Sterling Forest Hike: A Cautionary Tale

Posted on by Peter Minde

Finally, a day off with nice weather. Unfortunately, working until 9 PM Saturdays makes for poor odds for a dawn patrol start Sunday morning. As I organized my kit, I had no particular plans. Only that it was too late in the morning for a Catskills expedition.

Sterling Forest kiln

I fired up the diesel shooting brake, then I looked at a road map… anyone still use those? Jenny Jump, Stevens State Park… nothing in NJ appealed.

There was Sterling Forest, abutting the NJ-NY state line in Tuxedo. Never been there. Why not? I slipped the clutch, and off we rolled.

Continue reading →

Tagged: Hiking9 Comments

Fast Tracks: Say It Ain’t So Killy

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Killington is a big resort. It’s got everything that label implies; hotels, condos, detachable lifts, fancy restaurants. It’s owned by a large corporation, Powdr, that exists to make money. In that respect it’s like all the other big commercialized ski resorts in Vermont — Okemo, Stratton or Mt Snow. Still, somehow, Killington always felt different.

Killington is open

Killington has so much terrain, tons of tree skiing and lots of nooks and crannies, you can get lost and pretend you’re not at the biggest ski resort on the east coast. Killington hosts the World Cup and the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge and one of the best party scenes in Vermont. It opens earliest and closes last almost every winter. Sometimes Killington makes it to June 1st, which can’t possibly make economic sense.

Continue reading →

Tagged: Killington19 Comments

The Punishment Remains the Same

Posted on by Peter Minde

After a year off, the Climb to the Castle returned to Whiteface Mountain on October 3rd. I drove up on Saturday with some misgivings. Two weeks earlier, I DNF’d the Macedonia Brook 25 kilometer trail race in Connecticut. I ran my plan in the hills and on the flats. But there were two brutally steep, technical downhill bits where I was so slow I didn’t feel like I was racing. I dropped halfway through. I drove home wondering if I was done.

Whiteface foliage

After collecting my bib and buying groceries, I headed to the hostel. As it turned out the the Saint Lawrence University women’s nordic ski team was staying there. They were racing the Climb to the Castle to top off a long training weekend.

Continue reading →

Tagged: Adirondacks, Whiteface5 Comments