Snow Ridge: Back at Full Strength

Snow Ridge has gotten a lot of attention from us this year, for good reason. Or maybe more accurately, for a bad reason. On August 7 of last year, the hill was ripped by an EF-3 tornado. Tornados are bad, and when they come to ski areas, late in the off-season, they are really bad. Snow Ridge scrambled to get ready for winter.

Lyons Falls cemetery
Lyons Falls cemetery

We covered the event, and the even more astounding recovery. Evidence of the storm is still obvious as many downed trees remain. But every functioning piece of the ski operation has now been restored. On Thursday, the last piece of the puzzle, the North Chair, was certified to run.

Continue reading →

Gore Nordic: Coals to Newcastle

This winter, I’ve been content skiing in the neighborhood. There are seven ski centers (OK, two of them are golf courses) within 20 miles of my crib in Saranac Lake. Why travel?

The A climb
A climb

With the disastrous thaw, my local options have diminished. This winter, most of the big storms have gone south of the Tri-Lakes. Paul Smiths VIC was reduced to a few kilometers. Mount van Hoevenberg’s legacy trails, which I’ve only skied once this winter, were toast. I’ve lost count of the number of laps I’ve done on van Ho’s World Cup trails. On Sunday, I cleaned kitty litter, loaded the Fortunate Son and drove down to Gore.

Continue reading →

Royal Mountain: Roll Out the Red Carpet

Royal Mountain may look like a ski slope, but for those who know, it’s more of an establishment. Like so many locally owned ski resorts it’s an integral part of the community. Its walls are adorned with plaques, posters and trinkets of its people and past. It’s all part of the rich history the resort is steeped in going back to its inception in 1955.

Royal Mountain memory wall

Three owners laters, and following the footsteps of the famous Jim Blaise, the Tennis’s are blazing a new trail forward, literally and figuratively. I found Brooke and Jake Tennis behind the ticket desk shortly after opening on Saturday. She was slinging tickets and he was giving an operations update.

Continue reading →