Hunter Fans: Vote for Annapurna or West Way (44)

[Greg]

Usually they only open one or the other, sometimes neither. Anyway, which trail would you rather see open this season? Annapurna or West Way?

My vote goes to 'Purna:

 

[bvibert]

I've never skied either, but Purna sure sounds, and looks, cool! It's on my hit list for this year, so I hope it opens!

 

[Greg]

I've never skied either, but Purna sure sounds, and looks, cool! It's on my hit list for this year, so I hope it opens!

You would love it. Hunter's best trail IMO. It's kind of secluded. Starts with a mellow pitch on an access trail, then gradually gets steeper while remaining narrow. It then gets pretty damn steep and opens up quite a bit. It then maintains a nice consistent pitch most of the way to the bottom. Flattens out at the bottom which is good because that bitch is top to bottom bumps the whole way. Pretty relentless, but fun as hell. Imagine Middle Earth on Castlerock with snowmaking. Being secluded and far skier's left of the trail pod, it just feel like ME to me a little bit.

 

[Shorty]

I agree that Purna is a great trail, but 44 is much steeper and offers more varitey depending on which side you ski. They have put up some fences over the summer on 44 that should hold the snow better. Hopefully this year they can open both Purna and 44

 

[cbcbd]

Flattens out at the bottom which is good because that bitch is top to bottom bumps the whole way. Pretty relentless, but fun as hell.

That's my first thoughts on it... it is looong and just bumps aaaall the way. That trail is really something special and different for the "south". And it's just like you said - starts out mellow, steepens for a while, and then mellows out again. So you get a nice warm up, then some ass kicking, then a cool down while your noodly legs are trying to ski across to the Z.

Unfortunately I've only been on 44/Westway once and even then it wasn't really open, but had huge wind drifts of packed wind buff that were a blast to ski... and then you had to pick your way down to better stuff. So I've never really seen the trail in condition or right after a good snowfall (which was a couple days before this day).

So I'll have to give my vote to 'purna just for it's length, layout, positioning on the mountain (pretty isolated and you have to "tour" a few feet to get there), and just quality of bumps.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

I agree that Purna is a great trail, but 44 is much steeper and offers more varitey depending on which side you ski.

Yep, I'd pick 44 for the same reason. Plus Purna is a very dark trail, most of the day, most of the season. Not putting it down, just making the case for 44 as the best trail on the West side.

 

[Eski]

need to open them both as they offer different (excellant) challenges ... not being a bump skier, making runs down purna tends to shorten my day ...

 

[skiadikt]

voted purna cause it has more character but 44's steeper and awesome when it's bumped up. always reminded me a bit of outer limits.

 

[deadheadskier]

If they both have snowmaking, why would they not attempt to open both every year?

 

[Eski]

If they both have snowmaking, why would they not attempt to open both every year?

a question we ask yearly

 

[deadheadskier]

a question we ask yearly

I would too if Hunter was my home mountain considering they often stake claim to having the most powerful snowmaking system in the world.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Did they stop blowing snow on Annapurna??? The last time I skied that run was in 1997//

 

[Greg]

I would too if Hunter was my home mountain considering they often stake claim to having the most powerful snowmaking system in the world.

I think the claim is something like the "Snowmaking Capital of the World". In any case, they do know how to make snow as well as anybody. I think the issue with 44 is it's so wide and exposed that it's very vulnerable to the wind. Apparently the new fencing should help.

 

[millerm277]

I would too if Hunter was my home mountain considering they often stake claim to having the most powerful snowmaking system in the world.

44 Takes a lot of snow to open, and to keep open. The windbreaks should help. The other trails on the mountain that don't always receive snowmaking are: Lower Taylor's, 42nd Street, and the double chair/POMA part of Hunter one.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

44 Takes a lot of snow to open, and to keep open. The windbreaks should help. The other trails on the mountain that don't always receive snowmaking are: Lower Taylor's, 42nd Street, and the double chair/POMA part of Hunter one.

If all it takes is more wind/snow fences to have it open, why didn't they do that 20 years ago? Snow fences aren’t exactly high tech or expensive relatively speaking.

 

[deadheadskier]

If all it takes is more wind/snow fences to have it open, why didn't they do that 20 years ago? Snow fences aren’t exactly high tech or expensive relatively speaking.

That or what would be even better that I'd like to see more of is re-vegetation on a number of trails throughout the northeast that have exposure issues. Plant some tree stands upwind from the wind fences so they have an opportunity to grow.

One place I think that could use this the most is Oz at Sunday River.

 

[drewfidelic]

44 is WIIIIIIDE and windy. So it takes a lot of snow to open and keep open. With a season like last season that thawed frequently, snowmaking was used for recovery more than it was for opening up new trails. Hopefully this year will be cold enough early on to give Hunter a chance to cover everything early and open up both Annapurna or 44.

(If it's one or the other, I'd go with Annapurna.)
________
Blowjob blonde

 

[dmc]

44.... Hands down... Wild and wooly... Steep and crazy.... As wide a Superstar as steep as OL....

 

[millerm277]

If all it takes is more wind/snow fences to have it open, why didn't they do that 20 years ago? Snow fences aren’t exactly high tech or expensive relatively speaking.

Who knows? :???: Hopefully they'll work. On a nice day, 44 is a fantastic trail. As for letting it re-grow....other than the exposure problem, it's a great width. Unlike, say...Stratton, Hunter basically only has two runs that are of a huge width, Broadway/7th Ave, and 44, so I do like the idea of keeping it the current width.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Who knows? :???: Hopefully they'll work. On a nice day, 44 is a fantastic trail. As for letting it re-grow....other than the exposure problem, it's a great width. Unlike, say...Stratton, Hunter basically only has two runs that are of a huge width, Broadway/7th Ave, and 44, so I do like the idea of keeping it the current width.

I loved 44 when I was a Hunter regular, but it would literally sometimes have gapes of 3 or 4 years where it never opened. When it did open it was party time cause it was an event. As far as usage goes it was an ill conceived trail from the start.