The City of Plattsburgh is one of the busiest places in the North Country. There’s a mall, stores like Walmart and Target, and four Chinese food restaurants right in a row.
But just ten minutes away, it’s another world: barns, fields. And tucked behind it all: Beartown Ski Area. It is 99 acres in all, but the downhill skiing part is just a small fraction of that. There are two little slopes, a couple of side trails, and a trick park for snowboarders. » Continue Reading.
Forest rangers and other emergency organizations responded to search and rescue incidents throughout the Adirondacks in February. Below are summaries of each of the rescue incidents.
Personal locator beacon activated in High Peaks
A dispatcher in DEC’s Ray Brook office received a report at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, February 10, that a personal locator beacon had been activated in the High Peaks Wilderness. The coordinates placed the hiker at the intersection of Hopkins Trail and the Van Hoevenberg Trail on Mount Marcy. As a forest ranger was responding, the PBL’s coordinates changed to indicate the owner was still on the trail and heading to Marcy Dam. » Continue Reading.
Wilmington is gaining a reputation as a mountain-bike mecca, but what’s less well known is that many of the biking trails in town make great ski trails.
Mike Lynch, a writer/photographer with the Adirondack Explorer, and I learned this firsthand when we skied a trail called Poor Man’s Downhill with Keith McKeever this week.
Keith happens to be the spokesman for the Adirondack Park Agency, but he also is active in the Barkeater Trail Alliance (BETA), a group of mountain bikers that has been creating and maintaining bike trails in Wilmington, Lake Placid, and Saranac Lake. As noted in an earlier article on Adirondack Almanack this week, BETA recently merged with the Adirondack Ski Touring Council. » Continue Reading.
It’s a Saturday afternoon and a really rare bluebird day in the Adirondacks, so mild that I have my gloves off. I’m riding up the T-bar lift on Mt. Pisgah, one of the most beloved ski mountains in the North Country. There’s a smattering of kids and grown-ups on the slopes. This is a place where my own son grew up learning to ski and we’ve spent many happy hours here, so it’s kind of a great spot.
Up at the top, I find myself looking over a great little tangle of trails. Pisgah’s not a huge mountain, but there’s a surprising amount of terrain – fun little choices, small crowds, and perfect snow. After pulling on my gloves, I launch. » Continue Reading.
Snow Ridge is a small ski area in Turin, NY, in the nearby Tug Hill region. The ski area’s loyal fans come for the cheap tickets, night skiing, and the kids’ programs.
They stay for the fluffy, powdery snow. Some people call Snow Ridge the best kept secret in the east. » Continue Reading.
The 2015 Tupper Lake Brew-ski Trail will be open Saturday, March 7, 2015 at the Tupper Lake Cross Country Ski Center. The event will include six regional brewers sampling their brews along nearly a mile of trail for cross country skis or snowshoes. Sledding is available as well.
Brewers this year include Adirondack Brewery, Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, Great Adirondack Brewing Company, St. Lawrence Brewing Company, Blue Line Brewery, and Raquette River Brewing. A food concession will be provided by Arthur’s from Dolgeville. » Continue Reading.
Though the annual Lake Placid Loppet has been a huge part of winter sports for over 30 years, this is the first year that the premier cross-country ski marathon has coincided with a weekend Nordic festival. According to High Peaks Cyclery owner Brian Delaney the hope of this first Lake Placid Nordic Fest is to celebrate all aspects of Nordic skiing.
“We want to celebrate Nordic skiing on all levels,” says Delaney. “The schedule has a variety of events like ski waxing clinics, beginning cross-country instructional clinics and ski orienteering. We want these events leading up to the Loppet to appeal to all ages.” » Continue Reading.
If you’re a skier below a certain age, you may not recognize the sound of an old T-bar lift. Even if you’ve used one before, until you get the hang of it, it’s easy to fall right on your butt. That’s what almost happened my first time in Newcomb. I hadn’t been on a T-bar since high school.
But the T-bar’s the only way to the top here at the Goodnow Ski Area. It’s about 200 vertical feet. There’s a wide main run, and a side woodsy run. And from the top, a beautiful pay-off – a view of the snowy High Peaks from the south. » Continue Reading.
The Chapman Museum’s new exhibit of 17 original Stoddard photographic prints features a mix of winter images from Glens Falls and Lake George to Saranac Lake. Subject matter includes both winter activities as well as scenic snow landscapes in the Adirondacks.
One highlight is a rare photograph of a winter camping scene that Stoddard hand-colored to reproduce as a color print. Others include images of hikers snowshoeing on Saranac Lake, ice fishing, snow covered street scenes in Glens Falls, and views of Lake George’s shoreline. The exhibit is a small sampling of the museum’s collection of over 4,000 Seneca Ray Stoddard photographs that document Glens Falls and the Adirondacks in the late 19th century. » Continue Reading.
The gold medal winning 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, who achieved what Sports Illustrated proclaimed, “the greatest sports moment of the 20th century” with their “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union, will participate in a special event using video, audio and photos to relive the game, through their perspective, in Lake Placid. Todd Walsh, who has worked with FOX Sports Arizona since 2001 and works with the Phoenix Coyotes and Arizona Diamondbacks, will narrate.
The1980 Rink- Herb Brooks Arena will open its doors to fans on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 at 7:30 pm for an exclusive event with the players. This February marks the 35th anniversary of their historic achievement. » Continue Reading.
There is always something magical about getting outside and skiing under a bright Adirondack full moon. Though it is certainly easy enough to visit any trail with a headlamp and proper gear, it is sometimes the camaraderie of an organized event that pulls everything together.
Most organized activities are family-friendly, but if you are in need of a night off from the kids give Cascade Ski Center a try. » Continue Reading.
It’s late January, but we’re still waiting for midwinter ski conditions. That said, you can find good skiing if you pick the right spots.
At lower elevations, you want to stick to smoother trails – such as former truck trails and old woods roads – as there might not be enough snow to cover big rocks and roots.
At higher elevations, this is less of a problem. Tony Goodwin reports on the Jackrabbit Trail website that there is 26 inches of snow at Lake Colden and three to four feet above the 4,000-foot contour. » Continue Reading.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has opened a new cross-country-ski trail on former Finch, Pruyn timberlands that takes you along the Goodnow and Hudson rivers in the town of Newcomb.
I skied the 4.2-mile loop trail on Wednesday afternoon with my neighbor, Tim Peartree, and we had a blast.
“I liked the variety, the ups and downs, the scenery. It’s a terrific trail,” Tim said after our trip.
The ski trip is possible thanks to the state’s purchase of lands in the Essex Chain Lakes region from the Nature Conservancy a few years ago. The conservancy had purchased the land from Finch, Pruyn & Company in 2007.
Oak Mountain and the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District are teaming up to host the 2015 Oak Runner Snowshoe Race on Saturday, January 31 to benefit the Hamilton County Envirothon. Athletes can compete in 5K or 10K races that climb up, down, and around Oak Mountain. For 11-year-olds and under, there is the Kids 1 Mile Fun Race. » Continue Reading.
The popular open house ski weekends at Great Camp Santanoni have become an annual tradition. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the Town of Newcomb, and the Adirondack Ecological Center have announced that historic Camp Santanoni will be open for three special weekends this winter. » Continue Reading.
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