Greek Peak Summer 2021

[jamesdeluxe]

in the 1980s, they would get big ski groups from Philly, Baltimore, and WasDC (not so much NYC)

That always blows my mind: six hours from DC and five from Baltimore to ski at Greek?!? I guess the big upside was that they could take I-81 and avoid hideous traffic on the way to Vermont or upstate NY via the NJ Turnpike and NYS Thruway.

People didn't blithely hop on planes back then like we do today, although that began to change after deregulation.

 

[EMSC]

don't forget to cross-post

Probably will get to it, but not high priority for the moment

create lines on Chairs 1, 2, and 3, often approaching 10-20 minutes.

I recall lines on Chair 1 in the early 80's that were longer than that, IMO. More like 30-40 minutes at the worst times. As many as 40-60 charter busses each weekend. So it was not a small number of people coming up from the big cities. Volume is hugely decreased, but still a number of folks from Philly/NYC areas trying to skip out on the Pocono's and Hunter crowds that come to GP.

the Taverna is now gone

No, it's still there, but reconfigured with a cafeteria and no more bands at night (those are now upstairs in Trax in the Katalima for that stuff).

Ronnie's Run is long gone

True enough for quite a while now...

They really filled in the mountain with runs. Do they really need to spend the money on snowmaking to make them skiable?

Yes for the handful of real runs they have put in, but no, many listed 'trails' are actually supposed to be glades that follow the MTB trails they put in. Weird thing to list MTB trails as ski runs. Gives you lots of trails to claim on a brochure, but then given snow conditions in recent years, the snow report says you are only half open even if all your real sized/snowmaking trails are actually open...

 

[ChrisC]

That always blows my mind: six hours from DC and five from Baltimore to ski at Greek?!? I guess the big upside was that they could take I-81 and avoid hideous traffic on the way to Vermont or upstate NY via the NJ Turnpike and NYS Thruway.

If you were south of NYC, it was often too far to get to Vermont. And the Catskills were difficult: Hunter had spirit-crushing lines (easily an hour for its summit lift), Belleayre was under-capitalized, and Windham was still a private club. The Poconos were still relatively small places: Blue was Little Gap, Camelback was very busy, Elk had no lodging, and BB/Jack Frost were small hills - and all were more prone to rain. You also had buses from Rochester because Bristol was the only mountain of consequence. Everything else was under a 500 ft vertical drop or so.

Greek Peak had about 1,000 vertical drops, three mountains/hills, and the backside of Greek Peak East—not a bad combination. And the new condos at the base. Whoever did sales and marketing for GP in the 80s did a pretty good job.

I recall lines on Chair 1 in the early 80's that were longer than that, IMO. More like 30-40 minutes at the worst times. As many as 40-60 charter busses each weekend.

Yes, I think they could approach those levels of 30+min on mid-winter weekend mornings. You were forced to learn how to ride a T-bar that would have lots of rollers. They never groomed the tracks. As a kid, I hated those things. Sometimes, the getting-off point was wherever we fell off. However, lift lines were maybe 10-15 min versus the much longer alternative of Chair 1

People didn't blithely hop on planes back then like we do today, although that began to change after deregulation.

Frontier had a substantial route network?!

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Frontier had a substantial route network?!

I guess you're too young to remember the original Frontier Airlines, a full-service carrier which thrived at its Denver Stapleton hub (approx. 40% of the airport's traffic at one point!) until airline deregulation in 1978. Below is the livery most people remember from its salad days. To avoid a thread hijack, I'll add the rest of the Frontier story to the ski-air travel thread.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

If you were south of NYC, it was often too far to get to Vermont. And the Catskills were difficult: Hunter had spirit-crushing lines (easily an hour for its summit lift), Belleayre was under-capitalized, and Windham was still a private club. The Poconos were still relatively small places: Blue was Little Gap, Camelback was very busy, Elk had no lodging, and BB/Jack Frost were small hills - and all were more prone to rain. You also had buses from Rochester because Bristol was the only mountain of consequence. Everything else was under a 500 ft vertical drop or so. Greek Peak had about 1,000 vertical drops, three mountains/hills, and the backside of Greek Peak East—not a bad combination. And the new condos at the base. Whoever did sales and marketing for GP in the 80s did a pretty good job.

That makes sense. I guess I was viewing it through a 2024 lens where long-distance destination ski trips aren't "only for rich people," as was the case 40+ years ago. Still, driving up to six hours in each direction to ski GP is a tall order, so I agree with the props to the sales/marketing people. Similar to how Killington reportedly got large groups of British people to fly there for vacations instead of the Alps or western Canada.

 

[EMSC]

Also remember that GP wasn't really talking individuals to drive up and ski. They were marketing to the then huge, organized ski clubs in the big cities and talking the organizers into running group bus trips up. "Hey we're bigger and snowier and less crowded than the Poconos, and a shorter drive than VT". I imagine there was much both sleeping and partying on those busses on the 5+ hour drives.

By the way, the marketing director in the 80's was Kristian Reynolds (spelling may be wrong). He was doing slide shows timed to music and all of that stuff just like the big pro shows/Warren Miller etc.... He was a very good photographer as well. I'm sure that that slick, pro level ski show presence helped a lot in those days.

My parents even bought a reproduced huge photo of my brother that was in one years slide show. Now hanging on the wall in his office...

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Great pic with the Union Jack (?) sweater. What year is that?

While I believe that the vert is more in the 900 range, Greek Peak was/is the Vail of CNY ski areas!

 

[ChrisC]

My parents even bought a reproduced huge photo of my brother that was in one years slide show. Now hanging on the wall in his office...

Nice photo!

However, in those days, wouldn't you get your ticket pulled by Patrol for that much air?! I remember that even building a small kicker as a reason for a reprimand. It was a bit draconian - almost everywhere.

Different times, given the enormous parks of today.

While I believe that the vert is more in the 900 range, Greek Peak was/is the Vail of CNY ski areas!

It might even be less than 900 ft. I once tried to map elevations on Fatmap.

 

[EMSC]

Great pic with the Union Jack (?) sweater. What year is that?

I think that the sweater might even be Spyder brand. The Red & White on the arms is thick 'bump' padding for hitting bamboo gates. I think this was either 1982 or 1983.

wouldn't you get your ticket pulled by Patrol for that much air?! I remember that even building a small kicker as a reason for a reprimand

There was a ~3 foot tall ridge from snowmaking on Odyssey (so coming across from the T-Bar across the connection up top between Illiad and Odyssey). So an inadvertent kicker built by the ski area itself, lol. I always found it ironic that in the 1970's there were huge jumps built out of dirt (think todays biggest sized jumps) on 'Apollo's Hollow' (see trail 26 on the 1979 trail map) which today is the very bottom of Olympian trail. They even served that huge jump via a poma lift on the lookers left just above the race shack building... Then the 80's came along, they bulldozed the jump flat, removed the poma lift and became militant on no jumping, putting safety bars down, etc...

It might even be less than 900 ft.

It is less than 900, Something more like 830 verts top of 4 to bottom of 5. Even less for Chair 1 at something like 750 vert. It's very deceiving, looking at it, since it looks like more.

 

[ChrisC]

I always found it ironic that in the 1970's there were huge jumps built out of dirt (think todays biggest sized jumps) on 'Apollo's Hollow' (see trail 26 on the 1979 trail map) which today is the very bottom of Olympian trail. They even served that huge jump via a poma lift on the lookers left just above the race shack building... Then the 80's came along, they bulldozed the jump flat, removed the poma lift and became militant on no jumping, putting safety bars down, etc...

They were always trying something new with Apollo's Hollow area. I remember that, for one year, they offered to rent it out to private groups. I was never sure they could make snow over there, but I remembered one year, Greek Peak hauling 2 giant portable snowmaking machines. To what end? Maybe it could be a giant terrain park today, but it's kind of out of the way.

The Red & White on the arms is thick 'bump' padding for hitting bamboo gates

The bump sweaters were the thing.


Old Map

Observations

• I was never sure about Greek Peak's early days. For example, the A-frame served as the 'base lodge, ' but how did you get to it?
• Odyssey was a winding trail - until Chair 1 went in - I assume.
• Vertical: 750 ft
• Lift Ticket: $6/day -> $52/day in today's dollars

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I've mentioned before that this graphic treatment is truly da bomb -- one of the most inspired in all of skidom.

Right up there with Jackass Ski Bowl!

 

[ChrisC]

I've mentioned before that this graphic treatment is truly da bomb

It's pretty good. Always liked the font.

However, it should be Greek Peak, Virgil NY. Or at least Marathon to keep the Greek theme going.

 

[EMSC]

So many Greek place names in the region. Always loved the old school font as a kid growing up. No idea how the old Greek naming and font really means much in upstate NY, but it always seemed to 'just work' in my mind anyway back in the day. Although I'm still waiting to see my first Greek Column in the local architecture, lol. Certainly far more interesting than todays font that they use.

Maybe a little bit like naming tiny ski hills Toggenburg after a huge region in the alps?

At least they have stayed pretty true to naming trails, lodges, and etc... in the Greek naming convention. Certainly Fun, if a bit different than most.

it should be Greek Peak, Virgil NY.

Both agreed and not. It's obvious that they want(ed) people to be able to find them on a driving map! Especially back in the day...

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Certainly far more interesting than today's font that they use.

No kidding, could the current one be any more nondescript? It looks like Windows 98! Credit where it's due -- at least the gentle outline of the hills is more or less accurate.

It's obvious that they want(ed) people to be able to find them on a driving map! Especially back in the day...

Which made sense back then. I wonder why they still use Cortland as their official address after more than two decades of online maps? Is GP a Cortland exclave?

 

[EMSC]

I wonder why they still use Cortland as their official address

Pretty simple. There is no post office in Virgil. So even if you live in the tiny burg itself you have a Cortland mailing address.