TINY ski areas on EC

perskine77 wrote

I've skied Tuxedo Ridge, Mt. Peter, Campgaw, and Hidden Valley.  Camgaw by far is the smallest of the bunch in the NY/NJ area, it's also the worst for icing up.

My first ski area was Craigmeur in NJ. The rope tows were about 100 vertical feet. They claimed a generous 250 foot vertical after they installed a double.

I also spent a lot of time at Campgaw after conquering Craigmeur. For a couple of years, starting in 3rd grade, my parents dropped me off on Saturdays with some friends at 8:30am and picked us up at 4PM. There was some kind of morning lesson/lift ticket plan and I remember bringing lunch. I have great memories of those Saturdays.  

SnowSnake wrote

I learned to ski outside of Albany at Maple Ski Ridge, and before they installed their triple chairlift it was pretty darn small (not that it is big now)...

I also learned to ski at Maple Ski Ridge (and the triple was brand new, then). Other small-ish places I've skied: Royal, Willard, Pisgah, Dynamite Hill.

My son and I built a jump at the town park's sled hill and hiked it all day. This year we are looking to add a rail when it snows. Snowboarders are usually willing to hike small features and make backyard setups for tricks. We don't even need to make a turn to have fun.

Tiny one,s i have actually skied :

The St Lawrence University SnowBowl
Clarkson University Seven SPrings
Ogdensburg / st Lawrence state park Tbar
Val Bialyis  ski hill in Utica
Snow Ridge
Dry Hill
Nashoba Valley
Edelweiss Valley
Camp Fortune
Indian Lake t bar
And one old abandoned local "outlaw" 👿 hill in the Donnerville state forest here in NNY

I too learned to ski at Maple Ski Ridge. It was before they even had a chair lift only rope tows. I'm glad it's still open my grand daughter is learning to ski there now. This ski venture place just amazes me. You become a member take hill master training and they let you run the tows now that's cool.  

The apple orchard next to my house.  (14 boys gathered every night and weekend)   Guessing 125 vert.  We never turned, fell to stop and then walked up.    No adults ever watched or visited us, not once in years, very odd in hindsight.  2 pair of skis we would swap.  

For the first commercial site, that would be Indian Lake---Pennsylvania in Somerset county.   About 150 vert. that ended at the lake. A poma and rope tow. That frozen rope was hard to hold with wet cotton gloves!    I can remember asking myself why I thought this was fun as my hands froze and cramped each ride up.    This area is still a small scenic golf/lake resort, located about 3 miles from where Flt 93 crashed on 9/11.    If I recall, one run was actually quite steep.   I walked it a few years back...no memories erupted for me.  Likely due to the 40 yrs of under/over growth.  

Great tale Skiing.

x10003q wrote

 I have great memories of those Saturdays.

IMO, that's the cool part of this thread,,,, it's stirring up fond memories for everybody.

Dated a girl in High School who's dad had made a slope and rope tow in their back field. An old car up on blocks with the rope being spun by it's rims. Worked great. Maybe 150 ft of vert.

In Glens Falls back in the day, a local family had a backyard rope tow open to all and used by many. Kids could just knock on the back door and a person would reach out to plug in the lift for them. Simpler, " Norman Rockwell " times,

I first learned to ski at Dry Hill in Watertown.  Both my daughters have learned at Maple Ski Ridge.   Pictured below.  

First atempt at skiing, the hill on lake trail at greenwood park, maybe a 30-40 foot rise, cross country skis, would ski straight down and try to dona jump turn, usaly hit the snowbank instead of making the cornor

Next time was at song mountain on lower syormy and bunny hop, mybe 150'

Is Ski Venture still operating?  Long story short...my wife and I used to go on adventure drives and wound up on Ski Ventures's slopes.  Never skied there but it looked like a nice little place.

First time I went downhill skiing was at Campgaw in Mahwah NJ.  Did the bunny slope a few runs with my buddies, I was a sophomore in HS.  Went up to the top and came down really slow.  Second time got a little speed under my skis, buried both my tips in a snowboarder ice mound, when a$$ over teakettle and only one ski popped off.  The ski held up my legs so only my head/face was scraping down the ice.  I tore all the skin of the entire right side of my face, my chin, my forhead, and my nose.  Needless to say I was out there three days later again in a full mask looking like phantom of the opera lol.

sudsnbumps wrote

Is Ski Venture still operating?  Long story short...my wife and I used to go on adventure drives and wound up on Ski Ventures's slopes.  Never skied there but it looked like a nice little place.

Ski Venture is thriving.  We had a family membership for 2 seasons a couple years back.  In recent years there has been a waiting list to join (not sure about this year).  As Raymo mentioned above, members are trained to operate the rope tows.   The slopes are open to members 24/7, and there are lights for night skiing.  Membership is very inexpensive.  Here's a trip report from my first visit to Ski Venture, four years ago: Ski Venture, Feb 2011. There are links in the trip report to the club's website.  I can also provide the contact info for the club's president if anyone has any questions, just pm me. Ski Venture is probably the smallest (110' vert) area I've skied, but it is a lot of fun.

Thanks Jeff  I read the report.  In hindsight it would have been worth it when my kids were younger.  For those that have the info, was that place off Locust Grove Rd in Greenfield an official ski area and what is the vertical?  

Was the place in greenfield Alpine meadows?

sudsnbumps wrote

Thanks Jeff  I read the report.  In hindsight it would have been worth it when my kids were younger.  For those that have the info, was that place off Locust Grove Rd in Greenfield an official ski area and what is the vertical?

Raymo40 wrote

Was the place in greenfield Alpine meadows?

I think Suds is thinking of another smaller area, not Alpine Meadows.  And yes, Suds, it was an official ski area at one time.  It's now privately owned and the owner (Carter Yepsen) and his son have installed a rope tow and restored the area.  They run the tow for family and friends.  I can't remember the name of the original ski area, but it's in Jeremy Davis' "Lost Ski Areas of the Southern Adks" book (I'll look it up and post it later).  The vert can't be more than 100'.

Adk Jeff wrote

I can't remember the name of the original ski area, but it's in Jeremy Davis' "Lost Ski Areas of the Southern Adks" book (I'll look it up and post it later).  The vert can't be more than 100'.

Darrow's, located on Locust Grove Rd just outside of Saratoga Springs.  It operated from 1939 into the 1960s.  Carter Yepsen purchased the property later and restored the area in 2010 with a handle tow that came from Sunday River.  The area is private.  Ed Taylor was the founder in 1939, he sold his interest in the area around 1944 and went on to found Alpine Meadows.

^^Cliff notes from Jeremy Davis' book.  There's a chapter on Darrow's.

warp daddy wrote

Tiny one,s i have actually skied :

The St Lawrence University SnowBowl
Clarkson University Seven SPrings
Ogdensburg / st Lawrence state park Tbar
Val Bialyis  ski hill in Utica
Snow Ridge 
Dry Hill
Nashoba Valley
Edelweiss Valley
Camp Fortune 
Indian Lake t bar
And one old abandoned local "outlaw" 👿 hill in the Donnerville state forest here in NNY

I don't know about the others, but I've skied 3 of these areas. Yeck, I skied 40 times last season at Edelweiss. Although it is a small hill compared to the bigger hills, 200 meters (650 ft) isn't that small. Camp Fortune is 180m. Snow Ridge is definitely smaller than both. Based on what I recall (and my watch), I believe that Snow Ridge is 130m.

That is still much higher than the ski hills I've mentioned a few pages back.

I agree PAT with your analysis .

I forgot to list Vorlage which is smaller than both Fortune ( which i have  skied ) and Edelweiss.  Vorlage is rather tiny iIMHO , not Dry Hill or Nashoba Tiny  but small in terms of vert.  All of these places however provide a good deal fun for the price and have an important role in the development of the sport .

Anderland and Snow Crest were 2 tiny vert places in CNY, both before my time but my Dad skied them regularly. I did tube at Anderland as a kid tho, the skiing portion had shut down by that time. To this day you can still see the lift at Anderland.......I gawk at it every time I drive by.

Oddly enough I did a google search for Anderland and this popped up   http://nyskiblog.com/thatnyguy-russ-lachapelle/

campgottagopee wrote

Anderland and Snow Crest were 2 tiny vert places in CNY, both before my time but my Dad skied them regularly. I did tube at Anderland as a kid tho, the skiing portion had shut down by that time. To this day you can still see the lift at Anderland.......I gawk at it every time I drive by.

Oddly enough I did a google search for Anderland and this popped up   http://nyskiblog.com/thatnyguy-russ-lachapelle/

Thanks for the reminder about thatnyguy. That is a great article.