At Belleayre, you can almost always count on the blue groomers to be soft and the upper black mogul runs to be hard and icy. Today (cloudless and cold with a high of 10 degrees) was the exact opposite. Although the groomers weren't icy (by East Coast definition), they were crunchy with a bit of powder strewn on top. Meanwhile, upper bump runs like Chippewa, Tongora, Winnesook, and Seneca, were absolutely perfect: soft and powdery with perfect-sized moguls. Also, the woods were either lightly tracked in the on-map glades or knee-deep untouched in the unmarked trees.
I skied alone and had no one to shoot, so all I have are two scenics: one of upper WInnesook (which skied beautifully) and the other of the lower Seneca woods, which I pillaged repeatedly.
Mid-afternoon, I had a quick meeting with superintendent Tony Lanza. He confirmed what I heard on the lifts; that Belleayre had a great midweek, with snow every day, including a knee-deep Tuesday. Like all ski areas this season, they're battling a sluggish economy that continues to affect their day numbers. But what made me smile was the news that the 2,000-vert Cathedral Brook side-country run into Pine Hill will soon be serviced by a once-a-day bus pickup... a nice extra for Belleayre and something unavailable at other Catskill ski areas.
I skied alone and had no one to shoot, so all I have are two scenics: one of upper WInnesook (which skied beautifully) and the other of the lower Seneca woods, which I pillaged repeatedly.
Mid-afternoon, I had a quick meeting with superintendent Tony Lanza. He confirmed what I heard on the lifts; that Belleayre had a great midweek, with snow every day, including a knee-deep Tuesday. Like all ski areas this season, they're battling a sluggish economy that continues to affect their day numbers. But what made me smile was the news that the 2,000-vert Cathedral Brook side-country run into Pine Hill will soon be serviced by a once-a-day bus pickup... a nice extra for Belleayre and something unavailable at other Catskill ski areas.
.skiing solo tomorrow also
