Aston Ferrillo ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
The 2023-24 Lake Placid winter has been unimpressive. Global warming is a significant, well-known problem that has been a primary factor in recent depressing winters. Here at Northwood, we pride ourselves on our snow sports athletes, yet our earth cannot provide a sustainable winter for them to enjoy the sport they love. With temperatures reaching 54 degrees at the beginning of March and rain during February, life was difficult for Northwood’s winter sports athletes.
Aston Ferillo ’26 is a NYSEF/Northwood Alpine ski racer who is disappointed in the weather this winter. “It just sucks, and there is nothing we can do about it,” said Ferrillo. “If you think about five years ago, there was more snow,” he recollected. Weather directly affects his sport and he feels helpless when the weather is bad. “It’s not life or death, but we will just have a shorter season, but we can’t do anything about it which might even be the worst part,” he added.
Whiteface Mountain is the major training and competition venue for alpine, freestyle, and snowboard athletes in the region. The Whiteface season opened in November, which is consistent with the previous season; however, last season ended in late April, but Whiteface watchers say it’s not likely that the mountain will be open into April. The athletes have alternatives and fun ways to train and get snow when none is found here, as they went on early-season trips to Colorado and Austria in recent years.
Marcos Alvarez ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
“It is getting too warm too quick,” said Spanish ski racer Marcos Alvarez ‘26. “There is not enough snow, and obviously, I do not like it.” Marcos expected more snow and better conditions in Lake Placid than his home in Spain, but that hasn’t been the case this season. “In Spain it snows more, which is crazy since I came here for skiing. It is not too different because in Spain, it is very hot too, and it gets warm like here.”
The Northwood snow sport athletes have been disappointed with this winter. All they can do is hope for a better one next year and hope that there is a possibility of a little more cold and snow this winter.
