Hunter Mountain, 1/2/07

[PistolPete]

Date(s) Skied: Jan. 2, 2007

Resort or Ski Area: Hunter Mountain, NY

Conditions: Packed Powder, Ice

Trip Report: Arrived at 8:45AM to a fairly empty parking lot and 33 degrees but very windy at the base.

First run: Belt Parkway: A sheet of ice at the top with some rocks visible. It got better towards the middle of the trail but was still all ice down the center.

Second run: Minya Konka: Big mistake, another sheet of ice with rocks. My skis are now officially rock skis. They started blowng snow on this during the afternoon, but I never ventured back.

Third run: Took Belt Parkway again and made a turn to Way Out. This was a mental mistake on my part. I somehow thought this would connect with Heuga Express which looked OK from the lift. This was all ice with lumps all the way down. The lift attendant must have had a good show watching me hang on for dear life all the way down.

Enough exploring, I spent the rest of the day doing laps on Belt and Hellgate which had the best conditions of the day.

Unfortunately with the warm weather, most of the closed trails had no snow on them at all. I even saw new fern plants sprouting up from the ground under the lift!

 

[millerm277]

You should have gone back to Minya, it turned into the best run of the day, the snow softened up a lot around noon, and with the guns running, it made for some powder on the trail.

Also, be happy you didn't get to Heuga Express, it worse than Way Out. All the trails that got sun were fine.......anything else wasn't.

 

[PistolPete]

Yeah, missed opportunity there. I saw the guns going with the thin cover sign and figured it was off limits.

 

[kingslug]

A few years ago I spent about 20 minutes trying to get down Wayout, which normaly takes about 2. A condition called coral ice had developed. And it's just like the name sounds, frozen coral. I told the ski patrol that it would be a good idea to close it before someone fell on it and got cut to pieces. They said that was why it was a diamond run. Uh, yeah, ok, right.

 

[JimG.]

A few years ago I spent about 20 minutes trying to get down Wayout, which normaly takes about 2. A condition called coral ice had developed. And it's just like the name sounds, frozen coral. I told the ski patrol that it would be a good idea to close it before someone fell on it and got cut to pieces. They said that was why it was a diamond run. Uh, yeah, ok, right.

I have to agree with Patrol...if the conditions are not to your liking, stay off the run.

Frozen coral is a common situation that occurs on a deep freeze day that follows a relatively warmer day where the snow softens. On ungroomed terrain, that refrozen snow does resemble coral.

Try those conditions on a bump run like upper Xover or Lower K. That'll get your feet moving.

 

[Greg]

I've read a number of reports on Hunter being icey lately here and elsewhere. Come on. Is it really that bad? Can't be any worse than most other places. Remember. Hunter is an advanced skier's mountain for the most part.

 

[JimG.]

Come on. Is it really that bad?

No, and it's alot better than not skiing.

 

[dmc]

I've read a number of reports on Hunter being icey lately here and elsewhere. Come on. Is it really that bad? Can't be any worse than most other places. Remember. Hunter is an advanced skier's mountain for the most part.

It's not THAT bad... It's just with the limited and narrow terrain, I don't have a whole lot of room to ride fast and take chances... So I've been staying home waiting for more terrain to open...

Basically - we need more snow...

 

[SkiDork]

the sides my man, the sides...

Did I just say that out loud???

 

[dmc]

the sides my man, the sides...

Did I just say that out loud???

yeah... the sides... I know... But with the limited terrain... even the sides are filled with gapers...

 

[millerm277]

Yeah, missed opportunity there. I saw the guns going with the thin cover sign and figured it was off limits.

Literally 10 feet past the thin cover sign, the guns were going all along Minya/Lower Xover to the base of the F.

I've read a number of reports on Hunter being icey lately here and elsewhere. Come on. Is it really that bad? Can't be any worse than most other places. Remember. Hunter is an advanced skier's mountain for the most part.

It had been pouring rain the day before I believe, so pretty much everything that wasn't groomed was frozen solid in the morning.

yeah... the sides... I know... But with the limited terrain... even the sides are filled with gapers...

"Thin Cover" signs scare them off....(Not intended at you Pistol, but I saw 6 other people in 5 runs on Minya.)

The conditions on Belt yesterday seemed to push a lot of gapers onto Hellgate. (A bunch of giant bare spots on the top section, and a solid sheet of ice in the middle of the lower section) I saw one snowboarder wipe out on Hellgate, and literally flip two little kids over as he fell, and he then continued snowboarding down the trail, without even checking if they were okay. However....a ski patrol guy was on the lift with me, and immediatly called in his description and where he was going to.

 

[PistolPete]

I also saw someone fall near the top of Hellgate and slide 3/4's of the way down the steep section. It definitely was not a day to go down on the concrete!

I can't believe how warm it'll be the rest of this week will be! Blowing all that snow can't be cheap. With the season going the way it is so far, I hope lift prices don't skyrocket next season.

Humm, maybe there'll be some bargin liftside condos available for sale in the spring?