No skiing this winter, as board determines center’s future
By Gwendolyn Craig
The Adirondack Mountain Club on Thursday temporarily closed its welcome center on Route 73 between Keene and Lake Placid, its executive director said on Monday. It will not open for the cross-country ski season this year.
Cortney Koenig Worrall attributed the closure to the board’s examination of its “long-term sustainability and our impact.” In an email to members sent Monday afternoon, ADK said it had “a set of real and fundamental facility needs for Cascade Welcome Center to run a ski and visitor center properly, and further assessment work is needed over the coming months to determine the best path forward.”
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“We’re very disappointed about this,” Worrall added. “We know a lot of people will be, too. It’s a beloved cross country ski center.”
Some ADK trip planning that had been done at the Cascade Center will continue at the Heart Lake facility and be available virtually, Worrall said. The temporary closure will not impact any full-time employees, Worrall said, though ADK will not be hiring some seasonal workers. Other ADK facilities, including programming at Heart Lake, will not be impacted and showed strong visitor numbers, Worrall said.
Worrall, who began as ADK’s new executive director on May 1, expects the board to make a decision on the center’s future in the next couple of months.
Mickey Orta, president of ADK’s board, did not immediately return a call.
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ADK purchased the $2.5 million property from the Jubin Family at the beginning of 2022. It had operated as a family-run ski center since 1979.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation had announced a $500,000 grant to ADK under the Environmental Protection Fund in December 2021, but its status is unclear. The club and parks department were back and forth over the creation of an easement on the property. Worrall said there were no updates on the grant and easement. The Parks Department did not immediately respond to the Explorer’s inquiry.
Top photo: The Adirondack Mountain Club’s Cascade Welcome Center. Explorer file photo by Mike Lynch
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