End of the Season at Plattekill...

Heaven, that's what it looked like there at Plattekill on Saturday. Above the clouds. And it was heavenly too, but also bittersweet because Saturday was the penultimate day of skiing for the season. The hill was melting fast and for the mogul competition skiers had to ride over on an ATV fitted with ski racks. 

I have to say I'm still sad. Yeah, I've been playing tennis and cycling this week (and the end of the season is very good for my novel-in-progress), but that doesn't quite cut it. So, I leave you with these last parting shots. And some results of the bump competition too. I judged with Harvey Road of the NY Ski blog. I was on jumps. He was on style; Eli from the ski patrol manned the stopwatch. Top prize went to Ted Battesh from Sarasota Springs who got a season pass for 2012/13, and then second prize to Caleb Jensen and third to the awesome Joe Supp (brother of Elaine who is ranked in the top 3 nationally in boardercross and of Steve Supp, aka Vintage Skier Man, and his long skis). 

And for all who hoped Steve might compete – and come on a Saturday rather than his usual Sunday – a dapper gentleman in a pink button-down and long straight skis took to the bumps between competitors. He rocked quite a line, not a zipper, but the man had style. That shirt alone was a bold statement. 

I will miss you all till next year. Maybe we could even get a dumping of snow still. I've not put away my skis or poles yet. (Though we have planted broccoli, peas, spinach and chard... ). Oh and if anyone can tell me who that is rocking the bumps below send me a message, okay? Or just send me a message so we can shed tears about the end of the season....

Photo by Dick Sanford at the Catskill Mountain News

Photo by Dick Sanford.

Photo by Dick Sanford

Till Next Year... 

St Platty's Day

The Bar at Plattekill

There are plenty of things I love about Plattekill – steep vertical, chilled vibe, no lift lines... and the bar. They have 12 beers on tap – including local brews from Ommegang and The Davidson Bros' Dacker Ale, Ithaca Nut Brown Ale, but one fact sticks out to me on the beer front: They sell more Stella than anywhere else in the Catskills. Which makes me feel like I'm back in London again.

This weekend there will also, of course, be Guinness and Jameson's and Murphy's. And what Nate Batthany (who is in charge of the awesome bar as well as the food in the bar – that steak quesadilla, say) calls an "Irish Car Bomb." Now while I was left stuttering over this politically tricky, say, notion, he explained that this was a combo of Bailey's and Jameson's and said, "You don't know what it is because you're not a college student." Too right. But anyone who drinks Bailey's has bigger problems. That stuff is just gross. So is Irish Whiskey. I'm a malt lady myself. Scotch malt.

Yes, Rudd checking your email helps you ski bumps. Or are you putting on Ryan Adams?

The other thing on tap (ha-ha) this weekend is the Bumps competition on Blockbuster. With its 1000 feet straight vert (the only of its kind in the Cats)  the soundtrack for the competition should be The Chemical Brother's Block Rockin' Beats, which might just date me as much as the, ahem, "Car Bomb." There will be spring conditions so everyone can bomb the bumps (perhaps not with a "Car Bomb" though. And yours truly will be judging. I am open to all influence peddling. Remember I like Scotch (as in from Scotland and not Ireland) whisky.

Nailing the kicker at the top Block (and also proving why action sports photography is a proven skill. He did catch air.

So bring your sunscreen, maybe even rock your retro gear. With temps in the 70s next week this could be our last weekend.... And bear in mind this bon-mot from Nate about the bar: "Whenever anyone asks what our hours are, I say, 'we close when you go home. It's till the last man standing.'" Which is some professional drinking, I say.

She caught air too... I just didn't. At least not on film.

The Tunis clan takes in the glory of the day and 1000 feet of vert.

Powder, Powder, Powder... Plattekill's got it.

Who needs words when you've got this? But I have a few: I LOVE LAKE EFFECT. At least 6 inches fell today. And, everything was open.

no lift lines but awesome conditions.

who wouldn't smile?

See, John Tunis knows quality. 

Love the patroller opening Plunge (though poached before-- and while we're on Ski Patrol please buy a raffle ticket to support them.... 

Lovin' it.

And yes that's me.... 

Toast the Cardinal...

Bagpipes, skiing like its 1982 and a cardinal. Last weekend at Platty was madcap, crazy – the end of days (or at least this year’s season) seemed nigh. A piper played on the deck and then skied down Powderpuff. Bag pipes being traditionally played at funerals maybe due to that dirge-like sound they produce. (The video below is thanks to Steve Gaon and John Tunis, who is heading off to Block…)

Then there were those rocking the retro gear – another end-of-season sign. From left to right it's Andrea Wortmann, Nicholas Panas, Elizabeth Kurpis and Lauren and Andy Welch all sporting the style. (Best of all is Andrea's Portillo hat. That’s thinking ahead or at least South of the Equator). With another red cap comes the cardinal. Literally a Cardenal. A group of skiers – all guys many of whom look and ski alike – nips off to an undisclosed spot in the woods (I promised not to give away the location) where they’ve stowed a bottle of brandy for the season. There they have a tipple of Cardenal Mendoza – named for a 15^th century Spanish cardinal who they toast in the trees. Clearly the prayers paid off. It snowed this week and will be cold enough to seem like deep mid-winter….

Free Skiing

What two words ring better to a skiers ear? Fresh Powder? Possibly... But I'll take free and I've got two ways for you to get it too. 1) "Like" Plattyon FB and if they get 2000 fans by the end of the month, the mountain will do a free day for their fans. (As of posting time they only need 350 more fans...).

2) The Plattekill Trail Map Competition sponsored by our fine fair mountain and WITC... Entry forms are at Plattekill but if you don't happen to be there this weekend (and snow is forecast so why would you not?) you can also email them directly to me. Make sure to include your age and contact info. Best interpretation wins. And as you're pondering just what that might mean, we've posted these pics of Freefall (below – and, my personal fave trail) and Blockbuster above. Block, as many fans know, has 1000 feet straight vert – the most in the Cats.

Thanks to Macker, I can also tell you just how it got its name. The guy with the bulldozer who cut the trail said it was too steep, dangerous and so on. "There's no way anyone can ski that. They’ll break their block." Hence Blockbuster was born. Meanwhile Freefall got its name from Laszlo's mom who won the competition to name it before he'd even bought the mountain.