Thursday, April 16, 2015

Whiteface Mountain: 04/12/2015

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when conditions are good at Whiteface, it’s a serious contender for King of the East. And conditions at Whiteface weren’t merely good on Sunday, they were phenomenal.

Whiteface Mountain, Sunday morning 04/12/2015.

The Saratoga Skier and Hiker, first-hand accounts of adventures in the Adirondacks and beyond, and Gore Mountain ski blog.

I’ve already had a good run of spring skiing this year, starting with a taste of spring on Hickory’s closing day at the end of March and continuing with Sugarbush and Gore the following weekend. But Sunday at Whiteface topped them all, with perfect spring weather and snow.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Gore Mountain: 04/05/2015

Skiing Hawkeye, Gore Mountain, Easter Sunday 04/05/2015.

The Saratoga Skier and Hiker, first-hand accounts of adventures in the Adirondacks and beyond, and Gore Mountain ski blog.

As the saying goes, you don’t know if you don’t go. We had expected to find overcast skies and re-frozen snow conditions, but instead found sunny skies and surprisingly soft spring snow, despite chilly air temperatures.

Rumor

Monday, April 6, 2015

Sugarbush, VT: 04/03/2015

Daniel ripping the soft bumps on Ripcord, Sugarbush VT, Friday 04/03/2015.

The Saratoga Skier and Hiker, first-hand accounts of adventures in the Adirondacks and beyond, and Gore Mountain ski blog.

I guess we've now made a family tradition out of heading up to Sugarbush for a day of late season skiing. Last year we skied on Daniel's 10th birthday in early March, this year we pegged the Good Friday holiday to use our free lift ticket vouchers from the local screening of Warren Miller's No Turning Back. As Friday approached, we fretted over the changing forecast (showers, clouds, sun, all of the above), but we pulled into the parking lot with bright blue skies and temperatures that screamed "Spring's here!"

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Hickory Ski Center: 03/29/2015

Hickory’s motto “Ski the Legend” tells you just about everything you need to know about Hickory. I’ve been waiting for the right time to share the legend with our kids, ages 7 and 11, and took advantage of last Sunday’s early spring conditions to do just that.

Views of the southern Adirondacks and beyond from the top of Poma 1 at Hickory Ski Center, Sunday 3/29/2015.

The Saratoga Skier and Hiker, first-hand accounts of adventures in the Adirondacks and beyond, and Gore Mountain ski blog.

As one of the few remaining ski areas in the northeast that relies solely on natural snow, you’ve got to time your visits to Hickory carefully. But this winter’s been kind to Hickory – consistent cold temperatures allowed Hickory to remain open just about every weekend since mid-January. We visited on Hickory’s final day of operation for the 2014-15 season, and coverage was still excellent.