Young skiers and Jenna Cho pose during the full moon ski party at Mount Van Hoevenberg on Jan. 3. (Provided photo by Naj Wikoff)

In 1979, Art Jubin founded the Cascade Ski Touring Center and, a few years later, launched his full moon parties, which featured skiing along marginally lit trails to bonfires where people could toast marshmallows and hot dogs and quaff beer from kegs. The wrap was skiing back to the lodge, where chili, beer and other beverages were available, along with music and dancing.

The full moon parties were an outgrowth of his Memorial Day parties at his Swastika farm, which featured kegs of beer stashed end on end in a well and live bluegrass music performed by local musicians, and his mid-winter ski-key-exchange-parties held in Flowed Lands and Lake Colden. In short, they were like few others, and a beloved event by all who participated.

The full moon ski parties provided Art and his family and friends the opportunity to continue the tradition of hosting special events in a more consistent and publicly accessible way. The parties became an anticipated and loved tradition by many. They were not quite the same after Art’s passing and the sale of the Cascade Ski Touring Center to the Adirondack Mountain Club, and they died altogether when the club put the center up for sale.

Aware of the emotional loss, Savannah Doviak, marketing director of the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex, decided to host full moon parties beginning Saturday evening, Jan. 3. Like those at Cascade, people could ski or snowshoe to a destination, in this case Josie’s Cabin, and be treated to live music and a non-alcoholic drink at the Mountain Pass Lodge, all for the bargain price of $6. Beer, wine and soup were available for purchase. Both at Josie’s and the base lodge, outdoor bonfires blazed away.

“We wanted to have a community-focused event going into the winter,” said Doviak. “We had a lot of success with our summer racing series, and started thinking about what we could do for the community in the winter. When we learned that Cascade wouldn’t be opening, we felt that hosting a series of full moon parties would be a good fit, as we knew that they were such a beloved event.”

Stacy and Mike Beccara of Ray Brook pose during the full moon ski party at Mount Van Hoevenberg on Jan. 3. (Provided photo by Naj Wikoff)

Thanks to Mount Van Hoevenberg’s snowmaking and recent snowfalls, the trails were in excellent condition. Good news for all: Many people responded, filling up half of one parking lot and nearly three-quarters of another.

“We are so excited by the response,” said Doviak. “We sold 369 tickets to the first full moon party. It kind of shocked us that so many people came out, and we are very pleased with such a positive response. We heard that everyone had a great time, that the trails looked beautiful with the glow of the lights, and that it felt cozy coming down Flatlander to Josie’s cabin. That’s been the talk of the event so far.”

People from 3 to over 80 were out skiing, and a few younger ones, all bundled up, had the thrill of going through the woods on the backs of their parents.

“We used to go to the Cascade full moon ski party and were disappointed when they were canceled,” said Stacy Beccara of Ray Brook. “Then we saw this full moon event advertised and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, how fun is that!’ We can ski around with our friends and experience fires and music — what else could you possibly want to do on a full moon, so we came. It’s glorious. We’re having fun in the snow.”

“We attended six or eight full moons at Cascade,” said husband Mike. “I like the mix of exercise and the mix of relaxation, community, hanging out with friends, food, drink and music. All of it.”

John Brown, left, and Alex Marklund pose during the full moon ski party at Mount Van Hoevenberg on Jan. 3. (Provided photo by Naj Wikoff)

“I came out because I have some friends in town and we like to ski,” said Alex Marklund. “We brought the whole family. I’ve been to 10 or so full moons at Cascade.”

“This is the best time of year,” said John Brown. “It’s the holidays, and we can get out and enjoy nature; the best way to experience winter is to get out and enjoy it, and this event brings a lot of locals together. I think it’s cool that ORDA is carrying on the tradition.”

“It’s a good place to see people you haven’t connected with in a while,” added Marklund. “I just heard about Mount Van Hoevenberg hosting the full moon today, and here I am.”

Hoevenberg guest services employee covering the ticket counter, Lyndsie Partridge, said that the turnout for this, the first event, has been impressive, and that she is excited to see what the next ones will bring. Going forward, one goal is to enable attendees to make s’mores at Josie’s Cabin and to add other activities to enhance the experience of future full moons.

For one person, Wyatt Peck, the full moon got him out and back on cross-country skis for the first time in 14 years. He said the trails were beautiful and well-groomed, and that there had been a large crowd at Josie’s cabin. Wyatt plans to attend more full moons going forward.

Kate Stanko, of Rochester, and Grace Post, of Buffalo, pose during the full moon ski party at Mount Van Hoevenberg on Jan. 3. (Provided photo by Naj Wikoff)

Jenna Cho was out with her 6-year-old son and his 5-year-old friend. I asked the two boys, now in the second year of cross-country skiing, what they liked about skiing, and they responded, “going fast,” clearly possible Olympians in the making.

“The live music in the base lodge got us in the mood to ski, and when you get out on the trails, it’s very peaceful,” said Kate Stanko of Rochester, New York. “It was a little overcast, so you needed headlamps most of the time that we were out on the trail. The conditions were great, and I’m totally going to do it again.”

“We had a lot of fun snowshoeing,” said Grace Post of Buffalo. “The snow was great, and the trails were packed and groomed. It would have been nice to see the moon, but it was still beautiful. We’re glad that we did this. While we’ve hiked and done other things around Lake Placid, this is our first time at Hoevenberg — it’s amazing. The lodge is beautiful. We definitely want to come back and see bobsledding and the other sports. This place is cool, really cool. It blew me away. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this.”

The next full moon parties at Mount Van Hoevenberg will be held Jan. 31, Feb. 28 and March 28 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $6, and details are available at tinyurl.com/2es4dv47.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)