Inventor's Notes

Growing up in Lake Placid during the 50's and 60's carried with it some rather weighty obligations in terms of winter sports. Practically everyone learned to ski and figure skate and play hockey at a very early age. For me, I think learning to ski came at about the same time I learned to walk. Later, we'd trudge through the woods from our house to Fawn Ridge Ski Center, about 1/2 a mile away, awkwardly carrying our skis, me dropping them frequently, bringing a five-year-old's tears with it and big brothers scooping me up and keeping me going (if I didn't get there, neither would they!).

Finally we have snow and plenty of it.  Though Whiteface has been making it on the mountain this whole season, it is a nice treat to be getting this late dumping of fresh snow. So for those that will be at Whiteface this weekend, February 24th will be the start of the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) Alpine J1 and J2 State Championship and I will be there to help.

The evening began well, driving through snow to Lake Placid. In a winter where snow has been scarce, it was a pleasure to take it slow and watch the white dust softly blanket the roadside. My destination was the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, hereafter referred to as the LPCA.

Recently I uploaded a picture of a snow-covered Whiteface Mountain to my Facebook page. As I captioned it "What's in a name?" I got thinking about the High Peaks and wondering for whom and why some of the mountains have the names they do. I know I've read or been told the histories of some of our local mountains, but have long since forgotten most.

Snow is falling where I live in the Adirondack Park but places like Whiteface Mountain have been making snow and keeping all of our downhill skiing dreams alive.