Too Many Lost Ski Areas.

It's common knowledge to most of us that the ski industry has changed quite a bit in the past 50 years or so. Yet, it seems like way too often I discover some "lost ski area" within a hundred mile radius of my home. For years, I never even knew about the lost area in my own hometown Oneonta NY.





Every day as I drive to SUNY Delhi, I get a pretty clear view of the well loved, and well missed Bobcat Ski Center. I had never actually approached it up close, so today I went for a ride. What I saw nearly brought tears to my eyes. Ok, not really, but it was kind of sad to see. I was actually nervous by what I saw. At the base of the area were two sketchy trailers a few hundred yards from each other. It was clear that two different people were living there., and not  even taking care of their own home. My question is, what the hell are they doing there? And why are they there?  I wanted to go for a walk, and explore the area, but the land was clearly posted. It's crazy to think that just ten years ago it was a somewhat functional ski area. I can not be certain but it appears as though whoever owns it now is not a skier. I don't know if it's someone in the trailers or not.  Off in the distance I was shocked by the sight of a half a dozen or so snow cannons. Next to them was a groomer. They were too far away for a picture on my phone, but from what I could see, they were intact, and in decent shape. I want them. I headed back down the hill. And got a decent picture from the adjacent road.



It seems to be in a good location for snow considering the base elevation, and the Northern exposure. It seems like just about every town in upstate NY has one of these Ghost ski areas. There's quite a few them on the website known as the NY Lost Ski Area Project, and I've doscovered many that are not even on that list. I guess skiing requires huge mountains, fast lifts and prestigious lodges in order to have fun these days.

You passed even another lost area. On 28 when come down the hill before Gladstone road on the right , was another one. Not to sound , like you know, but back in the day you could see yellow towers and cut trails. I passed it many many times on the way into Andes or Bobcat. Poached it a couple of times in the middle 80s.
There was a Diner at the entrance road , long gone now like everything else. Look carefully at the ridge and you might make it whatever is left.

Ethan Snow wrote

I guess skiing requires huge mountains, fast lifts and prestigious lodges in order to have fun these days.

I don't think this is true. But I do think you need snowmaking. And that shit is expensive.

Agree that it's sad that there are fewer and fewer community ski areas. I grew up skiing Maple Ski Ridge, Willard and Big Tupper. Maple Ridge is fine as far as I know, but the other two are hanging on by threads. A small mountain can inspire young skiers in a way that big ski areas struggle to - small little nooks and crannies, not getting lost when you take runs without your parents, cool people that work there who like their jobs. Small ski areas are the future. I wish I owned one.

If you hit the big time and buy Tupper or whatever, I hope you will let me help in some way.

You can do all of my marketing... Draw all the people to my bikini bump contests.

Narrow trails, a few without snowmaking, wall to wall trees, and I'm in, as a volunteer. Unless you are off the charts loaded, then you know, maybe some coin coming my way.


Thanks for the post Ethan. Does suck that Bobcat is gone.  

Plattekill baby. Support the hill.

Ethan

You ought to search the tax record at the town hall.  The town clerk I'm sure could tell you who owns the land.  Maybe you could buy a snow gun or the cat cheap for your own hill.

Ethan Snow wrote

At the base of the area were two sketchy trailers a few hundred yards from each other. It was clear that two different people were living there., and not  even taking care of their own home. My question is, what the hell are they doing there? And why are they there?

From March 2013:
http://forum.nyskiblog.com/Bobcat-and-Plattekill-NY-03-24-13-td4026872.html

i went up to the base a couple of years ago in the fall looking to hike the hill and check it out and as soon as i rolled up to the end of the road a few people from the house next door came out and inquired as to what i was doing and letting me know that it was private property. the main run seems pretty nice but it also seemed like they would press the point, and even more so now. there are, however, a number or shuttered areas in mid-state ny that are less territorialized and therefore more poachable though- just have to do some research.......and pray for snow.

After moving from Nyack to Rockaway NJ when I was 9 years old I started skiing at this little 250 vert hill that was 5 miles up the road from my house. It's no longer in operation. I remember my first Thursday after school night skiing there. I remember taking a basic first day lesson on a snowmaking pile and after that a friend talked me into going for a run. I still remember that moment looking down the hill, filled with fear and thinking that it looked HUGE! It wasn't much but it was everything to us local kids and it installed a life time of passion in a lot of us. Feeder areas had that impact, it's a shame that they can't really survive in todays market.

http://www.gondyline.com/craigmeur.php

Found some pics of Bobcat in its heyday. Probulary somewhere in the mid to late 70s. Check out parking lot.
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I have so many great memories of that place as a kid.

Great pix from before they rebranded it as Bobcat.

saw this and thought it might interest those that are into Lost ski areas

http://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=564

@ Raising Arizona, that little place in Rockaway was Craigmeur, it's like 10 miles from where I live.  When the opened, they also had a ski jump, but it burned down.

Below is a photo of one of the trails at the Snow Bowl in Jefferson NJ.  Open for a few years in the 1970s, it closed due to uncooperative weather.  I used to train there regularly.

Awesome. Bear Mountain's ski jump was still there (in pieces though) last time I hiked up there, which was probably fifteen years now that I think about it. Maybe it's time to go back.

In addition to the ski jump at Craigmeur that burned, there was a ski jump off Green Pond Rd, built by the Odin Ski Club.  Back in the late 40s, 50s and early 60s, it was a big deal.  One of these days, I'd like to go to the Satre ski jumps in CT to watch a tournament.

Like others in this thread, I find it distressing that little ski hills like Snow Bowl, Craigmeur etc have gone out of business.

I remember riding my bike or hiking to that old ski jump. It was near the house I grew up in in Lake Telemark.

I completely forgot about that until reading your post.

I have many fond memories of skiing Bobcat.  When I first started skiing there they would not let us ski in the woods.  Shortly before closing for good, they allowed and even encouraged glade skiing,  My last day there, they had 18" of fluffly blower lake effect snow.  When we got to the top, the ski patrol dropped the rope and said:  "Would you like first tracks?"  Of course I accepted this offer and had one of my most memorable ski runs in the east.  It was Utah like powder.  If my memory serves me correctly, Bobcat was a family run ski area and both the father and son died within a few years of each other and the family decided to shut it down.  It was an awesome ski area with a great vibe and very friendly locals.  They do not allow access any more and poaching is out of the question.  It reminds me a lot of Plattekill minus the steeps.  The narrow, twisty trails were a nice diversion from all of the homogenized trails found at the larger ski areas.  Maybe we could start a "Go Fund Me" page and raise enough money to purchase it.  I vote for Ethan to be the general manager and the NY Ski Forum membders could supply help to get this place back on its feet again.  A sad loss to the NYS Ski Community.  

Matt

I'm in

ka2kci wrote

 Maybe we could start a "Go Fund Me" page and raise enough money to purchase it.  I vote for Ethan to be the general manager and the NY Ski Forum membders could supply help to get this place back on its feet again.  

That would be cool and even somewhat possible nowadays. Ethan would rock it as GM. Perfect idea.

I thought Bobcat had terrain similar to Hickory ? Read that somewhere.  Also read it gets dumps we don't get up here.

Anyone have even a guess as to what BobCat is worth ?