Hunter vs. Windham

[element003]

hey

I've been debating over whether to ride hunter or windham this week, thursday, any suggestions? I've never been to either nor to any area in the catskills.

 

[ChileMass]

Yankee fans ski Hunter, Met fans ski Windham. Go with Windham......

 

[Greg]

Hey Pete - Welcome to the forums! I've only skied Hunter once and never skied Windham so I'm not going to vote. My thoughts on Hunter is it's a good mountain. However the consensus of us that went is that at a two hour drive, there are places we enjoy more around the same distance, namely Jiminy, Beast, or Snow. Not sure where in CT you are, but I would guess either are worth a try especially if you're in Western CT. Please post a TR.

 

[element003]

I'm in Fairfield county...around Danbury and Ridgefield...So for almost the same distance, Berkshire East would be a better choice?

 

[rjc1976]

It depends

I think your level of skiing/riding comes into play as to which is a better mountain.

In my opinion, Hunter has a better mountain for experienced skiers who enjoy black and double black diamond trails. From my experience, it usually has better snow conditions as well. I just find the steeper trails more interesting, and there are more of them over at Hunter, especially if you like double blacks.

For the intermediate that likes blue trails, Windham might be the better choice. Hunter is seperated into 3 peaks -- Hunter One, Hunter, and Hunter West. As far as blue trails go, Hunter one has has some short ones, but not enough to keep most people interested all day. Hunter (which is the main mountain) has one that goes from top to bottom, but the others require you to take diamond trails first. Hunter West has no blue trails. Basically what I'm getting at is that intermediate trails are limited at this mountain. On the other hand, Windham is full of nice blue cruisers.

With that in mind, I vote Hunter for weekdays and Windham for weekends based purely on crowds. Both are great Catskill mountains!

 

[Greg]

I'm in Fairfield county...around Danbury and Ridgefield...So for almost the same distance, Berkshire East would be a better choice?

rjc1976 gave some great advice. I'm guessing that from Danbury, Hunter is about 90 minutes. The Beast would be probably more like 2:15 and there is less terrain there. Two different animals really.

Hunter: Larger area; popular for NYC folks.
Beast: Smaller, "old school/locals" type skiing.

Jiminy and Hunter are probably more comparible and are similar distance from Danbury.

 

[Starter Jackets Rule!]

jmo, Whindham is B-O-R-I-N-G!
Short runs and a big flat run off.
My choice would be a trip to Plattekill!

 

[curlyfuzzie]

My choice would be a trip to Plattekill!

If I'm not mistaken,Plattekill is only open weekends, except after a large snow dump, when it will open for powderhounds. At least, that's how it was last year...
I haven't skiied Hunter since High School (you don't want to know how long ago that was)...
Have had fun at Windham this year, so my vote is for that - BUT - if you're looking for great snow in the Catskills, check out Belleayre... Best conditions I've seen this season (but I have not been to Vermont this year :-? )

 

[rjc1976]

My choice would be a trip to Plattekill!

If I'm not mistaken,Plattekill is only open weekends, except after a large snow dump, when it will open for powderhounds. At least, that's how it was last year...
I haven't skiied Hunter since High School (you don't want to know how long ago that was)...
Have had fun at Windham this year, so my vote is for that - BUT - if you're looking for great snow in the Catskills, check out Belleayre... Best conditions I've seen this season (but I have not been to Vermont this year :-? )

Yes, Plattekill is only open on weekends except when there is a foot or more of snow. Plattekill is a great mountain for the advanced skier/rider! I think it's the best terrain in the Catskills and anything south of Vermont. But, when the snow hasn't fallen in a while, the conditions suffer more than other places imo. Now their saving grace it that they get more natural snow than Hunter and Windham, thanks to lake effect.

I do agree that Belleayre has good snow making, especially the past two years. However, I still have to give Hunter the #1 spot for snow making in the Catskills. They are the most consistent of any resort within a 2.5 hour drive of NYC, especially if it hasn't snowed in a while. (I'd place Elk Mountain in PA second for consistency. These guys do an excellent job at grooming.) I stay away from places like Hunter on weekends, but when nature is not supplying snow, I'll take a day off of work and hit up Hunter.

 

[Starter Jackets Rule!]

Check out Belleayre's web site they are allways having some Great $10.00 ski tix!