I introduced my wife to skiing 5 years ago and she’s loved it ever since. Helen took her first few lessons at Plattekill from some excellent instructors. After only a couple of days on skis, was asking me to buy the rentals she was skiing, so we could make it permanent, something that we could share together into the future.
Fast forward to today and she would tell you that the only thing slowing her down is snow. With me being a seriously addicted powder skier, how often is there an opportunity to bring my Bambi-legged beginner along for the chase? The answer is not many!
Helen thrives in the spring sun and corn at the end of the season and whenever my father is headed to the Catskills for a day she makes sure we join him as he really spends time teaching her too.
That’s what made this past weekend at Titus so special. It was the first trip with just the two of us prancing around on a mountain with no worries about conditions, snowfall, or terrain. I have always kept Titus in the back of my mind for this occasion as the layout really seemed to be perfect for Helen’s progression.
We were not disappointed. Titus has a great variety of beginner and intermediate trails with plenty of gladed sections for the novice tree skier to dip a toe into the woods. Seven inches of new snow before our arrival really helped to keep conditions soft.
The mountain does a fantastic job of leaving enough ungroomed to make it interesting and allowing more seasoned skiers to lead our partners into new territory. Helen’s first tree run was through Big Al’s on the Upper Mountain and after the first time through she wound up leading me back to it several more runs in a row. It’s safe to say a new tree skiing enthusiast was born.
Lunch time is IPA time, when skiing with Helen. She claims a solid 8% ABV beverage gives her confidence. I tried to explain that this approach might be a little dangerous with her new terrain preference, but I couldn’t argue with the results. She headed straight for some expert terrain when we went back out for the afternoon.
At the same time, she was driving a hard bargain: “If you lead me down a trail that I can’t handle and I wind up hurt, you aren’t allowed to ski until I heal up.” I thought that was fair, but it didn’t prevent me from convincing her to have a go down Harvey’s Road for the last run.
Another IPA by the fire pit with the Rolling Stones felt right at another awesome laid back NY mountain. The old school vibe and relaxed atmosphere at Titus make it an exceptional place to bring the wife and kids. There’s something for everybody, but especially for us looking to share a little adventurous spirit with those less inclined to chase the big one at the drop of a hat.
I just took my new BF who is new to skiing at age 66 to Titus. He loved it! He could ski any of the trails and did his first black diamonds. He loved that there were no crowds and the snow conditions were very good. We were thinking about going to VT where we already have passes to ski but couldn’t fathom dealing with the crowds last weekend. Titus was a nice escape from that and very affordable at $60 at the ticket window.
Hey, great TR, Titus is skiing really well right now. Four inches last night. Woods are still thin, but more is coming. Let me know if you come back, we live here.
We’ve been bringing our kids and their friends to Titus for years. We love the area and the atmosphere. We were there on the 21st as well. The first of many trips hopefully now that winter has finally arrived.
Nothing is more fun than showing the trees to an adventurous newbie, when conditions are good. When it’s your wife, that’s gold.
Nice KT.
Thanks for the reminder to finally get up to Titus. That place looks like tons of fun.
Thanks everyone. You guys have a beautiful area up there Mike! We will definitely reach next time we’re in town!
Nice write-up. I didn’t know you were a boarder! That backpack is even bigger than mine, maybe it’s a splitboard?