Big Tupper ski area gets OK to open this season

[curlyfuzzie]

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=865444
By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau

Last updated: 4:01 p.m., Friday, November 13, 2009
A group of snow-loving volunteers has gotten the go-ahead to re-open part of the shuttered Big Tupper ski area in Tupper Lake.
Area Residents Intent on Saving their Economy, or ARISE has approval from the Adirondack Park Agency to run a chairlift and T-bar at the resort this winter.

The area has been closed since 1999 but since then a group of investors has proposed re-opening the mountain along with an extensive real estate development. Plans for the development are still with the APA and have been criticized by environmentalists.

But in the interim, local residents wanted to start up the ski area again in hopes of providing winter recreation and drawing some tourists to their relatively remote corner of the Adirondacks.

The T-bar and chairlift to be open has been inspected and volunteers plan to run them on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays once the season begins, APA spokesman Keith McKeever said.

 

[millerm277]

That's great news! Hope they get the traffic they're hoping for....between that and Hickory reopening, it's a good sign for that area...

 

[andyzee]

Hope it works out, hard to beat the prices:

Prices for ski passes have been set at:
$400 for a family of four
$250 for a couple (ages 19-69)
$150 for an individual season's pass
$75 for juniors (ages 7-18 )
$15 for a day pass.

I love to see a grass roots ski area make it and show that you don't need high resort prices to ski.

 

[Kerovick]

I'll be skiing there for sure.

 

[Warp Daddy]

me 2

 

[bvibert]

How much snow do they typically get in that area? I understand that they won't have any snowmaking ability?

 

[Warp Daddy]

Fair amt of snow usually in Northern Dacks , sometimes when the LAKE EFFECT machine is really howling off Ontario Tupper may benefit altho the principal impact zone is the Tug Hill Plateau ( Snow Ridge, MacCauley, Woods Valley , Dry Hill ) all local areas .

Don't recall skiing Tupper when the guns were firing but the connector trails between the 3 chairs would be affected most. Sometimes we'd get "Tupper pea gravel" even in good snow on those trails

But BT is a fun place to ski nonetheless --sure wish them success

 

[bvibert]

Thanks Warp, I thought it looked to be a bit too far to get good lake effect snow. I hope they have great success and are able to expand the operation in coming years!

 

[dmc]

Awesome!!!

 

[Puck it]

Used to ski there a lot growing up. I loved the bumps under the older chair. I remeber them installing the upper chair and trails. They were not open that often even with snowmaking. It was a fun place.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Yep i remember skiing it for either $7 or $11 when a named Roger Jacabowski former Jersey casino guy owned it Ole Rog had just those 2 prices i guess it CRAPPED out huh ?

 

[billski]

Nice story on North Country Public Radio yesterday on Big Tupper. I found it on an iTunes podcast.
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/

 

[Puck it]

A third lift for Big Tupper. All the way to the summit of Mt Morris.

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2010/7/8/Big-Tuppers-Operators-Plan-to-Reopen-Third-Ski-Lift/http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/3671680854_a0c27bb57b.jpg