Two long closed historic Adirondack ski areas are back in business for the 2009/10-winter season. Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg, and Big Tupper Ski Center in Tupper Lake, New York are operating on weekends and holidays and providing, as they did for many years, skiing/riding for hundreds of north country regional and local sliders at reasonable rates.

Hickory is a short distance north of famous Lake George. It’s unique in that it’s situated off the beaten track in a pristine setting where you don’t hear the drone of cars and trucks. With 213 acres and 19 trails, and a 1,230 challenging vertical, there’s a fine blend of trails and slopes for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers. A swift moving T-bar, and two Pomas provide uphill capacity. All lifts and equipment have been upgraded and the base lodge refurbished. Skiing Hickory is a step back in time and a welcome departure from the hassle often experienced at larger ski mountains. It can be reached by driving north on I-87, taking exit 23, west over the bridge and then right on Route 9 directly into Warrensburg. The mountain is three miles from center Warrensburg, at 43 Hickory Hill Road. Shawn Dempsey, Hickory’s general manager, can be reached at (518) 623-5754

Big Tupper, which lies in a natural snow belt that often gets the benefit of lake effect snows, is serviced by a double chair lift. Tupper’s three slopes and 23 trails offers a 1,152-foot vertical and an evenly distributed variety of terrain for all levels. In a recent talk with Pat Cunningham who owns the Ski Barn in North Creek, he says he’s pleased with Big Tupper’s reentry this season. The Ski Bran, with rental shops in Lake Placid and in Ascutney, VT has located a ski shop in Big Tupper’s base lodge. Cunningham once leased Big Tupper so he knows its importance to that community.

“ Tupper gets lots of snow,” says Cunningham. “ It’s a fine ski/ride site and great for the school kids that live in that region.”

You can drive from Albany up the (Northway) I-87 to Exit 30 and then through Lake Placid to Saranac Lake, From there you can take Route 3 to Big Tupper. Or take the New York State Thruway I-90 west to Utica and drive to Tupper N Y 30. There is daily flight to Boston from the Adirondack Regional Airport near Saranac. However air travel in winter, as expected, is subject to weather conditions.

Call Big Tupper at (518) 359-3730 for more information.