Gore Mountain Improvements: Summer 2014

Recently we had the chance to see the progress that’s been made on Gore’s big summer project: the replacement of the Adirondack Express.  What impressed us was the amount of work that’s required to complete a job of this size.

Gore Mountain improvements: new lift installation

The original lift required twenty-eight towers to cover the 7000 foot expanse from Gore’s base to the saddle on Bear Mountain. The new express will require twenty free-standing lift towers to do the same.

Each one of those twenty towers will sit on a deep footing that will rest below grade on a surface that was blasted out of bedrock. Within each of these craters a form is being built that will contain the rebar, concrete and bolt configuration needed to hold up the massive towers.

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Kettle Mountain, NY

I first heard of Kettle Mountain years ago when it was the only legal way for the public to see OK Slip Falls. Views of the falls from Kettle are distant, but still very good.

Casey-Summit

At that time it wasn’t exactly a no-brainer to hike it. Access required a long bushwack through swampland to the south of the Northwoods Club road.

If you wanted to access the peak by rafting, you’d have to plan an overnight or a very aggressive day trip itinerary, minding river levels as determined by the Lake Abanakee dam release.

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Greek Peak Improvements: Summer 2014

Greek-Peak-LogoIt’s been a busy offseason at Greek Peak and the resort is moving forward upgrading facilities and making improvements.

NYSkiBlog got an update on these plans from one of the resorts new owners —Marc Stemerman. The list of projects is large and wide-ranging. What follows is a selection of highlights from the agenda.

Snowmaking

The big story for skiers and riders is more snowmaking. Ratnik engineering has been employed to help develop a long-term snowmaking plan. 2000 feet of ductile steel pipe has been ordered to improve capacity from the base to the pumping station at #4.

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