Brad Strablow of Lake Placid gets ready to make the trip up to Algonquin Peak for some late-season backcountry skiing on Monday. He commenced his trek from the South Meadow trailhead on the Adirondack Loj Road, near Lake Placid. Towering at 5,114 feet, Algonquin is the second-tallest mountain in New York, and recent conditions reports indicate that there are still several feet of snow in spots near the summit. Strablow was set for the hodgepodge of backcountry conditions that come with April in the Adirondacks — from mud at the lower elevations to multiple feet of snow that remain up high. As far as the skiing conditions go, Strablow said he takes what he can get this time of the year, but was looking forward to the bluebird skies forecast for much of the day. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)