• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

Belleayre: 1/16/10

Harvey

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
1,300
Points
83
Location
North River, NY
Website
nyskiblog.com
Date Skied: 1/16/10

Resort or Ski Area: Belleayre Mountain

Conditions: Hardpack, Loose Granular, Packed Powder

I had a chance to ski Belleayre as part of the MLK Press Event.

In many ways Bell was exactly what imagined, based on what I'd read on AZ and other forums. A small mountain with a nice feel, solid bump runs, some nice trees, and interesting terrain. One thing that is great about the trees at Bell ... there is almost nobody in there. With about the same amount of snow as Gore this season, the cover was probably better. The "on the map" tree runs have definitely seen less traffic.

Tony Lanza - the Mountain Superintendent - was quite a character. I mean you expect the top guy to be a big promoter of the mountain. And he is. But we had to chuckle when he started comparing the views at Bell to Steamboat. Clearly his two true loves are his fiance Jeanine, and Belleayre.

Bell does a very unique thing. In the afternoons, on weekends, they run a diesel belching snow vehicle called THE BEAST. It an old army surplus tank-type thing with a very cool paint job. They use The Beast to access the East Side - Cathedral Glen, which was open on all natural snow.

No doubt THE BEAST, and the terrain we accessed from her, was the highlight.

Can I say I've been cat skiing now? ;)

More pics here:

Belleayre Jan 16, 2010
 
Last edited:

riverc0il

New member
Joined
Jul 10, 2001
Messages
13,039
Points
0
Location
Ashland, NH
Website
www.thesnowway.com
Whoa, stop the presses. A trip from harvey44 that is not from Gore???

;)

You can certainly "say" that you have been cat skiing. I couldn't do it with a straight face though, if I were you. :lol:
 

Harvey

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
1,300
Points
83
Location
North River, NY
Website
nyskiblog.com
Whoa, stop the presses. A trip from harvey44 that is not from Gore???

;)

You can certainly "say" that you have been cat skiing. I couldn't do it with a straight face though, if I were you. :lol:

Well .... that's what you get from a fanatical skier who's a ultra cheapskate that own's land near a mountain. More Gore.

In my "defense" ... I've skied more mountains this year than any year in my life ... Gore, Whiteface, Hunter, Belleayre, and of course Harvey.

Yesterday may be as close to cat skiing as I ever get. Maybe I could say I went catskilling, and mumble it. :roll:

EDIT: the amount of traversing/herringbone the BEAST saves you is nothing compared to what you'd probably do at a place like Alta. But then neither is the vert.
 

catskills

Active member
Joined
Dec 26, 2004
Messages
1,345
Points
38
If you go to Platekill on MLK day, I think you will see the best the Catskills has to offer. They should be getting some awesome powder over there tonight. It takes days to track out all the Platekill runs.

I highly recommend completing the Catskills tour by spending a day at both Windham and Plattekill.
 
Top