Finding Ski Touring Around Central NY
Published:
I knew there were going to be limits for backcountry skiing in my first winter back to NY since finishing my PhD in Washington State. Ithaca, NY definitely has winter snow and there is plenty of cross-country skiing or even downhill skiing at Greek Peak. But finding areas for ski touring is difficult since there isn’t a consistent snow pack. There aren’t really mountains in Central NY and much of the area is privately owned. Even more, you can’t just expect to go to any wooded hill and find areas to ski down. The dominantly deciduous forests here are often thick and crowded compared to the western U.S. conifers and I’ve found they contain much more downed-woody-debris that would require a couple feet at least to cover.