Snow Skills

When I purchased a ski area home years ago, the previous owners had almost 30 seasons worth of Season Passes for their entire family posted on the back of the basement door. It was an amazing sight; the many faces and how they changed over the years spoke volumes about how skiing was a way of life. I’ve continued that Season Pass farm with my own passes from over the past 14 years.

It’s an awesome thing to have a season pass and, from a big picture standpoint, here’s three good reasons why:

1. Invest in the snowsports industry. When I was young, my family got season passes at a small ski area called Paleface. Locals around Lake Placid, NY may know that Paleface was located on a small hill on Route 86 between Jay and Wilmington, just a few miles from its much bigger brother Whiteface. With a handful of trails and T-bars and practically no grooming, it seemed like the consolation prize to not skiing at Whiteface. But now I understand my father’s reasoning for supporting a small ski area: the skiing world needs the Palefaces as well as the big resorts. Paleface is long gone, but my memories aren’t. Supporting any ski area, especially a smaller one, is a great way to pass on skiing and riding to the next generation.
2. Invest in your skiing and riding. Even more than most pursuits, skiing and riding take lots of practice and dedication to reach a level of skill that allows you to master most situations. There’s few shortcuts to excellence; it takes training and then lots of good repetition to develop the muscle memory that brings results. If you want to do it well, you need to put in the time and a season pass is just the motivation and method to get you out on the hill enough to really make an improvement in your skills. All experience builds on itself; just a couple seasons of dedicated days on hill will make a huge difference over a lifetime.
3. Invest in your family and friends. Sure, it’s always great, but how can it be fun if you’re alone? Skiing has surely evolved over the decades, but the social fabric it creates hasn’t changed a bit. Sharing a day on the slopes with a friend, relative, or pack thereof builds relationships and memories that will carry you through the many other days when you can’t be out there. Chairlifts, lodges, locker rooms, and apres ski bars are also just a few of the many places that build community on and around a ski area. It’s no secret; skiing and riding is and continues to be an activity that is not just a sport, but a lifestyle.

Hello, I am contacting you to because I was facinated to here more about your memories at “Paleface” I live on paleface MT. in Jay NY it is priately owned now and I work for the owners. I am curious about you time here as I know nothing about the mountain. Adirondack life magazine is now published out of the lodge. I am sure much has changed here since you have been here, but I would love to here anyting about your time here! Please email me at ronybeth3935@yahoo.com
Thank you, Veronica