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Hunter Mtn: 2/22/15

Rowsdower

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Brilliant day today!

Left Piscataway, NJ around 7:00 and got in at Hunter around 9:30 and was riding by 10:00. Temp at arrival were hovering around the mid to upper 20s, and skies were overcast to start out. Within an hour the skies opened up for a beautiful bluebird day and temps around 30-35. The Catskills were slated for 4-6 inches of snow last night and it seemed like Hunter probably received around 3-4. It still felt great on top of a fairly deep snowpack. I started too late to get fresh pow on the main side of the mountain, but there was still plenty of fresh stuff to be found throughout. First run sent me down Upper K27 where I elected to drop into Milky Way/East Side Drive (not sure what the name of that connecting trail is) before Lower K27. The steeps here had fantastic snow. Milky Way and Lower Crossover, really most of the mountain were all in superb shape. Loose packed pow was the rule for conditions throughout. I checked out Milky Way glades which rode very nicely and had a lot of untracked snow even up to the early afternoon. Very few people were venturing into the trees it seemed.

The west side of Hunter was where the goods were being kept, though. Skiers right of Westway was practically untracked until around noon. Cutting in from Claire's to Westway during the first half of the day was a sure way to bag some very nice fresh, all-natural, turns. I also forgot how steep it is over there, or really how long those steeps are maintained. Felt like I always powered through the first few hundred feet of steep vertical, then struggled the rest of the way, taking some breaks as I went. The thighs sure felt it for sure.

When I left at 1:30 the lines on the six-pack were long, as usual. Lines on the three person F and the Hunter West express quad were short, however, so I got a decent amount of runs in. Really my legs just felt like wet noodles, so I figured it was a good time to head back to the Suzuki for a snack and then get on the road again.

Pics:
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keyser soze

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I got some new skis and was jonesing to get out on them up there this weekend, but my brother came in from out of town and I don't get to see him much. I'm next door in SP.
You can get a lo of runs n there by hitting the 6 pack early and then west side. Looks like a great day.
 

Wavewheeler

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Wow..that lift line reminds me of why I ski midweek, not weekends. I was there this past Wednesday and since it was "Presidents Week" there were families/kids there so it was more crowded then usual but nothing like that. Most of the time it was a 2 minute wait max to get on the lift. Conditions were the same..beautiful bluebird day and really nice packed powder. I'm sure the extra snow from last night only made things better.

I was thinking about heading up to Hunter again this Friday. I'm skiing Blue Mountain with my daughter Wednesday and the weather is looking awesome for the entire week..cold and sunny for the most part so I want to get in more skiing. Decided to go with Belleayre since I have to be in New Paltz Friday night to pick up my cross country ski rentals for Saturday and I've been wanting to try Belleayre for awhile now.

Glad you got up there and enjoyed. If you haven't already, check out the new BBQ place in Tannersville called American Glory. FANTASTIC food!
 
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Rowsdower

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Wow..that lift line reminds me of why I ski midweek, not weekends. I was there this past Wednesday and since it was "Presidents Week" there were families/kids there so it was more crowded then usual but nothing like that. Most of the time it was a 2 minute wait max to get on the lift. Conditions were the same..beautiful bluebird day and really nice packed powder. I'm sure the extra snow from last night only made things better.

I was thinking about heading up to Hunter again this Friday. I'm skiing Blue Mountain with my daughter Wednesday and the weather is looking awesome for the entire week..cold and sunny for the most part so I want to get in more skiing. Decided to go with Belleayre since I have to be in New Paltz Friday night to pick up my cross country ski rentals for Saturday and I've been wanting to try Belleayre for awhile now.

Glad you got up there and enjoyed. If you haven't already, check out the new BBQ place in town called American Glory. FANTASTIC food!

The lines really weren't bad if you just skied the upper mountain or the west side. No way was I getting near that six-pack line.

How was Belleayre? I've seen trip reports and people seem to like it. I'm in the Catskills for an extended weekend March 6-9th and was planning on Belleayre and Plattekill as a change of pace.
 

Wavewheeler

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The lines really weren't bad if you just skied the upper mountain or the west side. No way was I getting near that six-pack line.

Seeing the pictures..I don't blame you. It's usually about a third of that when I'm there and that's at it's most crowded. Most times it's ski on and off. This past Wednesday they actually had the lift attendants directing traffic and it was good to be a single skier. :) If I waited 2 minutes it was a lot.

F lift was open when I was there but the damn thing is so slow! It's a nice alternative, as is the West Side though. I tend to like to mix things up. I spent a lot of time heading down The Cliff or Jimmy to Racer's Edge, which was perfect for the first part of the day and then swung over to the east and west sides in mid afternoon.

How was Belleayre? I've seen trip reports and people seem to like it. I'm in the Catskills for an extended weekend March 6-9th and was planning on Belleayre and Plattekill as a change of pace.

I don't know how Belleayre is. I won't be going until Friday, February 27. First time and based on what I've read and the weather reports, I'm hoping it will be great. I've been doing mostly Hunter this year and am also looking for a change of pace. Fridays tend to be a bit more crowded so I'm going to try Bell, especially since it's relatively close to New Paltz, where is where I need to be Friday night.
Going to do X country at Minnewaska Saturday.

I'd definitely check out Platte or Belleayre if you are doing a weekend. They are literally down the street from each other so very convenient! Both tend to be much less crowded and less expensive. Hunter is great midweek (Wed-Thursday). I've found Fridays to be more crowded but bearable but I won't go near the place on a weekend. Glad it worked out for you.
 

Rowsdower

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Seeing the pictures..I don't blame you. It's usually about a third of that when I'm there and that's at it's most crowded. Most times it's ski on and off. This past Wednesday they actually had the lift attendants directing traffic and it was good to be a single skier. :) If I waited 2 minutes it was a lot.

F lift was open when I was there but the damn thing is so slow! It's a nice alternative, as is the West Side though. I tend to like to mix things up. I spent a lot of time heading down The Cliff or Jimmy to Racer's Edge, which was perfect for the first part of the day and then swung over to the east and west sides in mid afternoon.



I don't know how Belleayre is. I won't be going until Friday, February 27. First time and based on what I've read and the weather reports, I'm hoping it will be great. I've been doing mostly Hunter this year and am also looking for a change of pace. Fridays tend to be a bit more crowded so I'm going to try Bell, especially since it's relatively close to New Paltz, where is where I need to be Friday night.
Going to do X country at Minnewaska Saturday.

I'd definitely check out Platte or Belleayre if you are doing a weekend. They are literally down the street from each other so very convenient! Both tend to be much less crowded and less expensive. Hunter is great midweek (Wed-Thursday). I've found Fridays to be more crowded but bearable but I won't go near the place on a weekend. Glad it worked out for you.

Had the same thoughts regarding Hunter for the weekend. I've not been to Belle or Platte, need a change of pace, and don't want to wait in lines.

Let me know how Belle turns out!
 

Wavewheeler

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I never like waiting in lines or crowds at all. It's why I take midweek off. I'll try and post a trip report about Belle next weekend. I went to Platty last February the Friday before President's Day Weekend. It's in the middle of nowhere and is like taking a trip back in time. It was very interesting and I went after a huge snowstorm..tons of snow everywhere and NO lines. Definitely worth checking out. Make sure you go upstairs to the bar for lunch. Great food.
 

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BillyGoat

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All day I was wishing I was a better skier to get off the blues, which was a game of how-fast-can-you-avoid-an-idiot. A zoo.
 

Funky_Catskills

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I rode all yesterday afternoon... We skied on and off the F and the Westside quad.. It was an amazing day.
Snow was amazing..
44 was awesome... Clairs was incredible.. Lower K was good... Last couple runs were nonstops Cliff>Racers were fast and swweeeet...

We rode untracked in the woods all afternoon too.... Sh|t is way too good for me not to chime in... sorry....

Enjoy whatever mountain you're at - but really - jumping on some band wagon and blasting a bunch of pictures into a thread of another mountain to prove you made a better decision is so lame... in my opinion...
 
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Rowsdower

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I rode all yesterday afternoon... We skied on and off the F and the Westside quad.. It was an amazing day.
Snow was amazing..
44 was awesome... Clairs was incredible.. Lower K was good... Last couple runs were nonstops Cliff>Racers were fast and swweeeet...

We rode untracked in the woods all afternoon too.... Sh|t is way too good for me not to chime in... sorry....

Enjoy whatever mountain you're at - but really - jumping on some band wagon and blasting a bunch of pictures into a thread of another mountain to prove you made a better decision is so lame... in my opinion...

Not saying I don't enjoy Hunter. I do, and I had a blast yesterday, but its all I've ridden Catskills-wise and I like exploring new mountains. I started that conversation and Wave added pics of Platte to show what he was talking about. I don't think any of us dislike Hunter except for the lines.
 

Funky_Catskills

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Not saying I don't enjoy Hunter. I do, and I had a blast yesterday, but its all I've ridden Catskills-wise and I like exploring new mountains. I started that conversation and Wave added pics of Platte to show what he was talking about. I don't think any of us dislike Hunter except for the lines.

Just my opinion...

I personally think if you're going to extol a mountain that the thread is not about - put a link to a report in another thread...

again.. just my opinion...
 

Rowsdower

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Just my opinion...

I personally think if you're going to extol a mountain that the thread is not about - put a link to a report in another thread...

again.. just my opinion...

I had about the same strategy: west side and F lift on the main side. Got plenty of runs but had to skip certain parts of the mountain.

I don't mind if somebody posts pictures of another mountain. I practically asked so its not a big deal.
 

Funky_Catskills

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I had about the same strategy: west side and F lift on the main side. Got plenty of runs but had to skip certain parts of the mountain.


One of my favorite things to do is race non-stop down the Cliff and when I'm at Midstation I fly right past the entrance of Racers edge down towards Ike and cross to the F.. Classic...

Most of that 6Pack traffic goes to Hellgate or Belt... Easily avoidable... Midstation is SO wide it absorbs most crowds...

Yesterday was an amazing day for sure... Classic...
 

keyser soze

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Hunter has a bad rep but I have had great luck on Sundays. I can usually get in > 20 runs by 3:00 and the terrain is challenging. I don't know that any place can recover after a rain/thaw/freeze event either./ They can lay down a ton of good snow in no time.

Platty is another fun place, but they have to rely on Mother Nature because they do not have a lot of snowmaking. It is also an extra 30 minute ride for me.
 

Funky_Catskills

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Platty is awesome - no doubt..

Hunter has a bad reputation that is continued by intermediate skiers that aren't psyched because the low intermediate terrain is not that great and gets crowded. Rather than admit they can't handle it... They complain... Been happening for years... :)
 

JimG.

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I've skied at all the Catskills resorts this February...I agree with just about all of what FC says. Welcome to skiing on holiday weekends folks, it's crowded on the well beaten path.

There is really only one intermediate route down from the summit at Hunter. The best strategy is to stay on the lower mountain where there is plenty of excellent blue terrain. Ride D lift which is usually empty. And the 6-pack line is no worse than any other lift line at any other resort near a major urban center.
 
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