Hunter Mtn=EPIC FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ScottySkis]

I'm really sorry Hunter is not the snow making capital any more, maybe we could get some rich investors to open up Bearpen.

I

 

[JimG.]

Bearpen would be great...only a dream.

 

[JimG.]

I was a midweek season pass holder at Hunter last year. When I was deciding whether to get a midweek season pass there, I also considered Belleayre, Windham and Jiminy. In the end, it came down to Hunter and Jiminy. I went with Hunter because they have more vertical and better terrain. I didn't get a season pass in any Catskill or Berkshire hills this year, but if I were to do it again next season, I would get one at Jiminy without thinking twice about it. I'm very much into skiing as much as a I can, and it's obvious that Jiminy is doing all it can to open as early as possible and close as late as possible. Hunter is going in the opposite direction. Opening later than before and closing earlier.

I assume many who live within a couple of hours drive from both resorts may make similar decisions. I hope that when Hunter makes operational decisions they take into account that they're not only competing with Windham and Belleyare, but they're also going against Jiminy.

This might be a stretch...in reality, I'm sure I'll ski Hunter 35-40 days this season and I would miss it if I went to Jiminy.

To be fair on my part.

 

[ScottySkis]

This might be a stretch...in reality, I'm sure I'll ski Hunter 35-40 days this season and I would miss it if I went to Jiminy.

To be fair on my part.

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I so agree yes it is great that Jiminy open up first, and I only skiied their twice in my life but on no level does it compares to any of the Catskills especially Hunter.

 

[JimG.]

Since I can only ski Sunday this weekend I might wind up at Jiminy since Hunter didn't open. Not up for the K trek unless I can squeeze 2 ski days out of it.

 

[skiersleft]

This might be a stretch...in reality, I'm sure I'll ski Hunter 35-40 days this season and I would miss it if I went to Jiminy.

To be fair on my part.

I understand why to many - like you and Scotty - it would be a stretch to leave Hunter for Jiminy. I think the most obvious reason why it would be a stretch is because Hunter has solid expert terrain, whereas Jiminy doesn't. However, note that an intermediate doesn't care about Hunter West. And Hunter has an obvious intermediate problem. Jiminy, on the other hand, is great for intermediates. Now, thing about an average family. Perhaps dad is an expert skier, and perhaps that's also the case of one of the kids. But very often mom is an intermediate and the rest of the kids are as well. Suddenly Jiminy becomes more appealing. So, again, I think Hunter underestimates hills like Jiminy at its own peril. The some NYC suburbs are close enough to Jiminy to make it a real option for many.

 

[ScottySkis]

I understand why to many - like you and Scotty - it would be a stretch to leave Hunter for Jiminy. I think the most obvious reason why it would be a stretch is because Hunter has solid expert terrain, whereas Jiminy doesn't. However, note that an intermediate doesn't care about Hunter West. And Hunter has an obvious intermediate problem. Jiminy, on the other hand, is great for intermediates. Now, thing about an average family. Perhaps dad is an expert skier, and perhaps that's also the case of one of the kids. But very often mom is an intermediate and the rest of the kids are as well. Suddenly Jiminy becomes more appealing. So, again, I think Hunter underestimates hills like Jiminy at its own peril. The some NYC suburbs are close enough to Jiminy to make it a real option for many.

I actually left Hunter for Platty, I'm just annoyed that I didn't know how great or any thing about Platty the first 6 years I lived in Middletown, but I'm so glad I will be there now.

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[skiersleft]

I actually left Hunter for Platty, I'm just annoyed that I didn't know how great or any thing about Platty the first 6 years I lived in Middletown, but I'm so glad I will be there now.

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How do you deal with the incredible difference in snowmaking between Hunter and Platty? I know many years it's made up by Platty's natural, but one would think that in low snow years Hunter has a distinct advantage. How was it last year, for example? I didn't ski platty last year, but I assumed it was pretty dismal and that the trees were not in play most of the season. At least Hunter was able to open almost everything with their snowmaking. Or was Platty's skiing good last year in spite of the dearth of snow?

 

[180]

Everyone got old and had kids... the cycle is coming around.. 180's kids can take care of themselves now so he can come out and party!!!

The base lodge party still rages and new bars are opening...

For sure!

I was a midweek season pass holder at Hunter last year. When I was deciding whether to get a midweek season pass there, I also considered Belleayre, Windham and Jiminy. In the end, it came down to Hunter and Jiminy. I went with Hunter because they have more vertical and better terrain. I didn't get a season pass in any Catskill or Berkshire hills this year, but if I were to do it again next season, I would get one at Jiminy without thinking twice about it. I'm very much into skiing as much as a I can, and it's obvious that Jiminy is doing all it can to open as early as possible and close as late as possible. Hunter is going in the opposite direction. Opening later than before and closing earlier.

I assume many who live within a couple of hours drive from both resorts may make similar decisions. I hope that when Hunter makes operational decisions they take into account that they're not only competing with Windham and Belleyare, but they're also going against Jiminy.

Hunter competes against itself

One thing to consider is Jiminy is able to produce their own electricity to make snow. I don't know the exact amount but I am sure the electric is the biggest cost of making snow.

Good point

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I so agree yes it is great that Jiminy open up first, and I only skiied their twice in my life but on no level does it compares to any of the Catskills especially Hunter.

For sure, this is also why were able to open on intermediate terrain. Hellgate takes a lot of snow to open.

Bearpen would be great...only a dream.

Maybe we'll all win Powerball or come in to some money? We should form a Bearppen pool.

 

[ScottySkis]

How do you deal with the incredible difference in snowmaking between Hunter and Platty? I know many years it's made up by Platty's natural, but one would think that in low snow years Hunter has a distinct advantage. How was it last year, for example? I didn't ski platty last year, but I assumed it was pretty dismal and that the trees were not in play most of the season. At least Hunter was able to open almost everything with their snowmaking. Or was Platty's skiing good last year in spite of the dearth of snow?

I skiied two times at Platty last year and they were both good days.

As I get older I find that I like to go to the hill when conditions are good, so after a warm up or rai* event I will have no problem waiting a to it snows again before I ski at Platty. Which in a normal season is not that big of a wait. I also am not a season pass holder to any hill so I can go to other places that have snow making and usually go to south Vermont for I guess 30% of my days in a typical winter. And I going to try some new places this year. The thing for me is on a typical weekend I want go to a place that conditions stay good through out the day and I happened to very lucky that I live 1.5 hours away. Also I'm a not a real bump skiier so most of Hunter west is awesome for bump people if so I be limited in what I normally enjoy on a weekend. And I never really that crowded on the lifts at Hunter that keep me away. When I get midweek day off I would go to Hunter. I been at my job for 6 years but only have 15 sick, vacation, and personal time which can't be used between T day and X- mas so I'm very picky about just taking a day.

 

[dmc]

We toasted Izzy memory last night at the bar...
The conversation went from "just wait a week" to organizing a season pass holder walk out..... Or something like that... I had to take a cab home... haha..

 

[deadheadskier]

How do you deal with the incredible difference in snowmaking between Hunter and Platty? I know many years it's made up by Platty's natural, but one would think that in low snow years Hunter has a distinct advantage. How was it last year, for example? I didn't ski platty last year, but I assumed it was pretty dismal and that the trees were not in play most of the season. At least Hunter was able to open almost everything with their snowmaking. Or was Platty's skiing good last year in spite of the dearth of snow?

I would think people choose Platty over Hunter/Windham/Bellayare for the same reasons people choose Magic over Snow/Stratton/Okemo.

 

[ALLSKIING]

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I so agree yes it is great that Jiminy open up first, and I only skiied their twice in my life but on no level does it compares to any of the Catskills especially Hunter.

Jiminy skies a lot like Windham...almost two in the same.

 

[dmc]

I would think people choose Platty over Hunter/Windham/Bellayare for the same reasons people choose Magic over Snow/Stratton/Okemo.

Thats fair...

Or MRG over Sugarbush...

 

[dmc]

I'm really sorry Hunter is not the snow making capital any more

That nice of you but...
as soon as the switch is flipped - it's going to be a white cloud ...

 

[kingslug]

I've always relied on Hunter to be one of the first to open. I used to start my season skiing half a run for half a day every year. The last 2 years I've started at K, taking the loooong bus trip from hell. Hopefully they will open in December as their are only trips to Okemo and Stratton that month ( Snowbird ski tours) ...just one more thing to deal with living on Long Island. Might have to head west for a few days if things don't improve.

 

[ALLSKIING]

Thats fair...

Or MRG over Sugarbush...

I have a harder time with this one... Sugarbush having Castlerock and a lot of other great ungroomed terrain.

 

[drjeff]

I just have to laugh a bit at how everyone, (maybe with the excpetion of DMC who is actually there) think that they somehow have a better handle on the weather than the mountain ops folks!

Look the weather hasn't been very favorable for a sustained snowmaking effort. A few hours a day with marginal at best temps, followed by above freezing temps during the day on top of unfrozen ground isn't lways the best use of what i'm guessing is a finite snowmaking budget. Sometimes the tough decision to not make snow in marginal temps is a call that needs to be made. In the past it might have been done differently, but the reality is that today there's a heck of a lot more actual data out there about what it costs to make so much snow at such and such a temperature and maximizing production with as minimal an impact on the overall snowmaking budget is much more in the forefront of ski area admins than ever before.

When Hunter gets the temps, i'm sure that we'll see some of the AWESOME "Hunter Cloud" pics that DMC puts up almost every year when they unleash that massive system at its potential. A few degrees can make a huge difference interms of how much production a ski area can get from its system, the constant though is what it costs to run the system, an if you can get more snow for the same cost, that ultimately benefits the everyone

 

[deadheadskier]

I just have to laugh a bit at how everyone, (maybe with the excpetion of DMC who is actually there) think that they somehow have a better handle on the weather than the mountain ops folks!

Look the weather hasn't been very favorable for a sustained snowmaking effort. A few hours a day with marginal at best temps, followed by above freezing temps during the day on top of unfrozen ground isn't lways the best use of what i'm guessing is a finite snowmaking budget. Sometimes the tough decision to not make snow in marginal temps is a call that needs to be made. In the past it might have been done differently, but the reality is that today there's a heck of a lot more actual data out there about what it costs to make so much snow at such and such a temperature and maximizing production with as minimal an impact on the overall snowmaking budget is much more in the forefront of ski area admins than ever before.

When Hunter gets the temps, i'm sure that we'll see some of the AWESOME "Hunter Cloud" pics that DMC puts up almost every year when they unleash that massive system at its potential. A few degrees can make a huge difference interms of how much production a ski area can get from its system, the constant though is what it costs to run the system, an if you can get more snow for the same cost, that ultimately benefits the everyone

That's all fine and well drjeff, but I can see why folks are upset when Jimminy is open.

Hunter could be open right now. People aren't claiming to be weather experts. They're just upset their mountain didn't go for it like Jimminy did.

 

[dmc]

I have a harder time with this one... Sugarbush having Castlerock and a lot of other great ungroomed terrain.

On a smaller scale - you have Hunter West... And the ravine area... shhhh....