The Big Tupper Ski area in the Adirondacks will not open this winter, and the people operating it say it’s due to lawsuits that are trying to stop a large development that includes the mountain.
The six-thousand acre Adirondack Club and Resort Project in the Tupper Lake area was approved in January by the Adirondack Park Agency after nearly a decade of review and debate. But opponents are not giving up trying to stop the project. Protect the Adirondacks and the Sierra Club in March filed an Article 78 lawsuit claiming the agency did not adequately and appropriately review the project. Earlier this month, the groups filed a motion alleging that the APA improperly communicated with the developers during the review of the project. The Big Tupper Ski Area is a part of that development plan. The group that has been running the mountain this week announced that it will not open this winter. Jim LaValley is Chair of ARISE, Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving Their Economy.
In a press release, Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Peter Bauer says the decision to close Big Tupper and blame it on the lawsuits is “... the most recent in what has become a string of unsubstantiated accusations...to scapegoat PROTECT-Sierra Clubs for problems in the community.” Bauer was unavailable for comment. Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Conservation Director Roger Downs notes that Big Tupper had a bad season last year with little snow.
Jim LaValley believes the closure of Big Tupper will have significant economic effects on the region.
The Sierra Club’s Roger Downs says the Adirondack environment must be considered when preserving the regional economy.
