Gunks skiing 2018

A few people got out skiing Sunday on the carriage roads at Minnewaska park. No reports yet for Mohonk.

When the snow is good, the Gunks offer some of the most spectacular groomed-track cross-country skiing in the world. Sometimes someone will say "almost like skiing in Europe". No, when the snow is good, it's prettier than the groomed-track networks in Europe.

Best place I know to check on latest ski conditions up on the Gunks ridge is MHXCSS:
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mhxcss 

Ken

The link isn’t working for me either; however, I can attest to how awesome the Nordic skiing is at the Gunks.  Top notch!  

Driving by the Trapps I saw someone with skis in the lot, and went to the Mountain House (open for free Sunday-Saturday this week) and saw some ski tracks when hiking around.

I'm not sure how to fix the link.

Instead try a search on MHXCSS, or maybe on "MHXCSS cross country skiing"

I think you need to _join_ that group in order to View messages + reports.

If you like to ski, it's worth seeing the reports, because skiing conditions up on the ridge are often way better than you'd guess.

Ken

Just saw report on MHXCSS that Minnewaska as of Wednesday has decent conditions (at least for skating). And just got a little more fresh snow, might be doing some grooming.
. . (The Park told me they had no skiing when I called on Tuesday -- just shows how can't beat MHXCSS for on-the-scene info from real serious skiers).

Thinking I'll go there on Friday, perhaps also a day this weekend.

Ken

Awesome, thanks for sharing Ken. I am new to NY and look forward to exploring some trails. Just looked up Minnewaska, looks great!

Snow for skating at Minnewaska Park (home of the Peterskill) on the Upper Awosting carriage road was remarkably good. They had groomed (for skating, not enough sbiw depth to set tracks for classic) all the way out to the Lake Awosting viewpoint. Rather fun going back to the parking.

Sharon said for classic striding on Upper Awosting (without classic-specific grooming) was good enough, but not great.

With a little fresh snow falling this afternoon, Upper Awosting should be even better on Saturday and Sunday.
. . (and while I agree with the Park's decision to focus their grooming on that carriageway, I also think
. . . that U A is the least interesting and the least pretty of the trails I normally ski at Minnewaska).

Unfortunately I also tried to skate on the ungroomed Castle Point carriage road, failed to see a thinly covered spot and fell and bruised my shoulder. Didn't stop me from skiing for another hour. Hope it'll be ready for full-strength indoor climbing soon.

Ken

rgold wrote:

Hopefully that link to MHXCSS will work better for people than the one posted earlier on this thread.

I'm the one who originally started that group - (somebody else chose the name). It's been years since I turned over management of MHXCSS to other skiers, but I still check there first to see if and what to ski in the Gunks.

getting out skiing on Sunday . . .

Sharon and I planning to get started at Minnewaska Park tomorrow around 10 or 10:30.

Sharon will be taking a mellow pace classic striding, try to get at least as far as the icicles on overhanging rock of Litchfield Ledge, maybe all the way to the great winter view at the Awosting Lake overlook. I'll be skating at least one lap out to the overlook and back -- perhaps see how bold I feel about going how far up to Castle Point on sketchy snow cover.

If might want to meet out there, I'll have my electric-pink flag visible -- on my car while prepping, or on my self while out skiing.

Renting skis?
Rock & Snow shop in New Paltz is renting skis + boots + poles (and snowshoes) again this year, and they open early enough on Sunday to get out as soon as the Park opens.

coffee + breakfast? Sharon and I also enjoy meeting other skiers in warm sheltered places, so if might want to meet in New Paltz village  at the bakery around 9 or 9:30, let's make advance plans -- send your phone# in a message my MountainProject account/

Ken

Enjoy, Ken. I went up today, arrived at sunrise so the park was still closed.  Didn’t want to risk a parking ticket so I spent the early morning in Mohonk preserve. The 5-mile loop around Trapps was lovely, but not enough snow for skiing so I ran it. Snow at the park was good though. Odd how just a few miles up the road made such a difference!

Justin A. wrote:

The 5-mile loop around Trapps was lovely, but not enough snow for skiing so I ran it. Snow at the park was good though. Odd how just a few miles up the road made such a difference!

If you liked the Trapps Undercliff / Overcliff loop, keep in mind that's the _least_ interesting of the skiable trails in the Mohonk Mountain House / Mohonk Preserve network - (and Undercliff is not designated for skiing even when there's enough snow).

As for the "few miles" -- that's why MHXCSS is so important for skiing the Gunks. Even just a few hundred yards apart at Minnewaska Park, Upper Awosting snow was completely different from the other "carraigeways".
. . (and if you like that, keep in mind that's the least interesting of the normally-skied trails at Minnewaska Park).

So let's hope for lots more snow soon for both Minnewaska and Mohonk, to open the several other way more interesting and spectacular ski trails.

Sorry you ran into the narrow range of hours that Minnewaska Park is open to the public. Ir'a been so many years since I got hit by that, I forgot to mention it.

Ken

Hey Ken, what are your favorite trails in Minewaska? 

That's more complicated than it sounds.

* short loop: around Lake Minnewaska clockwise, including an early off-trail visit to the high point overlooking the E side of the lake (site of the former hotel).

* mid-size skating loop (in appropriate favorable conditions): Start clockwise around E side of Lake Minnewaska then NNW on snow-covered ice skating across the Lake to the small beach. Next out Upper Awosting and return on Castle Point.

. . . (I think it's a shame that the Park management in past years has not been performing well-established procedures to test the safety of the ice for skiing. Instead they just post warning signs saying that the ice is unsafe, but really they have no idea if it's safe or unsafe. At well-run cross-country ski centers, they actually groom and set tracks out on their lake surfaces after they carefully test for safety).

* mid-size classic striding loop (in appropriate favorable conditions): Short steep (icy?) downhill to the beach, then SSE on snow-covered ice across Lake Minnewaska and exit about 50 ft left (N) from the lake outlet stream. Then a short ways clockwise W + NW around the Lake (with some uphill) to reach start of the Millbrook Mt carriageway. Out this S a ways, then bear right onto the Hamilton Point carriageway (most of this is normally not groomed) to its end, then return over Castle Point.

* long classic striding double-loop: Add to the mid-size loop, skiing around Lake Awosting clockwise -- (or could just go down to the beach on its SE side and back the same way). In favorable conditions, after reaching the beach on the SE side of the lake, ski on the snow-covered ice on the surface of Lake Awosting to its SW end, then return on trail or on the lake.

Actually I do these last two routes on Skating skis, because I just love to skate, and I often do it on ungroomed snow. Though for the mostly-ungroomed Hamilton Point trail, I might attach "kicker skins" under the base of my skis, so that I can do classic striding on my skating skis on the uphill sections. But with favorable snow conditions I'd just skate all of it, since my arms are well-trained for pushing me forward (even up hillls) with my poles. For going around Lake Awosting I would never use kicker-skins, just double-pole-push any trail sections too narrow for me to skate. If I were really in shape I could double-pole-push my way almost all the way around the lake. But really I'd rather have conditions favorable for skating on the snow-covered ice of the Lake itself.

* long traverse: Have Sharon drop me off at Minnewaska upper parking (then she drives to Mohonk Gatehouse parking and skis there). I skate out Upper Awosting, return on Castle Point, then big downhill (crossing the car access road) to Awosting Falls, then the ungroomed Old Minnewaska Rd to Trapps Bridge (perhaps attaching kicker skins) of the Mohonk Preserve, then skate the groomed Overcliff to Rhododendron Bridge then Laurel Ledge and other trails up to SW end of Lake Mohonk, along SE side of the lake (optional side trip up to Skytop), then overall NE out to Mohonk Gatehouse and the car parked.

* ultra adventure traverse: Sams Point to Lake Minnewaska to Trapps Bridge to Lake Mohonk to Mohonk Gatehouse to Bonticou Crag (or beyond?).

Ken, thanks a ton for the suggestions! I’ll gave to make a yahoo account for the MHXCSS group. The Undercliff run was worthwhile for me, since I’m new to New York and liked checking out the Trapps. Plan to return to climb this spring. I also really enjoyed Awosting Falls. I arrived seconds before the chandelier broke free and came crashing down, it was cool!

Very fun and pretty day up on the ridge. Good thing I enjoy skating ungroomed snow, because that's what I did 90% of the time today. The bit of new snow we got on Friday afternoon was just enough to make it good out on some of my favorite skiing terrain in the world.

Though surely the best snow in Minnewaska Park was on Upper Awosting, and though I had taken a hard painful fall on the far-from-best snow on Castle Point, and I told Sharon I would ski Upper Awosting as the safe bet . . .
when I reached the junction by the beach, I felt I just had to try for the greatness of skiing the Castle Point "carriageway", and so I headed up that -- took about three falls when hit bad snow patches -- savored the big views across the valley and the small views skiing past close boulders. Felt strong skating up the fresh snow.

Reached the top, looked over Lake Awosting, though that it looked skiable. So headed down to the beach (whose approach road did not have enough snow, but I skied it anyway). Headed out onto the surface of the lake, and discovered that the thin layer of new snow was just enough to give my (non-metal) ski edges some grip, and the ice underneath just non-brittle enough for my pole tips to dig into for pushing. First I took obvious short way across to near the N end, but just before exiting thought "This is too good." -- so skied toward the SW end and made it about 2/3 to the little peninula, turned around and exited from the N end.

Still had time to go back up to Caste Point and down to Lake Minnewaska and meet Sharon at parking. The descent was wonderful, remarkable combination of interesting sking with curves and dips, and big views with carefully designed approaches (designed orginally for wealth hotel guests on horse-drawn carriages). Getting better at reading the bad-snow patches, so didn't take any falls.

Alas after Tuesday it will be gone.

Ken

5 inches of snow up on the ridge over Xmas . . . 

Minneswaska: Grooming at Minnewaska Park yesterday : Lots more trails groomed than last week. Sounds pretty good.

Mohonk Mountain House website says most of their + the Preserve trails are open for skiing today, but not groomed (thin over and bare spots).

Sharon and I getting out this afternoon. It's cold and a bit breezy, but not as cold as the next days, so we're going for it.

If might want to meet (warmer) in the valley first, send a message to my MP account with your phone.

EDIT: Last week Phillip from Manhattan met us in New Paltz, today so far will be Kevin from Bayonne.

Or look for my electric-pink flag at Parking or out on the trails (or off-trail on the lakes).

Ken

Minnewaska Park great out this afternoon.
Went out Hamiltton Point, return on Castle Point.
Sharon + Kevin classic striding  - (Sharon said swix dark-blue kick wax worked fine).
Me skating (of course with most of Ham Pt ungroomed, so slow - but pretty as over, and a good workout).

A few thin spots and bare spots, and a very long bare section under the rock overhang below Castle Point (walk and walk and finally reach the snow again).

I made side trips to skate on Lake Minnewaska (pretty good), and
Lake Awosting (difficult slow for skating, likely better classic striding).

. . So far no one broke trail for classic striding tracks around Lake Awosting.

Ken

Hi Ken,  

What's your estimate on snow depth up there at Minnewaska?  I don't want to go out when it's too thin and scratch up my nice skis on rocks.  

David

Snow depth anywhere on the ridge varies widely -- because of the sustained high winds over Xmas.

If you care about your ski bases, this is not the time.

A different perspective is that if you don't own a pair of "rock skis" which you feel free to damage furtther, you're not going to get many ski days in the Gunks anyway most winters nowadays. So could look at getting out now as an opportunity to prep or "baptize" your skis for serious long-term Gunks skiing.

I think it's way worth creating a pair of rock skis -- the Gunks are surely one ot the Top 10 groomed-track cross-country trail networks in the world (when there's snow).

? or maybe rent skis from Rock & Snow ?

Ken

Saturday ... Sharon and I getting out for more -- not sure if Mohonk Mountain House, or Mohonk Preserve, or Minnewaska Park.

Glad to meet other skiers (or wannabe skiers) or snow-hikers for coffee / breakfast beforehand in New Paltz
. . (even if we're not skiing at the same area).

If might want to try for that, send a message to my MountainProject account with your phone.

Or look for my electric-pink flag at parking or out on the trails.

Rock & Snow climbing shop in New Paltz is renting skis + boots + poles, also snowshoes.

Ken