Hunter Mountain - 12/30/2004

[Greg]

Date(s) Skied: Thursday, December 30, 2004, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Resort or Ski Area: Hunter Mountain, New York

Conditions: Hardpack, PP, powder in spots. The sides of most runs were nice. Cloudy to start and then the skies cleared late morning. No wind. Temps in the 30's. According to JimG., it was pretty crowded today, but the liftlines weren't too bad.

Trip Report: This was only my second visit to Hunter and the first in a couple of years. I recalled how pretty the drive up 23A was. I made it to the mountain around 9:45 and got on skis shortly after 10:00 AM.

As I was locking down my boots and preparing to load the quad, JimG. called my cell and we decided to meet up at 11 AM at the summit so I took two warmup runs. I don't know all the trail names well at Hunter, but I took one of the blacks and blues down the front of the hill.

Met up with Jim and Karl shortly after 11 AM, as well as DMC and another buddy of theirs. The five of us took a few runs off the F lift. We then split up into two groups as DMC was practicing on a tele set-up and wanted to take it easy. The rest of the pre-lunch runs were on the diamonds and double diamonds on skier's right off the summit as well as a few runs off the D lift. We also took a run down Claire's Way which was somewhat of a disaster for me (read: three wipe-outs, including binding releases). Claire's was a gnarly mix of erratic bumps and hardpack this morning.

Met up with Jim and Karl after lunch and did three back-to-back runs down Claire's. I guess I'm glutton for punishment, but I actually did okay and only peeled out of my binding once. The snow softened up nicely in the afternoon sun and the variability of the trail provided a real challenge.

I must say that both Jim and Karl are excellent skiers and kept the challenge level very high all day long. It was sort of a humbling experience, but I found that skiing with skiers that are significantly better than me helped a ton; along with their words of excouragement and advice. Thanks guys! I hope I didn't slow you down too much today. The beers tonight are numbing the fact that I feel like I was run over by a bus... A great day indeed!

HERE are some pics.

[tirolerpeter]

Originally Posted by Greg

Date(s) Skied: Thursday, December 30, 2004, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Resort or Ski Area: Hunter Mountain, New York

Conditions: Hardpack, PP, powder in spots. The sides of most runs were nice. Cloudy to start and then the skies cleared late morning. No wind. Temps in the 30's. According to JimG., it was pretty crowded today, but the liftlines weren't too bad.

Trip Report: This was only my second visit to Hunter and the first in a couple of years. I recalled how pretty the drive up 23A was. I made it to the mountain around 9:45 and got on skis shortly after 10:00 AM.

As I was locking down my boots and preparing to load the quad, JimG. called my cell and we decided to meet up at 11 AM at the summit so I took two warmup runs. I don't know all the trail names well at Hunter, but I took one of the blacks and blues down the front of the hill.

Met up with Jim and Karl shortly after 11 AM, as well as DMC and another buddy of theirs. The five of us took a few runs off the F lift. We then split up into two groups as DMC was practicing on a tele set-up and wanted to take it easy. The rest of the pre-lunch runs were on the diamonds and double diamonds on skier's right off the summit as well as a few runs off the D lift. We also took a run down Claire's Way which was somewhat of a disaster for me (read: three wipe-outs, including binding releases). Claire's was a gnarly mix of erratic bumps and hardpack this morning.

Met up with Jim and Karl after lunch and did three back-to-back runs down Claire's. I guess I'm glutton for punishment, but I actually did okay and only peeled out of my binding once. The snow softened up nicely in the afternoon sun and the variability of the trail provided a real challenge.

I must say that both Jim and Karl are excellent skiers and kept the challenge level very high all day long. It was sort of a humbling experience, but I found that skiing with skiers that are significantly better than me helped a ton; along with their words of excouragement and advice. Thanks guys! I hope I didn't slow you down too much today. The beers tonight are numbing the fact that I feel like I was run over by a bus... A great day indeed!

HERE are some pics.

I too enjoy skiing with people who exceed my abilities. I find that it keeps me from "dawdling and smelling the roses." When I am behind good skier "on point" it helps me focus on technique and allows me to get an instant read on the terrain I will shortly encounter. It makes me much more relaxed, and as a consequence a better skier! Mind you, I am a pretty good skier in good condition who can handle virtually any type of terrrain at speed, so I do not become a "drag" to those I'm with. In fact, I will gladly set the pace once I get to know a trail a bit. However, it is always a plus to ski with others who are familiar with a particular mountain. Why waste time on marginal terrain when the locals know the good stuff. Even when I go alone, I try to shadow someone who is a good skier and then try to hook up on a lift line or chair to spend some time with them. I have made a number of nice connections with people that way. BTW, thanks for the pictures.

[JimG.]

Originally Posted by Greg

I must say that both Jim and Karl are excellent skiers and kept the challenge level very high all day long. It was sort of a humbling experience, but I found that skiing with skiers that are significantly better than me helped a ton; along with their words of excouragement and advice. Thanks guys! I hope I didn't slow you down too much today. The beers tonight are numbing the fact that I feel like I was run over by a bus... A great day indeed!

Thanks Greg! I think you underestimate your ability and believe me, you didn't slow us down at all. Claire's was a challenge, especially that first run down in the AM when the snow had that hard, porcelain quality between bumps. Karl and I enjoyed the day too and hope we can hook up again in the near future.