Celebrate Winter – Play in the Snow!

By Darryl Caron

Our winters are short and spring is just over a month away so get outside and make your own adventures. Many enthusiasts ignore the naysayers and celebrate winter with upstate New York activities, destinations, events and races.

It’s a great time to get outside, whether you cruise the wintery trails by ski, sled, snowshoe or fat bike, we have it all. Snow and ice are all around us, so get out for a couple of hours, a day trek or a weekend. Record or stream your favorite winter Olympic events to watch later, and go play in the snow!

Alpine Skiing – With dozens of ski centers and hundreds of combined ski trails, it is no wonder the Northeast boasts some of the best skiing and snowboarding. Plan a day at Whiteface, Gore, McCauley, Willard or other ski areas, and experience everything from gentle slopes to challenging steeps. Look for midweek savings and you’ll often have the slopes to yourself. It’s an ideal time for ski and stay lodging deals, great food/drink in local restaurants and more.

Visit your local ski shop or outfitter for mid-season sales on alpine and cross-country ski gear, plus clothing and accessories, ski demos for test drive, and ski tune-up specials. We’re gifted with many great retailers, including Adirondack Lakes & Trails, Alpine Sport Shop, Black Dog, High Adventure, High Peaks Cyclery, Inside Edge, Mountainman Outdoors, Play It Again Sports, St. Regis Canoe Outfitters – and shops at Garnet Hill, Lapland Lake and Willard.

Cross-Country Skiing – We’re blessed with many Nordic centers who offer hundreds of miles of groomed cross-country ski trails (and beautiful snowshoe trails) across our region – perfect cross-training for your favorite summer sport! 

For groomed and track set trails, visit Dewey, Garnet Hill, Lapland Lake, McCauley, Mt. Van Hoevenberg and Pineridge. Most are full-service ski centers with terrain for all abilities, ski/snowshoe sales/rentals, expert instruction, and welcoming staff members. The town of Inlet offers free groomed XC ski and snowshoe trails for all skill levels. As does Cole’s Woods, near Crandall Park in the city of Glens Falls, who even offers lighted trails for night skiing. In Greenfield, the Brookhaven Winter Park has free groomed XC ski and snowshoe trails, plus a full-service bar and restaurant.

Check out the NYSSRA-Nordic series, including the Garnet Hill Winter Fest Nordic Ski Races at North River on Feb. 20. All are welcome to participate with 3K/9K citizens (fun) races and 9K NYSSRA races, plus fabulous prizes and great food. The 42nd annual Winona Forest (aka Tug Hill) Tourathon classical ski races are in Mannsville on Feb. 12, with 12.5K, 25K and 50K distances – again, all skill levels welcome. If touring is more your speed, try a guided ski or snowshoe trek with High Peaks Cyclery or St. Regis Canoe Outfitters – both offer rentals, instruction and shuttles. The Adirondack Mountain Club also offers introductory courses and workshops.

Snowshoeing – You can snowshoe through local preserves, beautiful state parks, or hike the Adirondack backcountry (depending on the destination, your ability and preparedness). Two local manufacturers, Dion and NeviTREK Snowshoes, locally based in Pownal, Vt., offer tough, lightweight and adaptable snowshoes for running, hiking and walking.

The popular Dion WMAC Snowshoe race series is ongoing with Brave the Blizzard in Guilderland on Feb. 13, Camp Saratoga 8K in Wilton on Feb. 19, and Garnet Hill 5K in North River on March 6. Dion Snowshoes rentals are available at all races for only $5 – give it a try, these running-specific snowshoes are tapered to allow for a natural running stride!

Ice Climbing – Have you always wanted to try ice climbing but don’t know how or didn’t have the right equipment? High Peaks Mountain Guides have trips for climbers of all levels of experience and ability. Introductory, one-day courses offer ice climbing equipment and safety as well as practical experience for climbing moderately angled snow and ice terrain.

Ice Skating – There are plenty of options to skate outdoors, including the newly renovated Olympic Speedskating Oval in the heart of Lake Placid, skating rink at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, and Empire State Plaza in Albany. More and more lakes now have plowed skating lanes, including Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort and Mirror Lake in Lake Placid with its two-mile loop. If no or low snow, lakes or ponds with safe ice can be ideal for skating in the wild – including Lake George and Lake Champlain.

Speed skating is the fastest human-powered sport, and you can learn to skate with the legendary Saratoga Winter Club. They have sessions on Tue/Thu, Feb 1, 3, 8, 10, 15 (contact them for more opportunities). All ages/levels are welcome and skates are included. 

Fat Biking – More cyclists are riding the ATV of bicycles year-round to have fun on the groomed trails, get a great workout, and maybe escape spinning indoors on the trainer. The low air pressure adds some dampening of bumps, adding stability and traction. It’s also very social as group rides are at a slower pace in the snow. Grey Ghost Bicycles and High Peaks Cyclery have fat bike rentals available.

Join the sixth annual Saratoga Fat Bike Rally at Saratoga Spa State Park on Feb. 12. The grassroots founders and Grey Ghost Bicycles have partnered with Common Roots Foundation to support local wellness and environmental efforts, and assist those in need. Fun events include the Gauntlet race, Rally ride, and Cupid’s Arrowhead couple ride. For something different and fun, attend the popular Winona Forest IditaFAT race/ride on March 5 and SnowFatShu (snowshoe and fat bike duathlon) on March 6 – aka “the festival of flakes.”

Tubing and Kick Sledding – For those who just can’t get enough time on the slopes or would rather go down the hill sitting down, try tubing at Willard or tobogganing at the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute, day or evening. 

For something completely different, check out kick sledding – it’s gaining traction nationwide and is now becoming local. It’s easier for some people to do who can’t XC ski and it is good exercise. Human Power Planet Earth in Saranac Lake is a kick sled vendor that’s drawing people into the activity – and they offer sales and rentals. There’s little to no learning curve, it’s an activity young families can participate in, and you can use them on multiuse trails, state parks, and icy bodies of water. 

With the President’s Week holiday, there are plenty of winter activities. For outings, races and festivals, see the Calendar of Events listings in this issue. The snow and ice will be gone before we know it, so get outside and enjoy it now!