Conditions were optimal for skiing in the Adirondacks on March 15, when Explorer editor Phil Brown and I hit the trails near Tupper Lake. The area had received a series of snowstorms over the prior days and weeks, meaning the snowpack was a few feet deep. We started off the morning by skiing Coney Mountain, then hit Goodman Mountain at about noon. Phil then continued on to ski Arab Mountain, finishing off the Tupper Triad, three mountains promoted as part of a local hiking challenge. All three mountains are pretty small, but they aren’t skied very often. This day, it >>More
Skiing Coney Mountain
Explorer Editor Phil Brown and I skied Coney Mountain yesterday as part of a daylong ski trip. Phil went on to ski all three mountains of the Tupper Lake Triad (Coney, Goodman, and Arab), while I skied the first two, before heading home for a family event. The skiing on the 2,265-foot mountain was outstanding due to the recent snowfalls we’ve received in the past couple of weeks. Roughly a foot of fresh powder fell on the mountain in the prior 24 hours. That was important because normally you can’t ski Coney Mountain without being concerned about hitting some of >>More
Avalanche Warning Issued For Adirondacks
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 Weather Service statement. “Several small avalanches have already been reported.” The High Peaks region has received one to two feet this past week. The weather service warned that “steep, open slopes will have the highest potential avalanche risk.” State Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Dave >>More
Have you skied Old Mountain Road?
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 its status as a town road because it was never legally abandoned. That ruling took place on March 1. The next day, with snow falling, Explorer Editor Phil Brown and I visited the road to shoot some photos and a video to give readers an >>More
Giving winter a hand at Mount Van Ho
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.
Skiing Mount Marcy: a skier’s rite of winter
Starting from Adirondak Loj, it’s 7.4 miles to the 5,344-foot summit, which affords a spectacular panorama of the High Peaks and beyond. It usually takes me about five hours to reach the top, but some do it in less time. The descent typically takes me two to three hours.
When the skiing was good …
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 from Dewey Mountain from that time period in January, when the skiing was good … Hopefully, better conditions will return in March.
Why there’s snowmaking at Mount Van Hoevenberg XC ski center
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 open longer in warm winters. By the following winter, Van Ho had installed a snowmaking system known as the Snow Factory, which is made by TechnoAlpin, the company that provides snowmaking equipment at the state’s downhill resorts. The result: it stayed open 137 days last >>More
Scenes from today’s search at Whiteface Mountain
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. Constantinos “Danny” Filippidis of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, made contact with local authorities there, ending a multi-agency search that included forest rangers, state police and other state and federal agencies. Read full story here
Missing Whiteface skier found alive in California
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.
