Determined to make the most of my frequent skier card, I set out on another two day snowboarding adventure, around 5:30 Thursday morning. Once again, the traffic gods granted a clean get away off Long Island and out of the Metro-area. It was 18 degrees when I got into the car and it only got colder, as I pressed Northward. By the time I arrived at Belleayre, the temperature (according to my car, at least) was 13 degrees! I added an extra layer or two, and was on the mountain by 8:45.

It wasn’t long before it began to snow, and that would continue intermittently, throughout the day, though any accumulation could not have been more than a couple of inches. Still, the conditions had improved tremendously, since my previous visit, back before Christmas. There were more trails open and they were all in pretty good shape. The layering, worked well enough that I don’t recall ever feeling “cold”, despite the fact that it never got warmer than the mid-twenties. With a protein bar on the Gondola, acting as lunch, I kept up the continuous boarding (does “riding” sound better?) until almost 2:30pm. As I pointed the CRV out of the Overlook parking lot and back toward Interstate 87, I was feeling great about my day. I even remembered to stop at the Woodstock Brewing, on Route 28, to pick up some beverages (I had absent mindedly driven past the place more than once, in the past).

It felt strange to get to the Thruway, after a day of snowboarding, and head north, instead of south. But north it was, as I had a reservation at the Fairfield Inn, in Queensbury. I admit to underestimating how tired I was and how long the ride from Belleayre to Queensbury, would take (more than two hours). When I arrived, just ahead of darkness, I could think only of some kind of dinner (of course, beverage included) and a hot shower. After fueling up, I spied a McDonald’s within a stone’s throw and decided that was just the ticket (I cannot remember the last time I had Mickey D’s). Those cheeseburgers never tasted so good and yes, the beer was also good.

I woke yesterday feeling surprisingly spry and definitely, well rested. I went to the old stand by, a “peanut butter sandwich” and a couple of Georgio’s pour overs, for breakfast. Reasonably fortified, I hit the road at 7:30, as planned. The first fifteen minutes, were back on the Thruway, and the road was a bit treacherous, due to some overnight snow accumulation. At 26 degrees, it felt almost balmy. Once off the Thruway, it was a painfully slow ride through the town of Warrensburg, before things opened up travelling west, toward Gore Mountain. Having never been there before, I was hopeful and excited.

The forty five minute ride, would prove to be well worth it. Gore is a big mountain with lots of lifts and lots of trails of all types! Moderate to heavy snow fell throughout the day, especially on the upper parts of the mountain, augmenting the already very good conditions, with a nice layer of fresh snow on top. With very little ice to be found (only the steepest pitches were unable to hold the snow to the surface), it felt great to be quietly gliding down the trails, often with nobody else around. Gore is really three separate areas, and it takes some paying attention to navigate between them . I spent most of my time exploring the terrain on the upper portion of the mountain. I was never bored and really felt great, all day. By 1pm or so, I decided to head for the lower sections which have some nice wide intermediate trails. Perfect for my fast fatiguing legs. By 2:30, I knew it was time to call it a day – a Great Day, at that!

Scenes from a Great Day at Gore!

After getting changed at the car and getting ready for the four plus hour drive home, I was somehow both energized and spent, at the same time. I wondered, how was it that I had never been to Gore before? It is far away and a bit off the beaten path, but I think I may prefer it to Whiteface, especially since the Covid restrictions seem to limit Whiteface more. Debi and I have been thinking of going for a few days in February. Perhaps we will go to Gore! Either way, I plan on returning there, sooner rather than later.