ALPINE SKIING & SNOWBOARDING

Small, Locally Owned Ski Areas

Strive to Offer Outdoor Adventure in Friendly, Affordable Settings

By Eric Vohr

Night skiing at West Mountain in Glens Falls. Courtesy of West Mountain

As ski season approaches, we are usually bombarded with information on the big eastern resorts. That’s fine if you are all about dropping the big bucks, fighting the crowds and muscling your way though the out-of-state SUV owners who are all scrambling to be seen in their latest $1,000 ski and snowboard fashions.

But before there were high-speed quads and Bogner matching his-and-her ski outfits, the Northeast was full of small locally owned ski areas that offered one thing and one thing alone: pure, unadulterated skiing.

Most of the small resorts in Vermont and New Hampshire have closed shop. But for some wonderful reason, many of the little mountains in New York state continue to offer that roots ski and riding experience that is the veritable backbone of the sport.

These unique and special places provide fun at reasonable prices. With trails from beginner to expert, they have terrain and services (including rentals and ski school) for everyone. After your runs, get warm and nourished in their lodges.

Titus Mountain, Malone, opened in late November with snowmaking, night skiing and tubing. Two triple chairs, five double chairs and two handle tows service Titus’ 1,200 vertical feet and 26 trails. Look for an even distribution of easy to expert trails, a terrain park and a half pipe.

Mount Pisgah, Saranac Lake, is scheduled to open this month with snowmaking, night skiing, tubing, five trails and 300 feet of vertical. A T-bar services the intermediate terrain.

McCauley Mountain, Old Forge, was scheduled to open earlier this month with 21 trails, 633 feet of vertical, snowmaking, a terrain park and tubing. A double chair, two T-bars, two rope tows and one pony tow service McCauley’s intermediate terrain.

Oak Mountain, Speculator, is scheduled to open Dec. 14. Oak has snowmaking, 650 feet of vertical, three T-bar lifts and 13 trails. The terrain leans toward intermediate and easy.

Hickory Mountain, Warrensburg, is scheduled to open this month, depending on Mother Nature’s plans. Hickory has 1,200 feet of vertical, one T-bar, one rope tow and two Poma lifts servicing 15 trails — more than half of which are black diamonds.

West Mountain, Glens Falls, is scheduled to open Dec. 7 with 1,010 feet of vertical, snowmaking, tubing and night skiing. The 22 trails are serviced by one triple chair, two double chairs, two rope tows and two tube tows. Terrain hovers around the intermediate range.

Willard Mountain, Greenwich, is scheduled to open Dec. 6, with 14 trails, 505 feet of vertical, snowmaking, a terrain park and night skiing. Willard has a double chair, T-bar and two handle tows servicing intermediate terrain.

Maple Ski Ridge, Rotterdam, features snowmaking, night skiing, tubing, seven trails, a terrain park and 300 feet of vertical. The mountain is scheduled to open this month and has a triple chair, a double chair and a handle tow servicing intermediate terrain.

Royal Mountain, Caroga Lake, is scheduled to open this month with 14 trails, 550 feet of vertical, a terrain park and snowmaking. Two double chair lifts and one T-bar service the intermediate terrain.

Val Bialas, Utica, has night skiing, a double chair lift and a T-bar servicing 400 feet of vertical. Val Bialas is scheduled to open this month and offers a free lesson with each ski pass and is the site of the annual Utica Snowfari celebration (Feb. 8).

Woods Valley, Westernville, is scheduled to open this month with snowmaking, night skiing, 11 trails, a terrain park and 500 feet of vertical. The mountain has two double chair lifts and a T-bar servicing intermediate terrain.

Snow Ridge, Turin, opened in late November and offers 22 trails, 500 vertical feet, snowmaking, night skiing, half pipe and a terrain park. Four double chair lifts, two T-bars and a rope tow service intermediate to expert terrain.

Dry Hill, Watertown, is scheduled to open this month with snowmaking, night skiing, tubing, seven trails, a terrain park and 300 feet of vertical. The mountain has a double chair lift, a T-bar and a handle tow servicing mostly intermediate and beginner terrain.

Ski Plattekill, Roxbury, is scheduled to open Dec. 14. The mountain features a 1,100-foot vertical drop with four lifts and a pony tow, including a new double for this year. Terrain includes 35 trails, a terrain park, snowmaking and tubing. Expect to see a good range of difficulties including some double diamond trails.

Catamount, Hillsdale, opened in late November with 1,000 vertical feet, snowmaking, night skiing, a half pipe and a terrain park. The intermediate terrain includes 28 trails serviced by four double chair lifts, one midstation chair lift, two handle tows and one J-bar.

Butternut Basin, Great Barrington, MA, has 22 trails, snowmaking, a terrain park and 1,000 feet of vertical. The mountain is scheduled to open this month with one quad chair, one triple chair, four double chairs, one rope tow and one Poma lift servicing intermediate terrain for skiers and snowboarders.

Bousquet, Pittsfield, MA, opened in late November and offers 21 trails, snowmaking, night skiing, tubing, half pipe, a terrain park, and 750 feet of vertical. The intermediate terrain is serviced by two doubles and two surface lifts.

Otis Ridge, Otis, MA, is scheduled to open this month with snowmaking, night skiing, 11 trails and 400 feet of vertical. One double lift, three rope tows and one T-bar service the intermediate terrain.

Berkshire East, Charlemont, MA, is scheduled to open this month with snowmaking, night skiing, half pipe, a terrain park, 40 trails and 660 feet of vertical. One triple, two double lifts, one rope tow and one J-bar service the intermediate terrain.

Sure, the big mountains have the vertical, the pitch, high speed quads, top notch grooming and superior snowmaking, but those luxuries don’t come for free. You can expect to pay twice as much for a ticket at a big mountain that what you would pay at a smaller local mountain.

If you’re a beginner or want to take your kids out and show them the sport you love, there really is no good reason to spend that kind of money when you can get all the hill you’ll need at a smaller resort. Also expect to find a relaxed pace and friendly, down-home service — something everyone likes.

Eric Vohr (ericvohr@adelphia.net) lives in North Bennington, VT, and writes for Ski Magazine and Adventure Cyclist magazine. He also writes a ski and outdoor sports column that runs in newspapers throughout the Northeast.

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