Mount van Ho: I Learned to Love Manmade Snow

Posted on by Peter Minde

What a difference a day makes.

New Year’s Day this year, is the latest I’ve ever started a ski season. When Mount van Hoevenberg opened in November, the shooting brake was racked up in the shop with a warranty issue. By the time I got it back – with an entirely new emissions system – we were knee deep in December. December skiing and a job the retail wine business don’t play well together.

More and more, Christmas week is like the old meme of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown. Promise packed powder conditions, then give them a slushfest. Clouds pelted us with intermittent rain as we drove north on New Year’s Eve.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Mount van Hoevenberg, Nordic Skiing8 Comments

Titus All The Way

Posted on by Harvey

There are all kinds of cool mountains stuffed in the nooks and crannies of New York. I want to visit all of them, eventually. But the logistics of life can undermine the best intentions of a dedicated tail-wagging ski blogger. Of course new snow is the priority, but as a flatlander, distance and time, impact everything.

high peaks

I’ve got a plan — or maybe it’s a dream — to spend a winter at our place near Gore, making strategic forays across the state, skiing every lift-served area in New York. Until then, I’ll have to be content putting one or two new ski areas into my bucket each year. I think about the bucket more than the list.

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Tagged: Adirondacks, Indy Pass, Titus11 Comments

Plattekill: Key to the Strategy

Posted on by Harvey

It’s no secret, I’m getting old. To ease the transition, each year I try to mark the milestone by skiing something that makes me happy. Last year I had covid on my birthday and it broke my streak of over 10 years, where every birthday was a celebration. This year I was determined to get back on track.

What am I thinking?

The common denominator in my birthday success over the last decade has been my focus on Plattekill. While my Jan 8 birthday is relatively early in the season, somehow, each year I’ve had a great ski day. Over those years conditions have ranged from acceptable to incredible, and I admit it doesn’t hurt that I totally love the place.

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Tagged: Catskills, Plattekill19 Comments