Well I did it again.
I blew off my family for Thanksgiving turns. But let me tell you, it was well worth it. It was work convincing my buddy to forget about riding the mountain bike and also suffer the guilt of family neglect to get in the car and head north with me after lunchtime on Wednesday. He argued that it was going to rain. I argued that there had been a foot of snow at Killington the previous day and more coming, real and gunned.
I was right. Thank goodness for my brand new Hakkapeliitta snow tires from Jack Williams.
We arrived in Rutland, Vermont early evening to a mix of rain and sleet, but as I'd predicted, as soon as we climbed out of town and into Mendon the story changed. The landscape was transformed into a New England winterscape scene right out of Currier and Ives.
The Irish pub just below Killington's access road beckoned. We stopped in for some Guinness ales and chow, and to our delight, were joined by Killington's new President and General Manager Chris Nyberg. As we downed soup and burgers at the bar, we got the snow report right from its source.
Chris had just finished grooming and knew exactly where the snowguns were blowing and what would be the primo runs to hit when the Gondola started hauling folks up the mountain to Killington Peak at 8 AM on Turkey day. This had been the best opening week at Killington in 10 years, and they have so much terrain open your head will spin.
But it was no holiday for Chris. He planned to be up before dawn and out with his team on the hill working to take advantage of the cold early season temperatures and get even more of the monstrous ski area opened as soon as possible for the dedicated skiers and boarders like myself and my buddy. As we ate, a gentle dusting of snow coated the windshield of my Audi as it rested in the snow covered parking lot outside.
Killington is a magical place. And with Chris Nyberg at its helm, it's better than ever. He's amazingly hands on, a workaholic, and a really cool and progressive guy who is setting new standards in the ski industry. He and his team have been focused on creating and maintaining the most advanced terrain for dedicated and long time skiers and boarders first and foremost, while promoting responsible fiscal management and putting profits back into the mountain itself. He's done some amazing things at Killington since the new ownership put him in charge a year and a half ago.
We got to see it all firsthand. Thanksgiving Day we met up with Chris out on the hill and he wasn't talking turkey. He gave us an exhilirating tour of the mountain and pointed out all it's extensive recent improvements, including the construction site for a new high speed quad soon to open as well as new trails.
We made lots of turns with Chris and Tom Horrocks, who helped my buddy to capture it all on my camera. I finished off my day riding in the groomer with Chris as he churned and turned gigantic snow piles into plush corduroy for the kids and beginners at Ramshead.
My favorite black diamond runs already open and buffed with super soft snow- Superstar, Lower East Fall, Powerline, Royal Flush and Ovation. And Cascade opened this weekend as well. I have to tell you, my new Elan Mag Spice skis were perfect for every run - soft powder, groomers and even tearing through the bumps.
Thanksgiving Dinner at the resort's Grand Hotel wasn't bad either. The hot tub was even better. You'll get to see it over the next couple weeks on the show.
Next week, with the help of both Chris and Elk Mountain's Gregg Confer, we'll show you how snow is made and groomed. Then in the following week's show I'll take you on a tour of Killington with Chris and we'll show you why there is no reason to get on an airplane to get your Big Mountain fix if you don't mind a bit of a road trip about the same time length as a plane ride without the airline hassles and expenses.
On the subject of Big Mountains, I do have to say that I'm truly blessed to have Elk Mountain as my home base. It's got Pennsylvania's most challenging terrain without the drive. And Elk's got some great snow laid out from its own snowmaking endeavors these last couple weeks. Its crew is hoping to open as early as this coming week. Keep checking the website http://www.elkskier.com/ or read my blog for more info.
And if your'e not in shape yet, you'd better get yourself into the gym and hit the leg press!! This is going to be a great ski season.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
White Birthday
It's here!!!!
Ski season launched itself with an incredible and unexpected blast of arctic air that created phenomenal opening day snow conditions at the Big Eastern mountains like nothing even the old timers can remember from years of past.
For me, it was the best birthday weekend I've ever had. Believe me, most years, if I'm lucky, I'm making turns somewhere on November 22, and when the calendar dictates it, eating my turkey and birthday cake together at a ski resort buffet. I spend hours in early November studying 10 day weather reports and mountain websites, gathering my gear, old and new, and tossing and turning every night dreaming of powder and steep mogul and tree runs.
Saturday Hunter Mountain presented me with a special day like one right out of any January diary from year's past. By late morning I was charging down Hellgate following Maxi through a field of soft moguls already bumped up with the driest man made snow I've ever seen.
And the most incredible thing was that I had new boots and skis that unbelievably fit like they'd been molded to my body. Just 2 days earlier I was in Country Ski and Sport having Sean O'Shea measure my foot then stuff it into a heated new pair of Dalbello Krypton boots. No time to break them in, no time to try my new Elan skis, no time to get ready. And no problems. None. Just a minor binding adjustment to the new Elan Mag Spices by Maxi in the parking lot at lunch time. Now that's great technology. And so is the Gore Tex shell outfit from The North Face that I picked up for out West powder skiing, but after this weekend I realize it will work on any hill, Eastern, Western or European. The new Summit Series Citation is the state of the art in windproof, waterproof breathable and sealed clothing, and with a morning temperature of 6 degrees and 30 miles an hour winds at the summit, and the snow guns blowing on the best lines, you couldn't be out there long unless you covered up and kept the body heat in. I wore the outfit both days. A pair of Radiant goggles from Scott with low light lenses allowed me to get the endless deep powder stashes under the guns with perfect visibility. You'll see this stuff along with more of the latest in new gear if you tune into the next episode of The Great Outdoors.
As for the rest of the weekend - Sunday was truly EPIC. A bluebird day.
At one point late Sunday morning after laps under the guns in the steep powder on the Cliff and Eishenhower, I was forced to stop at the Ski Patrol shack on top and take a short break. They needed one more than me. I found a bunch of tired redcoats taking a much deserved sit down. They told me they had 40 percent of the mountain open already, normally were finished opening and preparing runs by 8:30 AM but had worked past noon the day before. The super cold temps that never got above the high teens at the summit kept the snow shooting out of the guns at incredible volume, carpeting the runs faster than they could keep up with undoing ropes and removing "Closed" signs. They said it was the best opening weekend they'd ever seen.
I skied lots of runs with Budji, who along with Mike Orlando, helped me have a great birthday party. Also joining me out on the hill were Elk skiers Linda and Ernie and Klover. On Sunday, I got a special treat. I got to ski with the Mountaintop guys who arrived late morning in John Ayre's magical mystery van. Joe Wychock mounted and tuned skis the whole drive up and we tore up the moguls and man made powder like you wouldn't believe. Doug Lange changed from teles to alpines and we chased each other through the bumps on Cliff, Minya Tonka and places I shouldn't talk about.
Stay tuned - Elk has been blowing snow all week as well, and I'm going up to spy with my camera tomorrow. Rumor has it that the chairs might start turning there by the end of the first week of December and I plan to be on the first one!
Ski season launched itself with an incredible and unexpected blast of arctic air that created phenomenal opening day snow conditions at the Big Eastern mountains like nothing even the old timers can remember from years of past.
For me, it was the best birthday weekend I've ever had. Believe me, most years, if I'm lucky, I'm making turns somewhere on November 22, and when the calendar dictates it, eating my turkey and birthday cake together at a ski resort buffet. I spend hours in early November studying 10 day weather reports and mountain websites, gathering my gear, old and new, and tossing and turning every night dreaming of powder and steep mogul and tree runs.
Saturday Hunter Mountain presented me with a special day like one right out of any January diary from year's past. By late morning I was charging down Hellgate following Maxi through a field of soft moguls already bumped up with the driest man made snow I've ever seen.
And the most incredible thing was that I had new boots and skis that unbelievably fit like they'd been molded to my body. Just 2 days earlier I was in Country Ski and Sport having Sean O'Shea measure my foot then stuff it into a heated new pair of Dalbello Krypton boots. No time to break them in, no time to try my new Elan skis, no time to get ready. And no problems. None. Just a minor binding adjustment to the new Elan Mag Spices by Maxi in the parking lot at lunch time. Now that's great technology. And so is the Gore Tex shell outfit from The North Face that I picked up for out West powder skiing, but after this weekend I realize it will work on any hill, Eastern, Western or European. The new Summit Series Citation is the state of the art in windproof, waterproof breathable and sealed clothing, and with a morning temperature of 6 degrees and 30 miles an hour winds at the summit, and the snow guns blowing on the best lines, you couldn't be out there long unless you covered up and kept the body heat in. I wore the outfit both days. A pair of Radiant goggles from Scott with low light lenses allowed me to get the endless deep powder stashes under the guns with perfect visibility. You'll see this stuff along with more of the latest in new gear if you tune into the next episode of The Great Outdoors.
As for the rest of the weekend - Sunday was truly EPIC. A bluebird day.
At one point late Sunday morning after laps under the guns in the steep powder on the Cliff and Eishenhower, I was forced to stop at the Ski Patrol shack on top and take a short break. They needed one more than me. I found a bunch of tired redcoats taking a much deserved sit down. They told me they had 40 percent of the mountain open already, normally were finished opening and preparing runs by 8:30 AM but had worked past noon the day before. The super cold temps that never got above the high teens at the summit kept the snow shooting out of the guns at incredible volume, carpeting the runs faster than they could keep up with undoing ropes and removing "Closed" signs. They said it was the best opening weekend they'd ever seen.
I skied lots of runs with Budji, who along with Mike Orlando, helped me have a great birthday party. Also joining me out on the hill were Elk skiers Linda and Ernie and Klover. On Sunday, I got a special treat. I got to ski with the Mountaintop guys who arrived late morning in John Ayre's magical mystery van. Joe Wychock mounted and tuned skis the whole drive up and we tore up the moguls and man made powder like you wouldn't believe. Doug Lange changed from teles to alpines and we chased each other through the bumps on Cliff, Minya Tonka and places I shouldn't talk about.
Stay tuned - Elk has been blowing snow all week as well, and I'm going up to spy with my camera tomorrow. Rumor has it that the chairs might start turning there by the end of the first week of December and I plan to be on the first one!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Wet Weekend in New York State
New York holds abundant water and wetlands that splatter its terrain with rivers, streams and gigantic lakes. For fishing and hunting enthusiasts that means lots of action year round. My buddy and I decided to add an extra day to our planned weekend waterfowl hunt with the Hunt Dr. and Bernie O near the Finger Lakes region and head north after work Thursday.
We loaded the truck with our Cabelas gear and Benelli shotguns and hit the road. After the world's best ribs at the Dinosaur in Syracuse and a quick stop at Fat Nancy's in Pulaski, we shacked up in a cabin at Fox Hollow Lodge just down the road. We awoke before dawn to a full moon and the promise of an unseasonably warm autumn day.
Our guide, Richard Thomas of Salmon River Guides www.salmonriverguide.com launched the drift boat upriver from town to begin our seven mile trip, casting out with spinning rods into the currents in the first spot. Just as the first light came up, my buddy hit his first fish with an artificial orange salmon egg and brought it right in. It wasn't big enough to keep, and the action slowed for most of the morning.
Then we started plug fishing. Three lines out and Richard backpaddling the boat to jig the Hotshots, treble hooked fluorescent lures that look like minnows swimming around, but aggravate the steelhead into biting them just out of aggression. They work wonders when the fish aren't hungry. It wasn't long before "we" took two more nice fish, well over 15 pounds total. I won't tell you who landed them, however, I will say I had to suck up and concede to the "King of the Hill" once again.
Then it was back to the Dinosaur on the way down to Auburn. We met up with Bernie O, TC Mazar and the Hunt Dr, who had organized the two day hunt for waterfowl on nearby Lake Owasko. After a gorgeous 60+ degree fishing day, Saturday's forecast was calling for all day rain and Sunday was worse, with huge wind gusts and a bitter cold front blowing in. The weather was the biggest challenge, so we opted to hunt in a blind just off the shore of the lake. The blind worked well, when we could entice birds to come close. We saw and called plenty of birds and took down a pile of mallards both days, but the geese just wouldn't come in either day.
We did see some action and caught it all on camera. If you're interested, tune in to The Great Outdoors this Sunday evening and I'll take you there. And stay tuned, after the duck hunt we'll visit deer butcherJeff Scabazzo in Susquehanna County and show you how to skin, cut up, and package the meat from fresh deer taken during the first days of New York's season this past weekend. Let me tell you, his deer kielbasi is as good as it gets, and maybe if we're lucky, he'll show us how to make some.
We loaded the truck with our Cabelas gear and Benelli shotguns and hit the road. After the world's best ribs at the Dinosaur in Syracuse and a quick stop at Fat Nancy's in Pulaski, we shacked up in a cabin at Fox Hollow Lodge just down the road. We awoke before dawn to a full moon and the promise of an unseasonably warm autumn day.
Our guide, Richard Thomas of Salmon River Guides www.salmonriverguide.com launched the drift boat upriver from town to begin our seven mile trip, casting out with spinning rods into the currents in the first spot. Just as the first light came up, my buddy hit his first fish with an artificial orange salmon egg and brought it right in. It wasn't big enough to keep, and the action slowed for most of the morning.
Then we started plug fishing. Three lines out and Richard backpaddling the boat to jig the Hotshots, treble hooked fluorescent lures that look like minnows swimming around, but aggravate the steelhead into biting them just out of aggression. They work wonders when the fish aren't hungry. It wasn't long before "we" took two more nice fish, well over 15 pounds total. I won't tell you who landed them, however, I will say I had to suck up and concede to the "King of the Hill" once again.
Then it was back to the Dinosaur on the way down to Auburn. We met up with Bernie O, TC Mazar and the Hunt Dr, who had organized the two day hunt for waterfowl on nearby Lake Owasko. After a gorgeous 60+ degree fishing day, Saturday's forecast was calling for all day rain and Sunday was worse, with huge wind gusts and a bitter cold front blowing in. The weather was the biggest challenge, so we opted to hunt in a blind just off the shore of the lake. The blind worked well, when we could entice birds to come close. We saw and called plenty of birds and took down a pile of mallards both days, but the geese just wouldn't come in either day.
We did see some action and caught it all on camera. If you're interested, tune in to The Great Outdoors this Sunday evening and I'll take you there. And stay tuned, after the duck hunt we'll visit deer butcherJeff Scabazzo in Susquehanna County and show you how to skin, cut up, and package the meat from fresh deer taken during the first days of New York's season this past weekend. Let me tell you, his deer kielbasi is as good as it gets, and maybe if we're lucky, he'll show us how to make some.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Upland Birds - Home Field Advantage
Dr. Stan, Bernie O and I set out Friday for our first pheasant hunt of the season. Warm and sunny, it was a bluebird day, no pun intended. From Harveys Lake, we drove west on 118 almost out to Hughesville, where Jim Nearhoff has his Mill Run Game Preserve. Along with stocking the field for us with pheasants and chukars, Jim was kind enough to provide us with his best "guide," Mattie, a German Shorthair Pointer who has more experience in her left front paw than most of the shooters I know.
With our Benelli shotguns, we took down nearly all of the stocked birds and had a stellar time. I hit the first cock bird that flew out of the cover and dropped him instantly. He was the biggest of the ten, and the shot was perfect. Both Dr. Stan and Bernie O, who was using his special Pattern Master choke, connected with everything they fired at, with the exception of a couple of elusive chukars that flew into the surrounding trees. We got those after hiking in and flushing them back out of the woods. Mattie pointed and retrieved all afternoon, and you'd never know she and Bernie O, who held the whistle, weren't a longtime couple.
On the way home we got to thinking and realized we didn't need to drive so far for the upland action we craved. The top field on my Noxen farm provides perfect cover and is not only completely private, but very big and surrounded by trees and my own land, thus extremely safe to shoot in every direction. But where to get the birds? We pondered the rest of the way back to civilization, but it all fell into place as we stopped for beer, and like one of the ringnecks we'd hit, the answer just seemed to fall into our laps in a passing conversation. There really is a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Unbelievably, in less than an hour, we were staring at flyways of every imaginable feathered creature you'd ever want to hunt. Sworn to secrecy, I can say no more.
The forecast was for rain in the morning, then clearing. So we made the arrangements to pick up our fowl early and meet at my farm in Beaumont after the skies cleared. Ryno called his dad Ron Andrews to come out and lend his expertise, along with Ron's good friend Francis Kenia, who you may remember from seeing him on the show with his Boykin Spaniel, Zach, in July. We did a segment on keeping a hunting dog fit in the off season and Zach ate it up for the camera.
Francis is one of the best dog handlers out there, as well as an expert shooter, and Zach is a beautiful little dog who loves his job. We were blessed to have them join us. Thankfully we got some extra birds, because most of those we lost simply flew away while being unloaded from the crates. Then Ron stepped in and showed us how to tuck the pheasant's head under the wing to disorient the bird, so it remains quiet as it's placed in the cover. He has lots of experience and hosts a youth pheasant hunt every fall near his home in Emporium to provide a fun and educational hunting experience for the local youngsters free of charge.
Needless to say, the day couldn't have been better. Francis worked his dog up and down that field until we got all the birds. You could swear the little spaniel had a huge smile on his furry cocoa-hued muzzle the whole time, he wagged his little tail so much as he picked up and followed scent, flushing birds one after the other and jingling his bell as he leapt in and out of the tall grasses. Ryno, Dr. Stan and I took down our limit and Ron offered good advice. We shot pheasants, quail and chukars.
After we finished, we went back to Dr. Stan's and cleaned all the birds. Dr. Stan fired up his smoker for the pheasants, and I bagged the chukar and quail breasts and took them home to brine for a few hours. The next morning they went into the slow cooker. If you're a cook and want to indulge in a five-star game bird dish, try this:
Game Bird Coq Au Vin with Tarragon Cream and Wild Mushrooms
Ingredients
1 pound wild mushrooms - dried and rehydrated papinkies are BEST
2-3 pounds breasts of chukars, quail and small pheasant, cleaned and brined
1 large onion, sliced very thin
1-2 cloves garlic, quartered
Several sprigs fresh tarragon, 1 tbsp.chopped fresh tarragon
1cup plus 1/2 cup chicken broth
1-2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsps. unsalted butter
1/4 cup red wine
Method
With tweezers remove any shot, then clean and brine bird breasts. Saute onion slices and garlic in butter until just carmelized. Add mushrooms and saute another 2 minutes. Add red wine and reduce a bit, scraping pan. Stir in chopped tarragon. Put half of onion/mushroom mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Place 1-2 tarragon sprigs over onions and arrange breasts on top. Place remaining onion and mushrooms in wine over top. Pour 1 cup chicken broth over all. Add more tarragon sprigs and pepper, and place lid on cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours and low for 5-6 hours more. Then gently remove breasts, carefully debone and set aside. Make sauce. Strain liquid from cooker into a medium saucepan, placing solids back into cooker. Bring stock to boil over medium heat. Mix flour and remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth until lumps dissolve. Add gently to stock until sauce thickens. Cook for 1-2 minutes, add heavy cream. Cook 1 more minute. Pour sauce back into slow cooker, add breast meat and mix gently into sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes and/ or fresh bread.
Bon Appetite!
With our Benelli shotguns, we took down nearly all of the stocked birds and had a stellar time. I hit the first cock bird that flew out of the cover and dropped him instantly. He was the biggest of the ten, and the shot was perfect. Both Dr. Stan and Bernie O, who was using his special Pattern Master choke, connected with everything they fired at, with the exception of a couple of elusive chukars that flew into the surrounding trees. We got those after hiking in and flushing them back out of the woods. Mattie pointed and retrieved all afternoon, and you'd never know she and Bernie O, who held the whistle, weren't a longtime couple.
On the way home we got to thinking and realized we didn't need to drive so far for the upland action we craved. The top field on my Noxen farm provides perfect cover and is not only completely private, but very big and surrounded by trees and my own land, thus extremely safe to shoot in every direction. But where to get the birds? We pondered the rest of the way back to civilization, but it all fell into place as we stopped for beer, and like one of the ringnecks we'd hit, the answer just seemed to fall into our laps in a passing conversation. There really is a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Unbelievably, in less than an hour, we were staring at flyways of every imaginable feathered creature you'd ever want to hunt. Sworn to secrecy, I can say no more.
The forecast was for rain in the morning, then clearing. So we made the arrangements to pick up our fowl early and meet at my farm in Beaumont after the skies cleared. Ryno called his dad Ron Andrews to come out and lend his expertise, along with Ron's good friend Francis Kenia, who you may remember from seeing him on the show with his Boykin Spaniel, Zach, in July. We did a segment on keeping a hunting dog fit in the off season and Zach ate it up for the camera.
Francis is one of the best dog handlers out there, as well as an expert shooter, and Zach is a beautiful little dog who loves his job. We were blessed to have them join us. Thankfully we got some extra birds, because most of those we lost simply flew away while being unloaded from the crates. Then Ron stepped in and showed us how to tuck the pheasant's head under the wing to disorient the bird, so it remains quiet as it's placed in the cover. He has lots of experience and hosts a youth pheasant hunt every fall near his home in Emporium to provide a fun and educational hunting experience for the local youngsters free of charge.
Needless to say, the day couldn't have been better. Francis worked his dog up and down that field until we got all the birds. You could swear the little spaniel had a huge smile on his furry cocoa-hued muzzle the whole time, he wagged his little tail so much as he picked up and followed scent, flushing birds one after the other and jingling his bell as he leapt in and out of the tall grasses. Ryno, Dr. Stan and I took down our limit and Ron offered good advice. We shot pheasants, quail and chukars.
After we finished, we went back to Dr. Stan's and cleaned all the birds. Dr. Stan fired up his smoker for the pheasants, and I bagged the chukar and quail breasts and took them home to brine for a few hours. The next morning they went into the slow cooker. If you're a cook and want to indulge in a five-star game bird dish, try this:
Game Bird Coq Au Vin with Tarragon Cream and Wild Mushrooms
Ingredients
1 pound wild mushrooms - dried and rehydrated papinkies are BEST
2-3 pounds breasts of chukars, quail and small pheasant, cleaned and brined
1 large onion, sliced very thin
1-2 cloves garlic, quartered
Several sprigs fresh tarragon, 1 tbsp.chopped fresh tarragon
1cup plus 1/2 cup chicken broth
1-2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsps. unsalted butter
1/4 cup red wine
Method
With tweezers remove any shot, then clean and brine bird breasts. Saute onion slices and garlic in butter until just carmelized. Add mushrooms and saute another 2 minutes. Add red wine and reduce a bit, scraping pan. Stir in chopped tarragon. Put half of onion/mushroom mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Place 1-2 tarragon sprigs over onions and arrange breasts on top. Place remaining onion and mushrooms in wine over top. Pour 1 cup chicken broth over all. Add more tarragon sprigs and pepper, and place lid on cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours and low for 5-6 hours more. Then gently remove breasts, carefully debone and set aside. Make sauce. Strain liquid from cooker into a medium saucepan, placing solids back into cooker. Bring stock to boil over medium heat. Mix flour and remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth until lumps dissolve. Add gently to stock until sauce thickens. Cook for 1-2 minutes, add heavy cream. Cook 1 more minute. Pour sauce back into slow cooker, add breast meat and mix gently into sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes and/ or fresh bread.
Bon Appetite!
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