Gore Mountain, NY: 2/2/15 Mid-Week Pow Magic

Ski Day 22: On Saturday I skied Hickory and got whipped doing it. Sunday I called an audible, actually working from the cabin with the goal of getting Monday off. I was trying to make my own luck.

I got to bed around 11pm Sunday night. As is my way, I can't sleep too well when it's snowing.  I woke an hour before the alarm...



...three or four inches down when I left the cabin at 7:30.  It's often a bit of a panic coming down our driveway. If it hasn't been sanded since the last snow and you break loose, you have to hope no one is coming down the road. No problem getting down on this day.


First Tracks

When the North Creek Ski Bowl isn't open, I go to the back of the main base lodge hoping to find some men in black.  Shaman, Newman! and Condor came in, which was great.  It was snowing pretty good at the base. Looked like at least an inch an hour.


Snoopy Chute!

Lower mountain trees were looking really good.


Chatterbox



When the top opened, we got on the Straightbrook Chair via Killkare. It was really snowing hard.



As happens, by the end of the second run, I'd lost my group while trying to take pics.

I include this shot of the Straightbrook entrance just to prove to myself that I could get one photo, in focus...



Chatiemac glades were incredible. No reason to venture beyond the primary lines...





Everything we did up top was great. Killkare, Straightbrook, Chatiemac, Headwaters, Dell.

As Mingus once said: "everything I touched turn to gold."

This was an unusual storm. Not a coastal, not a moisture-starved clipper or even a clipper.  It came across the middle of the country with good moisture that it wasn't directly pulling from the ocean. Cold and no sign of mixed precip anywhere in NY.

One result that was unusual at Gore: summit lifts were very windy. Dark Side was closed from wind. Chairs were banging against the lift towers.

My only regret from the day was not riding Hullabaloo down to Wood Out and the North Chair. It would have been sublime...



But I didn't know if the North was running yet, or at all.  I really wanted to ski the North, but dropping in felt risky.

I took the Chatiemac glades deep down Tannery towards the Topridge chair.

I find myself compelled to ski High Pines, I'm told it's a flatlander thing. Maybe 20 skiers had been through and you could rip tight pow down the left.  

At one point I pulled up at a big drop and some jokers from the lift were pushing me to do something stoopid.  Without hesitating I dropped it and they cheered. It was one of the great moments in my career.


I'd missed Hullabaloo, but this is when my luck turned even better.

At the top of Bear I did Scareview, coming right into the Saddle by the North. And who rolls off the lift... Duck.

You have to understand that for me this is brilliance.

Duck and I ski pow the same way. We sacrifice steeps for pow.  And there he was coming off the North!

"Harv! What are you doing here?!?

"Even the blind squirrel sometimes finds the acorn."

We schralped the North Side.  It was some of the best skiing of the day.


Under the North



Incredible.

I haven't been to Burnt Ridge this season, and this seemed like a good time for the first trip.  We used a variety of tricks to get over there, and then dropped in to the trees.


Abanaki trees

Abanaki trees were fantastic. This WAS the best skiing of the day, and after 2pm.


Dig it Duck





The Cirque is a epic trip.  There is lots of skiing and traversing.

To me it's so amazing to be in the trees, on a single run, for 20 minutes.


Tahawas (to Chatterbox) and Out

I shot my mouth off about how this was my best day at Gore in two years.  But realistically for me, this is in my top two days at Gore ever.  The other contender being 12/20/08.

I skied until 3:30 and headed home. The only trying part of the drive was traveling 30 miles behind a four-wide plow convoy north of Albany. Got home around 10pm.

I am beside myself, so pumped to have lived this day.

YEE-HAW!

Nice. I give you guys credit for venturing out in those temps. Obviously very rewarding. It is hard to ski the day after hickory… even when I was younger

sig wrote

Nice. I give you guys credit for venturing out in those temps. Obviously very rewarding. It is hard to ski the day after hickory… even when I was younger

Taking Sunday off after Hickory was the key to the day for me. I did ski on our trails maybe 5 miles to stay loose.

Cold?  I'd like to hear from Duck or anyone. I didn't FEEL the slightest bit cold.

Anyone know what was the high temp at Gore?

Wow. Simply wow. We need you as a guide.. Big time.  Great series and awesome story. My kids were sad that we came back from upstate and sad that our ski gear is up there too. Looks like we are going to have to leave early on Friday!  I hope to make Gore this season.

sig wrote

 It is hard to ski the day after hickory… even when I was younger

Hick regulars have a saying.... " bring big legs ".

Hickory...... It's Hard !!!!!

Harvey wrote

Anyone know what was the high temp at Gore?

I went in the Saddle for a few mins around 11am...thermometer outside the lodge read -2...prob not the high but near it.

Yesterday was one of the best east coast days I've ever had in 25 years of skiing...I was trying to spot you Harv, had a feeling you'd be there...wanted to say hey.  I was in  a yellow jacket, on skis, with another guy in a blue helmet who was on his board...maybe you saw us.

A couple shots from Monday

we have to pick our long week ends at leat a month in advance so missed this beautiful drop and hoping there are some freshies to be found on Thursday.

nice.... yesterday was a hard day to work

nice!

Petronio

Jelly!!!

Hit up Hunter this morning. Was hoping to hit up some fresh in the trees there, but there was no way hubby was following me in there on his skinny skis...

Harvey- looks awesome!!  Skiing North Side is always a good idea on a powder day, and no one seems to ski it, due to the lack of pitch.  I miss days at Gore like this!!

We must have crossed paths several times that day. It was a nice day in the woods, not my best day ever at Gore, that day was many years ago just before xmas when we had a super dumper mid week, no one was there. I was maybe first tracks down Hullaballoo and had a full body submersion at the bottom compression - we're talking snorkel.  

Great report and pics. I have been retired and lived near Gore for the past 7 winters. So that said, yesterday ranks up there as one of the top 2 or 3 days I have skied there. As for being cold, I had no idea the temp was that low. All of that cold smoke must have keep me warm. Only after looking in the mirror today did I notice some dark spots on my cheeks. Maybe I had a little frost bite, but it was worth it. Thanks for a great afternoon Harv.

That video above in not really a video but 16 shots I took on the North Side that I strung together. Not great quality but I thought it was worth posting.  Wish I knew how to slow it down.

Duck T. R. wrote

Great report and pics. I have been retired and lived near Gore for the past 7 winters. So that said, yesterday ranks up there as one of the top 2 or 3 days I have skied there. As for being cold, I had no idea the temp was that low. All of that cold smoke must have keep me warm. Only after looking in the mirror today did I notice some dark spots on my cheeks. Maybe I had a little frost bite, but it was worth it. Thanks for a great afternoon Harv.

Duck as I mentioned I love skiing with you, especially on a pow day.  Thanks for snagging me as I straggled across the saddle. Pow is awesome, only bested by pow with friends.

SkiRay... I am not a guide. Can barely find the lodge or the zippers on my coat.

EDIT: I was shaving this am and noticed a spot that wouldn't shave.  I think I got some frostbite too, in a stupid spot, under my chin which is easily covered. I now remember feeling it hurt for a minute.  After we stopped in the saddle I put on a neck gator, smart but too little too late.