Jan 17, 2013 — The snowpack in the Adirondacks took a big hit with this weekend's rain and 50-plus-degree temperatures. But before the thaw arrived, ski conditions in the Adirondack backcountry were about as good as they can be.

Chris Knight traveled with Adirondack Daily Enterprise outdoors writer Mike Lynch to southern Essex County for a trip into Hoffman Notch, a popular ski tour in the central Adirondacks.

There are two approaches to the trail through the notch. Chris and Mike skied from the southern end, about 10 miles outside of Schroon Lake. The northern starting point of the trail is on Blue Ridge Road in the town of North Hudson.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation completed a unit management plan for the 38,000-acre Hoffman Notch Wilderness last year. It includes proposals to add several miles of new trails and construct two new trailhead parking areas, several new tent sites and a lean-to.