There’s one thing particular about setting out on a ski highway journey with no expectations aside from spending high quality time on the slopes. That’s precisely how Evan and I felt as we headed north from Ithaca, making our technique to Tune Mountain in Tully, NY, for the primary time.
With a string of current weekends spent chasing powder and the blended precipitation earlier within the week, we have been ready for blended situations. However winter had different plans, and we have been in for an unbelievable shock.
As we drove previous Cortland, it was as if we crossed right into a snow globe. Seemingly within the blink of an eye fixed, the panorama reworked, coated in a contemporary blanket of lake-effect snow.
Our pleasure was rising. A fast test of Tune Mountain’s snow report confirmed 5 inches had fallen by 6 AM, however by the point we arrived at 9:30, it was clear that rather more had already collected. The car parking zone was simply beginning to fill, the air was calm, and the snowflakes drifting down regarded straight out of a Christmas film.
After grabbing our tickets, we hopped on the triple chair with no traces in sight, just some different skiers benefiting from the vacation week snowfall. Our first run down Balihai set the tone for the day— we estimated no less than seven inches of sunshine, ethereal powder that made for easy, floating turns.
With solely the triple chair operating initially, we explored path after path, every revealing even deeper stashes of snow. A mixture of groomed and pure terrain provided selection, with trails accessible for all capability ranges and loads of family-friendly choices. Whereas somewhat crust lurked beneath in spots, the contemporary powder was dominant.
One in all my favourite runs of the morning was Stardust, a tree-lined blue path that began with mushy, forgiving groomers earlier than dropping right into a steeper part halfway down. Evan weaved out and in of the bushes alongside the sting, sinking into the powder, whereas I cruised via the center, soaking within the wintery scene.
Simply as we thought the day couldn’t get higher, we heard that the Diamond Cutter Triple would open up round midday. The chair hadn’t run all week and we have been desperate to test it out. We made our approach over, catching a lifty on his experience up and confirming it was good to go! We wasted no time, chasing contemporary tracks down the raise line.
As we continued to discover the paths surrounding the Diamond Cutter raise we discovered ourselves splitting up – Evan disappearing into the bushes whereas I carved my approach down the hardly touched trails. The snow simply saved falling. Lap after lap, the mountain refilled itself, and it felt as if our tracks have been erased nearly as quickly as we made them.
By early afternoon, we seen the fireplace pit on the patio of Heuga’s Alpine restaurant glowing in opposition to the snowy backdrop it regarded picture-perfect in opposition to the large, fluffy flakes nonetheless falling. After one other run, we determined to take a break, warming up by the fireplace earlier than heading into the bottom lodge for decent chocolate and an enormous contemporary chocolate chip cookie.
The lodge was spacious and welcoming, and regardless of it being a vacation week, the environment remained relaxed—gear was neatly stashed, and skiers lounged comfortably, having fun with their breaks with out the standard school-break chaos.
Refueled, we headed again out, retracing our morning laps and discovering new favourite traces alongside the way in which. With no crowds and infinite refills, there was no have to chase powder stashes—it was in all places! We spent the afternoon on the triple chair aspect of the mountain, returning to our favourite trails and mixing up completely different routes.
The number of runs allowed us to hyperlink collectively a seemingly infinite mixture of turns, from the tree-lined Stardust to the rolling Chopsticks path, passing by the NASTAR race hut each few instances.
Because the afternoon wore on, we lastly determined to wrap issues up with a run down Jupiter, carving our approach effortlessly again to the car parking zone. With our gear packed up and a slight chill we knew the day wasn’t fairly over but—we had après to get pleasure from.
We made our technique to Heuga’s Alpine, the place we have been delighted to seek out an important menu and comfy vibes. We grabbed seats by the bar and struck up a dialog with the bartender, who shared tales concerning the mountain’s historical past and the non-public SkiCNY Thunderbird Membership lodge. The restaurant was named after Jimmie Heuga, a extremely adorned skier who was featured in a Warren Miller movie at simply 9 years previous and later grew to become one of many first American males to win an Olympic medal for alpine snowboarding.
Sipping our drinks and reflecting on the day, we couldn’t assist however marvel at our luck. What began as an informal cease on our highway journey weekend become one in every of our favorites of the season to date. Tune Mountain delivered an surprising powder day, pleasant vibes, and an expertise that left us desperate to return.
