Report from Friday, February 17th
Coming into today’s day of skiing, I had little to no expectations. This completely unbiased impression led me to be very pleasantly taken by surprise. My day at Titus marked the first ski day of a 14-day ski road trip. This road trip will be taking me from Titus Mountain in upstate New York through the Eastern Townships of Quebec and then Vermont and New Hampshire. As I rushed to get everything ready for the trip, I did not even bother to check the weather going into my first day. Showing up to the mountain, I was surprised with 4″ (10cm) of fresh powder. While many will brush off 4″ of powder as not that much snow, what made the day for me was I was skiing that 4″ of powder all day, and Mother Nature kept adding to it the entire day as well!
I was shocked that on the Friday before the President’s Day long weekend, there were so few people around – something that seems to be harder and harder to find at resorts nowadays. I arrived late at 10:30 am to only around two dozen cars in the parking lot. My initial reaction was I must not have parked at the main base area and I guess most people were parked somewhere else – but I was wrong. By the time I was up and out on the slopes, I was then again confused that most of the trails had only been tracked a few times, leaving tons of fresh turns to be had for everyone, over and over again! I kept thinking to myself, what is the catch to this place? Are most people somewhere that I am unaware of? Why is there simply no one around?
By the end of the day, the answer simply dawned on me that Titus Mountain is just a mountain off the beaten trail for most skiers. With the biggest town of Plattsburgh, NY (pop. only ~20,000 people), being the only urban center within a two-hour drive, there just aren’t any close urban areas to bring a lot of people to this mountain, but that makes the trek there all the more worth it! The mountain may not have state-of-the-art snowmaking or the best terrain park in the state, but it doesn’t need all the glitz and glam to make this a great destination for the majority of skiers. Sure, there are no high-speed lifts at Titus, but it doesn’t need any because it never gets that crowded. And it may not have a massive base area with tons of lodging and dining options, but again, there is no need for it with the town of Malone, NY being located close by and providing anything a skier may need off the slopes.
Titus Mountain has a unique layout because it is spread across three very distinct and unique peaks. The Moon Valley area is the one located directly in front of the main base area, offers terrain for all levels, and is the only part of the mountain that is available for both day and night skiing (night skiing is only available on Fridays and Saturdays).
The second peak is off to the left of the main base area and served by Chair VI, is the smallest of the three but offers some nice ungroomed terrain for intermediates and experts. The peak also serves as the connecting area between the Upper and Lower mountains.
My favorite area, which is where the majority of experienced skiers on the mountain seemed to flock towards, was the Upper Mountain. This peak offers the biggest single-lift vertical drop at the resort while providing skiers with a good variety to choose from, from double black diamond glades to ungroomed blacks, intermediate blues, and wide-open greens. I am always appreciative when resorts dedicate not just one or two, but numerous runs on their mountain to being solely mogul and ungroomed terrain – I find that more and more, resorts seem to simply groom everything, no matter what. Some people like moguls, you know!
What led me to even find out about Titus and decide to venture out there was it being a part of the Indy Pass. This is my first season with the Indy Pass, and Titus was the first mountain I have hit on the Indy Pass. After leaving, I am so excited to explore the many resorts the pass has to offer that are local, independent, and staying true to skiing’s roots. Any resort is worth trying at least once and can be great for most skiers when the conditions are right – it doesn’t need to go to the biggest, best, or most trendy ski area!
Quick Facts & History
- Date Opened: 1960
- Multi-Destination Pass: Indy Pass
- Number of Trails: 53
- Skiable Acres: 380
- Vertical Drop: 1200′
- Base Elevation: 825′
- Summit Elevation: 2025′
- Average Annual Snowfall: 150″
- Terrain Breakdown:
- Beginner: 34%
- Intermediate: 38%
- Advanced: 28%
- Number of Lifts: 9
- Night Skiing: Yes
- Other Activities:
- Cross-country skiing
- Snow tubing
Weather Outlook
Snow is expected to continue through the end of the weekend, hopefully providing some additional fresh snow after high temps last weekend hit most East Coast ski resorts hard. Hopefully, the forecasted warmer weather later in the week will go away!
Looking back at the day, Titus was a fun mountain to get some turns in at the start of my ski trip! The mountain offers a little bit of everything but definitely caters to families and people learning to ski, offering a plethora of beginner terrain that progresses at a gradual and steady rate while being as affordable and accessible as skiing can get!
Thanks, Titus; I hope to be back soon!
Additional Photos
For more information, check out Titus Mountain’s website.
