New Year’s in the Mountains: Big Slide via the Brothers

This has become an annual tradition for Adventure Untamed! As we enter a new year, we get together, drive to the heart of the largest park in the contiguous United States – Adirondacks – and climb a 46er. 46ers are 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks, each over 4,000 feet tall. We ring in the new year with mountain climbing, games, and great company! Oh, and did we mention a really cozy lodge (actual picture of the lodge above)?

So, how do you plan to say hello to 2025? How do you want to greet the new year? Join us on this beautiful adventure! Our journey will take us on a gorgeous hike of Big Slide. If you are looking for amazing scenery, this is the hike for you. The summit offers incredible, 360 views. And the route we are taking traverses a ridge with three mountains knows as the brothers. That means beautiful, above-treeline views for most of the day. It’s lovely!

For the first half of the day, it’s a steady climb, and it will feel anywhere between INTERMEDIATE and CHALLENGING, depending on your experience and conditions. But we plan to keep the pace very moderate, to allow for a relaxing and enjoyable day. If you can do a Catskill 3500 mountain, you can do this peak (as long as the weather cooperates, of course)! We’ll also provide crampons and/or snowshoes, so you don’t have to worry about traction. This peak is above treeline, so the views at the top are absolutely fantastic! On a clear day, we will be able to see countless mountains in the High Peaks region.

When not hiking, we’ll spend our nights in front of the fireplace at the Adirondack Loj, relaxing and enjoying board games and great conversation.

Experience: Prior winter hiking experience strongly encouraged. Please email us if you don’t have winter hiking experience. Please contact us with any questions at info@adventureuntamed.com. We can help you put together a training plan! This trip is rated INTERMEDIATE due to easier pace, but it may feel more challenging depending on conditions. This trip has CHALLENGING terrain and (sometimes) conditions.

Accommodations: Shared (with our group) loft room at ADK Loj. Limited private rooms available for an extra $100 per night. Please email us at info@adventureuntamed.com with questions and requests.

Food: We will have lunch on the road the first day and the last day. Other than that, all meals are included.

Day 1 (January 3rd)

We’ll depart at 7:00 am, stopping for lunch on the road. After arriving at the Loj we’ll go for a short warm-up hike. On the trail, we’ll discuss winter hiking and layering techniques to set us up for success the next day. After a moderate scramble to the top, gorgeous views of the Adirondacks will open up right in front of us. That evening we’ll enjoy a tasty dinner and and get ready for our climb.

Day 2 (January 4th)

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll start the summit attempt of Big Slide. We’ll take our time on the trail and make consistent, steady progress, admiring the ridge and summit views. That night, we’ll relax in front of the fire after a delicious dinner and welcome 2025!

Day 3 (January 5th)

After a good night’s rest, we’ll pack and relax for the leisurely drive back to New York City, stopping for lunch along the way. For those interested, we’ll do a short morning hike to ring in the new year!