Hunter Mountain 3/9-10

[JimG.]

So I go to Jay and it snows at Hunter! Missed Friday (not complaining), but Sat-Sun at Hunter were the 2 best days there in my season. Came home from perfect packed powder at Jay to...perfect packed powder at Hunter! Best part was that 44 and Annapurna were open.

As much as I like 44, Purna is my favorite trail at Hunter. And I got to ski it alot this past weekend, first time in almost 2 years. As usual, it bumped up perfectly and the skiing became almost like dancing it flowed so smoothly. I miss that run when it's not open. And as much as it hurts that it's gone now, I'd rather that happen than watch it get groomed out which I don't get at all.

Can we please get one trail over on the West Side that is allowed to bump up for the duration of the season? Please? Can we make snow on Purna and just leave it alone? Post a sign that says "Experts only-MOGULS" if you must. Because Hunter is much less fun to ski when Purna isn't open and bumped up.

 

[skiking4]

Nice TR! I really wished I could've headed up there and got to ski Purna and 44, fully open. Instead I was over at Bell, which was fun, nonetheless.

Can we please get one trail over on the West Side that is allowed to bump up for the duration of the season? Please? Can we make snow on Purna and just leave it alone? Post a sign that says "Experts only-MOGULS" if you must. Because Hunter is much less fun to ski when Purna isn't open and bumped up.

Too much freeze and thaw. Trust me... you wouldn't like that. Take a look at the bumps that end up off the cat tracks on the dynamite trails on the front face... they're nasty and so would a West Side run that never touched a groomer during those bad weather cycles. That's why they gotta groom it down to at least get more than two people to enjoy the run all day.

 

[zyk]

Agree on the freeze/thaw cycles. Also Annapurna spends most of the winter in the shadow of the mountain. Even on a sunny day it will be in the dark. Maybe skier's right of Claire's including the upper section or skier's right of 44 if they commit to making snow on it. Both of these have a (slightly) better facing.

 

[JimG.]

I disagree with both of you...I've been a passholder at Hunter for 25 years and remember the good old days when they left Purna alone and let it bump up. Sure it got a bit icy at times, but it's supposed to be an EXPERT trail...experts don't mind icy bumps. I sure don't.

Fact is, Hunter has dumbed the trail down to allow less than expert skiers to ski it. I object to that. If they're going to groom it, change the trail rating to a single black to designate it as an upper intermediate/lower advanced trail.

Because that's what it is when it's groomed, boring and flat.

 

[dmc]

JimG.... If there aint fish under it... It aint ice...

 

[JimG.]

JimG.... If there aint fish under it... It aint ice...

Of course...it's just very hardpacked snow.

Everyone knows fish don't like snow.

 

[dmc]

I agree with the Anna thing... I don't really like it all that much.. Prefer Clairs..
But it's an advanced skier's trail and it keeps all you maniacs happy... So I'm down..

the best is when 44 and Anna are open - I ride Clairs all to myself...

 

[JimG.]

But it's an advanced skier's trail and it keeps all you maniacs happy... So I'm down..

This is my point...it's supposed to be an expert trail, so ski it if you can.

Frankly, I find it more dangerous to ski when it's flat and icy. There's this impression that grooming makes the ice go away. FALSE! Grooming just packs the snow down and makes it more icy. With bumps, at least bodies stop after hitting a few bumps. When it's flat, bodies just keep flying along until they hit something harder than ice like a fence or a tree.

 

[zyk]

This is my point...it's supposed to be an expert trail, so ski it if you can.

Frankly, I find it more dangerous to ski when it's flat and icy. There's this impression that grooming makes the ice go away. FALSE! Grooming just packs the snow down and makes it more icy. With bumps, at least bodies stop after hitting a few bumps. When it's flat, bodies just keep flying along until they hit something harder than ice like a fence or a tree.

I agree with this entirely. I like bumps on Anna, and, if they're to icy for me I will just avoid them. However, I would also like to see bumps elsewhere as I don't like the way the trail sits in the shadows for much of the winter.

 

[JimG.]

I agree with this entirely. I like bumps on Anna, and, if they're to icy for me I will just avoid them. However, I would also like to see bumps elsewhere as I don't like the way the trail sits in the shadows for much of the winter.

I agree with this...I'd like to see more bumps elsewhere too. But I think they do the best they can letting Upper Xover and Lower K bump up. And they have been much better about making snow on 42nd Street lately and letting that bump up or putting the bump course there and leaving it alone. And there are always places like the left corners of Hellgate and Minya that stay bumped.

And I agree that Purna is a "shadow run" that gets little sun in winter. Which means that they don't have to blow as much snow to keep it covered. Which is why I don't understand why they didn't make snow there and open it the last 2 seasons. I get that they wanted to open 44 because the quad goes over that now and it looks barren without any snow or skiers. But the snow they made there that was skied for about 3 weeks might have been better placed on Purna.

Just my .02.

 

[skiking4]

Blowing snow on Purna and laying it stay bumped up is ridiculous on economical/resourceful terms. It's a long trail, as it's the same vertical as Clair's as well as it curves deep in the woods and, at the bottom, back out of the woods. So, it needs more snowmaking. Then, to leave it bumped up when the snow is downright awful and bump skiing is not good (which is very, very often at Hunter) will make few people ski it and most of the ones who do will probably not come back for seconds. The exposure will not help soften those bumps up either when the sun peeks out, unlike a run that gets lots of sun like Crossover, because Annapurna is in the shade. As others have said, Purna shouldn't be groomed; it's off in the woods, fits more of an ungroomed run description IMO, and it's pretty dangerous being supersteep and relatively narrow in parts. Now, they must choose whether to blow snow on 44 or Purna. 44 will get hit by more sun (better for bump skiing) and is now a "show-off" trail, being right under the liftline. Plus, the fact that Purna sits in the shade is ten times better than 44 for natural snow skiing and it won't get as windblown as 44 likes to get which might help keep that natural snow much, much fresher. And lastly, I don't if this is a valid point, but the fact that it's off in the woods instead of right under the lift makes me want to ski it more when it's open because we can't even see what it looks like; I know what 44 will be like when it opens because I see it everyday under the lift.

Concluding - this is, IMO, a good choice by management for their decision to blow snow on 44 and try to open it more and leave Purna natural.