me. So far I refuse to make the 2 hour trek to Whiteface. Since I am down by Saratoga, Oak Mountain probably would be just as far, but thanks for the suggestion. My wife says be patient there is still plenty of Winter ahead. Sometimes I think she forgets I am old! Enjoy.

Orda certified ladder. got a good chuckle. Good luck with the skiing. Have you tried West? I have never skied either West or Oak but they both look like very inviting local mountains that off a lot of beginner terrain.

 

[capecodbeach]

I have always thought a perk that could be offered to Pass Holders like myself would be a half price lesson. Instead they offer me a free rental? What pass holder really needs a free rental? I am a senior skier and a cautious skier BUT at one time my son, daughter and I skied nearly every weekend at Gore, Pico, Okemo, or on occasion Bromley, Then my son quit skiing, and my daughter moved to Oregon where she became a strong skier. Then she moved back East and quit skiing because of the conditions. But when my grandson started skiing (after a year of boarding) she took up skiing again. He really is the reason I restarted skiing after a 40+ year layoff. Retired for nearly 20 years I am still active BUT skiing is an activity that I do cautiously! Really no sense in beating a dead horse but sections of Sunway can be a real crap shoot. Doable at 10 am then crazy steep and icy at 11 am. When I ski with them I will try harder trails. But when I ski solo on weekdays I prefer to stay with the 'safe' terrain off Bear Cub or when at Whiteface, off Falcon Flyer. I can vary my runs, work on technique and enjoy my day. I unfortunately can not do that on more challenging trails. So without my safety net I stay home... and I suppose whine a bit too much.

 

[capecodbeach]

Orda certified ladder. got a good chuckle. Good luck with the skiing. Have you tried West? I have never skied either West or Oak but they both look like very inviting local mountains that off a lot of beginner terrain.

West is closer. West actually is trying a 'soft' opening this weekend. My problem with West is the congestion at the bottom of the mountain which West calls The Face. Years ago it was once a wide open area. But over the years the original learner area was replace with a multiple run Tubing park. The learner area was moved to a steeper stretch that is serviced by an uncovered carpet lift with a too steep stretch at the top. Being uncovered means even a moderate dusting of snow causes riders to lose grip and start sliding backwards down the lift! And sadly the learner lift is not viewable from the main lodge so parents and grandparents have to trek to the learner area and stand outside to encourage their kids. Not learner friendly! What was once an open area The Face now has a dedicated racing area on one side, a terrain park on the other side, and two sets of lift towers going up the middle. Add to that congestion, all the trails from the upper mountain funnel back to The Face to access the lifts. It can get hectic! Plus as a 'local' mountain it gets heavy traffic from the young and crazy crowd. On school nights it is not unusual to see 8 or more buses in the parking lot each night. Fun to watch! Just not my choice.

 

[capecodbeach]

Good news... for me. Bear Cub Quad and Sunway Chair are open tomorrow. My guess is Friday counts as a weekend? Now if I can just beat the crowd up the Northway....

 

[tirolski]

So far I refuse to make the 2 hour trek to Whiteface. Since I am down by Saratoga, Oak Mountain probably would be just as far, but thanks for the suggestion.

Oak taint much further from Saratoga than Gore driving wise.
A drawback for Oak is they’re not always open midweek.
Have ya never driven to Speculator? The bump tain’t far from downtown Sparkle City.
Friends used to day trip from Piseco to Saratoga routinely when the ponies were running in the summertime.

 

[x10003q]

How about Willard? It is much closer to you than Gore. It opens at 10am on Thurs/Fri and 9am on weekends and holidays.

Willard Mountain | Discover Winter Fun — Visit Today

Visit Willard Mountain for affordable skiing, snowboarding, lessons, tubing, and family fun. Explore our trails, events, and rental options today.

www.willardmountain.com

 

[MC2]

Does that mean they’re working on the upper mountain?

mm

They were blowing pine knot & uncas yesterday (along with Echo), so probably moving up to the top next.

 

[dc3]

Great morning aside from the fan turning on at about 930, Tannery was groomed, Pine knot, uncas have whales and look ready to go..Everything is skiing well, Twister was fun today!

 

[Milo Maltbie]

They were blowing pine knot & uncas yesterday (along with Echo), so probably moving up to the top next.

I’m at Whiteface today and they’re blowing snow on several trails on the upper and lower mountain, way more than I’ve seen at Gore this year or last. Belleayre is reporting that it’s 89% open and they’re making snow on the closed trails.
Gore is the red headed stepchild of ORDA.

mm

 

[capecodbeach]

Update...
I had a nice first day of the season (for me) at Gore. The Bear Cub Quad was lightly used for the first couple of hours. But by 10:30 or so, there were some official lesson groups, plus the usual scattering of mom & dad with kids 'family' learn to ski outings. Bear Cub Quad is SO perfect for that. Even some boy friend / girl friend teaching going on. Always fun to watch the skier trying to coax the learner into enjoying the sport.
Ski patrol had set up the 'maze' at the top to slow those ripping down from Upper Sunway. It worked fine. In my 15+ runs I saw zero near misses. There was a nice, controlled mix of abilities. Seeing the abilities of the skiers who had come down from Upper Sunway I was pretty confident I could have skied all of Sunway today. Yet, I overheard some deciding to stay with Cub Quad for a few more times before heading back up. I elected to work on a few things and stay with Cub Quad. From a personal note I was actually surprised how well I did. Once you get old, you always have a lingering fear... Will this be the year my age catches up with me? Having excellent snow and a pleasant, smiling liftie (Gwen) helped. The snow squalls were fine but the wind at times got your attention. I did learn I need to adjust my boot fit a bit. I ski in rear entry boots and it is hard to get the forefoot tightness just right.
I was directed to Premier Parking (free Today?) which was okay. Closer, yes! But in truth I am a fan of the shuttles. For a small tip you get a ride and usually a friendly conversation. I think the shuttles were not running today?
Bottom line: I enjoyed my first day. Marked a G-1 on my wall calendar. Now hopefully there will be another weekday Cub Quad day next week so I can mark a G-2 ! Or maybe it will be a WF-1 next week.
Enjoy!