1st trip to Hunter mountain 11/29 & 11/30

[Tonyr]

So many trip reports have been written regarding Hunter mountain so I'm not going to add much other than we were all pleasantly surprised. We gave it a try since Hunter was added to the Epic pass and I'm glad we went, it has the feel of a VT mountain in upstate NY. If it weren't for the Epic pass we never would have went considering all of the negative reviews.

The crowds on Friday and Saturday weren't nearly as bad as we expected the longest we waited to get on a lift was about 8 minutes. It was Thanksgiving weekend so maybe it gets a lot worse as the season goes on but I can live with a 10 minute or so wait. I did noticed quite a bit of steep terrain that hasn't been open yet which will be good as the season goes on, Hunter does a great job making snow they had 19 runs open this weekend which is pretty amazing since it was all man made. My only request to Vail would be to let some runs get bumped up for the advanced skiers. When we were there they over groomed runs that could have been left alone. I can understand in the early season but am hoping as the season goes on and the mountain opens up we'll see some more ungroomed terrain. Other than that as a NYC resident you can't beat a 2 hour commute to ski, we will definitely be back! I figured I'd post the one and only picture I took was from the top of Minya Konka on Saturday. It was the best run of that day!

Tony

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[kingslug]

If we get a good snow season..Hunter can be very good

 

[Tonyr]

If we get a good snow season..Hunter can be very good

I'm looking forward to trying Hunter north and west.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Cool!!!
Your game will completely change after you check out the steeps of the Westside and the new steepish cruisers on the north face..

 

[Tonyr]

Cool!!!
Your game will completely change after you check out the steeps of the Westside and the new steepish cruisers on the north face..

K27 which wasn't open yet looks really good too. I was reading that there are sections at the head wall with over 44 degree pitches. I'm not sure how accurate that is but if true K27 would be the steepest cut run in the northeast.

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[Funky_Catskills]

K27 which wasn't open yet looks really good too. I was reading that there are sections at the head wall with over 44 degree pitches. I'm not sure how accurate that is but if true K27 would be the steepest cut run in the northeast.

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Steepest in the Catskills.. for sure.. Then some NICE sustained steeps on the West side.. I love CLairs the most.. Westway when it's open is like Superstar at Killington.

 

[Tonyr]

Steepest in the Catskills.. for sure.. Then some NICE sustained steeps on the West side.. I love CLairs the most.. Westway when it's open is like Superstar at Killington.

Do they allow Westway to get bumped up?

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Do they allow Westway to get bumped up?

Yes - CLairs and Anna Purna too!

 

[Tonyr]

That sounds good, looking forward to coming back later in the season! Thanks for the insight.

 

[slatham]

Lots of terrain is allowed to pump up once a good base is down and surface snow if good. Hunter is a great and challenging mountain. The trick is to avoid the crazy crowded days.

 

[kingslug]

Been going there for 25 years but slacked off once we bought at Stowe. But now that its on Epic I will be going more..Its the best mountain in the area by far. It has the most varied terrain and some of the steepest. The West side is all steeps and secluded, which is why its my favorite. The negative reviews about crowding go for most places, Hunter is no different. But now that they have a 6 pack lift, any crowding moves pretty fast. And once at the top you have a lot of options which spreads people out so most runs arent that crowded. Sunday is a good day to go and stay late as a lot of people leave around 1. Midweek is the best obviously..I spent 25 years of Monday there..
I'll be there Sunday..
The K club bar and food is pretty damn good as well...

 

[Funky_Catskills]

The west side is better than most areas..when its good..or it can be a nice slide for life.

It seems hard for you to say anything positive without backing up with negative...

 

[andrec10]

It seems hard for you to say anything positive without backing up with negative...

Him and FBGM...

 

[skiur]

The west side is better than most areas..when its good..or it can be a nice slide for life.

Same could be said for many trails at almost any ski resort, so what is your point?

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Same could be said for many trails at almost any ski resort, so what is your point?

It's a steeper sub-area than most places in the region have..