After nearly thirty years in the post, Tony Goodwin is resigning as executive director of the Adirondack Ski Touring Council, the organization that created and still maintains the Jackrabbit Ski Trail, a popular backcountry route that connects Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, and Keene.

“I am actually of retirement age. I had been thinking that when someone with the right skill set comes along that it would be time to bow out,” said Goodwin, who lives in Keene.

That someone is Josh Wilson, a Saranac Lake resident who has served as executive director of the New York Bicycling Coalition for the past two years.

Wilson also has been active in the Barkeater Trail Alliance (BETA), which recently merged with the Adirondack Ski Touring Council. BETA maintains about sixty miles of mountain-bike trails in the greater Lake Placid region, many of which are good ski trails.

Goodwin has been the council’s executive director since its founding in 1986. The organization maintains a number of other ski trails besides the Jackrabbit in the Lake Placid region, including the Wright Peak Ski Trail, the Whale’s Tail Ski Trail, the Avalanche Pass Ski Trail, the Mr. Van Ski Trail, the Whiteface Landing Trail, and the Van Hoevenberg Trail to Mount Marcy.

Goodwin, who is sixty-five, plans to take a seat on the council’s board of directors. He also will stay on as executive director of the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society, which maintains hiking trails in the vicinity of the Ausable Lakes and St. Huberts.

Although Goodwin worked part time at the Adirondack Ski Touring Council, Wilson hopes the job will grow into a full-time position. He intends to focus on fund-raising and recruiting more members and volunteer trail workers. He also said the organization plans to expand mountain-biking opportunities in the region.

The council intends to change its name now that it maintains bike trails as well as ski trails. “We’re still trying to figure out what the new name will be,” said Wilson, who is thirty-four.

For the time being, the organization does not plan to expand its range to other parts of the Adirondack Park. “We have plenty of work to do with what we have now,” Wilson remarked.

The Adirondack Ski Touring Council had about 250 dues-paying members before the merger. BETA brought an additional 150 or so members.

Top photo by Nancie Battaglia: Tony Goodwin in his element. Lower photo: Josh Wilson.

This article appears in the March-April issue of the Adirondack Explorer, a bimonthly newsmagazine that covers environmental issues, natural history, and outdoor recreation.