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Mar 9, 2008, 8:45 AM
| #1 (permalink) |
  Windham Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Orient, Ohio
Posts: 153
| Belleayre, Hunter, Windham, 3/3,5,6 (pics) Our big trip this year was to the Catskills. We woke up Monday in Margeritville to a brief shower of freezing rain. We were a bit surprised since the forecast the night before said partly cloudy to sunny. Well the rain passed and the forecast turned out right. It was one beautiful day. The first few runs the snow was still packed powder. As things warmed up they got a little sticky but not bad at all. We both loved the way the trails wind through he woods. Mrs. Buckeye was comfortable with the slightly gentle pitch of most of the trails. I really liked Tongora and Dot Nebel. Even did an easy bump run on lower Onteora. And also went down the lower part or Cathedral Brook. That run was interesting with a fallen tree across it and thin cover. Overall impression of Belleayre was very favorable. Laid back with some very friendly people. http://forums.alpinezone.com/gallery...ry.php?cat=880 Tuesday was a rain day. We had tickets to Belleayre but figured we would save them for Friday. We drove over to our next hotel at Hunter. We watched a few, (very few) people skiing in the rain from our room across the street. Those runs really looked steep. It seems that a mountain always looks steeper from the bottom. Especially the first time you see it. Wednesday it was still raining. And it wasn't a light rain. I was going nuts. Finally at 10:15 I decided to eat a sandwich and ski in the rain. It stopped at 10:45. We were on the hill shortly after 11:00. I was very surprised at how good the conditions were after 22 hours of rain. Mrs. Buckeye didn't share the same opinion. So I was on my own after an hour and a half. That let me check out Hunter West which only had a few runs open. I did Way Out and Claire's. Both nice runs. Claire's bumps were not very big,(just right for me). The snow was soft. Went back to the other side. I hit every trail open except for the bumped up double blacks. Hunter is one gnarly looking mountain. It skis a little easier than it looks. At least the single blacks that I was on. The rain came back along with some sleet and even a little snow. It was a wet but rewarding day after being idle all day Tuesday. http://forums.alpinezone.com/gallery...ry.php?cat=881 Thursday was a bluebird day. We scored $23 lft tickets to Windham off of Liftopia.com thanks to the Skiing on the Cheap thread. What a contrast to Hunter Windham was. Mrs. Buckeye was loving it. Things were a little hard early but softened up quickly. We cruised all over the mountain and even took her down a short double black, The Wall. Had a nice lunch on the deck at the Wheelhouse lodge. Then some more cruising. Later in the day I tried the rest of the double blacks. A little steeper than I was expecting and all groomed except for half of Wheelchair. They supplied a nice adrenaline rush to end the day. Windham was the kind of place Mrs. Buckeye likes. Definitely good for one day of skiing. http://forums.alpinezone.com/gallery...ry.php?cat=882 We had another day left but with the impending blizzard about to hit Ohio we decided to leave a day early to beat the storm. We didn't, stopped in PA in NW PA when things got ugly. I did my first freeskiing ever outside the hotel. About a 30 foot vertical worth 7 turns. Now I'm ready for the Gulf of Slides or maybe Big Jay!  Drove through the Blizzard of 08 to get home to 12-15 inches of pow in the yard. Go figure, we sit in the rain in the Cats and have powder out the a** back home!  At least we had a few good days of skiing! 
__________________ Ski all you can, when you can, where you can!! Last edited by Buckeye Skier 1330; Mar 9, 2008 at 8:55 AM. |
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Mar 9, 2008, 8:45 AM
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Mar 9, 2008, 9:55 AM
| #3 (permalink) | |
 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: looooooong island ny
Posts: 1,520
| Quote:
__________________ Lets go! I'll drive. | |
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Mar 11, 2008, 1:32 PM
| #7 (permalink) |
 DMC TUX Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hunter, NY
Posts: 6,066
| Awesome report!!!!! I'm originally an Ohio boy.. Born and raised. Learned to ski at Boston mills... thanks for checking out the Skillz... Come on back.. It's awesome in the summer too!!
__________________ "The snowboard track is the most aesthetic and ephemeral passage that man can leave on a mountain" Stephen Koch ------------------ DMCs Interactive Tuckerman Ravine Map |
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Mar 11, 2008, 5:51 PM
| #8 (permalink) |
| Windham Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Orient, Ohio
Posts: 153
| DMC, you made a good move to get into ski country. There are times I wish we lived closer to big mountain skiing. We were a little surprised at how big the mountains in the Cats were. The ski areas aren't as big but the overall feel of the Cats reminds you of Vermont. And the people were downright friendly. The people at the Forester Lodge were great. They upgraded us to a mountain view room, which was really cool. At Belleayre we ran into two other couples on two different runs. Then ended up eating lunch with them on the deck. Super nice people. With the gas prices the way they are there are probaly some more Catskill trips in our future. Now if we could just hit the weather right, maybe we could get to Plattekill.
__________________ Ski all you can, when you can, where you can!! |
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Mar 12, 2008, 2:22 PM
| #9 (permalink) | |
| DMC TUX Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hunter, NY
Posts: 6,066
| Quote:
The Catskllls have been a place to seek solace from the craziness of NYC for over a century.. Next time you come out let me know..
__________________ "The snowboard track is the most aesthetic and ephemeral passage that man can leave on a mountain" Stephen Koch ------------------ DMCs Interactive Tuckerman Ravine Map | |
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