Plattekill Mountain, Catskills, NY

This four-lift ski hill is harder to get to than Hunter or Wyndham but worth the effort for its steep and sustained pitch and ungroomed powder after a storm. Plattekill is only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (and holiday weeks), which means the mountain is open any other day of the week to uphill skiers who wish to access its 1,100 feet of vertical of terrain without the help of lifts. Two of the best runs are the trees between Blockbuster and Freefall or the glades off of Ridge Run where it meets Overlook.

With the only tele-skiing school and rentals in the area, Plattekill caters to a hardcore local crowd who seem to ski off its out-of-bounds backside as often as they do to its down-home style base lodge. Seek out Snowsports School Director, Jeff Crane — there’s a good chance he’ll point you toward the best out-of-bounds options on the weekends.

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