T-BAR TUESDAY IN NORTHERN NEW YORK

Today was T-Bar Tuesday. Any day can be a T-Bar day, the only requirement is that you go to a small ski hill and lap the T-Bar. Since today was Tuesday, and I was lapping a T-Bar in northern New York, it was T-Bar Tuesday. Yes, I made up this up. I don’t know why, but I’ve been saying it for a few years, and I like it.

Riding the T-Bar on this T-Bar Tuesday.

After work this morning, I thought about going to a couple of different ski resorts, namely Jay Peak and Smuggler’s Notch, but wind was a concern today at both of them. As a result, I settled on it being a T-Bar Tuesday. I considered going to Mount Pisgah in Saranac Lake, New York, but ultimately I decided I’d save it for later in the week, and head to Beartown Ski Area near Plattsburgh, New York.

The lodge at the base.

An old Whiteface Mountain gondola at the base.

Beartown is a nonprofit hill with 150 ft. of vertical, a Poma, a T-Bar, a handful of downhill ski trails, and a couple of miles of cross-country ski trails. They were only spinning the T-Bar today, which provided access to the runs Main Slope and North Slope. North Slope was only open from about half way down, as a groomer was working above that.

Main slope.

North Slope.

I got to the hill in the afternoon. It was a pretty cold day. There was snow in the air at times, and it snowed a little last night. This likely helped with conditions, as a storm rolled through the region yesterday packing mild temperatures, and a mix of precipitation. The temperature then plunged well below freezing last night, which typically yields pretty icy ski conditions, but I found the snow to be decent today at Beartown. There were only a couple of firm spots, and you could hold an edge basically everywhere. Main Slope, which is adjacent to the T-Bar, was my run of the day. I thought the snow was just a little better on it than North Slope.

Never Quit Skiing,

Lincoln