Know Before You Go

New York Ski Trip Planning

By Collin Parsons

When New York State began reopening after the NY Pause order last spring, outdoor recreation dramatically increased in popularity. After many weeks indoors, people wanted to enjoy safe, socially distant activities. Trails, lakes and roads were busy with outdoor sports and recreation enthusiasts, beaches and state parks saw high demand, and there were even shortages of various equipment and clothing. 

Even though the weather is colder now, there are still many opportunities for outdoor recreation in the Capital-Saratoga Region and Adirondacks. The region’s ski resorts are open for another season, offering fresh air, scenic views, and plenty of acreage to spread out.

As is the case with all other industries that have reopened, New York State established guidelines to ensure the safe operation of ski resorts. These are in place across all of the ski centers. Indoor lodge capacity is reduced by 50%. Masks are required, except when skiing or riding, or eating or drinking while seated. Lift capacity is reduced and guests ride with their group only, except on lifts that seat four or more people, where two single riders may be paired.  

Several improvements were also made at Gore and Whiteface. Gore Mountain replaced two aging lifts with brand new quad chairs. The Sunway lift serves beginner and intermediate terrain near the main base area, and features a conveyor-assisted load. In the vicinity of the new lift, improvements were made to Gore’s novice terrain. The Sunway beginner trail was widened near the top of the lift to reduce crowding. The old Cutoff intermediate trail was widened and regraded to be green-rated, and is now called Pete’s Paradise. 

Near the summit, the High Peaks lift extends further up the mountain than the old lift, ending at the true summit. It is accompanied by widening of the Cloud intermediate trail it runs adjacent to. Gore also made significant upgrades to their snowmaking system to open more terrain faster and improve snow conditions.

Further north, at Whiteface, a brand-new Legacy Lodge at Mid-Station was built to replace the lodge that was destroyed by a catastrophic fire on November 30, 2019. Whiteface continues to invest in the next generation of skiers, with further upgrades to the Bear Den Mountain learning center. This year, the old triple chair was replaced with a new quad chair that features conveyor-assisted loading. 

The Cloudsplitter Gondola, originally installed in 1999, was overhauled with 60 new, eight-person cabins and electrical upgrades to ensure a smoother ride and more reliable, high-speed operation.

While ticket sales may be limited at the larger resorts, particularly on weekends and holidays, they are not the only ski areas in the region. These ski centers may have more available tickets, particularly on the weekends: Willard Mountain near Greenwich, West Mountain in Queensbury, Oak Mountain in Speculator, Royal Mountain in Caroga Lake, McCauley Mountain in Old Forge, Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam, Titus Mountain in Malone, Woods Valley in Westernville, and Snow Ridge in Turin.

These resorts are all welcoming for adults and families, and offer great skiing and snowboarding – and many have lights for night skiing and tubing parks – for both locals and visitors alike. Advance ticket purchase is still recommended.

South of Albany, Hunter Mountain in Hunter, Windham Mountain in Windham, Plattekill Mountain in Roxbury, Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, and Catamount Mountain in Hillsdale offer good skiing and may have available tickets.

To learn more about all New York ski areas, visit: iskiny.com. This winter, get outdoors and visit one of the many ski resorts in the region. A fun and safe experience awaits.

Collin Parsons (colpar22@gmail.com) of Saratoga Springs is an avid skier. You can find him on the slopes of Gore and Whiteface all winter.