Cobble Hill, Lake Placid: 10/09/2016

We were in Lake Placid over Columbus Day weekend and had a couple hours free Sunday afternoon, so we decided to check out a Cobble Hill, a short hike that's been on my to-do list for a few years. Cobble Hill has long been a favorite quick jaunt of Lake Placid locals, but what caught my attention was its short-lived history as a downhill ski area in the late 1950s (more on that shortly).

Mt. Van Hoevenberg: 10/05/2014

Years ago, when I was young and single, I was all about the High Peaks. When I finished my first round of the 46, I re-hiked many of my favorites, often via slides or bushwhack routes. If a hike was less than 10 miles and 2,000 vertical feet, I didn’t have much interest. I still love the High Peaks (and in fact am currently suffering from High Peaks Deficiency Syndrome), but hiking with my family in recent years has allowed me to discover some of the gems I missed. Like Mount Van Hoevenberg.

Whiteface Mtn uphill footrace: 09/13/2014

There’s not much that I haven’t already said about the Whiteface Mountain Uphill Footrace (2013, 2012), except that if there’s a race that I have to run each year, this is it. Because it’s New York’s fifth highest peak, because of its Olympic heritage and skiing history, because of the pure challenge of running 3600 vertical feet uphill in 8 miles.

Two runners crossing the finish line just below Whiteface's summit

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

Riding in the shadow of Whiteface: the Barkeater Trails, Lake Placid

When I got back into mountain biking a year or two ago, one of my first questions – like many beginning riders – was “where?” Right away I heard about the Barkeater Trail Alliance (BETA) and their growing network of purpose-built mountain biking trails around Wilmington and Lake Placid. The Barkeater trails immediately rose to the top of my must-ride list. Finally, a family vacation in Lake Placid last week gave me the chance to sample some of the riding.

Bushwood, one of the trails in BETA's Lussi trail network

Mount Jo: 10/08/2012

Somehow, even though it's at the top of just about everyone's list of best short hikes, we had never gotten around to hiking Mount Jo, the small (2,876') peak with a panoramic, close-up view of the High Peaks. With near-peak foliage and the season's first coating of snow, our hike on Monday lived up to Mount Jo's reputation.

Whiteface Mtn Uphill Footrace: 09/22/2012

The Whiteface Mountain Uphill Footrace might correctly be called a "niche" race, but as a skier, hiker, 46er and runner, it falls exactly in the niche that appeals to me. At 4,867 feet, Whiteface is the fifth highest peak in New York, and it is the only High Peak accessible by automobile, via the 5-mile long Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway. Whiteface’s commanding position apart from the rest of the High Peaks, its ski area and Olympic heritage, its auto road, castle and summit observatory all contribute to a status that rivals Mount Marcy as the Adirondacks’ most significant peak. “This is a sacred place in the State of New York,” said North Elba Supervisor Roby Politi on Friday, during a meeting of state and local officials to discuss needed repairs to the highway. Thousands of bicyclists, runners and skiers (on snow and dry pavement) who have made human-powered ascents of Whiteface via the highway will no doubt agree with that assessment.

Lake Placid Half Marathon: 06/10/2012

It's a good thing I didn't look at the course profile before entering the Lake Placid Half Marathon, or I might have chickened out. I don't mind a challenging race, but I wanted to beat my half marathon time from last year (1:39:47 in the Vermont Covered Bridges Half Marathon).


Whiteface dominates the view along River Road

The course is scenic but challenging. After starting in front of the Olympic Arena, runners proceed up Main Street, around Mirror Lake, then out Route 73 to the ski jumping complex. At the ski jumps, the course turns onto River Road and follows a beautiful, scenic route along the Ausable River for nearly 4 miles before turning around, retracing the route back and finishing with a lap around the 400-meter speed skating oval. This route is very similar to the run segment of the Lake Placid Ironman triathlon in July.

Mount Van Hoevenberg XC: 02/23/2012

One of the things I’ve missed in this nearly snowless winter has been the ability to grab my XC skis and head out for an hour or two in the woods that surround our house. In recent years, those out-the-back-door tours have made up a significant portion of my nordic skiing, as dragging the kids along for a full day outing to a place like Garnet Hill Lodge or Lapland Lake doesn’t fit our family well – at least not yet.

Whiteface Mountain: 02/26/2011

With a season pass that's good at both Gore and Whiteface, you'd think I'd get up to Whiteface more often, but the truth is that the last time I skied at Whiteface was three years ago, before the new Lookout Mountain terrain came online. But when 14 inches of new snow coincided with a kid-less overnight visit to Lake Placid, the lifts at Whiteface trumped our nordic skiing options for Saturday.

How big is your adventure?

Mount Van Hoevenberg XC: 01/17/2011

I was having second thoughts as we pulled into the Mount Van Hoevenberg parking lot a little after 9am on Monday. The temperature in Lake Placid was minus 16 and hadn’t budged a bit on the short drive over. I had visions of not being able to warm up all day, while skiing snow that would have the sliding qualities of beach sand. It seemed I wasn’t the only one with second thoughts, as there were only four or five other cars in the lot. The short but very chilly walk from the car to the lodge did little to improve my outlook.

Perfect grooming

Mount Van Hoevenberg XC: 12/30/2010

As often as possible I like to pay tribute to telemark skiing’s nordic roots by getting away from the lifts for a day of cross country skiing. Sometimes that means a backcountry day, other times it means hitting one of the groomed cross country touring centers. Today, we headed up to the Olympic cross country ski trails at Mount VanHoevenberg in Lake Placid, where snow conditions have been excellent over the past few weeks.

Whiteface Snowmaking Tour: 11/24/2010

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in the Whiteface Mountain Snowmaking Media Tour.  About a half dozen of us were met in the main lodge by Bruce McCulley, General Manager of the mountain, and Jon Lundin, ORDA Public Relations Coordinator.  We started with an overview of the past year, the outlook for this winter, and plans for opening day this Friday, the 26th.

Whiteface and Esther: 11/06/2010

What a difference a day makes. We had originally planned this trip for Friday, the 5th, but the weather forecast for Thursday and Friday was so dismal we pushed back a day to Saturday. We couldn't have scored a more beautiful day to be in the mountains.

Just enough snow to ski from the Toll House

Mount Van Hoevenberg: 12/29/2009

Beth and I headed up to Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid to meet friends for a day of cross country skiing. Mount Van Hoevenberg is well known for its Olympic heritage, and it continues to host one of the best touring centers in the East, with excellent grooming over an interesting network of looped trails. Six to eight inches of recent snow made coverage excellent, although the snow was so cold and dry that it made for slower ski conditions than I prefer.

Cold trees, fresh snow