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What's Up With Hunter K27 and Clare's Way

JimG.

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My point was that there is a difference in their choice of where to blow vs. only having the ability to blow on one of them. My understanding is that if they wanted to, they could blow both of them.

I think they have liability fears to be honest. Neither trail is good for less than expert skiers when they are icy (even worse, groomed and icy). They can't keep skiers who are in over their heads off them and to be frank if they open everything it will become a total shitshow.

There was a horrible accident at the bottom of the headwall on Jimmy Heuga on Sunday. Someone hit the icy bottom part and launched right into the fence. Patrol was shooing onlookers away. Not good.
 

SKI-3PO

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Agreed - I typically avoid them unless there is fresh snowmaking (or more rarely fresh natural)

Glad I missed the Heuga incident with my son - we skied that several times Sunday.
 

SKI-3PO

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Of course the incident described shows that ALL trails can be dangerous when icy, so I'm not sure I buy that argument.
 

millerm277

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44 looks pretty raggy, lot's of saplings a few years old all over, except right along the fence on skiers left.

I think that's intentional. Leaving some brush makes the trail hold snow far better. Or they may be letting the trail narrow a bit, it's far too wide, IMO and makes the wind worse.

I think they have liability fears to be honest. Neither trail is good for less than expert skiers when they are icy (even worse, groomed and icy). They can't keep skiers who are in over their heads off them and to be frank if they open everything it will become a total shitshow.

I don't understand where you're going with this. They are opening 44, and if it dumped 3ft tomorrow they'd open Purna. And they keep them open unless they are pretty much unskiable. So a liability issue doesn't make much sense to me as a reason to blow snow somewhere or not.
 

JimG.

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I don't understand where you're going with this. They are opening 44, and if it dumped 3ft tomorrow they'd open Purna. And they keep them open unless they are pretty much unskiable. So a liability issue doesn't make much sense to me as a reason to blow snow somewhere or not.

No direction to my observation really.

But think about it...if the weather provides snow and someone who uses it gets hurt, they are responsible as long as the resort maintains and patrols the trail. If Hunter makes the snow and then opens the trail, someone could argue Hunter's snow was to blame.

Again, not my point and I agree I've seen many slides for life on 44 too. I just can't figure out why they won't make snow on and open Purna every year. It takes alot less snow than 44 and it is sheltered, relatively narrow, and shady so it holds snow well.
 

millerm277

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But think about it...if the weather provides snow and someone who uses it gets hurt, they are responsible as long as the resort maintains and patrols the trail. If Hunter makes the snow and then opens the trail, someone could argue Hunter's snow was to blame.

I...I don't really think that's a realistic liability issue or else it would be applied to other Northeastern resorts as well. 44's certainly a steep trail as is Purna. However, Ovation at Killington, and various other snowmaking trails in the northeast are steeper or have more dangerous runouts, and clearly it's a non-issue.

Again, not my point and I agree I've seen many slides for life on 44 too. I just can't figure out why they won't make snow on and open Purna every year. It takes alot less snow than 44 and it is sheltered, relatively narrow, and shady so it holds snow well.

I don't understand it either with the new HSQ back there. They need trail capacity. Arguably, they need to find a way to "engineer" some other single diamond run on the West Side, but opening what they have fully would help.
 

x10003q

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Hunter needs to figure this out. They have to get more people to ski Hunter West. The HSQ can take some pressure off the front. For many years they always made snow on AP and only opened 44 when there was enough natural to ski it. Claires and Way Out are not enough terrain to keep people interested much beyond a few runs (unless there is great snow) and Claires gets scraped quickly when it is the only way down from the top.
 

catskills

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That's because the newer people working there don't know the history of the place. I bet that they couldn't even show you where the pool is in the lodge!!
Good point. A few years back I went swimming in that pool. Well more than a few.
 

Scruffy

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Hunter needs to figure this out. They have to get more people to ski Hunter West. The HSQ can take some pressure off the front. For many years they always made snow on AP and only opened 44 when there was enough natural to ski it. Claires and Way Out are not enough terrain to keep people interested much beyond a few runs (unless there is great snow) and Claires gets scraped quickly when it is the only way down from the top.


I agree with your post; but Clair's will get scraped quickly regardless of whether Anna or 44 is open or not.
 

ScottySkis

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Hunter just announced that 44/Westway is open

Awesome News to hear. I probably going Sunday I think there will not be many people because of football game. What regular hunter think about Sunday at Hunter. I haven't been here in a few years. Happy to try it again.
 
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