Filmmaker creating Hickory Ski Center documentary

WARRENSBURG, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — Just five to 10 minutes off of I-87, roughly an hour north of Albany, resides the Hickory Ski Center. According to Hickory’s website, it was founded in 1946 by the veterans of the 10th Mountain Division. Ultimate-Ski.com describes Hickory Ski Resort as “one of the great hidden secrets in East Coast skiing.”

The ski center briefly closed for several years in the mid-2000s before being revived through fundraising, media attention, and support from the ski industry as a whole. To this day, it is run by a board of locals committed to keeping its history alive and preventing the slopes from going silent.

Filmmaker Ian McGrew is after the same goal and is currently filming a documentary to highlight the importance of this smaller mountain to the surrounding community. The Kingston native says his desire to make a film about skiing, combined with the story of Hickory, those committed to “keeping the stoke alive,” drove him to undertake the documentary slated to come out in the fall.

Stoke, as defined by Outdoor Master , is a term used to describe the feeling of excitement and anticipation that comes with skiing. Another definition, from Our Next Life , says “the stoke” is “something you feel, something you feed. The stoke becomes a palpable thing, almost like a living being, or at least like the force.”

McGrew, a five-time Emmy Award winner, said he grew up watching ski films and skiing local small mountains himself. He said he first heard about Hickory through a Facebook post from Sue Catana, described on Facebook as the ski center’s “fearless leader.”

“It’s a small mountain and not a national chain,” said McGrew. “I grew up skiing small local mountains. I first heard about Hickory when Sue Catana put out the first Facebook post asking for help. That somewhat went viral and then started getting picked up by various news outlets.”

“The history of the mountain is incredible but I am focusing on Hickory in its current state and looking forward to the future. The fact that the mountain has gone through hardships and the national media and ski industry as a whole has rallied behind them to fundraise and reopen is an incredible story.”

McGrew himself has extensive experience in filmmaking and visual storytelling. From working with professional athletes to filming cars that haven’t been released yet, McGrew says he loves the variety of what he does the most.

“My favorite part of the business I am in is getting to interact with different people from various walks of life. The variety is what I enjoy the most. One day I get to spend days with sports celebrities but interact with them as normal people. The next week I could be filming a vehicle that hasn’t been released yet, then I’m interacting with some fantastic people who are trying to save a mountain.”

McGrew wants viewers to walk away with a new appreciation for how special smaller mountains are to local communities.

“I hope that it shows how special smaller mountains are to local communities. Losing places like that would be detrimental to the ski industry as a whole. The essence of skiing is saved in Hickory and has been lost by having to spend $250 on a lift ticket, $50 on lunch, and $30 for parking at many ‘mega resorts.’ I hope people will watch this, travel, and spend a day at places like Hickory. Eat at the local bar after skiing. Share a smile with the people who have kept these mountains running for decades and keep the stoke alive.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NEWS10 ABC.