We headed south toward Albany, New York, stopping in Saratoga Springs for lunch, a walk, a pee, and a look at the map. I spied a little ski area nestled in the mountains not so far away, and decided to check it out. Willard Mountain in Greenwich, NY is called New York's Coolest Little Ski Area. I immediately saw why. The little mountain with big features is owned by husband and wife team, Kris and Chic Wilson. When I stopped by, Chic was out clearing trees and Kris worked in the office on this Wednesday afternoon.
I so admired how the mountain used every little nook and cranny to provide varied ski terrain. Willard has twin, side-by-side double chairs. Once off, skiers have five choices of trails down. The community ski area reminded me a bit of Lost Valley in Auburn, but Willard has more elevation. We hiked up Meadow to Bunny Hop and its little pond. We headed down Joe's Special to the race hut on Ivan's Alley. From Upper Colonel we trekked through Short Swing and back down Joe's Special.
After our hike, I dropped off a copy of my book, Words for a Mountain, with a note of how I used this little book a fundraiser. I spoke to Kris for a while and hope I did a good job of sharing my enthusiasm for their mountain.
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| I thought this was a snowmaking pond, but I saw a second pond at the bottom, so I'm not sure. |
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| "Of course I have to get wet." |
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