The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
Mike Lynch has been the Explorer's climate reporter since January 2025 and has worked for the publication since 2014. In addition to writing about climate change, he covers issues related to wildlife. Mike has also worked as a licensed outdoor guide and thru-paddled the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. He is the author of 12 Short Hikes on Preserves near Lake George. He can be reached at [email protected].
By Mike Lynch
The northern Adirondacks were hit with more snow the past few days, continuing what has been a snowy March. The fairly deep snowpack means that skiing is great in many places in the northern Adirondacks right now. The Jackrabbit Trail is in great condition and all the crosscountry centers should be in good shape. The…
By Mike Lynch
The National Weather Service in Burlington has issued an avalanche warning for the Adirondacks as a result of recent weather patterns. “Recent heavy snowfall combined with previous warm ups have created the potential for avalanches in the exposed backcountry of the Green Mountains in Vermont and the Adirondacks in northern New York,” according to National…
By Mike Lynch
Old Mountain Road in the Sentinel Range Wilderness is known as a popular section of the Jackrabbit Ski Trail during the winter months. But since 2003, it has also been the center of a controversy over whether it’s also legally a town road. Most recently, a state court ruled that the ski trail has retained…
By Mike Lynch
Mount Van Hoevenberg manager Kris Cheney-Seymour said the short ski season goaded the center to find a way to stay open longer in warm winters. By the following winter, Van Ho had installed a snowmaking system known as the Snow Factory. The result: it stayed open 137 days last season.
By Mike Lynch
Recent warm weather and rains have significantly depleted the snowpack throughout the Adirondacks recently. Many trails have been left with a ribbon of hard-packed snow and/or ice. Of course, that wasn’t the case earlier this winter when we had a pretty consistent snowpack due to a long spell of cold weather. Here’s a ski video…
By Mike Lynch
The winter of 2015-2016 was a difficult one for the Mount Van Hoevenberg cross-country-ski center. Warm weather and rains forced the venue to close in February, ending a season that lasted a mere thirty-seven days. Mount Van Hoevenberg manager Kris Cheney-Seymour said the short ski season inspired the center to find a way to stay…
By Mike Lynch
Part of a press conference about the search effort for skier Constantinos “Danny” Filippidis, who went missing at Whiteface Mountain on Feb. 7 and was located in Sacramento, California, on February 13. Speaking at the press conference are state police Major John Tibbitts and forest ranger Captain John Streiff on Wednesday, February 14, in Ray…
By Mike Lynch
The skier who was the subject of a large-scale search at Whiteface Mountain was located alive and well in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday, February 13, according to state police. Filippidis went missing on Wednesday, February 7. Forest Ranger David Russell told the Explorer that Filippidis was last seen at mid-station lodge area by his friends.…
By Mike Lynch
Constantinos “Danny” Filippidis of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, made contact with local authorities there, ending a multi-agency search that included forest rangers, U.S. Border Patrol, state police and other state and federal agencies.