Royal Mt

stripperguy · 02-04-2019, 12:06 PM

Anyone skiing Royal this year?
I've been twice so far, and the place always impresses me. From the friendly chats with owner Jim, to the lack of lift lines, to the untouched side country stuff, it's a gem.

I skied it this past Saturday with about a foot of light powder over a breakable crust over another foot or so of dense, old snow. Woods were tricky, crust was softer higher on the mountain, firmer as you go lower. Easy to find virgin lines in the trees, every run down!

Here's yours truly (I hope), on one of the more trampled tree runs, this one even is on the trail map.

And here's my son, after a too late turn that stranded him in a drainage...

kwc · 02-04-2019, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stripperguy

Anyone skiing Royal this year?
I've been twice so far, and the place always impresses me. From the friendly chats with owner Jim, to the lack of lift lines, to the untouched side country stuff, it's a gem.

We skied there on Sunday 2/3 ... started out foggy with our goggles icing up a bit but before too long the clouds thinned out & the sun appeared for the afternoon. Conditions were very good ... made for a very enjoyable day! Any day I get to ski with my granddaughter is a GREAT day!!

I'd post a photo but it's such a PITA to have to resize photos to post on here ... oh well.

ghiamonster · 02-05-2019, 04:35 PM

Funny to see this, went to Royal with friends Sunday morning and had some of the best eastern conditions I've gotten in the past few years. The place really is a great reset after doing big resort type places.

Did wind up in a similar position a few times when venturing into the trees.

OntarioSkiBum · 02-05-2019, 06:18 PM

I almost went to Oak Mountain Friday, but due to a last minute route change to Lake Placid (I had to pick up a buddy in Toronto), I ended up snowshoeing instead.

Would Oak be similar to Royal? Stripperguy's TR makes me wish I would have gone boarding instead!

stripperguy · 02-05-2019, 06:21 PM

Kevin,
It was just about 0F when our day started, ended up in the teens, still a fine day.
Even got a tour of "the ladies tee" from Johnny, bartender there for the past 7 years.

ghia,
It's a throwback to all of the places I skied when I was younger. There are still others like it...Plattekill, Hickory, Magic, Mad, McCauley, etc.
I used to live in Pattersinville, there were 4 ski areas within 30 minutes. I had to drive down the mountain to ski at Eagle Mountain!!

stripperguy · 02-06-2019, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OntarioSkiBum

I almost went to Oak Mountain Friday, but due to a last minute route change to Lake Placid (I had to pick up a buddy in Toronto), I ended up snowshoeing instead.

Would Oak be similar to Royal? Stripperguy's TR makes me wish I would have gone boarding instead!

OSB,
Genearally speaking, Oak is less challenging than Royal
But the views on Oak are much better IMHO

Fisheater · 02-10-2019, 12:11 PM

Mike,
It looks like the snow is pretty good. I am thinking about taking my son to NY State for some skiing. It is approximately 8 hrs to the UP Michigan ski hill that I have taken him. That was his first time skiing a "mountain" as opposed to glacially deposited hills. NY State is closer than Vermont to Michigan, and my son being an intermediate I am confident he would enjoy both the NY terrain and drive time. I remember you posted some photos of Plattekill that peaked my interest. What other areas should I look at?

stripperguy · 02-11-2019, 12:01 AM

Let's see...
Plattekill is in the Catskills, base elevation is 2,000 ft so it gets and holds better snow than you might expect. There's some steep terrain, and they have an open slope policy (ski wherever you wish, but if you're injured, drag yourself to an open trail). It's rarely busy.

Catamount in Hillsdale is a fun place, very reasonably priced and also gets some good snow when the Nor'easters come through.

MCauley Mt in Old Forge is tons of fun too, similar to Platte but smaller. It's got some gnarly terrain and gets great snow.

Snow Ridge in Turin is a long ridge with but 500 vertical. It's in prime position for lake effect snows and gets around 300-400 inches a year. There's some fun stuff far skiers left, most of the terrain is decidedly mild. Again, rarely busy.

There are others like Swain, Song, Toggenburg, etc but I have no direct knowledge of them.

Unfortunately one of the best areas is closed (and maybe forever). Hickory in Warrensburg is known as the little brother to Mad River Glen. When they had snow, there was no place better...very challenging and one of the best vibes ever. I grew up skiing there, very sad to see it fade away.

There's also my favorite BC ski spot, mostly in NY, but also in MA.
PM me for details if you think you might want to do some BC skiing.

Fisheater · 02-13-2019, 02:54 PM

Mike, I would love to BC ski, but right now if I am skiing on the road it will be with my son. He's 16, and he will still associate with me, so long as he wants to hang with me I'm happy. He isn't ready or interested in any BC skiing. However I would like to show him some new places and some bigger terrain.
Thank you, for the information. I am disappointed to hear Hickory is closed. It wasn't that long ago you posted some nice photos of you and Hickory Skier at Hickory.

JW · 02-13-2019, 08:22 PM

Royal is fantastic - coming from a former whiteface employee - Grooming is the best - snowmaking is right up to gore and whiteface standards - and the glades are great. best part of the glades is coming up to a tree stand one time - guess i was a little far off.... And Johnny in the Velcro Lounge is the best.

montcalm · 02-13-2019, 11:36 PM

Not sure where you are in Michigan, but closest to the Detroit area, and worth driving to, would be Holiday Valley or Bristol.

Holiday Valley has less vertical, but has more acreage. Bristol has more vert, but less acreage. I believe both would be bigger than anything in Michigan. Bristol I'm sure is because they tout being the biggest from the Adirondacks to the Rockies.

Both being on the Allegany Plateau, they have similar attributes. Bristol doesn't have any tree skiing, but depending on the weather, that might not be an issue.

From Detroit it's probably around 6 hours to either.

There are a couple other small places in Western NY, but probably not really worth the trip. If you are out for a week and want to ski multiple places, then you might try Swain, Greek Peak, or maybe even Hunt Hollow if you are there on a Wed to Fri and the weather is decent. Hunt Hollow has a couple of the steepest, and narrowest runs of any of those places.

Schultzz · 02-15-2019, 12:39 AM

I'll give you a ski lesson. Bend your knees, watch out for the trees, $25 please.

Frankonix · 04-10-2019, 08:24 AM

Quote:

"I'll give you a ski lesson. Bend your knees, watch out for the trees, $25 please."

Hahaha! Don't forget - "Scream in panic."

Pmo · 06-03-2020, 09:38 AM

Man, is Eagle Mountain still there?? I grew up in Fonda. As a teen we used to come for "Men's Night" every so often - I think the lift tickets were like $3.00 unless my memory fails me?!
I usually go to this thread for the fishing but wandered over here. I also noticed some people talking about Oak and Royal - also very familiar places. Anyone remember Shoemaker? Little mountain in Little Falls, just off the 90. Learned to ski there growing up, I make the drive from Rochester to Albany frequently and every time I drive by I have to look and take in the nostalgia. It's been closed for years now, but I often think someday I'll "sneak hike" to the top with by board in the winter time and get one last run :-)

stripperguy · 06-04-2020, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pmo

Man, is Eagle Mountain still there?? I grew up in Fonda. As a teen we used to come for "Men's Night" every so often - I think the lift tickets were like $3.00 unless my memory fails me?!
I usually go to this thread for the fishing but wandered over here. I also noticed some people talking about Oak and Royal - also very familiar places. Anyone remember Shoemaker? Little mountain in Little Falls, just off the 90. Learned to ski there growing up, I make the drive from Rochester to Albany frequently and every time I drive by I have to look and take in the nostalgia. It's been closed for years now, but I often think someday I'll "sneak hike" to the top with by board in the winter time and get one last run :-)

Eagle is looooong gone, I can barely make out the trail outlines as I drive by on the Thruway or even 5S...
Eagle Mountain was the first place I ever skied, and MDB and I used to live about a mile farther up the hill on Muselbeck Rd.
I remember my buddy's GF complaining about how small it was there, but at the time I was thinking "what more could anyone ever want?" They owned 600 vertical feet, but never installed the used chairlift that would go beyond their 300 vertical set of trails.

I skinned and skied Shoemaker about ten years ago...pretty sure it's a private residence now.

And if you're fond of those, how about the best of NYS skiing...Hickory? No snowmaking, all natural steep terrain, almost no grooming.
That was my all time favorite ski area for many years. A group of us skinned and skied it 6 or 7 years ago with 3 ft of powder, the skiing was great, but for me it was bittersweet. Every rock, ledge, corner held memories of my youth and teaching my kids and my nephews and nieces to ski. When the snow was good, there was no place better!!

02-04-2019, 12:06 PM	#1
stripperguy Hangin' by a thread Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 3,742	Royal Mt Anyone skiing Royal this year? I've been twice so far, and the place always impresses me. From the friendly chats with owner Jim, to the lack of lift lines, to the untouched side country stuff, it's a gem. I skied it this past Saturday with about a foot of light powder over a breakable crust over another foot or so of dense, old snow. Woods were tricky, crust was softer higher on the mountain, firmer as you go lower. Easy to find virgin lines in the trees, every run down! Here's yours truly (I hope), on one of the more trampled tree runs, this one even is on the trail map. And here's my son, after a too late turn that stranded him in a drainage...

02-15-2019, 12:39 AM	#12
Schultzz Low Impact Skidder Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 965	I'll give you a ski lesson. Bend your knees, watch out for the trees, $25 please. __________________ Never Argue With An Idiot. They Will Drag You Down To Their Level And Beat You With Experience.

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02-05-2019, 04:35 PM	#3
ghiamonster Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Mohawk Valley Posts: 6	Funny to see this, went to Royal with friends Sunday morning and had some of the best eastern conditions I've gotten in the past few years. The place really is a great reset after doing big resort type places. Did wind up in a similar position a few times when venturing into the trees.

02-05-2019, 06:18 PM	#4
OntarioSkiBum Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 333	I almost went to Oak Mountain Friday, but due to a last minute route change to Lake Placid (I had to pick up a buddy in Toronto), I ended up snowshoeing instead. Would Oak be similar to Royal? Stripperguy's TR makes me wish I would have gone boarding instead!

02-05-2019, 06:21 PM	#5
stripperguy Hangin' by a thread Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 3,742	Kevin, It was just about 0F when our day started, ended up in the teens, still a fine day. Even got a tour of "the ladies tee" from Johnny, bartender there for the past 7 years. ghia, It's a throwback to all of the places I skied when I was younger. There are still others like it...Plattekill, Hickory, Magic, Mad, McCauley, etc. I used to live in Pattersinville, there were 4 ski areas within 30 minutes. I had to drive down the mountain to ski at Eagle Mountain!!

02-10-2019, 12:11 PM	#7
Fisheater Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Land of Lakes, Headwaters of Three Rivers, MI Posts: 48	Mike, It looks like the snow is pretty good. I am thinking about taking my son to NY State for some skiing. It is approximately 8 hrs to the UP Michigan ski hill that I have taken him. That was his first time skiing a "mountain" as opposed to glacially deposited hills. NY State is closer than Vermont to Michigan, and my son being an intermediate I am confident he would enjoy both the NY terrain and drive time. I remember you posted some photos of Plattekill that peaked my interest. What other areas should I look at?

02-11-2019, 12:01 AM	#8
stripperguy Hangin' by a thread Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 3,742	Let's see... Plattekill is in the Catskills, base elevation is 2,000 ft so it gets and holds better snow than you might expect. There's some steep terrain, and they have an open slope policy (ski wherever you wish, but if you're injured, drag yourself to an open trail). It's rarely busy. Catamount in Hillsdale is a fun place, very reasonably priced and also gets some good snow when the Nor'easters come through. MCauley Mt in Old Forge is tons of fun too, similar to Platte but smaller. It's got some gnarly terrain and gets great snow. Snow Ridge in Turin is a long ridge with but 500 vertical. It's in prime position for lake effect snows and gets around 300-400 inches a year. There's some fun stuff far skiers left, most of the terrain is decidedly mild. Again, rarely busy. There are others like Swain, Song, Toggenburg, etc but I have no direct knowledge of them. Unfortunately one of the best areas is closed (and maybe forever). Hickory in Warrensburg is known as the little brother to Mad River Glen. When they had snow, there was no place better...very challenging and one of the best vibes ever. I grew up skiing there, very sad to see it fade away. There's also my favorite BC ski spot, mostly in NY, but also in MA. PM me for details if you think you might want to do some BC skiing.

02-13-2019, 02:54 PM	#9
Fisheater Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Land of Lakes, Headwaters of Three Rivers, MI Posts: 48	Mike, I would love to BC ski, but right now if I am skiing on the road it will be with my son. He's 16, and he will still associate with me, so long as he wants to hang with me I'm happy. He isn't ready or interested in any BC skiing. However I would like to show him some new places and some bigger terrain. Thank you, for the information. I am disappointed to hear Hickory is closed. It wasn't that long ago you posted some nice photos of you and Hickory Skier at Hickory.

02-13-2019, 08:22 PM	#10
JW Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 161	Royal is fantastic - coming from a former whiteface employee - Grooming is the best - snowmaking is right up to gore and whiteface standards - and the glades are great. best part of the glades is coming up to a tree stand one time - guess i was a little far off.... And Johnny in the Velcro Lounge is the best.

02-13-2019, 11:36 PM	#11
montcalm Mobster Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 1,178	Not sure where you are in Michigan, but closest to the Detroit area, and worth driving to, would be Holiday Valley or Bristol. Holiday Valley has less vertical, but has more acreage. Bristol has more vert, but less acreage. I believe both would be bigger than anything in Michigan. Bristol I'm sure is because they tout being the biggest from the Adirondacks to the Rockies. Both being on the Allegany Plateau, they have similar attributes. Bristol doesn't have any tree skiing, but depending on the weather, that might not be an issue. From Detroit it's probably around 6 hours to either. There are a couple other small places in Western NY, but probably not really worth the trip. If you are out for a week and want to ski multiple places, then you might try Swain, Greek Peak, or maybe even Hunt Hollow if you are there on a Wed to Fri and the weather is decent. Hunt Hollow has a couple of the steepest, and narrowest runs of any of those places.

06-03-2020, 09:38 AM	#14
Pmo Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 11	Man, is Eagle Mountain still there?? I grew up in Fonda. As a teen we used to come for "Men's Night" every so often - I think the lift tickets were like $3.00 unless my memory fails me?! I usually go to this thread for the fishing but wandered over here. I also noticed some people talking about Oak and Royal - also very familiar places. Anyone remember Shoemaker? Little mountain in Little Falls, just off the 90. Learned to ski there growing up, I make the drive from Rochester to Albany frequently and every time I drive by I have to look and take in the nostalgia. It's been closed for years now, but I often think someday I'll "sneak hike" to the top with by board in the winter time and get one last run :-)

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