Big Tupper: Good news, bad news

ARISE (Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving their Economy), the volunteer group that ran Big Tupper Ski Area for the winters of 2010-11 and 2011-12, recently announced that Big Tupper will be open for the 2013-14 season. The ski area did not operate last winter due to a shortfall of funds and volunteer burnout.

Keeping any ski area open and running is great for the sport. Small, local hills like Big Tupper are vitally important because they provide a lower-cost alternative and they introduce people to skiing. Kudos to the volunteers at Big Tupper for all their efforts over the past few years.

But it’s not all good news. ARISE has bridged the ski area’s funding gap by:

• Selling a groomer (after selling off the snowmaking equipment several years earlier)
• Formerly paid employees will now be volunteers
• Using funds saved by not operating last winter
• Additional community fund-raising
• Raising ticket prices

Obviously that’s not a sustainable model for running a ski area.

Whiteface Mtn Uphill Footrace: 09/14/2013

Cool temperatures and a touch of early autumn color made for another memorable Whiteface Mountain Uphill Foot Race on Saturday, with around a hundred runners lining up for the start. As usual, conditions varied widely between the starting line (upper 40s, calm, broken clouds) and the finish (upper 30s, gusty, fog, clouds), adding to the challenge of the 8-mile, 3500’ vertical climb to the summit.

Runners lined up at the start...

To me, the hardest part of the race is covering the first three miles. It’s a public road with traffic, houses, power lines. It’s where you find your pace and confront the reality that you’ve got an unforgiving, unrelenting, hour-plus climb ahead of you. By the time you get to the tollhouse at the 3-mile mark, you’ve settled into a pace, the woods close in and it’s just you and the mountain for the rest of the race.

...and crossing the finish line in the Whiteface Mountain Uphill Footrace

Moreau Lake 15K trail race: 09/08/2013

There are trail races, and there are trail races. At the pre-race meeting Sunday morning, organizers from Green Leaf Racing explained that their idea behind the creation of the Moreau Lake 15K Trail Race was to challenge runners from start to finish on hiking trails with plenty of rocks, roots and vertical. The result is the most technical yet runnable trail race in the Capital District, with well over 2,000 vertical feet of climbing. No carriage roads here!

Course preview video (from 2011):

With Moreau Lake State Park practically in my backyard, the race landed at the top of my must-do list this year. Despite that home course advantage, the race kicked my butt, yet at the same time it was one of the funnest races I’ve done in a long time.

Cat and Thomas Mountains trail run: 09/01/2013

This past Sunday Beth and I did an 8-mile trail run over Cat and Thomas Mountains, ownership of which was recently transferred from the Lake George Land Conservancy to New York State.

Although I’m constantly greeted with skepticism from runners and hikers alike regarding the suitability of rugged trails like Cat and Thomas for running, the combination of roots, rocks and vertical pays dividends in the form of balance, agility and strength. At least that’s what I’m hoping for when I run in the Moreau Lake 15K trail run this weekend and the Whiteface Uphill Footrace the next weekend.