SKIING ONE OF NEW YORK’S SMALLEST SKI AREA’S

With it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, my Whiteface pass was blacked out for the holiday, but I did have some other options for skiing after work. My Ikon Base Pass wasn’t blacked out, neither was my Jay Peak pass or my Smuggler’s Notch Bash Badge. Despite these options, I decided to head back to Beartown Ski Area, aka Clinton County, New York’s, greatest vertical ski area, for some quiet runs off the T-Bar.

It was a bluebird day at Beartown.

Riding the T-Bar.

I got to Beartown around 12:45 and there were only a few cars in the parking lot. My lift ticket was $21. It was pretty cold with temperatures in the single digits, but there wasn’t any wind so it didn’t feel too bad. Overall, it was a gorgeous sunny day.

Beartown has two lifts: a T-Bar and a Poma. There are 4 runs and the ski area offers 150 ft. of vertical. Today, just the T-Bar was spinning with access to Main Slope and North Slope. They were making snow on 1/2 Pipe, which as you may have guess has a little terrain park on it. Looking at the temperatures forecast for this week, this trail will probably be ready for next weekend.

Looking down Main Slope.

Looking down North Slope.

Coverage on Main Slope and North Slope was fantastic. Both runs were packed powder and there was still some corduroy to be found even though it was the afternoon. With sunny skies, the view in the distance of Lake Champlain, Jay Peak and Mount Mansfield was magnificent. I couldn’t help but take in the views every time I got off the T-Bar.

Mount Mansfield. This zoomed in iPhone picture doesn’t do it justice!

While I’m not blacked out at Whiteface tomorrow, I have floated the idea of skiing in Vermont. I need to return a Christmas gift to a store in Burlington and skiing in Vermont gives me a reason to do just that. Stay tuned.

-Lincoln