DRIVING RANGE
SKI resorts out west may boast about in stalling more six-person chairlifts, but the big news at Ski Plattekill, in the Catskills town of Roxbury, is a new two-seater that replaces the prehistoric T-bar.
And it’s not even new – it’s from another mountain. Still, it cuts the 14-minute ride in half.
Welcome to the way skiing used to be. Just don’t underestimate Plattekill’s challenges; the runs here can be murder.
LET’S GO SKIING This slope has some of the best steeps you can drive to, and one of the most frightening is Blockbuster. Come over the lip, and it looks like you’re headed straight into the lodge window.
Owner Laszlo Vajtay grew up skiing here, was a ski instructor here and bought the place 11 years ago, at the ripe old age of 30, rather than see it shut down and turned into a condo development.
Laszlo is everywhere. He oversees snowmaking and keeps the parking lot plowed. His wife, Danielle – they met here skiing – helps sell lift tickets.
Ski Plattekill gets more snow than its bigger and better-known neighbors – last season it got a record 257 inches – and that means more powder days.
Lift tickets, just $25, are limited to 2,000 a day, so a three-minute lift line is long. After hours, the beginner lift (a rope tow) stays open for tubing.
The ski area is open only on weekends and holidays, unless there’s a one-foot snow dump, when Laszlo will power up the lifts.
EAT AND DRINK With no trendy base village on hand, Ski Plattekill looks to its neighbors for lodging assistance. Hanah Moun- tain Resort & Country Club, 10 minutes away, has a new, rustic wood lodge, where you’ll find an indoor pool and spa. Plattekill plans to run a free shuttle to the hotel (two-night packages, including breakfast and dinner, start at $169 per person; [800] 752-6494, hanahcountryclub.com).
Everyone eats at Taste Buds, an old-fashioned soda fountain (yes, the round stools spin around) on Roxbury’s Main Street. Skiers snarf down pancakes and eggs at pine tables that look like they were built in the mid-1800s along with the rest of the building. To dine a little finer, head to funky Margaretville’s Main Street for Binnekill Square, good for schnitzel, spaetzle and venison stew.
Ski Plattekill is a 21/2-hour drive from Manhattan. For more info: (607) 326-3500, plattekill.com.