words/photos: Ryan Currier (Instagram: ryancurrier4)
Editor’s note: This originally appeared in the Q1_2021 isue of quattro Magazine. If you would like to subscribe to quattro Magazine, please join Audi Club here.
If you love Avants and backroads, then Avantoberfest is an event for you. What else could be better than a weekend cruising backroads in upstate New York with a bunch of fellow Avant and Audi lovers?
Avantoberfest East 2020 marked the first year of this reimagined event in upstate New York. With so many events being canceled in 2020, event regulars and first timers alike were super happy that organizer Neil Gjertsen was able to make the event still happen and do it in a way that promoted everyone’s safety by supplying everyone with a custom Avantoberfest mask.
The event kicked off with a meetup at the Saratoga Automobile Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY. After some breakfast and coffee at the museum, the group headed out on curated backroads to Basil and Wicks for a lunch break on the way to Olympic Park in Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics.
After checking in at the Saranac Hotel, we headed off to Whiteface Mountain, cruising through even more winding roads boasting peak fall foliage color as a backdrop. Attendees got the whole mountain road closed off to general public, so the many Audi vehicles could open up a little bit, without exceeding the speed limit of course. At the top were breathtaking views of the Adirondacks from a 4,865-foot vantage.
After departing the summit of the mountain, the group wound through the corners and regrouped at the bottom to finish off the last leg of the weekend full of driving. The train headed back towards Saranac Lake with the whole group of thirty to forty Audi vehicles, consisting of everything from a ‘95 Audi (ur) S6 to a ‘19 Audi R8 V10 and even a ’20 A6 allroad piloted by a writer from Road & Track.
Not only were those of us who attended able to have a great time driving great roads with great people, but we were able to capture the stunning views and memorable moments on a camera. As they say, “take a picture, it lasts longer”. Although the event is over, I was able to capture much of it and can share them with all of you, the quattro family.
If you live on the East Coast and love Audi, the fall 2021 Avantoberfest East is not to be missed. Not only will you get to meet some great people that share the passion, but you also get to experience some of the best roads in the backwoods of upstate New York. Make sure you bring a two-way radio because the roads can be so remote that mobile phone service can be spotty… plus it’s a good way to communicate between everyone there. There’s no doubt this concept change for Avantoberfest has created something truly memorable, and I look forward to seeing more faces at Avantoberfest East Coast 2021.
Editor’s note #2: Road & Track took a new Audi A6 allroad to this event. You can read that HERE.
