When you are based deep in the heart of the flatlands, day-tripping the Catskills requires dedication. In bed by 10pm, alarm set for 4:45 — another alpine start.
All day Friday, I tried to find a partner for Saturday’s ski. Jamesdeluxe was packing for Jackson Hole; Jason hit Hunter on Friday; and Xman was tied up. Left to my own devices, I ignored conventional wisdom and followed my heart, past every other hill in the Catskills, to Plattekill Mountain in Roxbury, New York.
Dec 8: After having a great run of cold weather and significant snow for some areas, we have to deal with a bump in the road. The storm that is currently giving the Cascades huge amounts of snow will move into the Lower Ohio Valley and strengthen, then it will move up the Appalachians to Central NY and on into Canada.
This scenario would put much of the Adirondacks and New England on the warm side. After the low pulls away, Lake Effect and upslope snows will follow. For some areas, the snow will be heavy. In the storm’s wake, we’ll experience the coldest air of the season.
Whiteface recovered nicely from the rain. When I arrived, it was in the 20s and windy. The roaring of the snow guns was music to my ears.
I didn’t get a chance to take my first run until 9:45 and was anxious to ski Essex because I’d missed it last weekend. I asked a couple of guys on the Gondi how it was skiing — they found a breakable crust at opening, but hadn’t skied it since.
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