Tweet
Sunny non-windy day with lots of snow makes it great. Like a visit to another continent. Flocks of birds walking and resting on the snow. The sound of waves breaking just a few feet from your skiing. Big blue water on one side, sheltered shallows with plants on the other. Skiing on the edge of both -- on strange surfaces at the interface between snow and salt water. I'll try to get some photos up soon.
Why Long Island is important: Because on several key days each winter, it's where the snow falls. Those moist storms from the south which miss the Gunks+Dacks and track east "out into the ocean" ... That's where Long Island lies.
Caumsett State Park (lat/long N40.91757 W73.47302) is bigger and with more variety of scenery and terrain. The jewel is the long curving spit in its northwest corner. The big-water side is obvious, but don't miss the inland side. Small downside is that the parking is at top of a hill (with interesting historic buildings), so finish of the tour is an uphill slog (tho thru a mix of woods and open meadows). Popular, listed on LI XCski club website, so there's a good chance to find a ski track there already.
Sunken Meadow State Park (lat/long N40.91132 W73.25755) offers quick access to beach skiing. The big-water side offers the full seaside experience, but I prize yet more skiing at the edge of the water of the inlet. There's also some separate narrow-trail-skiing thru woods to a big view on the bluff.over the inlet.
Often the easiest gliding is found exactly at the interface between the snow and the high-tide level. If there's been wind since the last snow, that might be the only snow (hardpack) remaining in some sections.
See if I can next post some GPS tracks and more details - of course photos.
Ken
Why Long Island is important: Because on several key days each winter, it's where the snow falls. Those moist storms from the south which miss the Gunks+Dacks and track east "out into the ocean" ... That's where Long Island lies.
Caumsett State Park (lat/long N40.91757 W73.47302) is bigger and with more variety of scenery and terrain. The jewel is the long curving spit in its northwest corner. The big-water side is obvious, but don't miss the inland side. Small downside is that the parking is at top of a hill (with interesting historic buildings), so finish of the tour is an uphill slog (tho thru a mix of woods and open meadows). Popular, listed on LI XCski club website, so there's a good chance to find a ski track there already.
Sunken Meadow State Park (lat/long N40.91132 W73.25755) offers quick access to beach skiing. The big-water side offers the full seaside experience, but I prize yet more skiing at the edge of the water of the inlet. There's also some separate narrow-trail-skiing thru woods to a big view on the bluff.over the inlet.
Often the easiest gliding is found exactly at the interface between the snow and the high-tide level. If there's been wind since the last snow, that might be the only snow (hardpack) remaining in some sections.
See if I can next post some GPS tracks and more details - of course photos.
Ken