Brothers make history skiing 81 mountains in Adirondacks, Catskills

First-ever completion of all High Peaks skiing documented in new film ‘Variable”

By Phil Brown

In 1996, Ron Konowitz became the first to ski all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks. Last winter, Jamie and Doug Kennard did him one better: they became the first to ski all of the highest peaks in the Adirondacks and the Catskills.

It took the brothers a dozen years to tag the 81 summits, but you can live the experience vicariously in just under a half-hour by watching “Variable,” a documentary made by Jamie. It will be shown at the North Country School outside Lake Placid on Sunday, Dec. 7, as part of a kickoff to the backcountry-ski season. 

The film’s title alludes to the variable conditions skiers encounter in the Adirondack backcountry. The day that the Kennards completed their quest, on Mount Colden, illustrates the point. The parking lot at the trailhead was a muddy mess. The brothers slogged through fog and drizzle during the ascent, but as they reached the summit, they emerged above the clouds, surrounded by blue sky. There even was a rainbow. “It was a magical finish,” Jamie said.

Jamie, 50, and Doug, 47, grew up in the Rochester suburb of Fairport and learned to ski at Bristol Mountain. Both raced in high school and college. At Jamie’s suggestion, they started skiing the Catskill High Peaks (those above 3,500 feet) in 2012. After finishing on Kaaterskill in 2014, they turned their attention northward.

Their first Adirondack peak–Lower Wolf Jaw–was not an auspicious start. After touching the summit, they returned via Bennie’s Brook slide. “The conditions were terrible,” Jamie recalled. “There was exposed rock everywhere and where there wasn’t rock there were ice bulges. It was a real eye-opener.”

On most peaks, they stuck close to hiking trails and herd paths, where their slalom skills came in handy. “I call it survival skiing,” Jamie said. “A lot of the skiing, especially through the really thick woods, it’s like hand-to-hand combat.”

Drizzle, fog, rocks, ice, trees–you might wonder what kept them coming back. Well, there was that bluebird day on Marcy: mild temperatures, no wind, lots of snow. Jamie did three laps in the summit bowl. “I felt like we had struck Adirondack gold,” he said. “To have such a pristine day and to have that 7-mile ski out, it was pretty magical.”

Coincidentally, I ran into Jamie on the summit that day (I didn’t recall the meeting, but he sent me a photo). Another coincidence: on their way down the mountain, the brothers ran into none other than Ron Konowitz. 

At the time, the brothers didn’t tell Konowitz about their mission, but he and several others are in the film. Andrew Weibrecht, the Olympian from Lake Placid, makes an appearance. Weibrecht, who won a silver medal in 2014 in the super-G, set out to ski the 46 several years ago, but abandoned the pursuit. “Life and family just took priority,” Jamie remarked.

“Variable” documents the Kennard brothers’ quest, but it’s not just about that. It also tells the history of backcountry skiing in the Adirondacks and, more poignantly, relates Jamie’s emotional struggle after the death of his wife, Tracy, from cancer in 2021. The two had been sweethearts since high school.

Jamie and Tracy owned a wine bar in Kingston. After her death, Jamie decided to try something else. He bought a camera and started making short films and taking wildlife photos. He has several projects in the works, including a documentary about a woman who is about to become the third person to ski the Catskill High Peaks.

The Mountaineer and Barkeater Trails Alliance are co-hosting the screening of “Variable” at North Country School. There will be one or two other ski films as well as a talk about avalanche risk. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. The films start at 7:30. A $10 donation is suggested, but attendees can instead give shelf-stable food to the local food pantry.