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Whiteface Re-opens this Weekend and Gore Opens for the Season

November 21st, 2012 · No Comments · Adirondack News

Whiteface - Lake Placid Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington, N.Y. is slated to re-open for the 2012-’13 season Friday, Nov. 23, with three trails (Upper Valley, Lower Valley, and Fox) and one lift, the Facelift quad.

Whiteface boasts the East’s greatest vertical drop, and for 20 consecutive years, readers of Ski Magazine have tabbed Whiteface Lake Placid, N.Y. as the number-one destination for Off-Hill Activities. Whiteface, Wilmington and Lake Placid also received high marks from the magazine’s readers for its scenery (#3), resort dining (#3), après ski (#3), challenging terrain (#7) and mountain character (#8).

Whiteface Lake Placid was also chosen by SnowEast Magazine readers as the East’s Destination Village. The publication’s readers also tabbed Whiteface Lake Placid New York State’s Favorite Ski Resort and the East’s Most Scenic Resort.

Lift ticket prices this holiday weekend are $39 for adults, teens and seniors and only $25 for junior skiers and riders. As always children six and under ski for free.

Trails and lifts are subject to change this holiday weekend. Please log on to www.whiteface.com before coming to the mountain for the latest conditions.

Gore Mountain, in North Creek, N.Y., is also slated to open for the season, Friday. Gore, home to 2,537 vertical feet and the most skiable acreage in New York State, will open with six trails (Ruby Run, Foxlair, Sunway, Quicksilver, 3B and Jamboree) and the gondola.

Readers of Ski Magazine also tabbed Gore as one of the East’s top-10 mountains for value, lifts and overall satisfaction. Early season rates, through Dec. 14, are $52 for adults, $43 for teens and seniors and $29 for juniors.

For the most up to date conditions, visit www.goremountain.com.

Belleayre was slated to open Saturday, however; due to temperature inversions the past few nights, the mountain has been unable to continue blowing enough snow to reach its goal of opening this weekend. Belleayre will resume snowmaking as soon as conditions allow and will open soon after.

Tags: essex county·gore mountain·lake placid·north creek·ski·warren county·whiteface·wilmington

DEC Completes Trail to Ridge of Jay Mountain

October 23rd, 2012 · No Comments · Adirondack News

Trail Provides Easier and Safer Access to the Mountain’s Summit

NYSDEC Logo The newly constructed 2.5-mile trail to the western end of the Jay Mountain Ridge is complete and available for public use, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director Robert Stegemann announced today. The trail bypasses the steep and eroded sections of an existing “herd path” that had been the primary access to mountain’s summit.

“DEC is pleased to provide another high-quality recreational opportunity in the Adirondacks for hikers,” said Director Stegemann. “The new Jay Mountain trail is safer and easier to hike and will allow more people to hike to the summit and enjoy the views. It should also serve to attract more visitors to the nearby communities of Jay, Elizabethtown, Keene and Keene Valley.”

The Jay Mountain Trail starts at a new trailhead at the intersection of Jay Mountain Road and Upland Meadows Road in the town of Jay. The new trailhead is located on Forest Preserve lands approximately 300 feet downhill from where the old herd path entered the woods and offers parking for up to five cars.

At the end of the new trail, a short spur trail to the north leads to an overlook that provides a spectacular 360 degree scenic view. The High Peaks, Whiteface Mountain, Ausable River Valley, Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont can all be seen. There are some rough sections of trail that DEC will be working to improve in the future.

Hikers can continue along the ridgeline, following rock cairns, for approximately 1.5 miles to the summit of Jay Mountain. The ridgeline is largely open and provides numerous opportunities to enjoy the surrounding scenery.

DEC contracted with the Student Conservation Association’s Adirondack Program and the Adirondack Mountain Club’s (ADK) Professional Trail Crew to build the trail with DEC staff. The trail work was funded by the Environmental Protection Fund and a generous donation from ADK’s Hurricane Mountain Chapter.

The new trailhead was constructed by the Town of Jay Highway Department, with additional work by inmate crews from the Department of Correctional Services Moriah Shock Camp and DEC staff.