Does New York have good skiing?
Let’s be honest! When you think of New York, it instantly conjures up images of a busy metropolis. A city filled with towering skyscrapers, bustling city streets, and hectic taxi cabs. Skiing is certainly not something that immediately, if ever, comes to mind.
However, there is much more to this iconic city than its infamous urban landscape. In fact, New York has more ski resorts than any other state in the US. With its 60+ ski areas, including at least 10 major destination resorts, scattered throughout the state, there are endless opportunities to hit the slopes and have some fun in the snow.
Some of the most popular destinations are located in the Adirondacks and the Catskill Mountains, such as Whiteface, Gore Mountain, Windham, Hunter Mountain, and Belleayre. These larger resorts tend to offer more amenities and diverse terrain than smaller areas, making them ideal for both first-time skiers as well as seasoned veterans.
So, does New York have good skiing? It sure as hell does!
Ski New York Vintage Skiing Poster
In the 1940s, the New York skiing region was facing ever-increasing competition from other ski destinations. This vintage art deco style Ski New York travel poster was produced in the 1940s to reinvigorate the region and promote the area’s ski resorts to a younger market. The poster features a dynamic illustration of an airborne skier set against a background of crisp white snow and a clear blue sky. The image is signed HW by the artist that created the poster. Who exactly that is we can’t seem to find out. If you can help us, let us know. The poster was produced courtesy of the State of New York Thomas E. Dewey, Governor Department of Commerce Division of State Publicity.
The poster is bold and striking with its smiling, happy skier leaping enthusiastically across the piste. The dynamic angle created where the sky and snow meet is replicated in reverse by the jumpers’ wooden skis, while the red, white and blue colour scheme is symbolic of the American national flag.
Featuring a dynamic illustration of a smiling skier wearing a red jacket and dark blue cap with his arms outstretched, jumping through the air on wooden skis against the blue sky, this poster is sure to get you excited about hitting the slopes. The stylised text running diagonally in the background follows the angle of the snow-covered piste and his skis, adding to the overall sense of movement and energy. Whether you’re an experienced skier or someone who’s never been on the slopes before, this poster is sure to get you itching to try out this thrilling sport.
This eye-catching poster would have, no doubt been effective in encouraging visitors to ski in the New York state to enjoy the winter sport of skiing. Today, original copies are hard to find as they form part of poster collections across the world. would make a great addition to any collection of vintage travel posters. Original copies of this poster, in good condition, when they do come up for auction, sell for in the region of $3,5000. about £2,600.
Skiing in New York, The 1932 Winter Olympics
In 1932, Lake Placid in the Adirondack mountains played host to the third III Olympic Winter Games, often referred to as Lake Placid 1932. The only two previous Olympics had been held first in Chamonix in 1924 and then in St Moritz on 1928. To compete and be awarded the hosting of the Winter Games against the many Swiss and French resorts was a significant achievement for the USA. It was a sign of how highly the resort and its facilities were regarded at the time.
The games were a multi-sport event that included more than 250 athletes from 17 participating nations. The 1932 Winter Olympics were opened by the then Governor, and soon to be President, Franklin D Roosevelt at the Olympic Stadium, Lake Placid on February 4th 1932. Whilst three popular winter sports, Curling, Women’s Speed Skating and Sled dog racing, were demonstrated at Lake Placid, just four events were contested for medals. These were Bobsleigh and Ice Hockey. Skating was divided into two disciplines, Figure and Speed Skating and the Nordic skiing divided in to Cross-country, Ski Jumping with the third discipline being a mixture of the two, the Nordi combined.
A poster designed by the Works Progress Administration and featuring a dramatic image of a ‘bobsled run‘ speeding down a chute, was created to promote the Winter Games.
The start of skiing in the New York region
Having played host to the 1932 Winter Olympics, interest in skiing grew significantly. A group of men from the nearby village of Schenectady had watched the games and were impressed by what they saw. One of the men, Vincent Schaefer, was particularly excited about this new sport and decided to try make skiing a permanent fixture in New York. He started flying around in a helicopter to scout locations for a ski mountain. Just a year later the Ski Bowl Park in North Creek, was being advertised as New York’s first public ski mountain. Gore was soon followed by other ski areas in the New York region such as Mount Peter, Catamount and Ski Ridge.
In 1934, Snow Trains were introduced in America during the 1930s. The special trains were put on to boost passenger numbers by transporting passengers directly from the large cities to ski resorts across the country. The trains were designed as self-contained ski lodgings. The trains would pick up passengers at stations across the country and transport them to ski resorts. The train would stay for its duration being used as a ski lodge, dining car and gathering place during the ski break.
The Gore Mountain Snow train began to deliver its first skiing enthusiasts from New York around this time. While the mountain in the 1930s lacked any real infrastructure, enterprising locals would host and feed visitors in their homes, and even drive them up to the top of the mountain so they could ski back down. That year, Vermont had launched the rope tow and the Ski Bowl Park soon followed, introducing its new rope tow with the catchy slogan, ‘Ride Up, Ski Down’.
Other Vintage New York Travel Posters
No city embodies the spirit of America quite like New York. From the bustling streets of Manhattan to the soaring heights of the Statue of Liberty, this city has something for everyone. And with its rich history and vibrant culture, the soaring skyscrapers, bustling streets and vibrant energy are unlike anywhere else. It’s no wonder that New York is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. When you visit New York, you can’t help but be impressed. There’s so much to see and do, from exploring Central Park, taking in a Broadway show, enjoying the stunning views of Manhattan‘s famous skyline or shopping on Fifth Avenue. And of course, no trip to New York would be complete without seeing the Statue of Liberty or taking in the view from the top of the Empire State Building.
Our reproduction posters of New York are a great way to capture the spirit and beauty, sights, sounds and energy of one of the world’s most exciting cities. We currently stock over 100 reproduction posters depicting or relating to the famous town so good they named it twice. With so many to choose from, you’re sure to find one that perfectly captures the spirit of New York for you.
Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears, or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.
The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £15. So you can bag a bargain of print and frame for a great price.
