Low Angle Life
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2021
Long time lurker, first time poster.
With 3-5" in the local forecast and a "holiday weekend" looming, my partner and I had a choice to make, ride or not ride? After far too much time ignoring my work emails in favor of weather.gov I made the call; downstate under the lights it was. Disillusioned with much of the local fare like Mt. Peter, I was in search of something particular. Two prior seasons of favoring quantity over quality, my vow for the '20/'21 season has been fresh snow, independent and publicly operated mountains, splitboards, and no expectations. A mountain operated by the US Department of Defense seemed to fit right in the cards for the season at hand.
A quick forty minute run up the Palisades Interstate Parkway from our digs in North Jersey had us in the heart of the Hudson Highlands at Victor Constant Ski Area AKA the West Point Ski Slope. This was my first foray into sliding soldier style. Victor Constant is out of the eye of your average civilian skier or rider, and information on VC is sparse across the internet, even here on NYSkiBlog. We arrived in the parking lot adjacent to the US Mint around 3PM, fat flakes flying, ready to enjoy a few hours of fresh snow under the lights. I made my way up the yellow triple purchased from Belleayre solo for my first run while Lauren took advantage of the amenities. The slow creep up the cable left ample time to examine the features of this 475' fall line.
Nostalgia was hitting hard, feeling like I had returned to my roots of weeknights spent at Sterling Forest in the early 2000's. ATMO these small ski areas like VC are vital to keeping skiing and riding fun and affordable for families on the east coast. I can't speak for the military crowd, but tickets for us civilians were only $27 a pop, a bargain in this day and age of Vail Resorts.
I was delightfully surprised with the terrain at Victor Constant. What the mountain lacks in vertical it more than makes up for in pitch and natural terrain. Every slope seemed to be off camber in its own unique way, packed with rollers and undulations that kept me busy while Lauren practiced her carves. The "trails" are more of an open bowl that morph into one run; there are plenty of interesting lines to pick your way across the mountain, catch some air, and dodge into the trees.
Throughout the night we picked up an additional inch or two on top of the five that had fallen throughout the day before. The snow was wet and a bit heavy but left plenty to edge into and push around. Coverage seemed nearly 95% natural though it was difficult to tell. In true downstate fashion underneath the fresh was a layer of crud more impenetrable than the gates of the Military Academy next door. After three hours we were growing tired and my hands a bit cold (I forgot to mention I left my mittens at home; no shop here to buy some for the night).
Back at the base peering up an an empty expanse of trails, we decided to call it quits. The nonexistent crowds had wound down to a near deserted mountain by 7pm. Walking back towards the truck I peered over for a view of the US Mint located quite literally next to the Ski Lodge. Far from extravagant, this little hill left me with a feeling, one that is fleeting, a vibe that I know visitors of this blog get.
Keeping this feeling alive is the goal for my snowboarding moving forward. While it is not location dependent, I know the places to find it. Like the double chair at Plattekill on a Friday morning or weekdays at Mount Ellen that I haven't had the pleasure of in years. Sure it's nostalgia, but I call it "the finer things" and I've come to believe it is directly proportionate to limited uphill capacity.
Good luck chasing that feeling, hopefully it will bring us together for another one of those days at Platte this March!
-Chris
With 3-5" in the local forecast and a "holiday weekend" looming, my partner and I had a choice to make, ride or not ride? After far too much time ignoring my work emails in favor of weather.gov I made the call; downstate under the lights it was. Disillusioned with much of the local fare like Mt. Peter, I was in search of something particular. Two prior seasons of favoring quantity over quality, my vow for the '20/'21 season has been fresh snow, independent and publicly operated mountains, splitboards, and no expectations. A mountain operated by the US Department of Defense seemed to fit right in the cards for the season at hand.
A quick forty minute run up the Palisades Interstate Parkway from our digs in North Jersey had us in the heart of the Hudson Highlands at Victor Constant Ski Area AKA the West Point Ski Slope. This was my first foray into sliding soldier style. Victor Constant is out of the eye of your average civilian skier or rider, and information on VC is sparse across the internet, even here on NYSkiBlog. We arrived in the parking lot adjacent to the US Mint around 3PM, fat flakes flying, ready to enjoy a few hours of fresh snow under the lights. I made my way up the yellow triple purchased from Belleayre solo for my first run while Lauren took advantage of the amenities. The slow creep up the cable left ample time to examine the features of this 475' fall line.
Nostalgia was hitting hard, feeling like I had returned to my roots of weeknights spent at Sterling Forest in the early 2000's. ATMO these small ski areas like VC are vital to keeping skiing and riding fun and affordable for families on the east coast. I can't speak for the military crowd, but tickets for us civilians were only $27 a pop, a bargain in this day and age of Vail Resorts.
I was delightfully surprised with the terrain at Victor Constant. What the mountain lacks in vertical it more than makes up for in pitch and natural terrain. Every slope seemed to be off camber in its own unique way, packed with rollers and undulations that kept me busy while Lauren practiced her carves. The "trails" are more of an open bowl that morph into one run; there are plenty of interesting lines to pick your way across the mountain, catch some air, and dodge into the trees.
Throughout the night we picked up an additional inch or two on top of the five that had fallen throughout the day before. The snow was wet and a bit heavy but left plenty to edge into and push around. Coverage seemed nearly 95% natural though it was difficult to tell. In true downstate fashion underneath the fresh was a layer of crud more impenetrable than the gates of the Military Academy next door. After three hours we were growing tired and my hands a bit cold (I forgot to mention I left my mittens at home; no shop here to buy some for the night).
Back at the base peering up an an empty expanse of trails, we decided to call it quits. The nonexistent crowds had wound down to a near deserted mountain by 7pm. Walking back towards the truck I peered over for a view of the US Mint located quite literally next to the Ski Lodge. Far from extravagant, this little hill left me with a feeling, one that is fleeting, a vibe that I know visitors of this blog get.
Keeping this feeling alive is the goal for my snowboarding moving forward. While it is not location dependent, I know the places to find it. Like the double chair at Plattekill on a Friday morning or weekdays at Mount Ellen that I haven't had the pleasure of in years. Sure it's nostalgia, but I call it "the finer things" and I've come to believe it is directly proportionate to limited uphill capacity.
Good luck chasing that feeling, hopefully it will bring us together for another one of those days at Platte this March!
-Chris
