Ski Mountaineering on Slide Mountain, NY

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Ron Konowitz, also known as RonKon, is a resident of Keene, NY. As a member of the “Ski to Die” Club, he pioneered many of the steepest backcountry descents in the Adirondack High Peaks.

In this newly released YouTube Video, Ron and Mike Whelan retrace the route of Irving Langmuir with this ski of Slide Mountain. An avid outdoorsman, Langmuir is credited for establishing ski mountaineering on this side of the Atlantic in 1907 on Slide Mountain in New York. Slide — the tallest peak in the Catskills at 4180 feet — was the first mountain in North America climbed and skied from the summit.

Langmuir, a prominent chemist and physicist, is probably most noted for his work at General Electric. His research lead directly to the invention of the incandescent lamp.

Tagged: Backcountry, Catskills10 Comments

Joe Bastardi’s Final Call: Winter 2010-2011

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Joe Bastardi, Accuweather’s rockstar, hype-meister meteorologist, has revised his winter forecast. His early winter forecast issued in August, wasn’t quite as tantalizing as this, his final update.

His accuracy was uncanny last year, and this year’s forecast is not out of line with what the East could expect from a moderate La Nina. In his forecast video, linked below, he calls for full on winter north of I-90. He does hedge somewhat calling for a big thaw in January.

The full story is here: Accuweather Winter Forecast 2010/2011.

Tagged: Weather3 Comments

Big Tupper: Lift 3 Approved

Posted on by Harvey

On Tuesday, inspectors from the New York State Department of Labor performed required load tests on Big Tupper’s Lift 3. The lift, crucial to Big Tupper’s operation this winter, passed every test performed.

Big Tupper Ski Lift 3

To load test the uphill side, inspectors placed 20 x 20 x 20-inch cardboard boxes on each chair, and fit each box with a plastic liner. The boxes were then filled with water. The volume of water in two boxes weighs approximately 400 pounds to simulate the weight of two people. With each container filled, the lift was operated through a full circuit. Hard stops were used to test cable strength and braking distance.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Big Tupper6 Comments