They ll even have prizes for families that span the most generations. In prior columns I mentioned similar outings at Lake George and Grafton State Park. Hundreds turned out at the Grafton Winter Festival, pointing to the great interest in these functions as solid family fun days. The abundance of natural snow in the region has also sparked renewed interest in XC skiing . If you said northern NYS or the western part of the state, that s probably accurate.
Lake effect snows in the Buffalo area are legendary.
This year, surprisingly, the Catskill Mountains have received some of the heaviest snowfalls. It s made great ski conditions at Belleayre Ski Center where they re reporting a big upsurge in skier visits. Over 100,000 skiers visited Belleayre last season and, according to Jennifer Post, spokesperson for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Belleayre is running 68 to 70 percent ahead of last year s record pace. Stars from NYC leading TV daytime soaps will be at Belleayre for a fund raiser event Feb. 10. You can ski and mingle with your favorite actors from One Life to Live and Guiding Light during this event.