It's a Brand New Year

That's right, with the end of the Winter season and the onset of Spring, a whole new year really begins here at the lodge.  In spring we clean everything, organize everything, and start a new cycle of improvements that will impact just about every aspect of the lodge in one way or another.
We'll be continuing to paint and spruce up all the buildings, we'll be developing new menu ideas, making improvements to the kitchen, dining room, pub, guest lounge and all of the guest rooms again this year.
It's really a lot like our own version of the shows Hotel Impossible and Restaurant Hell in fact.  Except for us, it's on-going.  We're not doing just a quick fix here and there and a new coat of paint on the walls and declaring everything turned around.  (I wish it was that easy though).  I do like watching those shows though if only to identify with what others go through in this business and feel better because we haven't made quite so many mistakes as most of them.

Here are some of the new room pictures we've recently posted on our Website.  We're very proud of how far the rooms have been improved over the last year and a half.  They are now cleaner, neater and better appointed than ever...  and we still have a long list of things we want to do with them.

 Room 1

 Room 4

 Room 7

Room 9

 This is our cat Sandy sitting on the main Grooming Snowmobile as it awaits a trip to the shop for repairs.

Sandy is very curious and loves to go for rides.  When he rides in the car with me he sits on my lap with his paws on the steering wheel looking out the windshield, so this was right in keeping with him wanting to drive.

And the Grand Finale...

This is our Skier Appreciation Weekend with free pancakes and fresh natural maple syrup from Maple Knoll Farms out at the Sugar House Warming Hut on Saturday, and Grillin' and Chillin' on the Ski Center deck Sunday.  Hamburgers & hotdogs off the grill and beer available on the deck from 11:30am to 3pm  (We invite our current Season Pass Holders to join us for a free lunch).  With the great snow conditions we have once again, we're very happy that so many people are taking the opportunity to enjoy the March snow and having such a great time with us!

Another snowy day down at Harvey's Tailings  (3/19) 

 

The Sugar House was hopping on Saturday 3/23 with free pancakes and fresh maple syrup

 Mindy was the cooking ace on the pancake grill at the Sugarhouse

There were plenty of buttermilk pancakes to go around 

The Out Of Control Ski Group visited us as well and had a great time

On March 16th the Girl scout Troop from North Creek came and snowshoed out to the Sugar House and learned a lot about trees and animals in the winter forest.

 On St. Patty's Day weekend, Mindy's son Blake had a ski party with his friends. 

 (He's third from the left).

And this Birthday Party was a nice surprise for the Birthday girl, Carol after a big day on our trails.

Snow Season Continues

We honestly thought the ski season would be pretty much wrapping up this week, what with the rain and all, but that is not the case.  The rain did not deplete our snow base to any great extent, all the trails are still well covered, and more snow showers are falling as we speak.
Once the winter season ends, as it inevitably will, we will start to work on the trails once again to clean them more and widen them.  We will also be doing work on the signage to bring things up to date.
Same goes for the rest of the Lodge buildings and grounds.
But in the meantime, we'll continue to enjoy the winter we're having.

 The view from the Log House is still spectacular

The Trails are still 100% covered in very skiable snow

Looking up on 4H Trail near Old Faithful

 Ivy has been doing a great job in the Ski Shop taking care of everything and making everybody happy.

 The snowshoeing has been very active and successful this year as well.  

Snowshoeing up to Hooper Mine

 We even had a small wedding party gathered around a winter campfire for their ceremony

A Great Snow Season

Well, it's been an exciting time since the winter season got underway!  Our guests have been very pleased with all the changes and enhancements that Mindy and I have made and we're happy to have so many satisfied customers booking their return visit for next year.  The staff at the Lodge is working hard and doing a great job as the guests have complimented their attentiveness and helpfulness on numerous occasions.
The snow has been abundant and guests say the trails are in the best shape they've ever been, which is saying something.  Dale Montheny, our head groomer had been doing a great job as always, that is until he backed up his snowmobile and the grooming implement jack knifed and caught his foot.  He's going to be out for a few more weeks while the outer long bone in his foot heals.  But never fear, Mark Millington has been doing a fantastic job with the Pistonbully snow cat machine along with Mindy's Dad, Dennis and I who have been pressed into service to roll and groom the trails with the snowmobiles as well.

The view from the Log House on a cold snowy morning after the blizzard of 2013, though we only got about 12" inches of snow up here.

The snow is deep and fluffy.  That is before we groom it into nice packed and skiable trails.

Garnet Hill Lodge Ski Shop Video

Here comes Mark in the Piston Bully snow machine compacting the snow.

And there he goes

Yours Truly learning to ride a snowmobile and groom trails at the same time.  

All in a days work of course.

Mindy's Dad, Dennis with a roller out on Thirteenth Lake on a crisp cold Adirondack morning. 

 'Ya gotta luv it'.

The view down at Harvey's Tailings after a fresh blanket of snow

Biathlon Excitement

We are very pleased and proud to have hosted our first winter Biathlon event at Garnet Hill Lodge on Sunday, January 6th, 2013.  It was a great success with a large, enthusiastic turn out and a very talented field of competitors.

The event was sponsored and run by the Capitol Region Nordic Alliance (CRNA) organization and is just the first of many events they will be holding at GHL this winter season.

The shooting range was put in down at the Tailings this summer and worked out very well.

See our website for more... events that will be held this season.

A few of the athletes pose for a photo after the race

Agusto (Goose) Perez is a US Paralympian Nordic XC and Biathlon athlete. He is also a 2 time paralympian in curling in 2010, Vancouver, CA and 2006 Torino, IT.  He is also a World Bronze Medalist in Kayaking.  After losing his leg and pelvis to a rare form of cancer only five years ago, Goose has taken up the Nordic winter sports with enthusiasm and gusto and we were very pleased to have him at our competition on Sunday.

Here Goose comes in for one of his shooting rounds in the Biathlon event.

And it Snowed and Snowed

Finally, we have had a bonified snow storm that has deposited about 24" of snow over the last several days.  So the entire staff is busy flat out to get everything done for this busy holiday week.

The Christmas Holiday and Christmas Week have been wonderful here with more snow falling this week than we saw most of last winter!  The Ski Shop is humming along with excited & enthusiastic skiers.  We've been challenged to get trails rolled and groomed due to the continual snowfall...but today should get us caught up in grooming.  Guests are enjoying everything about the lodge, from the decor, the live piano music and the fireplace, to the food, the service and great wintery weather.  Mindy and I are so pleased that things have come together as much as they have.  It's been a busy year and we're grateful to our employees who have done so much to help us get to where we are. 

On Saturday Mindy led a group ski out to the Sugar House for hot chocolate and cookies which everyone enjoyed very much.  We will be doing more of them as the season goes on, and hopefully we'll even be able to serve pancakes and maple syrup out there a few mornings.

The snow is really piling up at the Log House, and it's beautiful.

4H Trail in the lull between snow storms last week.

The view from the lodge 

Some folks getting ready to go out on the trails

Arriving at the Sugar House on Saturday for hot chocolate and cookies

One of our Traditional rooms showing off a new decor

Our new fireplace seating area is working out nicely...Guests love the sofa and rocking chair