Hiking Beacon Mountain, NY

For years I’ve had my eyes on Beacon Mountain but the time was never quite right. I always seem to succumb to the pull of other options in the Hudson Highlands.

Mount Beacon Wheel

Breakneck Ridge, just to the south, is one of the most highly regarded day hikes in New York and on many lists as the first choice in the area.  South of Breakneck is Anthony’s Nose and across the river Storm King Mountain ascends straight out of the river at an impossible clip.

I put those options aside, as my hiking partners called in late.  But even with our casual 10am start, I knew that the A-team was ready for a challenging loop.

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Gore Mountain Fall Update 2013

We got a quick update from Mike Pratt, Gore’s General Manager on news and improvements taking place at the mountain during the 2013 offseason.

The Adirondack Express: “All maintenance has been performed and the lift is ready to go for this season. But I know you are asking me a bigger question. Our goal is to replace this lift with new quad. It’s our top priority for capital improvement and will happen as soon as we can secure funding.”

Other Lift News: “We’ve added another conveyor lift that was bought last fall. We’re installing it on Bear Cub. The new lift will unload next to the loading station of existing conveyor.”

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NY Ski Magazine: Montana Means Mountains

Over the years, I’ve compiled a decent record of scoring powder on western ski vacations that were booked months in advance; but based purely on anecdotal evidence, Powderqueen has me beat.

Montana Skiing

Whenever she leaves Central New York for destination trips out west, fresh snow always seems to be along for the ride. Her March 2013 visit to the wilds of western Montana — split between the state’s two major resorts and a few lesser-known mountains — was no exception.

As she points out, Montana is a place that often gets overlooked by northeasterners as a ski vacation destination, yet the northern Rockies boast quality snow on spectacular, uncrowded terrain. Big Sky and Whitefish look like excellent full-service resorts for multi-day stays, but the many great off-the-beaten-path mountains appear to be Montana’s real secret sauce.

Please click through and read:
NY Ski Magazine
Montana Means Mountains