Any body know anything about Hunter???

[RichT]

The top 2/3 of the mountain at Belleayre is vastly more interesting than anything at Camelback... No real argument about the bottom 1/3 potentially being like Campgaw though. In all honesty, in all the years I skied Belleayre, I don't think I ever once went all the way to the bottom.

Best thing about Belleayre is Bruce the snowmaker (now the GM). He was one of the men who made Hunter what it was back then.

 

[kingslug]

Bell on a powder day is pretty good..
Nothing beat the west side on a huge dump day though..

 

[JimG.]

The top 2/3 of the mountain at Belleayre is vastly more interesting than anything at Camelback... No real argument about the bottom 1/3 potentially being like Campgaw though. In all honesty, in all the years I skied Belleayre, I don't think I ever once went all the way to the bottom.

I don't even park at the bottom.

 

[JimG.]

Hunter trounces Belleayre when it's really open. Last few years have been weak, especially on the west side. Also Belleayre gets me Gore.

Full disclosure I was a Hunter regular for many years and it was great.

Agreed, also a former Hunter regular.

Now Hunter barely bothers to make snow on their expert terrain. When I drive through town it's depressing to look at the front side and the west side is mostly bare.

I didn't get the 3 in 1 this season because I have the 365 pass at K. I do have a free Gore pass available to me so I'm waiting to head there when it's good. Some of the best and cleanest glades in the east.

 

[JimG.]

Best thing about Belleayre is Bruce the snowmaker (now the GM). He was one of the men who made Hunter what it was back then.

He is a master at managing the snowmaking. The new pump house certainly helps but he's the man who maximizes it.

Big difference since he has assumed command.

 

[catskillman]

reporting 7 inches of snow overnight, and still snowing
- 6 pack is running at half capicity. Place is packed, visibility quite bad.

Yesterday, I heard someone say after skiing Minya, "did they get a gravel delivery today". Belt was brown, after grooming the little snow on it. I did not ski it, but heard it was in terrible shape. But then it usually is.

 

[danimals]

I was there yesterday, shit show too. Somehow the runouts and flats were icier than the trails. Line for the 6 barely moved. was faster to take broadway or D to f lift

Belt needs to be re-labeled as a black, a serious push needs to be made to get all beginners over to hunter east. make everything off of main mountain (except broadway area) a black and have signs up about experts only.

 

[zyk]

I was there yesterday, shit show too. Somehow the runouts and flats were icier than the trails. Line for the 6 barely moved. was faster to take broadway or D to f lift

Belt needs to be re-labeled as a black, a serious push needs to be made to get all beginners over to hunter east. make everything off of main mountain (except broadway area) a black and have signs up about experts only.

I've always wondered why they neglect the upper parts of hunter east. They need more intermediate terrain and that area is isolated from the main mountain.
Full disclosure I've never skied hunter east so maybe I'm missing something. Also always wanted to rode the poma up top, but was never open during the years I was there.

 

[danimals]

I've always wondered why they neglect the upper parts of hunter east. They need more intermediate terrain and that area is isolated from the main mountain.
Full disclosure I've never skied hunter east so maybe I'm missing something. Also always wanted to rode the poma up top, but was never open during the years I was there.

There are some fun trails over there. I spent an entire day there once when the summit was on wind hold. They need one top to bottom lift (current lift and layout is a disaster) and maybe some grading on some of the blues, but with that work there would be no reason for a beginner to ever venture off that area.

 

[zyk]

There are some fun trails over there. I spent an entire day there once when the summit was on wind hold. They need one top to bottom lift (current lift and layout is a disaster) and maybe some grading on some of the blues, but with that work there would be no reason for a beginner to ever venture off that area.

Always thought peak should have put the money there and not in hunter north. North always felt like someone somewhere said hey we need more intermediate terrain and glades and we have a big chunk of unused land. Granted I like the terrain, but not intermediate and glades... Off map maybe ok if they get 4 feet of snow.

 

[So Inclined]

Belt needs to be re-labeled as a black, a serious push needs to be made to get all beginners over to hunter east. make everything off of main mountain (except broadway area) a black and have signs up about experts only.

You know this is no realistic solution. There are generations of skiers - people who come to Hunter one, two, a handful of times a year - who know they can go to the summit because they have hacked/can hack their way down Belt. No one who has ever skied it before - and that's probably the trail 90% of newbies to the summit take down first - would suddenly think twice if someone started calling it a black diamond.

Never mind that in no way, shape or form is it an experts-only trail.

Never mind the conventional "wisdom" many people have that (for example) an Catskills black is a Vermont blue - or an Eastern black is a Western blue. It seems people head for the blacks at places like Hunter with the mindset that they're fine, they handled going down some blues at Snow or Stowe. A lot of parents take their power-wedging 7 year olds down Hellgate because hey, they "skied" Breckenridge or Park City. Point is, you'd ward off practically no one.

There's no viable way to unring this bell by dicking around with contrived trail ratings. The only solution I see to an issue like this - and there are issues, I was out there for a couple hours this morning and it was a somewhat crap experience for a "powder day" - is to for them to get a lot more terrain open to spread people out more.

 

[So Inclined]

I've always wondered why they neglect the upper parts of hunter east.

Agreed that they should do more there, but...

Full disclosure I've never skied hunter east so maybe I'm missing something.

..this says you've never been on the antiquated E Lift, which might help clarify some of the reason why nothing's been doing there for a while. It's a clanking, slow old double. For that matter, there's really just two shortish, difficult-for-intermediate-skiers blues there (plus one trail I don't think we'll ever see open again.) I'm guessing there's snowmaking and other infrastructural problem there too.

Assuming B lift gets moved over there as planned, there should be some new life breathed into it in the future.

 

[danimals]

You know this is no realistic solution. There are generations of skiers - people who come to Hunter one, two, a handful of times a year - who know they can go to the summit because they have hacked/can hack their way down Belt. No one who has ever skied it before - and that's probably the trail 90% of newbies to the summit take down first - would suddenly think twice if someone started calling it a black diamond.

Never mind that in no way, shape or form is it an experts-only trail.

Never mind the conventional "wisdom" many people have that (for example) an Catskills black is a Vermont blue - or an Eastern black is a Western blue. It seems people head for the blacks at places like Hunter with the mindset that they're fine, they handled going down some blues at Snow or Stowe. A lot of parents take their power-wedging 7 year olds down Hellgate because hey, they "skied" Breckenridge or Park City. Point is, you'd ward off practically no one.

There's no viable way to unring this bell by dicking around with contrived trail ratings. The only solution I see to an issue like this - and there are issues, I was out there for a couple hours this morning and it was a somewhat crap experience for a "powder day" - is to for them to get a lot more terrain open to spread people out more.

I agree to a point. overlook was basically empty, even though it used to be a blue. People see the giant diamond sign they have at the entrance now and keep moving. And most of the people on the hill recently seem like those who have not been to hunter before. The crowd with the turtle butt pads, etc.

But yes, more terrain open, the better. If west was open I would just lap wayout and claires.

 

[So Inclined]

North always felt like someone somewhere said hey we need more intermediate terrain

That's exactly what they said! Or what they were selling it as, anyway. The glades got tacked on along the way.

 

[So Inclined]

I agree to a point. overlook was basically empty, even though it used to be a blue. People see the giant diamond sign they have at the entrance now and keep moving. And most of the people on the hill recently seem like those who have not been to hunter before. The crowd with the turtle butt pads, etc.

But yes, more terrain open, the better. If west was open I would just lap wayout and claires.

Today? Overlook was an absolute zoo today, at least this morning. The entrance from Belt was packed. The run itself was semi-terrifying at times, IMO, with the number of people on it.
It's partly to be expected on a Sunday like this, but it could have been so much better if there were more options.

To your point, yes! The same. Which is why I was so bummed that nothing was done to open Way Out, much less Clairs or Twilight late this week when they might have had a chance.

 

[danimals]

Today? Overlook was an absolute zoo today, at least this morning. The entrance from Belt was packed. The run itself was semi-terrifying at times, IMO, with the number of people on it.
It's partly to be expected on a Sunday like this, but it could have been so much better if there were more options.

To your point, yes! The same. Which is why I was so bummed that nothing was done to open Way Out, much less Clairs or Twilight late this week when they might have had a chance.

not today, yesterday. the trail sucked yesterday though. The steep part was nice, and actually really dry man made powder in the AM. The run-out was once of the iciest surfaces ive ever been on. seemed like they sprayed just water on it as the groomer tracks were frozen solid.

They need more base area amenities over there as well. If it was a viable second base area, with open terrain, that would work wonders.

 

[zyk]

I agree to a point. overlook was basically empty, even though it used to be a blue. People see the giant diamond sign they have at the entrance now and keep moving. And most of the people on the hill recently seem like those who have not been to hunter before. The crowd with the turtle butt pads, etc.

But yes, more terrain open, the better. If west was open I would just lap wayout and claires.

I miss the days of lapping Claire's Taylor's purna off the zephyr. Wash, rinse, repeat, until the legs don't work right. 44 occasionally but that ugly scar is ment for powder days. And then its splendid.

 

[So Inclined]

not today, yesterday. the trail sucked yesterday though. The steep part was nice, and actually really dry man made powder in the AM. The run-out was once of the iciest surfaces ive ever been on. seemed like they sprayed just water on it as the groomer tracks were frozen solid.

They need more base area amenities over there as well. If it was a viable second base area, with open terrain, that would work wonders.

Gotcha. Yeah, I usually enjoy that run out for just opening it up and making big luscious swoopy GS turns, but it was awful yesterday. Weird icy waves.

I think there was talk in the past about an eventual north side lodge/second base, but who knows what logistical, environmental, political and financial hurdles there are before it. One wonders what VR's vision for that part of the mountain is, if they have one, compared to whatever Peak planned to do.

 

[catskillman]

not today, yesterday. the trail sucked yesterday though. The steep part was nice, and actually really dry man made powder in the AM. The run-out was once of the iciest surfaces ive ever been on. seemed like they sprayed just water on it as the groomer tracks were frozen solid.

They need more base area amenities over there as well. If it was a viable second base area, with open terrain, that would work wonders.

They did not groom Overlook - total SS today, again

 

[catskillman]

Left today at 10:30. Overcrowded of course. Lift time at 6 pack was just as long as yesterday. Crashes every where. Sticky snow sending people flying.

Windham was lovely I heard and while busy for a Monday, there was a snow storm of course, heard they were mostly ski on