Indy Tour 3-1-2020 Greek Peak

We finally got to Greek on Sunday. Returning to Greek was one of the first things I thought about when I saw the list of resorts that would be included on the Indy Pass. It was visit #2 for me and Junior and first time for my younger son, whom I have decided to refer to as Dangerboy (against his wishes). It was the normal morning routine. My kids objected to the idea of a 4 AM wake up so we did our normal 5:30 departure. It meant no first chair of course but you have to make sacrifices.

I think I included exactly this shot in my first Greek TR. When you’re on 17 at sun - up, this is what you see.



This was encouraging - someplace around Binghamton I think



Which way is it?



I texted Camp when we arrived but he had gotten his morning runs in and was headed to his sled already. Oh well. I was glad to hear he was back on skis.






The cashier had some trouble finding us in the Indy Pass system but we figured it out and finally got to the snow.



A lot of the trails under the quad were groomed but there was fresh snow to be found too. Not deep but maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch, maybe a little more in spots. It wasn’t deep but it felt good.





We soon made our way over to Chair 2, which Junior and I remembered with fondness from our first visit.




Aesop’s Glade wasn’t open the first time we came but it should have been. It skied great, just as it did on Sunday. Low angle, wide open trees are fun. Dangerboy liked it too.








Dangerboy was ready for lunch by 11:30. I told him it was too early. He told me at school he would have started lunch 15 minutes ago and his body wanted to eat. He always plays that card but I gave in anyway. I got the boys set up and went back out to do a couple runs off the quad by myself.



When I came in Junior was ready to ski but DB was still eating and wanted a hot chocolate. I let Junior go out for some solo runs while I hung out with his little brother. Once he was done eating, Dangerboy took his hot chocolate walking and we went upstairs to find Camp. It was very cool to finally meet him. I would have stuck around for a beer or three but there was more skiing to do. We went and collected Junior and hopped on the shuttle to Chair 5.



That side was pretty cool. We were able to hunt up a few pockets of fresh snow since the crowds were all on the other side.



There are a few odd things about Greek. I remember seeing a Stop sign on one of the trails the first time I visited and there are other bits of things borrowed from traffic control technology. For instance:



Then I saw a sign that said something like “raise the bar when you reach the green light” or something like that. I was confused but then I spotted this right before the top of Chair 5.



It was pretty harmless - I just found it odd. Another thing I noticed is that all the lifties wear helmets - either ski helmets or plain old hardhats. That’s probably a good idea even though you don’t see it at other resorts. After a while cruising around the Chair 5 side, we headed back so Dangerboy could hit some jumps. He didn’t get very high but he had fun.



Anyway, we had a great time. Greek is a cool ski hill with a lot of terrain variety for a place with relatively little vertical. There’s a lot of complaining about the place from some locals in the Greek conditions thread but I found the place to be in good shape and well run for the most part. There was a five minute line on the quad at lunchtime for instance. Junior and I both did a few solo runs around that time and we agreed that it was really nothing compared to what we would deal with at other resorts. We regularly see much worse lines at Belle, Windham, Mount Peter and of course Stratton. The rest of the lifts were pretty much ski - on all day and the trails were not crowded at all. It’s true that Lift 4 wasn’t running and that is frustrating but we were still able to have a great day without it.

Anyway, it doesn’t necessarily make sense for us to drive 3+ hours to ski Greek. There are a lot of bigger mountains within that range - Plattekill, Magic and Gore to name a few. Still, I’d be willing to bet we’ll be back before too long.

That New York country side sure is pretty with a coat of white on it and some sunshine.

Greek looks pretty nice imho. I always wanted to visit there when I was a kid but it’s hard to justify the treck from Jersey. Good pics brownski.

Nice report! I enjoyed reading it and looking at the pictures.

I don't believe camp even skis anymore. Pics or it didn't happen!

MC2 5678F589 wrote

I don't believe camp even skis anymore. Pics or it didn't happen!

There must be a pic. Hell I'd take a shot of him in the bar with his boots on!



I agree with RA about the country side. From far up the hill in that hideaway the view is really cool.

Nice one brownski.

The Indy Pass people must be very happy with this series -- your tour is using the pass exactly how it was intended: families checking out ski areas that they may otherwise pass over for the larger hills that are part of Ikon or Epic.

nice report

i skied at a PSIA clinic there a long time ago and have good memories of the place

It's on the internet so it must be true!!
Cool to meet you and DB, Broski. Thanks for taking the time to come up and say Hi.
I was hoping you guys would be there for first chair. That's how I like to ski. I was on the chair with SP at 815, by 10 I was home and switching gears.
Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves here in the Valley. Hope you come back soon for those beers!!

Harvey wrote

I agree with RA about the country side. From far up the hill in that hideaway the view is really cool.

Looks like a nice time, great report!

I have such great memories of skiing with with my family at Greek, looking forward to getting back in a few weeks

Nice report Brownski!  You definitely experienced some of the great aspects of the place.  It really is the best that CNY has to offer.

OK I just read this and it's awesome.

Brownski wrote

=

Tell Dangerboy... it's a good handle for a bro who wants to run with the big dogs in the pow down the sides.

Nice to see pictures of G.P.

Great report. Looks like a fun place to ski.

Yeah, the folks around the area are lucky to have Greek there. It’s a cool place