Mountains Less Traveled – Smaller Gems Offer Variety and Savings

By Darryl Caron

While larger resorts offer great size, terrain and amenities, lift tickets at New York’s smaller resorts can be half the price, and the cost of their ski schools is affordable. Other advantages are lesser crowds, close to home, but they do offer lots of variety and challenges – plus, easy access, snow tubing, après ski fun, and lighted trails for night skiing. If building memories skiing with your family or friends is a top goal, they’ll happen just as fast here. READ MORE

Chain Lakes Road South to Pine Lake

By Rich Macha

Chain Lakes Road South leaves NY Route 28 a little east of the hamlet of  Indian Lake, heads north along the west side of Lake Abanakee, and eventually enters the southern section of the Essex Chain Lakes Complex. The road is plowed for 1.4 miles to a parking area located near the Bullhead Pond trailhead – this is also where, in warmer months, the rafting companies and whitewater paddlers put in on the Indian River while on their way to the Hudson River Gorge. READ MORE

Winter Training

By Megan James

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and the treadmill is not delightful, but since we’ve got training to log, what to do, what to do, what to do?

Living in Upstate New York, we’re no strangers to shifting gears, especially when the winter weather keeps us on our toes! I’ve lived in New York for my entire life, logging miles through all kinds of weather over the last 20 years – I understand how challenging it can be this time of year! I’ve also spent over a decade helping runners recover from injuries, whether that be something they sustained by attempting speed work on an icy morning – definitely don’t recommend! – or addressing minor aches and pains before the next training cycle – definitely do recommend! Let’s explore some winter weather training ideas to help you get strong through the colder months and set you up for success in the spring races! READ MORE

Chris Yarsevich

By Alex Kochon

Ten years ago, Chris Yarsevich and his wife, Rachel, invited some friends and their kids over to ski in their backyard at their new home in Greenfield Center. They had moved there from Saratoga Springs, opting for six acres to plant roots with their four-year-old child and another on the way. Chris also liked that it was five minutes from Brookhaven Park, the public golf course he often skied on most nights after work. READ MORE

Local Athletes Flying High

By Mimi Wacholder

I am on a plane heading to Engelberg, Switzerland to see my 19-year-old son, Tate Frantz, compete as he embarks in his second season as a World Cup ski jumper. I’ll then follow him to the Four Hills Tournament, in Germany and Austria. These events attract over 30,000 people to the stadiums, attracting loyal fans – like football in the US – with millions tuning in on TV. It fascinates me how ski jumping is so valued in Central Europe, that Tate signs autographs and has become a household name. READ MORE

Fireside Reads

By Laura Clark

I always look forward to compiling my annual book roundup. As a librarian, I like nothing better than to share my finds with others. And writing about books is easier than actually writing one myself! The only difficult part of the process is the book selection. During this cold, dark part of our yearly cycle, take this opportunity to relax and recharge. If you are too much of an overachiever to handle an armchair gracefully, then view this time off as the inspirational portion of your training. If you are still out there sampling snowsports, then pull that chair much closer to the fire! READ MORE!

Potential Benefits of Advanced Cholesterol Testing – Part Two

By Paul E. Lemanski, MD, MS, FACP

In the first 112 installments of the Non-Medicated Life, a healthy diet and lifestyle has been shown to accomplish naturally for the majority of individuals most of the benefits of medications in the prevention of the chronic medical conditions mentioned above. In order to maximize the benefit of lifestyle changes, it is best to first establish a baseline of laboratory tests of so called “surrogate markers” of risk. Markers such as fasting blood sugar, Hemoglobin (Hgb) A1C, total cholesterol, HDL (the good cholesterol) and LDL (the bad cholesterol) and Triglycerides (blood fats) are routinely followed serially to determining increasing or decreasing risk. READ MORE