Some more ADK news for the powder hounds

[MikeK]

http://www.mountainonline.com/fighting-backcountry/

Like the idea - don't like the article.

A couple points:

There are more than 9.5 miles of ski trails in the Adirondacks - I skied more mileage than that last weekend and everything I skied was marked as ski trail. I think this perhaps points to specific downhill trails or ski only trails (although that would include the Jackrabbit which is much longer). Whales tail and Wright come to mind.

Ron Kon has skied all the 46. So all the highest peaks are skiable if one is motivated enough to do so. Some of the 46 are non-marked herd paths yet I can't even imagine skiing some of the wider, marked routes. I read somewhere that Ron had to be a bit creative in finding paths up and down.

BC skiing isn't going to blow up the economy. It surely will help, but it's the same old thing you read with every Adirondack proposal. Still snowmobiles are the main source of winter income.

Getting this through requires an Amendment to the NYS constitution. It's not groundbreaking, it's been done many times - but it's a long process.

Who is going to maintain all these glades? The amount of blowdown that happens vs. the amount acreage for a single glade vs. the people willing to volunteer to do this is a shaky proposition. The state surely won't put the resources forth to maintain such a thing.

All in all it's probably not as bad an environmental impact as backcountry campsites. We (I surely partake in this) clear downed wood for fires all throughout the year except in the Eastern High Peaks, where they maintain the fire ban. There may be some long term impact as I'd imagine that decayed deadfall contributes to the soil and replenishes what is eroded by rain... but I'm just grasping for straws there.

[MikeK]

Great news! A new ski trail opened in the central Adirondacks! And a lovely lady even helped design it

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/ ... udson.html

[MikeK]

Great news! A new ski trail opened in the central Adirondacks! And a lovely lady even helped design it

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/ ... udson.html

Not really applicable to the powder hounds but fun none-the-less I skied this trail yesterday.

It was a ton of fun. Lots of ups and down, even some spots to make some turns along the way. I skied it counter-clockwise as suggested but I feel it would be more fun clockwise. There's a longish, low grade hill that was once a logging road that is steep enough to make turns on and then the trail cuts off into some more narrow single track with short, steeper drops and obstacles where you definitely would need to control the skis. Coming up that way was OK, required side stepping one short spot which was a PITA because of blowdown and little sticker trees, but would be more fun coming down (just bomb it through the trees and do a couple turns at the bottom). There are some other wider or easier downhill runs the way I went.