Gore Mountain Backcountry & Glades
Gore Mountain’s glades form a tremendous network of tree-skiing that provides and in-bound backcountry skiing experience. Gore’s offers more tree skiing terrain than almost any resort in the East. It also boasts the region’s longest gladed trail and fantastic tree runs on each of its 7 faces.
Gore Mountain Glades
One of the best kept-secrets at Gore is its expansive network of gladed terrain. Gore boasts an impressive set of tree runs, including the longest glades in the East.
Not only does Gore have a large number of glades, but the tree-skiing it does have is incredibly varied. Every face of the mountain has glades and Gore does a wonderful job of maintaining (i.e. cutting) the underbrush along these routes. Most of its glades are for experts, but a handful are marked blue for intermediates. One of the best things about Gore’s glades is how incredibly differently they ski. The glades near the Summit (e.g. Chatiemac and Straighbrook Glades) are a mix of conifers and hardwoods that feature tighter, steeper lines and small cliff bands. Farther down the hill, the lower mountain glades (e.g. Chatterbox, Twister, Boreas, Cirque Glades, together with the tree runs at the Ski Bowl) are comprised of hardwoods. They feature more widely spaced trees and are less steep. These low angle glades are still difficult, however, because their length makes them true legburners.
Our favorite glade is undoubtedly the Cirque Glades, a long and moderately pitched slopes that offers stunning views of an ancient rock formation. The entrance to the glade through is a fantastic keyhole notch in the rocks accessible from the Burnt Ridge Quad. Another favorite is the oft-overlooked Chatiemac Glade in the Straightbrook Area. Chatiemac Glade is one of the steeper tree runs on the hill and the line on the skier’s left funnels through a narrow opening in a breathtaking ice waterfall.
New for 2014-2015 is the almost mile-long Abenaki Glade. This run (which next year will be partially converted into a standard trail) faces due north and holds the snow better than just about anywhere else on the hill. It also allows skiers coming from Burnt Ridge to avoid the long, flat Pipeline Traverse if heading down to the Ski Bowl.
Gore Mountain Backcountry Skiing
A few backcountry ski trails do exist near the resort. Several of these backcountry trails were amongst the original ski trails during Gore’s “Ride Up, Ski Down” days before World War Two. They are maintained by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and a parking lot is available at the trailhead off Barton Mines Road. The Garnet Hill Lodge can arrange guided backcountry ski experience on Raymond Brook Trail on Barton Mines Road back to the hotel.