2 Paths to bliss on Hadley
When we got to the top of Hadley Mountain, the weather was nearly perfect: blue skies, little wind, mild temperatures. Below us, Great Sacandaga Lake lay stretched out in the sun.
Snow Sports
All Stories
Escaping din of Old Forge
by Phil Brown How do you know you’re in Old Forge? A. In the 10 minutes you spend at the trailhead lacing up your boots and stepping into your cross-country skis, a dozen snowmobiles pass by. B. All the conversations you overhear at Walt’s Diner after skiing have to do with snowmobiles. C. As you…
Vista Trail offers snowshoers better views
Explore the Vista Trail near Fourth Lake for a snowshoe adventure, featuring Bald Mountain's summit views and forested landscapes.
Snowshoe and ski trails
Not every classic stands the test of time—not when the public’s tastes keep changing. For nearly a decade, cross-country enthusiasts have relied on Tony Goodwin’s Classic Adirondack Ski Tours for advice on where to ski in the Adirondack Park.
Skier’s surprise in Raquette Falls
By Phil Brown The other day I received in the mail a slim book of verse titled Sightings of the Eagle and Other Adirondack Poems. The author, Bud Church, rhapsodizes about his adventures on Osgood Pond, including seven eagle sightings in recent years. I’m no poet, and I know it, so I don’t intend to…
Double dose of adventure
When the Explorer asked me to write about two of my favorite ski trips, I didn’t have to rattle my brain long before I hit on the two gems below. Both should be great skiing in late winter, when there is (or should be) lots of snow. If you love the winter wilderness and enjoy backcountry skiing, you won’t be disappointed with either of these trips.
Adirondack snowshoe trips to get you through the winter
Carl Heilman knows snowshoes. He made and sold them for 15 years, always out of hand-split ash, and he’s used them for much longer. Although he got out of the business a few years ago to devote his energies to photography, he still goes out on snowshoes two or three times a week when conditions permit.
Four favorite ski trips
By Phil Brown Back in 1979, Almy and Anne Coggeshall published 25 Ski Tours in the Adirondacks, the first guide to cross-country skiing in the North Country. They dedicated it to John Apperson, an ardent conservationist and the first person to climb Mount Marcy on skis.
Joys of the Jackrabbit
This is how it was meant to be. The wax is holding firm as we ascend the mild uphill behind Pitchoff Mountain and settle into a comfortable kick and glide through the still woods, slow enough to maintain conversation but fast enough to know we’re getting somewhere. By Rick Karlin
Skiing the high country
By Jeff Schmidt The roller-coaster ride through the krummholz was exhilarating and unlike any skiing I’d ever done. I had just come through the Romper Room, a magical section on the shoulder of Mount Marcy that epitomizes the best in Adirondack trail skiing. The trail rolls, dips, turns and twists. Blind corners lead to blinding…