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Gore Mountain
On opening day weekend at Gore Mountain, a skier gazes at the scenery while heading down Ruby Run trail. Prompted by cold weather and robust snowfall, Gore opened early this year, and about 1,826 skiers took advantage of the bonus weekend. As of Nov. 23, 11 trails of all ability levels were open, and more are being added every several days because of the wintry weather.
JOHNSBURG | Frigid temperatures and abundant snowfall in northern Warren County has prompted Gore Mountain to open early this year — and skiers are taking advantage of the opportunity.
Gore opened for the season on Nov. 15, and they hosted 1,826 skiers this first three-day weekend.
As of Nov. 23, Gore had 11 trails open, accommodating skiers of all abilities, including their Topridge trail which expert skiers enjoy, Gore publicist Emily Stanton said.
“We’ve had a super start to the season — there’s plenty of natural snow,” she said. “Also, we’ve been taking advantage of this early-season cold, using our snowmakers at full capacity to get several new trails open — the snowmakers are busy now at the summit of Gore, and we’ll have more terrain added soon.”
Gore begins daily operation Friday Nov. 29, and they expect to be busy — but the ski center has a new feature that will get skiiers on the mountain faster: entry gates at their lifts, Stanton said.
“Now, skiers won’t have to go to a ticket window for their passes — they can go directly from their car to the slopes,” she said.
Another enhancement of skiing at Gore is their work to upgrade many of the snowmakers with remote control devices, Stanton said.
“We’ve added to our automated snowmaking capabilities,” she said. “We can now control snow guns remotely, optimizing their operation for the prevailing weather conditions.”
Also opening for the season on Friday Nov. 29 is Gore’s Nordic Skiing Center and the historic North Creek Ski Bowl, providing a wide range of skiing experiences for the entire family. Trails are lighted this year, so skiing can extend during the evening hours.
Stanton said that this early opening at Gore will be affecting skiers in ways that will boost the season’s success.
“This cold weather and early snow gets everyone in the mood for skiing,” she said. “Opening two weekends before thanksgiving begins the winter with a lot of excitement and an adventurous spirit.” ■