18F at 7.30am and lightly snowing with an inch or two of fresh powder. A clear but overcast afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski 2.30pm
Daily Catskills: 02/04/15
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Tag Archives: Ski Catskills
Daily Catskills: 02/03/15
5F at 8am, with a flurry of fine, icy particles glistening in the rising sun like sinking glitter. Update: 20F and bright sunshine for the rest of the day.
© J.N. Urbanski 8am
Daily Catskills: 02/02/15
An overnight snowstorm dumped a foot of snow with two-feet drifts in some parts, burying cars, sheds and outdoor furniture. 18F at 9am with the snowstorm continuing unabated. Two feet of fluffy snow is catnip for the black lab.
© J.N. Urbanski 9am
© Robert E. Block 12.15pm
© J.N. Urbanski 9am
Daily Catskills: 02/01/15
Overcast with early morning flurries and 20F at 8am. Mostly cloudy, brighter and clear by 1.30pm.
© J.N. Urbanski 11.48am
Daily Catskills: 01/31/15
10F at 8am, dropping sharply to 8F mid-morning. Brilliant sunshine and some snow-bathing. Alfie the Upstate Dispatch media lab, a loving, sensitive, protective, deer-chasing outdoorspuppy with the scariest bark I’ve ever heard, has been with us for a year since we rescued him from the Kingston ASPCA this time last year.
© J.N. Urbanski 9am
Daily Catskills: 01/30/15
It’s nice to see what’s going on in the Catskills when you have cabin fever, like a whiteout on Belleayre Mountain and the view from a high window at Spillian. Snowy and 25F, clearing in the afternoon to reveal glorious light and striking colours: simply gorgeous.
© Melissa Zeligman 1.30pm
Daily Catskills: 01/29/15
Grey and overcast: a monochromatic but still lustrously beautiful day at 27F by 1pm.
© Erik Johanson/@halcott718 1pm
Daily Catskills: 01/28/15
8F at 7.30am with the rising sun clearing the clouds and a fresh dusting of powder covering the tracks.
© J.N. Urbanski 7.30am
Daily Catskills: 01/27/15
19F mid-morning with a light but persistent flurry. Overnight snow had coated the car in a few inches, but left the branches bare. Update: The flurry turned into a whiteout with 4 inches dropped by 1.30pm.
© J.N. Urbanski 1pm
© J.N. Urbanski 1pm
Daily Catskills: 01/26/15
14F at 8am with the Catskills bracing for a winter “blizzard”. Update: New England’s feverishly anticipated “blizzard”, named Juno, turned out to be only a few inches here in the Catskills and NYC. It was also actually a bit warmer at dusk: 20F. Last year’s snow, in which we suffered a few feet for weeks, and thereafter when it formed an icy crust, was far worse.
© J.N. Urbanski 11am
Daily Catskills: 01/25/15
27F and brilliantly clear skies and warm for most of the day, but not warm enough to melt the stalactites around the Pepacton Reservoir.
© J.N. Urbanski 2pm
Daily Catskills: 1/24/15
Waking up to 24F and a quiet winter morning coated with snow. Almost 3 inches have settled, as we sit patiently, enjoying the view, counting down to spring.
© MGP&D
Daily Catskills: 01/23/15
20F mid-morning with brilliant sunshine and cloudless skies. The pepacton reservoir, with its shoreline collection of row boats, looks frozen over.
Daily Catskills: 01/22/15
22F with half an inch of fresh powder, overcast and gloomy. 30F and just as sombre by mid-afternoon. Update: cloud cover miraculously dissipated late afternoon to reveal blue skies and sunshine.
© J.N. Urbanski 2pm
Daily Catskills: 01/21/15
10F at 8am and bitter, overcast and grey with the sun barely burning through the haze.
© J.N. Urbanski 9am
Daily Catskills: 01/20/15
20F at 8am with the barest of light flurries filling the air with the rising sun clearing the mountain haze. 30F, clear and brilliantly sunny all afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski 2pm
Daily Catskills: 01/19/15
28F at 8.30am and overcast with a few inches of fresh powder and very icy roads. Very light flurries in the morning continued throughout the afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.30pm
Daily Catskills: 01/18/15
28F mid-morning, rising to 36F by midday with a blanket of mist. Heavy rain late morning began to turn the snow to mush. Wet, rainy and miserable for the rest of the day with rain turning to snow as the temperature dropped to 32F after dark.
© J.N. Urbanski
Hiking: Giant Ledge
© J.N. Urbanski The view from the nook through the trees
It’s about this time of year that cabin fever firmly seizes us in these mountains and we do impulsive things like go hiking up a mountain when there’s only two hours of daylight left. Spring seems like it’s just around the corner and we’re so used to the bitter cold that 20F seems nice and toasty. It’s not until we’re approaching our icy ascent (in our snowboarding boots, stupidly wearing wool and cotton), passing very sensible hikers on their way down using sticks and cramp-ons that we realise what a risk we’ve taken, but there’s a happy ending to this story, and a sandwich. Charles Dickens walked 20 miles a day in his prime, stalking around town in the afternoon after a sturdy lunch, no doubt conjuring up characters en route from his observations of 19th century Londoners. Writers love a good walk. First, the sandwich: corned beef brisket on toasted rye with a dash of mustard from Arkville Bread and Breakfast with a portion of chips (that were meant to go in the Fish and Chips, but that was yesterday’s lunch). Thinly-sliced brisket, lean, delicate and not too fatty on perfectly-toasted rye. This reasonably-sized portion, plus a cup of Twinings Irish Breakfast, got me to Giant Ledge in most unsuitable shoes and down again, occasionally sliding on my bottom because of the ice.
Daily Catskills: 01/17/15
14F at mid-morning rising to 18F by mid-afternoon. Bright sunshine, clear and sunny with scudding clouds late afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski View from Giant Ledge 3.20pm
Daily Catskills: 01/16/15
We’re having a warm spell…. 24F at 8.30am with a brisk wind making it feel cooler: a very bleak, overcast morning. Update: continual light flurries and down to 18F by mid-afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski Antique Trail Markers at the Catskills Center
© J.N. Urbanski 8.30am
Daily Catskills: 01/14/15
10F at 8am rising to 14F by mid-morning and 24F mid-afternoon with wispy, fleeting cloud cover. The Black Lab is always ready whatever the weather.
© J.N. Urbanski Midday
Daily Catskills: 01/13/15
10F at 9am: brilliant sunshine and bitterly cold, rising to a reasonable 19F by mid-afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.30pm
Daily Catskills: 01/12/15
A positively balmy 30F at 7am with overnight snow having laid a thick, white blanket. Rain mid-morning with temps rising to 36F. A winter wonderland.
© J.N. Urbanski 7.3am
© J.N. Urbanski 8.30am
Daily Catskills: 01/11/15
10F at 830am, a grey, overcast, gloomy day: perfect weather for breakfast at the diner. 28F and still overcast, but much brighter by 3pm.
© J.N. Urbanski 10am
Daily Catskills: 01/10/15
9F at 9.30am with dazzling sunshine, bitter breeze and a cloudless sky all day.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.30pm
The Phoenicia Diner Challenge
© J.N. Urbanski Arnold Bennet Skillet
Last year, Mike Cioffi, owner of The Phoenicia Diner, and I ruminated on the costs of running a restaurant on my radio show The Economy of the Kitchen. Next week, Monday 12th January at 9am, in our second and final show, The Economy of the Diner, we’ll discuss the diner as American icon. The diner also has a rich cinematic history: Pulp Fiction, Twin Peaks, Superman, Back To The Future, Heat, Thelma & Louise, Diner: the list goes on and on. Who can forget Jack Nicholson trying to get an order of wheat toast in Five Easy Pieces or the tipping scene in Reservoir Dogs? Not to mention Meg Ryan’s glorious turn in Katz’s Deli in When Harry Met Sally and the actual movie called Diner, starring Steven Guttenberg directed by Barry Levinson.
As a foreigner, the diner is the ultimate American experience and my first diner visit was Relish in Williamsburg, sadly now slated for demolition. I’ll never forget my first order of biscuits, sausage and gravy and with whom I shared it.
© J.N. Urbanski Duck & Grits Skillet with poached egg
My new challenge is eating my way through the menu at The Phoenicia Diner and I continued today through the skillet section. I tried the Duck & Grits skillet ($11), House Cured Corned Beef Hash skillet ($11) and the Arnold Bennett Skillet ($10). My first taste of American grits (not a British staple) was back in Brooklyn and had been quite vile experience, like eating cold porridge. PD’s grits are creamy with a hint of cheese; their scrambled eggs are the perfect combination of moist and firm. If Chef Mel uses salt in the dishes, you can’t really taste it and this is how it should be. Salt should be the choice of the customer. The Arnold Bennett Skillet ($10) came out on top in this round: locally smoked trout (delicately tasty), parmesan cheese, crème fraîche and scrambled eggs. PD makes its own bread too, which is thick, slightly chewy and tasty. Portions are generous and the eggs are noteworthy – some of the best I’ve eaten in the Catskills – for their vivid orange color. Most ingredients are sourced locally and when they run out, so does the item on the menu for the day. Eat here before you ski, on your way to Belleayre for the hearty nourishment that lasts all day. You can take sides and leftovers to go in compostable containers.
Tune in to The Economy of the Diner on WIOX at 9am on Monday January 12th, 2015.
© J.N. Urbanski
Daily Catskills: 01/09/15
20F at 10am, the day began cloudy, but brightened significantly when cloud cover broke but strong, gusty winds persisted. Overnight snow drifts had coated the car on only one side and reportedly put five inches of snow on Belleayre.
© J.N. Urbanski Midday
Daily Catskills: 01/08/15
Zero and sunny! Record temps keeping us indoors today, with lunchtime landing the mercury at 10F. Enjoying the Catskill beauty today from the inside looking out. Unless you’re enjoying the skiing on Belleayre.
© MGP&D
Daily Catskills: 01/07/15
The deep freeze has settled on the Catskills, with 9F (feels like -8F) this morning, and temps are only going to drop dangerously lower as the day goes on…so remember: layer, layer, layer if going outside.
© MGP&D
Daily Catskills: 01/06/15
10F at 8am, made bearable by the absence of any wind and insulating cloud cover. A light, steady dusting of snow continued throughout the morning.
© J.N. Urbanski 8.39am
Daily Catskills: 01/05/15
Back to freezing conditions again after overnight sleet, rain and finally, a dusting of fine, icy snow by morning. 20F at 8am and strong, blustery winds moving the trees. Alternately brilliant sunshine and cotton wool cloud cover. One day I’ll pick the Sumac at the end of the road. Update: 10F at dusk and a face-peeling wind.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.40pm Frozen Sumac trees waving in the wind
Daily Catskills: 01/03/15
Only 24F by midday, windy and snowing a light powder. An enigmatic whiteout for most of the afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski
© J.N. Urbanski
Daily Catskills: 01/02/15
26F at 8.30am; overnight snow had transformed into a mid-morning whiteout dropping an inch or two of fluffy powder, most of which blew off the branches in the gentle afternoon breeze.
© J.N. Urbanski
Daily Catskills: 12/23/14
36F at 9am, melting snow dripping from high places, making the going very sodden: a silver-grey, slushy wet day.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.15pm
Daily Catskills: 12/22/14
26F at 7am, overcast with thick, foggy cloud cover, sun just managing to break through mid-morning amidst light flurries. 36F by 12.30pm, branches dripping with melting snow.
© J.N. Urbanski 12.30pm
Daily Catskills: 12/21/14 Yuletide & The Winter Solstice
An overnight dusting of snow had clad every branch with fresh powder. 30F at midday. The afternoon sky appears to be a hologram varying between gunmetal grey and chalky white. Today is Winter Solstice, officially the first day of winter, which is hard to believe because it started snowing in November, not including a little test run back in October. The northern hemisphere of the earth is pointed the farthest away from the sun and, tonight begins its slow return towards it until the June Solstice of 2015. The ancient tradition of Yuletide began at sundown last night and will end on January 1st, 2015.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.30pm
Daily Catskills: 12/20/14
28F at midday with steady snowfall for most of the morning, but faded quickly to 25F by 2pm. Mostly cloudy: the low sun managed to bleach through the hazy, foggy cloud occasionally during the afternoon to reveal the brilliant, icy blue above. Looking forward to the solstice here at Upstate Dispatch.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.38pm
Daily Catskills: 12/19/14
24F at 9am with a steady, light flurry and the habitual grey mist hanging over the mountains. 36F at dusk and cloudy.
© J.N. Urbanski 12.55pm
Daily Catskills: 12/15/14
30F at 7.30am, a cloudy morning with the sun peeking through over the mountains. Warm, sunny and cloudless for most of the afternoon.
© J.N. Urbanski 7.40am
© J.N. Urbanski 1.50pm
Daily Catskills: 12/13/14
30F mid-morning and partly cloudy, partly brilliant sunshine: perfect ski-ing weather in the peaks.
© Chase Kruppo
© Erik Johanson/@halcott718 1pm
Local, Antique & Vintage Holiday Gift Guide 2014
© J.N. Urbanski
Go to Blue Barn Antiques, in Shandaken/Phoenicia for some excellent bargains on high-quality antiques like this Rockwell-painted plate (above) for $15. There is still a pile left with different Rockwell paintings. Other utterly gorgeous vintage and antique dresses are still there alongside modern artisanal products like Pillowtique’s pillows and handmade crafts.
Daily Catskills: Belleayre Special 12/11/14
Atop Belleayre Mountain © Chase Kruppo
Daily Catskills: 12/11/14
Another day of monochrome skies from which fickle flakes continue to fall in the Catskills. Temperatures only rose from 22F in the morning to 26F by lunchtime, with “feels like” temps only in the teens. Still, ice has yet to form on the frigid fast moving waters and streams.
© Mountain Girl Photography and Design
Daily Catskills: 12/10/14
8 inches of snow on Belleayre and 2 inches of snow reported in Oneonta, the morning saw 30F, with successful ploughing and reasonably clear arterial routes. 27F and cloudy by 3pm.
© Mountain Girl Photography and Design 12.30pm
© Erik Johanson/@halcott718 1pm
Daily Catskills: 11/22/14
23F at 8.30am, with the rest of the morning bright and sunny, rising to 40F in the afternoon on the first day of the ski-season. A sprinkling of rain at 3 o’clock. Belleayre is open all weekend and then closes until November 28th.
© J.N. Urbanski 1.20pm
Daily Catskills: 11/21/14
© Chase Kruppo
20F this morning at 8am with Belleayre Mountain getting ready for ski-season by making snow. Belleayre is having a Thanksgiving food drive. Lift tickets are $38 at the mountain, but $30 if you bring two cans of food for their drive. Online tickets for the weekend are $25 if purchased today. Afternoon temperatures were 26F in the lower valleys but still on 21F on Belleayre Mountain.
And meanwhile, down in the lower valleys…