SAM Magazine—Tupper Laker, N.Y., Feb. 16, 2016—During a winter in which lean natural snowfall and mild conditions have made snowmaking a necessity in the East, not having the ability to make snow has officially ended any hopes of opening Big Tupper Ski Area in the Adirondacks for skiing and riding.

The mountain is operated by Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving their Economy (ARISE), a local organization that promotes economic growth in Adirondack Park. Despite the best efforts of the crew of volunteers that run Big Tupper, “It was decided that, given where we were in the season, it was just not prudent or feasible to consider opening at any point this season," said ARISE chairman Jim LaValley.

ARISE was able to reopen Big Tupper Ski Area during the 2009-10 ski season after a decade of dormancy, but had to close down for the 2012-13 season due to a lack of funding. Otherwise, the mountain has operated when Mother Nature provided snow, and funding was there to cover the $130,000 to $150,000 in annual operating costs.

The ski area has a database of about 200 volunteers, including a core group of 40 to 50 people who handle the bulk of the workload. "The volunteers again put all their heart and soul into getting the mountain ready, and we were ready," LaValley said. "Unfortunately, we didn't get the goods."

Many in Tupper Lake remain hopeful the Adirondack Club and Resort, a planned 6,200-acre luxury housing development that will feature a renovated Big Tupper as its centerpiece, will begin professionally operating the mountain, especially after the state Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit by environmentalists who oppose the plan. LaValley said at the outset of the season that he hopes this will be the final year the mountain will be a volunteer effort.

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