Gore Conditions (2017 - 2018)

I just can't stop thinking about the upload download experience from Base Lodge to Gore Summit.....what a spring time sweet corn harvest we could have.....looping runs all day, snow beach, on the Rumor and then downloading to the base deck to crack open a few cold ones and drain our boots....

Awesome pic there.

Okay I changed my mind. It was Mike's passion that swayed me.

The old gondola had to go.  It was well past it's useful life.  There multiple reasons that the new (current) one never went to the summit.

1.  Two stage lifts are very expensive to build and maintain.  You have literally two separate lifts with separate drive and tensioning systems that must be maintained.  They are linked together with a connector rail and those can be finicky.

2.  They were trying to develop Bear Mountain and they needed access to there from the base.  

3.  They wanted extra capacity to lap the front side (remember it was the old ADK Express back then).

Reasons 2 and 3 would have been solved by a two stage lift, but that was prevented by reason 1.

There's really a simple solution for spring skiing at Gore and it's to upgrade snowmaking capacity to have a sufficient base on Uncas or Pine Knot as well as Tannery to keep a route to the summit skiable.  Even if they had the big two stage gondola, it would be too expensive to operate late in the season when demand is so far down.  Gore is just not set up ideally for spring.  Whiteface is, but I don't feel they take advantage of that potential nearly as well as they used to.  The top of Skyward and Mountain Run are super thin and they never made snow on Hoyt's or Lookout Below.

If I were in charge of both, I'd shut down everything at Gore really early (but not limit access to those willing to hike) and focus on keeping more open at Whiteface for longer.  This is exactly what Peak Resorts does with Attitash and Wildcat.

Gore needs to bring back the big mountain experience.  I've skied Gore since 1972 when I was 12 years old.  All four of my kids learned to ski at Gore and they are all expert skiers.  It's a great mountain, a great experience, and it has great potential.

The big mountain experience is what Gore needs to take what is some of the best skiing in NYS to the next level.  

Great discussion.....but

1.  Challenge the technology.

2.  Bear Mountain has little to no value being served from the Gondi...Foxlair and Ruby Run?  If you're lucky Fairview?  Gondi is expensive technology for novice skiers...(no offence)

3.  Dual lifts would have provided the capacity.

Uncas, Pine Knot and Tannery just don't hold the snow, elevation lower and orientation picks up a lot of sun.  A gondola drop at the top would be expensive to operate no doubt, but snow making could be focused on the summit, which holds the snow.  

Save money making snow on trails that don't hold snow and use that money to keep the big mountain running. Market Gore as a mecca for spring skiing.

I guess you can tell I don't want the season to end!

I've always known you were right about this it's just that ... I admit it, I don't like the big span across the summit bowl.

I'm sure I could get used to it. Gore could stay open very late.

Mike is right.

Anyone notice Hawkeye was Hawk Eye in the photo?   Wonder when it became one word

What does it say above Hawk Eye?

Looks like the Gore cam is down. Any snow overnight?

Harvey wrote

Looks like the Gore cam is down. Any snow overnight?

Whiteface web cam is acting funky too...my bet is ORDA IT folk are making some changes.

snoloco wrote

There's really a simple solution for spring skiing at Gore and it's to upgrade snowmaking capacity to have a sufficient base on Uncas or Pine Knot as well as Tannery to keep a route to the summit skiable...

This is the correct answer. Screw snowmaking on Fairview. Just slam Uncas, Tannery & Pine Knot all year. If they have those, then they don't need a Gondy to the top.

The only way I'd support a Base to Summit Gondola is if it also included a stop at the base of the Ski Bowl and in the town of North Creek.

Harvey, above the Hawk Eye sign it says “Expert”

When  Gore mountain was created, the thinking was big mountain, the big mountain experience.

Then somewhere along the way someone decided that they were going to make it into New York State’s premier family ski center.    And they began the process of dumbing down the mountain.  Which in my opinion, was a big mistake.

 Anyone who has ever skied Mad River Glen, knows that you can still have the big mountain experience and keep it a family ski center all at the same time.

They should’ve never taken down the original gondola. They should’ve  replaced and upgraded. If they did, Gore of today would be an entirely different experience.

 When was the last time you saw big mountain images on any of Gore’s promotional material? Not on Instagram, not on their website, I don’t follow Facebook, but I suspect it’s the same there. Instead of big mountain, it looks like the amateur hour. Why would anyone want to take the time to ski at  Gore, when all the messages read Novice.

 Now I’m full circle back  to the expert sign, at Hawk Eye and I rest my case.

That's pretty much what Whiteface is going through now.  The difference is that Gore has the correct pitch to be an intermediate mountain and Whiteface is just too steep.

And calling Mad River Glen a "family mountain" is stupid.

snoloco wrote

That's pretty much what Whiteface is going through now.  The difference is that Gore has the correct pitch to be an intermediate mountain and Whiteface is just too steep.

And calling Mad River Glen a "family mountain" is stupid.

 I’ve skied mad River Glen every year, since my kids were in diapers, and they all grew up skiing there, I don’t know how often you ski there, obviously not a lot, because if you did you would realize that they have one of the most family friendly kids skiing programs that I’ve ever seen with excellent novice terrain that is perfect for teaching young ones how to ski on.

snoloco wrote

And calling Mad River Glen a "family mountain" is stupid.

I wrote an uncivilized response to this ("dumbest comment ever" more or less) which I decided to take back. My apologies, Sno. Suffice it to say that once again Mike is right.

How can you be a family mountain without large amounts of snowmaking, grooming, and high speed lifts?  When I think "family mountain", Stratton, Windham, and Okemo tend to come to mind first.

snoloco wrote

How can you be a family mountain without large amounts of snowmaking, grooming, and high speed lifts?  When I think "family mountain", Stratton, Windham, and Okemo tend to come to mind first.

I guess "family" means different things to different people. You're describing destination resorts that do everything they can to be Disney World.

Some families like Disney World, some families like NEMBAfest. There are many different types of ski resorts and many different types of families. MRG is a family area and so are all the resorts that snoloco mentioned. Plattekill is a family mountain. Gore is a family  mountain. They just cater to different types of families.

Also, I don't think taking the Gondy down altered the Gore "Big Mountain" experience. If you're just judging by "bigness", the mountain is a hell of a lot bigger now than it was when the base to summit Gondola was there.

The marketing of the mountain is a different issue, and you can feel free to bash that as much as you want.

Gore's main problem is that they don't get enough natural snow. Fix that issue, and they're all set.

MC2 agree 100 percent with all your comments.