Suicide Six Pilgrimage

The second coolest thing about Suicide Six is it’s name. Suicide Six. It sounds gnarly and dangerous. According to legend, it got its name when the original owner was contemplating moving his rope tow from a smaller, low pitch parcel across the road. Somebody looked at the steep face of hill number six and declared that trying to ski it would be suicide. That’s a great story.

Suicide Six

The coolest thing about Suicide Six is that it’s where lift served skiing began in the United States, all the way back in the nineteen thirties. It’s the site where the engine from a Model T Ford was re-engineered into a rope tow for the first time – in the United States at least.

Continue reading

Whiteface Storm Ski

Last week I was going through my weather routine, studying the medium-term forecast, looking for answers to the same four questions. Is it going to snow? What is the best day to ski? Can I get the day off? And finally… where should I ski?

driving to Lake Placid

For several days, the GFS was highlighting a storm that would slide across New York on Saturday. The timing and intensity of the snowfall favored a Friday evening overnight stay near the mountains. So yea, where to ski?

The forecast had Plattekill close to the boundary with warm air, with the greatest potential for snow, and some chance of rain. Both Gore and Whiteface, farther to the north, were safer from the rain, with less potential for snow.

Continue reading

Holimont: Celebrating Telemark

Western New York has a strong contingent of telemark skiers. Like the rest of the northeast, each of our ski areas has a passionate group of locals dedicated to making the telemark turn. There is enough of a critical mass to host two telemark festivals, each with their own style and culture.

Holimont Lodge

Every year, Holiday Valley hosts Telestock, organized and operated by The City Garage, the Friday after Presidents day. Telestock is a classic celebration of the telemark culture complete with grilling sausages, beer, free telemark ski and boot demos, and free group instruction for a range of ability levels from first timers to experts.

Continue reading