History, Natural History & the Arts
With the return of winter and a decent snowpack in the Adirondack backcountry, this is the perfect time to explore a new trail or area that you have never experienced before.
For this outing I chose the Powerhouse and Cascades Trails in the Historic Great Camps Special Management Area, which is part of the Blue Ridge Wilderness located in Raquette Lake, in Hamilton County, NY. [Read more…] about A Nordic Ski Adventure in Raquette Lake
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued an avalanche warning, advising backcountry downhill skiers, snowboarders, and all outdoor adventurers who may traverse slides or steep, open terrain in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks to be aware of and prepared for avalanche conditions.
Several avalanches have been reported in the High Peaks over recent weeks. Forecast weather will exacerbate existing conditions, making them even more prone to sliding. [Read more…] about Avalanche Warning Issued For Adirondack Mountains
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has advised backcountry users in the Adirondacks, especially the High Peaks region, of potential avalanche risk following mild temperatures and high winds. Avalanche danger increases during thaws when warmer weather and rain melt existing snowpack and snow becomes increasingly unstable as it undergoes freeze/thaw cycles. [Read more…] about Recent Avalanches A Reminder That Adirondacks’ Avalanche Risk Is High
Backcountry downhill skiers, snowboarders, and all outdoor adventurers who may traverse slides or steep, open terrain in the Adirondacks should be aware of and prepared for avalanche conditions, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has advised today. [Read more…] about Avalanche Risk Increased in the Adirondacks
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that backcountry downhill skiers, snowboarders, and others who may traverse slides or steep, open terrain in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks should be aware of and prepared for avalanche conditions.
The Adirondack Mountain Club has closed Adirondak Loj and the High Peaks Information Center, both at Heart Lake in the High Peaks, indefinitely over COVID concerns.
[Read more…] about Adirondack Avalanche Warning, Adirondak Loj, Information Center Closed
There is an annual tradition near the end of every ski season at Gore Mountain – a party sponsored by the Backwoods Ski Club for the workers and volunteers who make the season happen.
The Club provides a dinner buffet and beverages, and Club members mingle and merge with the lift operators, ski patrol members, ski instructors, snow makers, groomers, maintenance workers, concession and food service workers, office staff, and those who are constantly working to clean up the mess. [Read more…] about Gore Mountain’s Backwoods Ski Club: A Short History
Hal Burton. Arthur Draper. James Goodwin. These figures, each one an Adirondack legend, opened the area to winter skiing, from the backcountry ski trail on Wright Peak to the first downhill runs at Whiteface.
Not coincidentally, all three were members of the 10th Mountain Division, created in 1940 to provide the US Army with ski troops and soldiers who could fight an Alpine War.
The 10th would find glory in the Italian campaigns in the final months of World War II, as historian Maurice Isserman recounts in his new book, The Winter Army. [Read more…] about 10th Mountain Division and Adirondack Ski History