Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that the state will invest up to $20 million for upgrades at Whiteface and Gore Mountains.
The investment is expected to leverage up to $80 million in private funding to add additional amenities and retail options for guests, according to the Governor’s office. The $20 million for the upgrades at Whiteface and Gore is in addition to $10 million the state is providing to the Olympic Regional Development Authority as part of the 2017-18 FY budget.
FIS Freestyle moguls and aerials athletes return to competition in the new year this week at the Putnam Investments Freestyle Cup in Wilmington and Lake Placid.
The moguls competition held on Whiteface Mountain’s Wilderness Trail is slated for Friday, January 13, while the aerials event takes place, Saturday, January 14, at the Olympic Jumping Complex.
Freestyle athletes from around the globe have been competing at Lake Placid for more than 30 years and this week’s event features more than 160 athletes from 17 nations. Lake Placid and its neighbor Wilmington began hosting this event in 1985, five years following the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. » Continue Reading.
My family has been enjoying all the fresh snow at some our favorite downhill ski resorts. Sometimes it can be disappointing, after a great day of skiing, to have to call an end to the day. It’s those times that we are grateful for these local mountains that let the fun continue through the night. These family- style ski resorts have special nighttime events or dedicate the week to extended skiing under the lights.
Saranac Lake’s own Mount Pisgah offers night skiing during the week until 8 pm. This multipurpose recreational area also offers tubing and adjacent cross-country ski trails. The lodge has an open view of the lighted trails so parents and caregivers can give children a bit of independence on the slopes while they warm up by the fireplace. » Continue Reading.
Highlighting fat biking, ice skating, sledding and hot chocolate consumption, Newcomb’s annual Winterfest will take place on Saturday, January 14. Events will be at various venues along the town’s stretch of Route 28N.
The 5-mile carriage road to the historic Santanoni Preserve will be open for skiers and snowshoersa where Adirondack Architectural Heritage will be holding an open house featuring tours of Great Camp Santanoni. ESF’s Adirondack Interpretive Center will also have skiing and snowshoeing, in addition to the High Peaks Golf Course’s slopes and snowy expanse. » Continue Reading.
Every winter, I receive questions about hypothermia and about the dangers and symptoms of both hypothermia and frostbite. Most are from concerned parents of younger children.
We’re certainly not strangers to cold weather. After all, this is the North Country. And winter is the season of snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, ice fishing, ice climbing, winter hiking, winter camping, sledding, tobogganing, tubing, ice skating, snowballs, snowmen, snow forts, snow sculptures, and winter carnival parades. » Continue Reading.
The first of three Winter Weekends at Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb is set for Martin Luther King Day weekend, January 14-16. Additional open house events will take place during the President’s Day holiday weekend, February 18-20, and the weekend of March 18-19.
In the community of Newcomb, WinterFest is being celebrated on January 14, coinciding with the first Santanoni Winter Weekend. » Continue Reading.
It has been a few years since Bolton Landing’s UpYonda Farm has offered guided snowshoe hikes at the 75-acre property. According to UpYonda Administrator Matt Sprow there is currently more snow on the trails than was available at this same time last year.
“We have a calendar full of public programing,” says Sprow. “Our hikes go on, regardless of the weather. Right now the snow is okay. Snowshoes are included in the fee for the hike or people can bring their own. If the weather changes we will still hold our guide hike, but it may turn into more of a walk.” » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) will host Winterfest, part of National Winter Trails Day on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at the Heart Lake Program Center in Lake Placid.
ADK Winterfest is a free, family friendly event created to encourage participants to discover the many forms of winter recreation. Visitors can check out and participate in winter activities, demo gear such as snowshoes, skis and skates, enjoy live music, food and more. Winterfest will include telemark lessons, ski waxing clinics, nordic ski workshops, guided snowshoe hikes, ice skating, a ski race, kid’s paintball biathlon, a kid’s activity area, family scavenger hunt, a dog sled clinic and more. Local retailers and national gear vendors will have tents with equipment to demo and purchase. This event begins at 10 am and continues through the evening. » Continue Reading.
Outdoor adventure enthusiast and expert back country skier Steve Ovitt will speak on Tuesday, December 27th at 7 pm on “Getting Into Back Country Skiing.” Ovitt’s talk at the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek will give attendees the info and confidence to go off trail under their own power and enjoy the Adirondack back-country in winter.
Included in Ovitt’s presentation will be anecdotes from his extensive back-country experience; info on making the transition from traditional Nordic or Alpine skiing; advice on what equipment (including safety equipment) is needed; plus he will highlights some of the best back country places to ski in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
As the 2016-17 ski and boarding season begins, Gore Mountain has announced an expansion of its Nordic and snowshoe trail system at the North Creek Ski Bowl. The Nordic network is now 4.24K, and 3.19K of it features both snowmaking and lights.
Snowmaking at Gore and Whiteface resumed Sunday, with Whiteface planning to open on Thanksgiving Day, November 24th. Whiteface Mountain received over 15-inches of snow, and the staff has been preparing Excelsior, Summit Express, Upper Valley, Lower Valley, Fox and the Mixing Bowl for Thursday’s opening. Two lifts, as well as the Cloudsplitter Gondola, are expected to be available. North Creek received six inches of snow over the past few days and Gore Mountain is expected to open on Friday, November 25 with five trails: Foxlair, Sunway, Quicksilver, 3b and Jamboree, serviced by the Northwoods Gondola.
Saranac Lake has invited snowshoe enthusiasts to spectate and participate in the 2017 World Snowshoe Championships, which will be held February 24 to 26, 2017.
The competition includes the 10K open World Championship, Junior World Championship 5K (age 19 and under), and a 5K Citizen race. All three races will be held on February 25th, with the 10K start time of 11 am and the 5K races beginning simultaneously at 1 pm. » Continue Reading.
Last winter’s mild temperatures and lack of snow left winter sports enthusiasts disappointed, but there is already snow on many summits and die-hards earned turns on the Whiteface Memorial Highway several weeks ago. It looks like the start of the downhill season could be just a few weeks away.
Here’s a look at what’s new at ski areas across the region. » Continue Reading.
The Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex sliding track, in Lake Placid, opened for the season today for U.S. sliding athletes. The U.S. luge team took to the ice at 8 am, followed by the skeleton squad at 10:30 am. American bobsled athletes slide for the first time at 2 pm.
In December, the mile-long, 20-curve course will play host to Viessmann Luge World Cup racing and Viessmann Bobsled and Skeleton World Cup action. Luge World Cup racing returns to Lake Placid for a second consecutive winter, when the world’s top sliders tackle the track, December 2-3, 2016. This marks the 15th time that Lake Placid has hosted a luge World Cup event. Action will be held in men and women’s singles, doubles and the fan favorite, team relay. » Continue Reading.
An all day event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Adirondack Ski Touring Council (ASTC) and the establishment of the Jackrabbit Ski Trail will take place on November 12, 2016 at the Cascade XC Ski Center in Lake Placid.
Early in the day, Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA) will lead a hiking tour of the Jackrabbit Trail and a new ski and bike trail network under development on the site of the old Scott’s Cobble Ski Area in North Elba, followed by a gathering at Cascade XC Ski Center for the BETA annual meeting and a party with live music, food and drink, a bonfire, and surely a bit of story telling by ASTC and Jackrabbit Trail veterans. » Continue Reading.
It can be an arcane field, the Forest Preserve. Article XIV, Section 1 of the State Constitution, the “forever wild” clause, is comprised of 54 words which appear clear enough. Its authors in 1894 thought it should slam the door on those late-19th century abuses of the Preserve.
The century-plus since has seen (mis)interpretations of law, purposeful evasions of law, statutes that contradict the NYS Constitution, contradictory opinions of attorneys general, contradictory rulings by our highest courts – the list goes on and on.
How to keep it all straight? For years, advocates have relied on the writings of Bob Glennon, Al Forsyth, Norman J. Van Valkenburgh, Neil Woodworth, and others to get to the heart of these inconsistencies. » Continue Reading.
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