Ski Day #5: Sunway, Snow, Shots and the Birth of Two New Rippers (Gore Mountain, NY)

Today I had the opportunity to give the greatest gift off all, an introduction to skiing. Two of my co-workers came with me to Gore, neither of them ever setting foot into a pair of ski boots.

The entire drive up the Northway was filled with rain. While skiing in rain can be enjoyable due to the soft goodies it gives you, I worried these two would get wet, cold, and lose interest really fast. After a short demo and practice in front of the lodge, we got onto the Sunway lift and as if it were through some divine intervention, the rain changed over to snow and suddenly we had perfect conditions.

This first run off the lift was a little aggressive. Jamboree, the green to looker's right at the mid-station can be a little steep for someone with no experience. We made it down, but after a number of falls we hit the Greenway Conveyor and Bear Cub poma. This bunny hill proved to be a better place to learn the magic of turning.

After a break for lunch, it was back to the Sunway lift, this time to the top to ski Lower Sunway. Again, some slightly steep sections and the double fall line near the end proved difficult, but all in all, these were great runs. By the end of the day, one of the new shredders even rode the Northwoods Gondola to the top of Bear Mountain and skied all way down with only a few falls, an incredible feat.

Of course, any intro to skiing is not complete without some après-ski, so it was off to the Tannery Restaurant and Pub for some shots of GM and beers.

A great day of shredding the gnar. On behalf of our community of die-hards, I am happy to welcome our two newest rippers.

-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"