Recommendations for the Last Week of December

[wgo]

Hello,

Not sure if this is the correct sub-forum to use, so please let me know if this post needs to be moved. I am a new forum member, based in Charlottesville, VA. I have enjoyed the content on this site for years and now that my teenage son and I are planning a trip to NY the last week of December I thought that I would ask for some advice. We are heading up for 2 or 3 days and are looking at either Belleayre or Gore. From our house it is around 7.5 hours to Belleayre and 9.5 hours to Gore. I would be fine with driving the extra 2 hours to Gore, but to this point it looks like Belleayre has been able to open up more terrain. My plan is to wait until early next week before deciding where to buy lift tickets - at that point hopefully I will have a better sense of what will be open. To oversimplify things a bit, if some of the harder runs at Gore (such as Rumor or Lies) are likely to be open, then we will plan on going there - otherwise we will save the 2 hours of driving and plan for Belleayre.

I suppose I am looking for guesses on what may be open, given the weather over the next 12 days. Obviously just guesses at this point.

Thanks! Looking forward to being part of this community.

 

[Mike]

The weather the next few days is going to be pretty darn great, it's supposed to snow some more after this. See who gets the most snow. I would also like to mention West Mountain in Glens Falls as a good smaller mountain, easy day range to Gore.

 

[Harvey]

Welcome both.

This thread is in the right place.

I am agreeing with Mike, that your odds of a good holiday week look to be higher than average.

Belle has truly done a great job opening terrain this year, and Gore has done a good job too. I mean it's all about the weather but right now either look like decent choices.

If you are advanced or expert skiers (I'm guessing yes based on your question about Rumor and Lies) you may find Gore a bit more interesting?

If Gore is fully open (long shot but possible) there is a lot to do. My opinion: Rumor, no way, Lies, and outside shot. They are blowing on the summit now. (Cloud and Headwaters). Next might be Hawkeye and Open Pit, or maybe Lies?

Also Gore is farther north so more protected from rain.

Do you have your lodging figured out?

 

[Tjf1967]

If you're driving all that way you may as well spend the extra time and go to Gore. It's a lot bigger and the terrain is a lot more interesting than Bell. Neither town has much to do. Lakes George will have lodging if you choose Gore.

 

[wgo]

Great, thanks for the replies! I appreciate the guesses on what Gore will have open. Let me put it this way: how much would a partially open Gore have to have open to make it worthwhile, compared to a fully open Belleayre?

We do not have lodging yet - I will try to lock that down once we decide where to go. Lakes George if we do Gore - where do people look for lodging when they go to Belleayre?

As far as skiing level goes - we enjoy a challenge. I have not done much in the NE but a few years back we enjoyed Superstar at Killington (early season, not much else was open). A bit further south, White Lightning at Montage was fun and something that we could ski well.

Thanks again!

 

[SayvilleSteve]

Gore is the correct choice for this and any other trip you may take. At a minimum you are going to have Showcase, Twister, Quicksilver, Top Ridge, Pine Knot, Uncas, Tahawaus, Sleeping Bear and Wild Air. All fun blue/black trails that dwarf anything that Belle can offer. Belleayre is steep at the top for 100-500 yards based on the trail and then all run out from there, so there isn't really much of a challenge. It's a decent enough hill and their snowmaking has been excellent this year, but Gore is far superior in every regard.

 

[wgo]

Awesome, thanks. Looks like it might be worthwhile to buy a Frequent Skier Card? $108 for my son and I and with the 25% off that gets us during the holiday period we would almost (but not quite) break even over a 2 day period. But with the FSC we would not be subject to any capacity limits (I think?) so we could wait until the last minute before deciding to go.

 

[tirolski]

Gore is the correct choice for this and any other trip you may take. At a minimum you are going to have Showcase, Twister, Quicksilver, Top Ridge, Pine Knot, Uncas, Tahawaus, Sleeping Bear and Wild Air. All fun blue/black trails that dwarf anything that Belle can offer. Belleayre is steep at the top for 100-500 yards based on the trail and then all run out from there, so there isn't really much of a challenge. It's a decent enough hill and their snowmaking has been excellent this year, but Gore is far superior in every regard.

Ya can spend a week just figuring out how best to ski Gore too.
Ya can get some upper body workouts too just getting from pod to pod too if ya want.
If ya dang snow board ya might sweat too if ya get lost.

wgo, They stop selling FSCs the 15th. No blackouts. Good at all 3 places.

Frequent Skier Cards | Lift Ticket Discounts | Gore Mountain NY

SKI3 Frequent Skier Cards offer guaranteed discount rates for all your 22/23 snow days at Gore, Whiteface, and Belleayre!

goremountain.com

 

[Harvey]

Awesome, thanks. Looks like it might be worthwhile to buy a Frequent Skier Card? $108 for my son and I and with the 25% off that gets us during the holiday period we would almost (but not quite) break even over a 2 day period. But with the FSC we would not be subject to any capacity limits (I think?) so we could wait until the last minute before deciding to go.

And also, you go DIRECT to lifts. That is a big deal at Gore. Ticket lines are more vexing than liftlines at Gore. IMO.

Are Ski3 Cards specific to the mountain (Gore, WF, Belle)? Or can you use a Gore FSC at Belle?

 

[tirolski]

And also, you go DIRECT to lifts. That is a big deal at Gore. Ticket lines are more vexing than liftlines at Gore. IMO.

Are Ski3 Cards specific to the mountain (Gore, WF, Belle)? Or can you use a Gore FSC at Belle?

All 3. It’s a ski3 thingy