April 23rd 2012

Showing Love 2: Hickory Ski Center NY

Steeps, soul, and poma lifts just north of Albany..

Words by Anabelle McLean and Alex Kaufman l STE Editors
Photos courtesy Anabelle Mclean, Hickory Ski Center and NY Ski Blog

Editor's Note: While there's a tendency to focus on where the snow falls, the parks are massive or the backcountry lines are slayed (northern New England), there's vast areas of the East where the mountains are a little smaller and the climate a little warmer, but skiers flock to their local slopes with the same level of dedication. From the midwest to the deep south to the coast, the East is home to ski areas large and small that deserve their props. This spring and summer we're going to "show some love." Do you rip a lesser hyped spot that deserves a moment in the sun? Hit me up. - AK

Long known as Hickory Hill, a diamond in the not-so-rough backyard of the scenic Lake George region, Hickory Ski Center is just an hour north of Albany in Warrensburg, NY. The northeast’s “surface lift only ski area”, aka Poma and t-bar lifts only ski hill is a one-of-a-kind gem. It boasts surprisingly steep runs, killer bumps and glades, and dirt-cheap, homemade breakfast sandwiches. 



The area operates with 2 Pomalifts, a T-bar, and a Rope Tow, all on 1200' of vertical drop...the 6th largest in the state of New York. In recent years, the ski area has operated on weekends, holidays and holiday weeks. 

After its closing in 2005, Hickory re-opened for the 2009/2010 season under new management while retaining its old-world feel. The spring-loaded and creaky Poma’s and retro logo bring one back to yesteryear, but the real reason why this place is such a gem: no crowds, steep and varied terrain, and all au natural snow. Hickory is also a haven for tele skiers, and they even have an 8-feature terrain park.


For about forty bucks you can ski Hickory’s five miles of terrain, 18 runs, and countless glade off-shoots, all with a view of the surrounding Adirondacks mountains.

Photo courtesy of the NY Ski Blog, which offers thorough Hickory coverage.

We caught up with their marketing man Jeremiah Greco for his thoughts on the past, present and future.


You guys still planning normal operation for 2012-13 after this brief winter? Also define "normal operation" for Hickory.
 
Hickory plans to go ahead with a normal operation for the 12/13 season. This winter was painful, but we are fortunate to have a strong, positive ownership with a long-term vision. I think in any other case this season would have been devastating. 

We were open for a single weekend this season - March 3rd and 4th. The 3rd was amazing. It had snowed 14+ on the Thursday before and then warmed up for opening day. We had hot powder laps and bluebird on all but two trails.

By definition a normal Hickory season would be a weekend and holiday operating schedule, from Christmas week, through the end of March. We've always been completely dependent on natural snowfall and the locals claim that the length of season has ben progressively getting shorter. We're hoping to turn that around with some infrastructure changes in the coming years.


What's changed and what has not changed under the new team/ownership and who is the new team/ownership? When did the current gang take over and what are the goals? 
 
Under the new ownership, a lot of stuff has changed behind the scenes. We've made some hidden, but noticeable upgrades to the lifts, ensuring that they run consistently (long-time Hickory skiers will tell you about what a crapshoot the lifts used to be). We've also taken all but one lift off of diesel operation - the clean and quiet operation blends nicely with the wildness of the mountain. 

The core of the mountain hasn't changed. We still have the 6th biggest vertical in the state, we still have some of the gnarliest lift serviced terrain around, and most of your ski buddies under the age of 35 probably haven't heard of us (I'm working to change that). 

The new ownership took over in 2009 and operated the mountain during the 09/10 and 10/11 seasons before this wacky year. The primary goal is to develop Hickory into a viable day ski area with a seven-day-a-week operating schedule, November opening and April closing and to draw skiers to support that. A key factor in getting there is to develop snowmaking, which will be the most immediate large-scale improvement.

Any projects slated for this summer?
 
You could say snowmaking is in the... pipeline! Eh? Ehhhh? The plan is to break ground this summer. I don't have any other specifics, but we'll be sharing our plans shortly. 

In addition to that, we'll be working on some areas to help snowboarders traverse between lifts easier. And, of course, there will be new tree lines opening up for next winter. 


In your mind – who is Hickory's skiing audience?
 
I think our audience crosses all age, income and ability demographics and relates more to what our skiers are looking for out of their experience. Cheesey, I know. But we're a throwback mountain in every sense of the word and that means for good and for bad. Our skiers are those that don't mind (or prefer) riding surface lifts all day and can handle a couple visible rocks poking through the snow because they can see past that. The snow stays in great shape, bumps up nicely on the steeps and you can make a turn into the woods almost anywhere on the mountain and find your own little private stash.

At the same time, a family with a couple beginner skiers can find a bunch of empty,  winding trails at the bottom of the mountain and a big open slope for first timers. 

You're most likely not going to get 30k vertical in a day here. But you probably will get a high-five from the lifty after you zipper-line the last pitch on Winfall. 

Also, telemarkers. Telemarkers everywhere.


Got an average annual snowfall number?
 
We don't have any real records here. I arrived in December and have been using the Warrensburg average, which is around 80". Which seems awfully low to operate a ski are for as many days as Hickory averages. I'll let you know when we get a couple seasons under the belt, as long as we can agree to throw this year's data out the window.