Stonetown Circular Trail

If the Paris – Roubaix bicycle race is called L’Enfer du Nord — the hell of the north — then I submit that Norvin Green State Forest’s Stonetown Circular Trail qualifies as L’Enfer de Ringwood. The 55+ kilometers of cobblestone sections in the bike race are a severe test of bike handling and endurance. The technical, straight-up-and-down-the-fall-line climbs in Stonetown test a trail runner’s endurance and joint integrity.

Board Mountain

This spring, people have flooded social media with hundreds posts celebrating late season skiing at Killington, Whiteface, and Gore. Due to personal obligations, I wasn’t able to get in on the late season fun. In fact, my workout routine has pretty much broken down and I’m trying to rebuild it.

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Gore Mountain: May 1 2022

In March, when I first heard rumors of Gore’s plan to spin lifts on May 1st, I didn’t think it would happen. The base looked deep and the forecast was cold, but May Day was a far off destination. If nothing else, the now famous leaked ops calendar convinced me of ORDA’s commitment to the effort.

Route 287
North to NY

Holding up my end requires some commitment too. It’s a challenge to get up for a long drive north, whether it’s the middle of the night or the middle of the day. It’s especially hard to get into the right mindset when I’m packing the car in shorts. Either way, it all makes sense after I arrive in the mountains.

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The Re-Opening Belle

Something is in the water this year, up in Lake Placid, at ORDA.  Maybe it’s Snowmax. At all three mountains, the snow was deeper than any time in recent memory, and maybe deeper than ever.

Route 28

This season, the three state-run hills were the last to operate in NY, and it wasn’t even close. Belleayre closed for the last time on April 23, while Gore and Whiteface are still shooting for Sunday May 1.  This year a new closing date record is being set at Gore.

Most years there’s at least a chance that a private area will rival Whiteface for latest closing.

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