Do You Remember Ski Totes?

Posted on by Brownski

I’ve heard it said that nostalgia is a powerful drug. I have to admit I indulge in it myself from time to time. Technology moves forward and most stuff we have today is better than it was thirty years ago. But it isn’t always more fun.

Take the Ski Tote for example. It’s just a cheap plastic clamshell device with a handle that makes it easier to carry a pair of skis and poles in one hand.

Ski Tote

When I started skiing in the 80s, you saw Ski Totes everywhere. Like glacier glasses and CB jackets, they were just there. I didn’t have one — I could barely afford skis — but the people that did were proud of them. They had a real cool-kid vibe.

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Tagged: Ski Gear18 Comments

Saranac Ultra 6: The Longest Day in the ADK

Posted on by Ripitz

There is a bell that tolls in a small park in downtown Saranac Lake to acknowledge a great effort. It rings six times, once for each of the town’s surrounding peaks after they all have been climbed: Little Haystack, McKenzie, Scarface, Ampersand, St. Regis and Baker. Only the hearty souls who have climbed each peak should ring the bell.

Barkeater Inn
Barkeater Inn

Legend says that anyone who pulls the rope of the bell without first summiting the six mountains will fall prey to the Kiwassa Curse. The 30+ mile challenge is known as the Saranac Lake 6er and it can be done over a lifetime. If completed in 24 hours it’s known as the Saranac Ultra 6.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Hiking14 Comments

Holiday Mountain: Back from the Brink

Posted on by Brownski

I became aware of Holiday Mountain, like many people, by spotting one of their chairlifts while speeding past on Route 17. It’s doubly intriguing because it’s a “floating bullwheel” design. A quick internet search for “ski area Monticello, NY” identified the hill. That floating bullwheel south of the highway is a great advertisement.

riding the J-bar 1962
The Holiday J-Bar 1962

I never followed through and checked out the place until I took OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care – ski patrol school) and started attending some extra classes and hands on training sessions there.

By then, Holiday had seen better days. They only had one lift operational — the one by the highway hadn’t turned in years.

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Tagged: Downstate NY, Expansion, Holiday Mountain24 Comments