Alpine Skiing.
5 entries in the Register — Five resorts, dozens of trails, and the small family hills that taught half the region to ski. Vertical, terrain, lift counts, and where to find the chair without a wait.
Where to ski the Adirondacks — and what each mountain is actually for
Everyone knows Whiteface and Gore. The useful question is which one, on which day. Whiteface, the 1980 Olympic mountain above Wilmington, has the greatest vertical drop in the East — roughly 3,400 feet — and skis like it: exposed, weather-beaten, and honest, with the expert Slides opening only when the snowpack allows. Gore, above North Creek, is the state's largest by trail spread, more sheltered when the wind is up, and better for a mixed group that wants terrain for every level under one gondola.
Below the two big mountains, the community hills are the value play. Oak Mountain in Speculator is small, cheap, and built for families and first turns; McCauley in Old Forge sits under the western snow belt and catches the lake-effect the bigger peaks miss. For live conditions and interactive trail maps of every hill, the Skiing & Snowboarding guide keeps a summit snow report running all winter.
The East's greatest vertical; Olympic terrain and the Slides.
New York's largest trail spread — sheltered, gondola-served, all levels.
Small, affordable, family-first — a good place to learn.
Under the western snow belt; reliable lake-effect.
Season totals begin accumulating in mid-November — until the first storms, this reads zero by design.
The live report, the trail maps, and the rest of the winter.
Where we’d point you first.
Editor's Pick · Lake GeorgeGore Mountain.Four peaks, 100+ trails, the biggest alpine area in New York.Read the entry→
Editor's Pick · Old ForgeMcCauley Mountain.Old Forge's family ski mountain.Read the entry→
Editor's Pick · Lake PlacidWhiteface Mountain.The East's greatest vertical, Olympic pedigree, and Slide-trail steepsRead the entry→
