Adirondack Sports January 2024

ALPINE SKIING & SNOWBOARDING
JANUARY 2024 7
BEAUTIFUL SKY
AND FRESH SNOW
AT WHITEFACE ON
JANUARY 8, 2024.
ORDA
By Darryl Caron
New York is home to some of the best
skiing in the East. With 50 ski areas,
there’s bound to be one nearby so check
out Ski NY’s snow reports, ski & stay
deals, and mountain info. If you’d like to
learn to ski or snowboard, see the specials
offered at participating mountains.
To learn more, visit: iskiny.com.
Here’s a spotlight of ski resorts that
exhibited at our Adirondack Sports &
Northeast Ski Expo and/or advertise with
us, so please support them this winter.
The state’s biggest ski area, Gore
Mountain, is loved by skiers and riders
for their range of trails and diversity that
nine sides of four peaks deliver. For 2024,
there’s new snowmaking at the Ski Bowl
and a new beginner lift, the Bear Cub
Quad. If you don’t have a SKI3 season pass,
book your snow days in advance and save
with e-tickets. Visit: goremountain.com.
If you’re looking for big adventures,
Whiteface offers it – the biggest vertical
drop in the East, challenging slopes, and
many off-hill activities in Lake Placid and
High Peaks towns.
Whiteface’s newest lift opened in early
December. The Notch is a detachable
quad lift by Doppelmayr starting from the
Bear Den Learning Center to a point just
beyond the Legacy Lodge at mid-station.
This innovative lift, the only one of its kind
in the East, will improve the skier experience
because it’s actually two lifts in one
Enjoy Winter
at the Ski Areas
There’s Something for Everyone
that together operate seamlessly. Riders
can unload onto the Boreen trail or continue
farther upward to access additional
beginner and intermediate terrain, while
also accessing the upper mountain lifts
and advanced trails. Visit: whiteface.com.
New York’s coolest little ski area is
Willard Mountain in Easton, minutes
from the Capital-Saratoga Region. They’re
open daily, with night skiing (non-holiday
weeks), offering outstanding lessons, snowmaking,
retail shop and tubing park. They
have specials on two- and four-hour night
lift tickets. Visit: willardmountain.com.
Just outside of Schenectady, Maple Ski
Ridge in Rotterdam, has something for
beginner and experience skiers and riders
of all ages. They’ve just upgraded their
snowmaking and joined the Indy Pass
as well. On Monday and Tuesday nights,
they offer Nordic Nights with XC skiing,
snowshoeing and alpine touring/skinning
allowed – on the other nights, you can ski
or ride. Visit: mapleskiridge.com.
In the southern Adirondacks, Oak
Mountain in Speculator is an easy drive
from Albany, Glens Falls or Utica. They
offer terrain to suit everyone’s needs at
an affordable rate for skiing, riding and
tubing. Oak has an outstanding ski and
snowboard school, and it is home to the
Acorn Pub & Eatery with Adirondack cuisine.
Visit: oakmountainski.com.
Just over the border in Hancock, Mass.,
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort is the largest
ski and snowboard resort in southern
New England. Jiminy’s snowmaking and
grooming team is working hard to get as
much terrain open as possible. They offer
activities for the whole family on their 45
trails with nine lifts, including a six-person
high-speed chairlift. Visit: jiminypeak.com.
An hour from Albany, Catamount Ski
Resort, is located on the border of MA/
NY in the Berkshires. Featuring 44 trails,
eight lifts, snowmaking and night skiing,
Catamount is on the Indy Pass with challenging
trails and family fun. Visit: catamountski.com.
Run by the same family for nearly 50
years, Berkshire East Mountain Resort
is a hidden gem that’s worth the trip to
Charlemont, Mass. The Indy Pass resort
has modern facilities, top-notch snowmaking
and grooming, a high-speed
detachable quad opening this winter,
lessons, dining and nearby lodging. Visit:
berkshireeast.com.
Nestled in the central Adirondacks,
McCauley Mountain, in Old Forge provides
skiing and snowboarding for all
levels with big mountain terrain but without
long lift lines or high-ticket prices.
McCauley’s 21 trails receive an annual
snowfall of 280 inches, and have snowmaking
on 65% of trails, so go play in their
snow! Visit: mccauleyny.com.
Central New York’s largest ski resort is
Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland,
with 46 trails and 11 glades, six chair lifts,
two surface lifts, and new and improved
YOU’RE NEVER TOO
YOUNG (OR TOO OLD)
TO ENJOY A FUN
DAY AT MCCAULEY
MOUNTAIN IN OLD
FORGE.
TOWN OF WEBB
terrain parks, plus lodging and an indoor
waterpark. Greek Peak is on the Indy Pass,
and the year-round family resort is located
in the Finger Lakes region, minutes from
I-81. Visit: greekpeak.net.
Located on the Tug Hill Plateau, Snow
Ridge, has some of the best snow in the
East with an average snowfall of 230 inches.
The family owned and operated area has
also joined the Indy Pass offers 31 trails and
two terrain parks with small prices and lots
of hospitality. With a lot of support, they’re
bouncing back from a damaging tornado
in August. Visit: snowridge.com.
When visiting nearby Vermont, be sure
to visit Ikon Pass resort partners Killington,
the largest ski area in the eastern US (killington.com)
and Pico Mountain, one
of the first commercial ski resorts in the
state – est. 1937, with 19 miles of trails
across 470 skiable acres (picomountain.
com). To the north, Smugglers’ Notch is
family and adult friendly, with everything
from beginner terrain to steep skiing and
side-country access (smuggs.com). To the
south, Stratton, near Manchester, offers
99 trails, glades, fast lifts, hotels and Ikon
Pass access (stratton.com).
For the best Maine skiing, book your
getaway to Sunday River for day and night
skiing with gorgeous views – it’s worth the
trip! (sundayriver.com).
Let it snow, get outside, and embrace
the winter!