Hunter 2-4-19

[legalskier]

Rolled in at 9:45 with my car thermometer reading 47 & thinking I'd only need a shell today- many people didn't even wear that much (hoodys, sports jerseys, t-shirts, etc) as this warm front barreled into the Catskills bringing bluebird skies and the same temp as NYC far to the south. Flyer was the only upper mountain lift open in the a.m. & every chair was full/mostly occupied, carrying a very good crowd for a Monday. The east side baked under a strong morning sun, really softening up the base and making many parts quite grabby- I was glad I applied some F4 on my bases beforehand. (There were no blue boy sightings- perhaps today's surface was a wee bit slow for him.) Upper Crossover and Lower K stood alone as the only bump runs- here is Lower K:

The Cliff had the same soft loose granular snow but without the bumps:

Around noon they opened the West & the North sides. Shade had kept conditions in the North much firmer with occasional patches of white ice. The surface was a lot faster over there. Here's Overlook:

Rip's Return, another new North side trail:
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The new HS 6 pack for the North, which boasts a 3 minute ride:
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You can get a lot of good skiing/riding in quickly off that lift. I really enjoyed skiing the North- the 3 main trails are wide and have single black diamond pitch to them. Two of those 3 trails are accessed off Way Out. The abundance of conifer trees creates a ''western'' feeling. According to the map there are several glades but they weren't open. Expanding Hunter's acreage considerably, it reminds me of how Gore is sectioned into "pods." Over the years as I skied down Belt Parkway I've wondered what was down there- now I know, and it's good.

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[legalskier]

As the sun reached the West side it really softened up Clare's Way, Taylor's Run, and the Colonel's Alternate- some would say too soft, judging by the sparse crowds there. The shade on skier's left of Clare's kept conditions a bit less soft, which was fine by me as I lapped it a number of times. Here's upper Clare's:

And lower:

The little "holler" where you load onto Zephyr Quad must have been 20 degrees colder than the trail itself- unlike every other lift where the lifties had t-shirts on, the attendants there were wearing heavy coats and hats. It was so odd that we were joking about it. Heading up Zephyr you can see that 44 and Annapurna are closed, and with continuing warm temps and rain in the forecast it's doubtful they'll be open in the foreseeable future if at all. In fact, 44 has a small forest growing on the upper section which gives the impression Hunter may be letting Mother Nature reclaim that trail. I hope not. Spring skiing in February is fun, but let's not forget to pray for snow!
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[benski]

As the sun reached the West side it really softened up Clare's Way, Taylor's Run, and the Colonel's Alternate- some would say too soft, judging by the sparse crowds there. The shade on skier's left of Clare's kept conditions a bit less soft, which was fine by me as I lapped it a number of times. Here's upper Clare's:
View attachment 24569

And lower:
View attachment 24570

The little "holler" where you load onto Zephyr Quad must have been 20 degrees colder than the trail itself- unlike every other lift where the lifties had t-shirts on, the attendants there were wearing heavy coats and hats. It was so odd that we were joking about it. Heading up Zephyr you can see that 44 and Annapurna are closed, and with continuing warm temps and rain in the forecast it's doubtful they'll be open in the foreseeable future if at all. In fact, 44 has a small forest growing on the upper section which gives the impression Hunter may be letting Mother Nature reclaim that trail. I hope not. Spring skiing in February is fun, but let's not forget to pray for snow!
View attachment 24571​

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Is 44 a trail. I don't see it on any maps. Are you sure you are not thinking of 42nd street?

 

[legalskier]

Is 44 a trail. I don't see it on any maps. Are you sure you are not thinking of 42nd street?

44 is the original name of Westway, which is the trail under Zephyr lift in the pic I posted and was referring to in the text. Ok?

 

[kingslug]

It would be sad if they let 44 grow over but its possible. Takes a lot of money to blow that one and unless they get some huge dumps...

 

[andrec10]

It would be sad if they let 44 grow over but its possible. Takes a lot of money to blow that one and unless they get some huge dumps...

Install a bunch of Super Pole Cats on it and they could easily open it.

 

[legalskier]

Install a bunch of Super Pole Cats on it and they could easily open it.

This is the only thing I could find explaining it: "To open Westway we need real cooperation from the weather. It takes a lot of time and preparation to cover Westway with ample amounts of snow, so we need a perfect window."
https://nyskiblog.com/interview-with-jessica-pezak-at-hunter/

Ok I get it, but that doesn't explain why Annapurna- a much narrower and shadier trail that holds its snow much better- was closed too. It had a lot of snow on it yesterday, except almost none on the runout back to Zephyr. Wouldn't take much to get it open imho. It's one of my favorite trails- Hunter's Cathedral Brook. Belle consistently opens CB with only natural snow, so I'm at a loss to understand why Hunter handles it the way they do. Annapurna is such a great trail, I just wish they'd use it more.

 

[andrec10]

This is the only thing I could find explaining it: "To open Westway we need real cooperation from the weather. It takes a lot of time and preparation to cover Westway with ample amounts of snow, so we need a perfect window."
https://nyskiblog.com/interview-with-jessica-pezak-at-hunter/

Ok I get it, but that doesn't explain why Annapurna- a much narrower and shadier trail that holds its snow much better- was closed too. It had a lot of snow on it yesterday, except almost none on the runout back to Zephyr. Wouldn't take much to get it open imho. It's one of my favorite trails- Hunter's Cathedral Brook. Belle consistently opens CB with only natural snow, so I'm at a loss to understand why Hunter handles it the way they do. Annapurna is such a great trail, I just wish they'd use it more.

Peaks caters more to the intermediate skier.

 

[kingslug]

Yup..Annapurna is a great trail and should not be ignored. But it is..sad. Many moons ago I skied that whole area a lot, including 44.

 

[180]

Hoses and guns are setup and waiting since last week. Ma Nature not cooperating and as we progress into February, not looking good, unless we get the natural

 

[benski]

It makes sense to me to prioritize the intermediate and beginner trails at Hunter, with Belt so dangerously overcrowded.