Piermont to Irvington by Kayak: Back in the Zone

Last week, I had an idea of driving up to Vermont for a day or two of spring at Killington. As I got to the actual planning stage though, I had second thoughts. Taking off would leave important chores undone and after a ton of windshield time for work and traveling up to Plattsburgh for graduation last week, I was not looking forward to hours of driving.

I made the decision to skip Superstar this year. I spent Saturday mowing grass and taking care of the yard. When I was done, I put some effort into organizing my garage, which had the added benefit of locating all my kayaking gear, PFDs, paddles, bilge pumps, everything.

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Saint Regis Mountain Ramble

On Sunday morning, I got my backside moving a bit earlier than usual. Breakfast for Ziggy and me? Check. A hydration reservoir full of sports drink? Check. A clean litter box for the Zigmeister? Done and dusted. After stopping at Nori’s for a supplemental coffee, I lit out for Paul Smiths.

A hundred yards down Keese Mills Road from the VIC’s Black Pond trail head, the Saint Regis Mountain trail head is on the other side of the road. At 2838 feet, it’s far from the biggest peak in the Adirondacks.

In fact, it’s the 213th biggest mountain up here. With snow remaining up at high altitude, I wanted to continue climbing bumps like Jenkins Mountain, that I’d never summited.

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A New York Skier’s Season in Photos: 2023/24

As I write this in May, some of us are still skiing Killington, but for me the season ended in April. Much like last season, this season started with optimism, followed by a mid-season lull due to poor weather, and it wrapped up with an absolutely amazing season end. As a photographer always carrying a camera when skiing, here are my favorite photos from the 2023/24 season.

Snowmaking Cloud On Hunter

This December photo from Hunter looks mundane at first glance. It’s a nice clear day, not too cold — very nice early season conditions. Interesting to me is the cloud created by the snowmaking. Follow that cloud downslope, then off the ski area far into the Schoharie Valley off to the right.

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