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HICKOR Y S
Hickory Ski Center
KI CENTER
WARRENSB
URG, NY 51 8-623-5754
HICKOR YSKI
CENTER .CO
M
difficult for him to ride, but we had a blast riding the T-bar and skiing the lower mountain’s beginner and intermediate runs. All had been groomed or rolled and had great natural snow coverage. In many places an inch or two of untracked powder lay on top, with deeper powder along the sides. And between the trails: plenty of short woods shots with great snow, even untracked in places. To be clear, Hickory isn’t for everyone. If you are expecting manicured slopes with deep snowmaking bases and high-speed chairlifts, you’ll be disappointed. The surface lifts can be challenging for some skiers and especially for very young kids. But if you are an advanced skier seeking some of the best lift-served expert terrain in the East, if you have a sense of adventure, or if you’re a family simply looking to enjoy an afternoon of relaxed skiing without the multihundred dollar commitment of the big resorts, Hickory may be just the place. Jeff Farbaniec is an avid telemark skier and Adirondack 46er who writes The Saratoga Skier & Hiker (saratogaskier.blogspot.com), a blog of his primarily Adirondack outdoor adventures.
Hickory Ski Center, in the southern Adirondacks, was recently brought back to life after having been shuttered from 2005 to 2009. Since the area re-opened in January, 2010, the lodge has been renovated, new grooming equipment and an electronic ticketing system have been purchased, and the lifts have been refurbished. The things that have always made Hickory a fun and special place to ski haven’t changed a bit: friendly relaxed vibe, natural snow, and Hickory’s classic, narrow trails that are full of character and fun to ski. Hickory’s challenging upper mountain terrain and its natural snow conditions (no snowmaking) have long appealed to advanced skiers, but Hickory is also looking to emphasize the area’s appeal to families. “We’ve had many families associated with the mountain for a long, long time and I think that’s one of our strong suits,” said Bill Van Pelt, a shareholder. “Our target market is absolutely families.” The state-ofthe-art winchcat purchased in 2010 now allows the ski area to provide groomed corduroy conditions on its mid- and lower mountain terrain, broadening the area’s appeal to beginners, intermediates and families. As if to prove Van Pelt’s point, I visited Hickory two winters ago (Hickory was mostly closed during 2011-12’s poor snow season) with my 6-year-old son. The upper mountain Poma surface lift proved too --- www.ADKWinterGuide.com • Your direct link to our advertisers websites • Our interactive travel agent to “Adirondack Winter”! ---