It’s been cold in the northeast and here in the mountains, it’s been snowing. Lows have been in the twenties every night for a few weeks and the ski areas have been taking full advantage, opening more terrain, faster than any year in recent memory.
Gore was no exception, opening a week before Thanksgiving. Lifts spun on East Side and the North with three lifts and ~four ways down the mountain for the weekend. Conditions were good, and skiers were impressed with the wall-to-wall coverage on all the open terrain. Friday was for passholders and the weekend was open to the public.
I was surprised to see how light the crowds were all three days, especially when you consider the turnout at Whiteface for opening day, the previous weekend.
At 7:45 things were peaceful. Lifts spun on the early side each day.
The only terrain gained by riding the gondola was Ruby Run, a short green run, so I primarily rode the quad all three days. The Front Side was softening up by about 10. The North Side had the better snow.
It was surprising to me that I didn’t run into more first chair regulars. I skied alone, except for two deluxe runs with Bobby K on Sunday.
This year is going to be different for me.
This weekend, I counted vertical for the first (and maybe last) time ever. Each day I did eight runs for maybe 7500 vertical feet. I’d do two runs on Showcase and six on the North side, mostly skiing Tahawas.
I’ve tracked my ski days for the last ten years. In a good year I’d rack up 35 days. My biggest total was 38, last year. I retired at the end of 2024, but was still based in NJ until recently. Now that I’m living in the Adirondacks, I’m shooting for 100 days, lift-served and backcountry combined.
I’m riding on some new skis, they might be a bit old school, 88 underfoot with two layers of Titanal. I was shown the way on this kind of ski by my friend Cork, who gifted me a similar pair of Head skis five years ago. I’d never skied something so heavy or torsionally rigid and they made hardpack much more fun.
I’m a bit obsessive with base grinding and by the end of last year those 10-year-old skis were done.
My newest boards are Head Core 88s. They are turny, and stable at high speed, and cambered with a small amount of tip rocker. Like those original skis, they make icy snow more fun. They will surely play a significant role in my quest for 100.
Since I first started to write about skiing, I’ve been consumed by the logistics of making the most of each season while based in New Jersey. Somehow I thought retiring, and moving to the mountains would change all that, but this season, I’ve got a new roster of responsibilities to manage.
Our house is new construction and there are a lot of loose ends. I spent the last several weeks landscaping and it hasn’t been easy. I put the last of my grass seed down on Sunday when I got back from Gore.
I’m not complaining, retirement is like a dream. Day 3 in the books, here I go. It’s Time to Ski NY.
Hi Harvey, Here’s hoping you bag 100! If you’re into carving narrower is better. Race GS are 65 underfoot. There are now lots of recreational carving choices at 70 and Fischer is making one at 65 stacked w beefy ingredients though the company is known to ask a lot from its skiers. I have some fischer carvers that were marketed as a race ski lay up w race illegal larger side cut. I love them and in snow starved CNY there are by far my most used skis. Great but not for powder or crud. Now bag that hundred and all the best.
What lifts were running? What trails made up the 4 ways down?
Looks like an awesome first day. Looking forward to reading about day 100
Hey, Harv, we’re in a similar situation. We moved to North River full time in 2015 and had already been renovating our home since the previous year. The first several years we spent many hours with tools in our hands rather than ski or trekking poles, but the result is wonderful. I wouldn’t trade living here with anywhere else. We can ski/snowhoe right out the door, and the lake is right up the road for paddling. BC ski anyone? This is the place. And Gore is 8 miles away for first tracks. What else can we say?
Can’t wait to ski Gore after 5 years hiatus. New hip now and I’m ready to go. I’ll see you up there mid-week!
Off to a great start! Congratulations on your move to the North Country, Harvey. Hope I get to share at least one day with you in the quest for 100.
100 days! That’s great. I hope that we get to see your pace toward that goal.
Sounds like a great first day. Good luck achieving that goal of 100 days – you’re well positioned to do it. Hope to be able to join you for a day this season.
Love it! If you ski, even a run, it counts as a day : ) Congratulations Harvey!!!