LAKE PLACID — The Adirondack Mountain Club hosted its second virtual public feedback session on the future of the Cascade Ski Center this week as the club considers how best to use the facility.

The Adirondack Mountain Club, or ADK, finalized its purchase of the Cascade Ski Center from the Jubin family in January. ADK’s board of directors approved a contract to purchase the Cascade Ski Center last October; they agreed to purchase the 200-acre property on Cascade Road for approximately $2.5 million. The club was awarded a $500,000 state grant last December to help with the cost.

The club’s staff organized two public feedback sessions to hear what people in the community think should be done with the facility. Around 25 people, including ADK staff, attended the final public feedback session on Tuesday.

During the first session, ADK Executive Director Michael Barrett discussed some plans ADK has for the ski center — like adding a gear library to make outdoor equipment free and accessible, expanding the club’s educational programs and maintaining the center’s ski rental and retail services — and he highlighted those plans again, along with some new ideas, on Tuesday night.

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Threading the needle

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The Cascade Ski Center’s Great Room came up multiple times in the public feedback sessions. In the past, the center’s Great Room had food and warm beverages for skiers and snowshoers hoping to warm up after a long trek, and many people at the feedback sessions have said they want that service to continue.

Barrett said during both sessions that ADK wants to keep serving food and drinks in the Great Room in some capacity, “it’s just a question of how.” He said ADK is working on “threading the needle” by continuing to provide the sustenance everyone loves while also expanding the club’s classroom capacity for educational programs.

Barrett said the Great Room has a capacity of around 85 people, and the club hopes to use it as a classroom space — and possibly as a meeting room for local organizations — when it’s not being used for recreationists. Barrett said ADK is considering hiring a third-party staff to run the restaurant, though he said ADK doesn’t want to be in a position of “overpromising and under delivering.”

Barrett said there’s a room next to the Great Room that’s large enough to support a few offices, a restroom and potentially a smaller classroom in addition to the larger classroom planned for the Great Room.

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Green efforts

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Tammara Van Ryn, manager of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program at the Nature Conservancy, told Barrett that APIPP is interested in partnering with ADK to address invasive species in and around Cascade. She said there’s a small infestation of phragmites in the wetlands there, and APPIP could do some wetland restoration so the species doesn’t spread.

She said ADK could use Cascade to educate visitors about invasive species. She suggested handing out invasives information and installing wash stations for bikers who might be carrying phragmites seeds on their wheels, adding that APIPP could help provide those materials. Barrett said ADK staff would be a “bunch of fools” to say no to the offer.

Carolyn Peterson, one of the co-founders of the Keene Clean Energy Team, asked if ADK would consider installing solar collectors or electric vehicle charging stations to compliment the club’s environmental education efforts. Barrett said the club has talked about installing EV stations in the center’s lot and solar panels on the roof.

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Family and beginner friendly

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Another popular topic at this week’s forum was keeping Cascade friendly to families and beginner skiers. Barrett said ADK has reached out to schools and other local clubs, like the Lake Placid Outing Club, to discuss opportunities for kids at the center.

Diane Beckwith, a volunteer campground host at Heart Lake, suggested creating color-coordinated ski loops that indicate skill level to help people overcome the fear of hitting a difficult trail.

She encouraged ADK to make trails accessible to youth groups during the remaining three seasons. She said ADK could give those groups and other novices a backcountry experience in the frontcountry; beginners could hike a mile into camp but still find support at Cascade.

Denise Erenstone, a longtime ADK member, said Cascade could fill the niche of a family-friendly ski center where kids can have a lesson right in front of the building. She noted that she feels facilities like Mt. Van Hoevenberg have become “foreign” to locals after renovations made to the lodge by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. She said there used to be some flat terrain for beginners directly behind the lodge, but she said that’s gone now.

Barrett said ADK is interested in removing barriers and mysticism around cross country skiing and other outdoor activities, and he said Cascade is an “excellent conduit” for people with families.

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Parking problems

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Barrett said there’s been a problem with people parking illegally at the end of Adirondack Loj Road, a five-mile road off of state Route 73. People sometimes drive all the way down the road without knowing there isn’t any more parking open there, and Barrett believes people get frustrated and park there anyway. He hopes Cascade, which is nearby on Route 73, could act as a stopping place for people driving toward Lake Placid to help mitigate some of the Adirondack Loj Road parking issues.

Peterson noted that Cascade has its own parking issues — she said it’s “horrifying” to pull out into fast-moving traffic on Route 73 headed from Lake Placid.

She added that linking Cascade up with local bus routes would make the center a key stopping point. Barrett said that Keene town Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson already reached out to ADK about the hiker shuttle, and he said they plan to talk about the possibility of adding the center to the shuttle’s route.

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Other ideas

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Barrett mentioned the possibility of giving ADK members free day passes to the ski center. Lake Placid resident Karen Armstrong suggested that ADK also provide a discount for families in North Elba, and Barrett said ADK has reached out to local government officials about supporting locals.

Barrett discussed the ski center’s lower level, which has 32 bunks spread over several rooms, at the first public session. He thought the bunks could be used to house seasonal interns for local organizations or hikers looking for a place to sleep. Van Ryn suggested that ADK use the bunks for longer-term housing needs for local seasonal staff instead of hosting guests on a rolling basis.

Peterson asked if ADK had intentions to re-hire any of the former Cascade Ski Center staff. Barrett said former staff members are welcome to continue working there, but he added that they might be entertaining other options. He thought they had another management opportunity ahead of them this summer.

Former Cascade ski technician Nate Atkinson mentioned the importance of stocking the correct skis in the Cascade ski shop; other local shops tend to sell alpine touring gear or ski racing gear, which he said isn’t appropriate for 90% of cross country skiing trails in the park. Barrett said he’d be interested in having Atkinson help out with the ski equipment ordering process; he said ADK staff aren’t experts at ski gear yet, but that they’re willing to learn and improve.

Christine Barnes, who’s part of the Hurricane Mountain ADK chapter, suggested providing some form of entertainment or art at the center to make it more appealing to large groups of people with varying interests.

Other ideas from community members that appeared in both feedback sessions included performing a trail inventory at Cascade, allowing skijoring at Cascade and making the center a hub for expert hiker and visitor resources.

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Summaries

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The club also held two private feedback sessions with specific stakeholder groups including local governments, people who run facilities similar to the Cascade Ski Center, educators, people in local school districts, adjacent property owners and nonprofit organizations in the area, like the Paul Smith’s College VIC, according to ADK Deputy Executive Director Julia Goren.

The club plans to summarize the four feedback sessions in a public document, though the summary isn’t available yet. The summary is expected to be available at www.adk.org/news, according to the club’s website.