2 minute read
The righT pUrchaSe for beTTer pUrchaSe
The UlTimaTe Ski DeSTinaTion
The Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center, known locally as just the PSC VIC or V-I-C, is the perfect winter destination to mix outdoor recreation with environmental education. It’s a natural fit that Paul Smith’s, the college of the Adirondacks, would run a Visitor Interpretive Center in the Adirondacks. College programs focus on hospitality, recreation management, sustainable forestry and ecological research. The VIC functions as a showcase for the college, providing visitors with unrivaled recreational opportunities, food service, concerts, and an outdoor living classroom for students.
If you haven’t been to the VIC in a couple of years you will be surprised and very pleased with the changes. The winter trail system has expanded and there is now a cozy ski lodge feel indoors. Paul Smiths has always been known as a ski school, with numerous National Champions and All Americans. Jenkins Mountain, which sits at the north end of the VIC, was a public alpine ski center in the 1950s. The engine that powered the rope tow is still there and interpretive signage is being prepared to tell the story of that bygone era. Today the VIC is a first-class Nordic center with groomed classic and skate tracks. The newer trails were designed by John Morton and are designed to meet the needs for ski races. We now host numerous races, including during the Empire State Games. These trails have adequate elevational changes and width to meet international competition standards where nine meters are needed so three skiers can skate side by side. A state-of-the-art groomer goes over the terrain almost every day keeping the trail system in the best condition possible with 20 km available for skate or classic skiing and an additional 40 km set with a classic track.
The snow is what really makes the PSC VIC an exceptional ski destination. The PSC VIC has the first snow, the last snow, and, for most of the winter, the best snow in the Adirondacks. Geographically, the PSC VIC is situated to the northwest of the High Peaks region. It sits on the windward side of the mountains so an approaching weather front quickly drops in temperature,
The Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center Winter trails
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