By Dick Butler         

Makeovers are all the rage. Whether houses, rooms, hair, or body parts, makeovers can’t be ignored in the media. Nearby Gore Mountain at North Creek is in the process of a makeover all it’s own and it has been in the planning as well as the execution stage for many years. Much of it is now complete and waiting for you to enjoy.

There is a whole new buzz about Gore; long a laid back state funded area hard pressed to compete with the major areas in adjacent New England. A great deal has changed at Gore and if it hasn’t attracted your attention yet, it should. Significant results started in 1996 with the tapping of the Hudson River as an unlimited water source for snowmaking. In the fall of 1999 the opening of the eight passenger Northwoods Gondola started bringing visitors to the summit of Bear Mountain. It replaced the aging and slow four-passenger 1967 gondola. Another new lift, the Topridge Triple opened in 2002, followed by five new miles of terrain serving Bear Mountain and the Straightbrook Valley in 2003. These changes have had a very positive impact upon how visitors use and enjoy the place.

Long standing complaints of Gore had been that the flats along the Lower Cloud trail were the only way to get to the base from the summit, and that the limited trails and terrain on the upper mountain were short and awkward to access. The flat section on Cloud often needed walking and poling to get to the Saddle Lodge and then down the main mountain face. Cloud is no longer the only way down thanks to the new lift. New trails off Bear Mountain, above the Saddle Lodge that help define the new Gore, include the Tannery, Topridge, Uncas, and High Pines.

There is a long-term plan at Gore to connect the mountain with the North Creek Ski Bowl by adding a series of new trails and lifts. The North Creek Ski Bowl, owned by the Town of Johnsburg, is one of the oldest commercially operated ski areas in the United States and is the birthplace of the National Ski Patrol. Gore presently operates the North Creek Ski Bowl as a stand alone winter fun park with a tubing area. The Bowl’s proximity to downtown North Creek holds promise to enhance Gore’s overall appeal as a destination vacation resort. The first step in connecting the North Creek Ski Bowl with Gore was made by the state legislature in 2000 when it passed an amendment to the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) charter allowing Gore Mountain to expands its operations to include the management of the North Creek Ski Bowl. ORDA is planning to add night skiing, snowboarding, and skating in the near future. Let’s hope this plan comes to fruition.

Gore Vital stats:

• Elevation at summit, 3,600 feet Vertical drop, 2,100 feet, (2,500 when connected to the Bowl)
• Number of lifts, 11 Number of trails, 79 (including glades, cross country, snow-shoeing & back country trails) ·
• Longest run, 2.9 miles

A few significant facts about Gore & The North Creek Ski Bowl:

• Gore celebrated its 40th birthday on January 25th, 2004. In 1984, Gore installed the Adirondack Express, the first high-speed detachable chairlift in the Eastern United States.
• Both are located within the largest State Park in the United States, The Adirondack Park.
• Gore has the largest vertical drop within a four-hour drive of New York City. Gore’s trails were originally planned to be invisible from approaching highways.
• When it opened in 1964, Gore had 9 trails, a j-bar, and a double chairlift.In 1946 a 3,000 foot t-bar was installed at the North Creek Ski Bowl.
• The first snow train arrived at The Bowl in 1934, round trip $1.50.

Gore now has a wide range of terrain from Glades such as Tahawas, Twister, Chatiemac, and Straightbrook, the super steep trails named Rumor and Lies, and the traditional long cruisers on the main mountain face like Showcase, Quicksilver, and Sunway. Gore is a beautiful mountain, amidst the great Adirondack Park. Combined with a snowshoe and cross country trail system, and tubing at the Bowl, Gore deserves a sure place in your list of the top resorts in New York and the East.