LOCALadk Magazine

OAK R e c i p e f o r f u n MOUNTAIN A young owner-couple revives a small ski hill in Speculator, NY and turns it into a mountian biking mecca. Tom Preston By Matt Young "W hat's Going On At Oak Mountain?" is a question that has been looming in mountain bike social circles all around the Adirondacks for over a year. Rumors began echoing through the hills last fall. "I heard a really cool young couple is running the place," "there's gonna be a sweet bar," and "I heard they're gonna host a Gravity East race" were all rumors that circulated deep into the spring of 2013. Well…It's all true. This summer there will be a new spot for gravity fed fat-tire fanatics in Speculator, New York. And yes, there is a fantastic bar in the newly renovated base lodge, where you can enjoy a microbrew while watching the 5th stop on the Gravity East Series for downhill mountain bike racing on July 27th . In the spring of 2012 the O'Brien Family, Matt and Laura, purchased their very own ski area in Speculator, New York. Although the mountain was operational, the place had lacked any real vision or progress since Matt and Laura, then managers, left for greener pastures in 2011. The deal to return the couple to Oak Mountain was signed in the summer of 2012, and the two went to work. As part of the purchase the O'Brien Family acquired two t-bar style ski lifts, a quad chairlift and 650 vertical feet of Adirondack skiing spread over 14 trails. The O'Briens goal is simply for people to come to Speculator and enjoy the facilities they have prepared. They have created the most inviting environment possible for visitors and locals alike. In the winter, in 46 LOCALadk Magazine Summer 2013 addition to selling day passes, they sell 4-hour anytime passes, where a skier can choose any 4-hour period they wish to ski and pay for only that time. They created a fantastic pub style atmosphere in the former metal shell of a base lodge, that has been seeing constant upgrades since the O'Brien Family assumed ownership. Live music events are planned, and Matt fires up the snow-making equipment whenever mother nature doesn't cooperate. The O'Briens have also transformed the former single season ski area into a three-season attraction for the town of Speculator. They have added a miniature golf course, provide space for picturesque Adirondack weddings, and have begun to develop high quality lift served mountain bike terrain. Word got out that the O'Briens wanted to take the mountain to the next level, offering more and better service than ever before, and the mountain bike trail builders came running. Matt and Laura embraced the idea of a mountain bike park at Oak Mountain as yet another way to bring more people to their mountain and to the town of Speculator. The trail builders began putting their digging tools to work, and before too long a video surfaced on a popular mountain bike website called "Pinkbike". In the fall of 2012, after the video of riders enjoying the trails they built circulated widely, people began to talk about the significant potential of Oak Mountain. While some may balk at the modest 650ft vertical of Oak Mountain, it

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