Gore Mountain Ski Resort
Author: Chad H
Summary: Gore Mountain is New York’s largest full-service ski resort area including 4 peaks and 109 trails, with an elevation of 2,537 feet at its peak. Gore is located near the town of North Creek, NY, which also includes several “ski-town” restaurants, shops, and other entertainment. The mountain has two primary ski areas - the High Peaks/Northwoods Area, where the majority of trails reside, as well as the North Creek Ski Bowl, which resides at an elevation of 998 feet. All lift tickets and rentals must be obtained at the base of the High Peaks/Northwoods area but provide access to the ski bowl as well. There are a total of 14 ski lifts at the mountain as well as a bunny hill known as the “Bear Cub Run” right off the base lodge. In total, there are 12 green runs, 53 blue runs, 37 black diamond runs, and 7 double black diamond runs. All runs and trails are subject to snowfall and snow-making conditions and may be closed at various times for maintenance.
Date: Observations and data recorded on March 9, 2023
Site/location: Gore Mountain is located at 793 Peaceful Valley Road
North Creek, NY 12853
Distance from Camp Hudson Pines: 37 Miles (approx. 50 minute drive)
Participants: 29 year old novice skier, 26 year old novice snowboarder, 25 year old beginner snowboarder
Length of Observation: Approximately 7 hours
Links: https://goremountain.com/
Activity: There are 5 primary parking lots at the Northwoods Lodge and Base area, as well as two ski-in/ski-out parking lots at the North Creek Ski Bowl. We visited the mountain on a Tuesday following a 15” snowfall the previous weekend. Parking and access to ski lifts was easy, and the trails were not particularly busy on that day.
To obtain lift tickets, approach the south side of the base lodge, where you’ll see a ticket booth. You’ll receive an RFID enabled card that you’ll need to keep in an outside pocket of your jacket to easily trigger the gates into the lift area - no need to pull it out at any point to show it to the lift attendants, everything is automated. For ski and snowboard rentals, walk across the path to the south and inside the Northwoods Lodge. The rental attendants are extremely helpful getting you fit for the proper equipment and the whole process took us less than 20 minutes from lift ticket purchase to walking out to the slopes.
During our visit, we primarily skied the Northwoods area - we did not attend the North Creek Ski Bowl on this trip. The base lodge has 4 primary lifts that are a very short walk/ski. The lift to the far southwest side accesses the bunny hill/warm-up area of the mountain. The Sunway Chair is a short, 3-4 minute chair lift that accesses the halfway point of the Sunway green run, as well as the Otter Slide Glades. Each of these are fantastic options for a first run of the day to get in the groove and get used to your equipment. The Adirondack Express II chair lift takes you about ⅔ of the way up the mountain and drops you off at the Saddle Lodge. Saddle Lodge has basic food and beverage options, including sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, snacks, soda, gatorade/water, and hot chocolate. There is ample seating inside and a loft area for a bit more privacy.
The longest lift from the base area is the Northwoods Gondola. This Gondola goes beyond the Saddle Lodge and drops you off at the mountain’s greatest intersection. From here, you can ski down trails to access any of the other four lifts that lead further up the mountain, where most of the more challenging slopes reside. Due to our relatively novice status, we did not go beyond the Northwoods Gondola, for our own comfort.
Once you have reached the higher elevations found at the Saddle Lodge and further up the mountain, weather conditions become increasingly more challenging. There was significant wind and swirling snow in these areas, where being fully layered and bundled up is a must. However, once you get your skis and boards equipped and start moving, the cold conditions quickly become an afterthought. In these areas, the snow is much more powdery than lower areas of the mountain. Due to it being late in the season and our limited snowfall this winter, some of the slopes on the lower half of the mountain were a bit icy and slick, but the upper portions of the mountain contained considerably more powder.
We spent approximately 5 hours on the mountain before retreating to the base area for food and drinks. There wasn’t a single slope that I didn’t enjoy. The trails in most areas are wide and provide plenty of room to share the mountain with skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels. Truly there is a trail for everyone to enjoy. I highly recommend picking up a trail map at the base lodge before embarking, as there are a multitude of routes down the mountain, such that you’ll never have to repeat the same route twice.
Description: We spent approximately 2 hours at the base lodge area as well. There are plenty of options for food and drink here, including The Tannery - a full service bar and restaurant with local brews on tap. For on-the-go food, there is also a Open-Pit Grille and a Waffle Hut, as well as a few vendors and benches inside the lodge. There is also a full-service gift shop, which includes souvenirs as well as essentials like gloves, helmets, coats and ski pants - in case you’ve left any necessities behind or need to upgrade your gear.
Reflections: As noted, none of us in attendance were skilled enough to take on the black diamond routes, but I think you’ll find that most of the blues are more than passable for intermediate skiers and boarders. Gore does provide lessons for all skill levels, and it is my intention to take on an intermediate ski lesson or two next season to boost my skills and confidence to more fully take advantage of the mountain next season.
The location of the Saddle Lodge is ideal, and there is another lodge with similar amenities at the top of the mountain. No matter where you are on the mountain, if nature calls or you need to grab a bite to eat or assistance from on-site medical staff, you won’t be far at all from having access to it. In fact, Gore has won several awards for their safety record, and are actively investing in sustainable snow-making and maintenance throughout their resort.
Being as late in the season as it was, we benefited from having a thick layer of snow beneath us, with few trails closed. Though it has been a bit lighter of a year for snow in upstate NY, Gore does a fantastic job supplementing with their own snow-making and going during the week following a big snow weekend was a major plus. It was a relatively private mountain on a Tuesday and we had no issues with the conditions beyond some strong gusts at the top of the gondola.
Lastly, the staff and guests at Gore were exceptionally friendly and helpful. This was my first time on the mountain, and whomever I asked for help or directions was always happy to help and gave great insights on what trails we might enjoy most at our skill level. Gore is a fantastic place to visit and we will be back again before the season concludes.