I ditched instructing at the mountain this past weekend for a short trip to the Adirondacks. Despite a delay for the bad road conditions (I drive an Intrepid until I can get an AWD), I got up there in once piece. I was meeting up with someone and went to a small hill called Royal Mountain, which is located right at the base of the Adirondacks in Fulton County, NY, only open on the weekends. It has less than 10 trails, but longer runs than the ones I’m used to cruising at Mt. Peter. They are just the right length for a little leg burn and keep it interesting. Royal has a few glades that I didn’t venture in for fear of my board, though I would have liked to try them. By the time I got there the powder was piled high and I had forgotten what it felt like to ride in it. I was knee deep in some spots and enjoying the quiet runs. We were riding with a local who gave us some background on the mountain and the rest of the area which is always nice. By the end of the day I was exhausted (hey, it’s only the start of the season) and I headed into the bar.
Day 2, Sunday, we were supposed to head up to Gore Mountain, in the heart of the Adirondacks, but with the second storm, it was too long a drive and the conditions were to good to pass up 15 minutes away. We also went sideways down a hill on the way there, so 2 1/2 hours wasn’t that enticing for a big mountain ride. The place was even less crowded the second day, probably less than 200 people and the powder was a little more packed than the previous day. Nice for cruising and it snowed all day! I was excited, but I was exhausted. Riding in powder is more effort than groomers.
I was a little disappointed for not getting to Gore, but I can’t really complain. With my AASI discount I got lift tickets, both days, for $17 apiece. So overall, a nice weekend and a new mountain!
Tags: adirondacks, powder, royal mountain, Snowboarding