Two recreationists died in the Adirondacks recently, though a lack of daily local journalism limited public information about the deaths. State Police say Andrew L. Sargent, 52, of Lake Jackson, Texas, was found unconscious on January 24 at Whiteface Mountain Ski Area. Sargent struck a tree when descending Lower Northway, police said. His family said he was wearing a helmet.
The incident was not reported in the media until February 12th, following the death of a second skier at Whiteface on February 4th. And then last week, 67 skiers were trapped the Northwoods Gondola at Gore Mountain Ski Area, some for many hours, after they broke down. There was no news for days.
In the latest incident, a woman died on Thursday at Mount Marcy according to social media posts. Her body was recovered by helicopter hoist on Friday morning. As of Sunday afternoon, no reporting or public announcements have been made.
Both ski areas are state-owned and operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). New York State Forest Rangers and State Police both responded to Thursday’s incident. ORDA seems to have not notified the public about the deaths, or even the gondola break-down either.
Woman Reported Dead at Mount Marcy
An unknown woman was reported to have died Thursday, February 12th, at Mount Marcy in deep snow and below zero windchill temperatures, according to a relative posting on Reddit.
“She called rangers after experiencing disorientation from hypothermia and although they tried all they could, it took them 6 hours to get to her,” the post said. “She ultimately succumbed to hypothermia after falling off the trail and lying in the snow.”
“All this to say PLEASE be careful and turn around/call the rangers if you feel unsafe for ANY reason,” the poster said. There is more four feet of snow on many Adirondack High Peak summits. Marcy is the tallest mountain in New York State, rising to 5,344 feet (1,629 meters).
Other social media posts confirmed someone had been found deceased following a long search and rescue operation that involved New York State Forest Rangers on snowmobiles near Marcy Dam and a State Police helicopter.
Withering Adirondack Journalism
These reports come at a time when daily Adirondack journalism has all but disappeared. The region’s only daily newspaper, Saranac Lake’s The Adirondack Daily Enterprise, owned and operated by The Ogden Newspapers Inc., is being sold to a larger corporation.
On Tuesday, the paper announced it was being purchased by the The Gazette News Group. Gazette runs five daily and four weekly papers in the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys, centered in the Capital District.
North Country Public Radio, which serves the entire Northern New York region, was recently devastated by cuts to funding by the Trump administration.
This year, the once daily Adirondack Almanack, once one of the most-read publications in the Adirondacks, was redirected and subsumed under the tabs of its owner’s publication, Adirondack Explorer magazine.
New York Almanack will post a follow-up on this story when more information is learned.
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