Sinanation

The Camelback trip was made possible by artandseek and Delta Brands.

What to expect: Camelback is the closest Alpine skiing spot for New Yorkers. The best thing about it is the night skiing that keeps the slopes open until 10 pm. After 5.30 pm half of the skiers on the mountain will disappear and you will have the place to yourself. With that in mind, I still recommend you don’t go to Camelback with huge expectations. There will be a lot of beginners (especially beginner snowboarders) and little children spread around the mountain. The longest slope you are going to be on will take approx. 4-6 minutes to ski down depending on your speed. A regular blue slope in Colorado or Vermont will take at least 10 minutes. Make sure you check the weather the very last minute to guarantee you won’t be stuck in Camelback in rain (like we once did…Action Movie? Probably not…)

Getting there: The drive will take 1.5 hours from Manhattan. Adhere to the speed limits (which are unnecessarily strict) as numerous police cars are on the lurk hidden behind unexpected spots.

Where to stay: I recommend you drive in the morning and get back to the city after a day of skiing. If you stay on the slopes until very late and are too lazy to drive back, then the best lodging is at The Chateau (www.chateauresort.com) and its rates start at USD 117 during the weekends.

Recommended Slopes: We enjoyed the far left side of the mountain during the crowded morning and transferred to the right in the late afternoon. Pharaoh (or as we call it “Ulus 29″), Nile Mile, Rocket and Marjie’s Delight are the favorites. At some point the lines got so annoying that we switched to the Raceway lift, which didn’t take us as high as the others, but enabled us to enjoy a much shorter line. We skied down the Pocono Raceway a few times until we were once again ready for the long lines.

Where to eat: Ski down to Glen Lodge for lunch. The top floor has waiter service and the floors below that are self-serve. The chicken quesadilla and the waffle fries are the most delicious pairings on the menu. Most-expected from the American entertainment culture, the Cameltop cafe at the top of the Sullivan Express closes at 6 pm unlike the slopes. It is a shame as it would be the best break spot for any night skier. If you have the energy, go to Thirsty Camel apres-ski for drinks. There is a live band that sings anything from Lady Gaga to Barry White songs during the weekend. I tell you now that it will be a one-of-a-kind experience for any New Yorker. The locals (beyond their 30s) there seem to be excessive drinkers that let it really loose on the dance floor.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 07:31 and is filed under Ski - Americas, Skiing & Ski Resorts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.