4aprice
Well-known member
Had alot of fun with the Top 3 Pa and Pocono's thread. Lot of good thoughts and feedback. What do you like in the Catskills? Catskills are a pretty easy day trip for me and I have a decent amount of experience up there. My top 2:
1. Plattekill. This place is just one of those gems. Its got the Mad River, Magic type vibe. A natural shaped bowl with trails spilling down each side. Non stop 1100 ft vertical on the northface. Have had some tremendous runs down Blockbuster and others on the Northface side. Lodge is dated,(almost took a header going down the rest rooms once-watch the stairs), Bar is interesting, parking small but it just fits. Some years just gets a amazing amount of snow. Good tree skiing. Been special since my 1st trip there back in the 80's (T-bar days) when we were still catching powder at 3 in the afternoon. Went there right after a Christmas Storm (2004 I think) with my BIL, who had never been there, and he came away saying it was like skiing Vermont in the 70's. It really is in the middle of nowhere and a pretty decent drive from anywhere but when its good its definately worth it. Its my favorite in the Catskills.
2. Hunter. Spent alot of time haunting this place back in the 80's. 1st place I took my wife after I met her, Best mountain and ski area in the region in my opinion. Dosen't hurt that its the easiest to get to as well. 1600 ft vertical but I feel it skis a little bigger then that. Love K-27, Clairs, and Westway (44) when the conditions are right. Even spent a day on Hunter One when my kids were small (it wasn't bad). Its a kick ass mountain. Nice lodge and decent parking. Used to get there early and catch 1st lift and ski non stop till 2:00, 2:30 then it was to the bar. Don't know if its still this way but that place was a blast and I met alot of characters there (Maybe DMC can tell us if he's lurking around). It does seem to me that Hunter lift ticket prices have soared recently. Couple of years ago I hit it after that mammoth storm with a nice discount voucher and loved every cent of it.
In the spirit of "it depends on what day you hit it" I want to give an honorable mention to Belleayre where I have had a couple of good days. A couple of spring days skiing bumps on the headwall under the triple and the trail to the skiers right of the triple below mid station and one day after the Noreaster in December 1992, if anyone remembers that. A storm that stalled, much like this current storm is supposed to do, and dumped 30-40 inches in the Catskills. That day we were hitting powder shots over in the old T-bar area all day. Tough not to like that.
Give us your thoughts.
Alex
Lake Hopatcong, NJ
1. Plattekill. This place is just one of those gems. Its got the Mad River, Magic type vibe. A natural shaped bowl with trails spilling down each side. Non stop 1100 ft vertical on the northface. Have had some tremendous runs down Blockbuster and others on the Northface side. Lodge is dated,(almost took a header going down the rest rooms once-watch the stairs), Bar is interesting, parking small but it just fits. Some years just gets a amazing amount of snow. Good tree skiing. Been special since my 1st trip there back in the 80's (T-bar days) when we were still catching powder at 3 in the afternoon. Went there right after a Christmas Storm (2004 I think) with my BIL, who had never been there, and he came away saying it was like skiing Vermont in the 70's. It really is in the middle of nowhere and a pretty decent drive from anywhere but when its good its definately worth it. Its my favorite in the Catskills.
2. Hunter. Spent alot of time haunting this place back in the 80's. 1st place I took my wife after I met her, Best mountain and ski area in the region in my opinion. Dosen't hurt that its the easiest to get to as well. 1600 ft vertical but I feel it skis a little bigger then that. Love K-27, Clairs, and Westway (44) when the conditions are right. Even spent a day on Hunter One when my kids were small (it wasn't bad). Its a kick ass mountain. Nice lodge and decent parking. Used to get there early and catch 1st lift and ski non stop till 2:00, 2:30 then it was to the bar. Don't know if its still this way but that place was a blast and I met alot of characters there (Maybe DMC can tell us if he's lurking around). It does seem to me that Hunter lift ticket prices have soared recently. Couple of years ago I hit it after that mammoth storm with a nice discount voucher and loved every cent of it.
In the spirit of "it depends on what day you hit it" I want to give an honorable mention to Belleayre where I have had a couple of good days. A couple of spring days skiing bumps on the headwall under the triple and the trail to the skiers right of the triple below mid station and one day after the Noreaster in December 1992, if anyone remembers that. A storm that stalled, much like this current storm is supposed to do, and dumped 30-40 inches in the Catskills. That day we were hitting powder shots over in the old T-bar area all day. Tough not to like that.
Give us your thoughts.
Alex
Lake Hopatcong, NJ