Any body know anything about Hunter???

[nycskier]

I don't think they kept "selling tickets" per se in any meaningful numbers today. This is just what happens with 2.1 million Epic passes sold and no reservation system or other way of limiting the number of people on the mountain.

There was.a line all the way to the ski shop. And I went up the lift with someone who told me that they said they where "sold out" but they sold her 4 tickets for her family anyways.

 

[catskillman]

Just when would anyone ever train at Hunter, then?
Patrol was practicing sledding each other down the bumps on Milky Way midday yesterday too.

but the ski patrol is not turning away business, The ski school is and they do not have enough instructors. And a lot are just waiting to get their 20 years pension and life time pass. They will be gone.

Trust me... I know and I do not work for Vail

 

[catskillman]

I was even more concerned by the large band of ice I saw at the bottom of the first big pitch on Belt, but that's just me.

and the run out on huga and white cloud, and the top of D lift.....

 

[catskillman]

I don't think that's any of your business honestly.

Slow your roll CatskillKaren.

Everyone that skis there should be concerned especially those that are financilly invested in the area and the mountain. passes, programs, real estate, commute time, on and on

 

[catskillman]

I've skied plenty of Saturday runs in-uniform... sometimes doing things and sometimes just skiing.

Today our assistant director skied with my group for a few runs as his kid is in my seasonal program.

Hunter always had some really good pros...hope their training program hasn't gone to shit as claimed.

It went downhill many years ago when Mike Rogan and Robin Barnes left. For a few years there was not even a trainer, and then it was eliminated when they let Suzy go. They always published their certification rates, which included a national team member and 3 eastern team members at one time. They have not done that in years and for good reason. Suzy is the only examiner on staff and Gary the only PSIA training team member and they did not even use him for ITC becaues they did not want to pay his salary.

enough said and I could go on......

"They all suck!"
"They should never train! Or only for the pre-dawn half hour or so that they're not even allowed to actually go up on the mountain."

Yeah, clearly you know whereof you speak. Any area's program would be blessed to have you in management, dude. An incalculable loss to them.

they have not been able to go up on the main mountain before opening for many years. They used to go up and could just ski F lift and had to stay out of site, no hellgate etc until 1/2 hour after the mountain opened.

 

[raisingarizona]

Everyone that skis there should be concerned especially those that are financilly invested in the area and the mountain. passes, programs, real estate, commute time, on and on

Your concerned about an instructor having a freeski run? Really? You need to get a life bud.

 

[catskillman]

Your concerned about an instructor having a freeski run? Really? You need to get a life bud.

read the entire issue today, and then let me know. consider it all as a customer...

 

[raisingarizona]

read the entire issue today, and then let me know. consider it all as a customer...

I think the main issue is that you’re at Hunter on a weekend. I can’t really relate to that customer. I mean seriously, how does a skier ever think that’s a good option?

 

[catskillman]

I think the main issue is that you’re at Hunter on a weekend. I can’t really relate to that customer. I mean seriously, how does a skier ever think that’s a good option?

The only reason I was at hunter this weekend was for the kids race and mogul mash.

Parents had to walk to the bottom of courses as the lift lines were so long they were afraid to miss their kids. And kids were late for their times or had to stand in the freezing cold to wait their turn due to the long long lift lines. Walking up an overcrowded mountain with in experienced skiers is not really safe....

 

[catskillman]

Your concerned about an instructor having a freeski run? Really? You need to get a life bud.

This is the director. Her employees are busting their ass in the freesing cold and she was out having a run...and they are turning away lessons due to lack of staff.

 

[Kingslug20]

Think its time for those affected..ie..vested interest in the area to band together and speak up..
Lot of money in that area..

 

[So Inclined]

they have not been able to go up on the main mountain before opening for many years. They used to go up and could just ski F lift and had to stay out of site, no hellgate etc until 1/2 hour after the mountain opened.

Yes, that was the point. Why the statement that they should be training pre-opening when they can't, through no fault of their own? If they were allowed to be doing that, they would be. Someone got badly hurt and "that's terrible, hope she is ok" would have been a lot more graceful a response as opposed to having a go at a whole bunch of people, slinging misinformed insults at them.

The ski school is and they do not have enough instructors. And a lot are just waiting to get their 20 years pension and life time pass. They will be gone.

The patrol was carting actual hurt people off the mountain left right and center on Saturday, and still training at the same time. Because you train when you can given the circumstances you're in. Hunter is a Vail mountain. You understand the past few weekends are the new normal there, right? It's going to look like that every weekend for the rest of the season, at least.

20 years' pension and lifetime pass for instructors, LOL what?

 

[deadheadskier]

This is the director. Her employees are busting their ass in the freesing cold and she was out having a run...and they are turning away lessons due to lack of staff.

The fault is with Vail wages and HR for lack of instructors. It's not like the Director is going to pick up a class. They can't. They need to be available to address issues. Now I suppose you could say, she should have been in the ski school meeting area and helping direct traffic or answering guest questions. But honestly, taking a run isn't that big of a deal. There's actually some benefit to it. She can experience what the conditions are like up on the hill and maybe convey potential problem areas to ski school staff. "Don't take intermediate skiers here because it's icy or avoid this area cause it's real crowded, etc."

The reality is if she hadn't gotten hurt, you and most others wouldn't have known the difference.
You're making a mountain out of a molehill here.

 

[So Inclined]

The fault is with Vail wages and HR for lack of instructors. It's not like the Director is going to pick up a class. They can't. They need to be available to address issues. Now I suppose you could say, she should have been in the ski school meeting area and helping direct traffic or answering guest questions. But honestly, taking a run isn't that big of a deal. There's actually some benefit to it. She can experience what the conditions are like up on the hill and maybe convey potential problem areas to ski school staff. "Don't take intermediate skiers here because it's icy or avoid this area cause it's real crowded, etc."

The reality is if she hadn't gotten hurt, you and most others wouldn't have known the difference.
You're making a mountain out of a molehill here.

This is it.
Also, best info I have is that it was a morning clinic, not skiing-for-funsies.

 

[catskillman]

Yes, that was the point. Why the statement that they should be training pre-opening when they can't, through no fault of their own? If they were allowed to be doing that, they would be. Someone got badly hurt and "that's terrible, hope she is ok" would have been a lot more graceful a response as opposed to having a go at a whole bunch of people, slinging misinformed insults at them.


The patrol was carting actual hurt people off the mountain left right and center on Saturday, and still training at the same time. Because you train when you can given the circumstances you're in. Hunter is a Vail mountain. You understand the past few weekends are the new normal there, right? It's going to look like that every weekend for the rest of the season, at least.

20 years' pension and lifetime pass for instructors, LOL what?

yes - pension and lifetime pass for all employees. Pass is for all Vail resorts, as opposed to the Hunter only lifetime pass that was given to others at 12 years of volunteer work.

Vail is honoring it. Know of several who got it, and several trying to prove they have been there that long, as at one point the ski school was owned and operated by a 3rd party, Karl Plattner, which is a whole different story.

They train at Hunter 1/East. No lift service, have to hike. And there used to be many pre opening indoor clinics run by Katy, because she was nice and concerned...

 

[catskillman]

The fault is with Vail wages and HR for lack of instructors. It's not like the Director is going to pick up a class. They can't. They need to be available to address issues. Now I suppose you could say, she should have been in the ski school meeting area and helping direct traffic or answering guest questions. But honestly, taking a run isn't that big of a deal. There's actually some benefit to it. She can experience what the conditions are like up on the hill and maybe convey potential problem areas to ski school staff. "Don't take intermediate skiers here because it's icy or avoid this area cause it's real crowded, etc."

The reality is if she hadn't gotten hurt, you and most others wouldn't have known the difference.
You're making a mountain out of a molehill here.

this is Hunter, it is almost all ice and usually crowded LOL.

Agree on the wages. She is crashing in a group share house here. No pun intended....

 

[JimG.]

Vail does suck.

 

[nycskier]

What I also fault Vail for is not having E lift open and spending the money to blow enough snow at the top of Hunter One (or Hunter East as they are calling it now). Having E lift open opens up the entire Hunter One for beginners and intermediate skiers. Takes pressure off of B & C lift and off of Belt Parkway as well as it gives beginners another option and more terrain to ski. Not having it open when they are as crowed as they are is ridiculous.

 

[millerm277]

What I also fault Vail for is not having E lift open and spending the money to blow enough snow at the top of Hunter One (or Hunter East as they are calling it now). Having E lift open opens up the entire Hunter One for beginners and intermediate skiers. Takes pressure off of B & C lift and off of Belt Parkway as well as it gives beginners another option and more terrain to ski. Not having it open when they are as crowed as they are is ridiculous.

While I think there's no (good) excuse for not having just about everything aside from maybe 44 + Taylors open at this point or being in the staffing situation they appear to be in, getting the West Side open represents far more lift/skier capacity than opening E lift does. And Colonels + Claires do distribute summit crowds better if they're open and in decent shape.

One old double doesn't exactly take that much off the beginner crowds. Not arguing it wouldn't be helpful, of course. But if you're short on lifties, having them running a HSQ is better than a double. (Related - have they been opening H lift on the weekends?)

--------

While it has been a long time since I skied much off E lift, I also don't recall much (if any?) fixed snowmaking infrastructure over there. There's certainly pipes/hydrants other than possibly West Side Glide, but I don't recall any fixed guns on any of the runs above the top of C/H lift, so I wonder if it's also coming back to staffing and how much additional work it is to make snow there vs the areas of the mountain with fixed guns. Still not a good excuse for why they can't manage to open one run off it, but just theorizing.

 

[So Inclined]

What I also fault Vail for is not having E lift open and spending the money to blow enough snow at the top of Hunter One (or Hunter East as they are calling it now). Having E lift open opens up the entire Hunter One for beginners and intermediate skiers. Takes pressure off of B & C lift and off of Belt Parkway as well as it gives beginners another option and more terrain to ski. Not having it open when they are as crowed as they are is ridiculous.

Those trails off E can be a real s***show when beginners find their way up there and discover that frantic power-wedge straightlining isn't an option anymore. But yeah, getting E spinning would make a small but welcome dent in the traffic elsewhere. They really should prioritize it over H.

Let's hope this helps!!