News stories tagged with "skiing"

(12/16/11) For those in the skiing business, this year's relatively warm temperatures and lack of snow are spelling trouble. Ski areas typically open around Thanksgiving and when there's no snow on the ground, they make it.

But it's been too warm for snowmaking. Ideally, it should be about 10 degrees. So many areas in the northeast have been forced to delay opening. Others have been operating at reduced capacity. And that's hurting the bottom line. more

(12/07/11) Seventy years ago today, a group of young skiers climbed Whiteface Mountain to build the first racing shelter at the top of what is now known as Wilderness Trail. Later that day, they came down the mountain to find out that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese. Many went on to join the military in the early years of World War Two.

Whiteface will honor the men on Sunday with a special ceremony that will include lectures and historical displays. While most of those pioneers of alpine skiing on Whiteface and that fateful day are gone, their stories and memories live on through their children and friends. Todd Moe has more.

(06/06/11) The state Olympic Regional Development Authority may add a third downhill ski center to its venues before the winter season.

ORDA officials are reportedly in talks to take over operation of Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in the Catskills.

Chris Knight reports. more

(03/11/11) As rain and sleet and mud make us pine away for spring, let's take a moment to acknowledge what we've had - more than two months of a snow-covered landscape, an opportunity to scoot out for a cross-country ski pretty much anytime, anywhere.

In Canton, loads of skiers take advantage of the St. Lawrence University golf course for a quick trek. It's right in North Country Public Radio's backyard. David Sommerstein has this appreciation of the lunchtime ski.

NOTE: As alert listeners have told me, the cross-country ski trails are maintained by volunteer Pete Ames, chief engineer at the Best Western, on his own time. Thanks a million, Pete!

(11/26/10) Whiteface Mountain ski center in Wilmington will open for its 53rd season today. Snow guns have been making snow at the Olympic mountain since mid-November. Whiteface is scheduled to have three trails open for skiiers and snowboarders today. Chris Knight visited the mountain earlier this week and talked to officials from the state Olympic Regional Development Authority, which runs Whiteface, about the upcoming ski season.

(04/30/10) The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has awarded the village of Saranac Lake a $600,000 matching grant for a new T-bar lift and trail system at the village-run Mount Pisgah Ski Center. Saranac Lake Mayor Clyde Rabideau made the grant announcement at a press conference in the Mount Pisgah ski lodge. Supporters say the grant will help turn the ski center into a year-round recreational facility. Todd Moe has more.

(04/05/10) As ski center managers in the Adirondacks close the books on another winter season, some are reporting an increase in skier visits and revenue. Others say they've had about the same or fewer numbers of visitors compared to last year. Chris Knight looks back on the winter of 2009-2010, including one of the biggest success stories of the winter - the reopening of two smaller, community-centered ski areas. more

(03/22/10) Many of the nation's top alpine skiers, including more than a dozen Olympians, are in the North Country to compete in the 2010 U.S. Alpine Championships at Whiteface Mountain, which got underway Saturday and continue today.

The roster of athletes includes Julia Mancuso, who won two silver medals at the Vancouver Winter Games, and 2006 Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety. But before they took to the slopes of Whiteface, a half-dozen members of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team visited Mount Pisgah, a small ski hill run by the Village of Saranac Lake, to ski with area kids and help raise funds for a new lift at the ski center. Chris Knight reports.

(02/26/10) Lake Placid plans a first Olympic celebration this afternoon at 4, starting near the Olympic Arena, to celebrate alpine skier Andrew Weibrecht's bronze medal in Super-G. There will be more celebrations once all the region's Olympic athletes come home from Vancouver, with Saranac Lake planning a parade on March 13th. The two Adirondack communities combined to produce ten percent of the total U.S. medals so far in Vancouver. Martha Foley has more.

(01/26/10) The skis and snowboards are back on the rack for a few days, while we suffer through a January thaw. But it's been a pretty great season in the North Country so far, with good snow conditions on the slopes. While there's no shortage of eager skiers and snow-boarders this winter, a debate continues about the safety gear they wear. Helmets used to be rare, used mostly by downhill racers. But head protection is growing more popular. And some advocates say helmets should be mandatory at least for children. Brian Mann has our story.