Impressions of Catskill Skiing

[highpeaksdrifter]

I’ve literally skied Hunter over 1,000 times, Windham 2 times, the last time was over 20 years ago, Belleayre never, Plattekill never. From reading in AZ I’ve formed some impressions and thought I’d post them and those of you who ski in the Catskills could give your impressions.

Hunter – I know has good black terrain. Their snowmaking is second to none. I have not skied there in 6 years, but for the 40 years I did it was often crowded. The cliental was younger, aggressive skiers and riders, looking for a good time on the mountain and off. From reading in AZ I’m under the impression that it isn’t crowded anymore and the party atmosphere has died down.

Windham – I found the terrain a little too gentle for my liking. This past summer I paid a visit and was impressed with all the money they’re putting into on mountain improvements. I always thought the cliental there was upscale NYC family types, kinda the Deer Valley of Catskill skiing. I get the impression that they are looking for that customer niche still, but maybe with the improvements they are making they may attract some more serious recreational skiers.

Belleayre – The impression I get is it is pretty much ridge skiing with mostly blue trails. It’s a no frills state run ski area not surrounded by condo ghettos which I find very appealing. Alot of AZ who like a no frills family type place seem very loyal to it. I think the recent infusion of state money will help it to continue to improve, but the proposed golf course, condo development will forever change the vibe of it if it goes through.

Plattekill – Looks small, ridge type bowling alley trails. However, many Azers have said that their expert terrain is very good. I find it curious that they are only open on weekends and holidays. That gives me the impression that they are barely holding on.

 

[dmc]

Pretty much dead on...
Except Bellayre actually has a nice pitch at the very beginning of thier advanced runs...
And Hunter in not AS crowded as it was 6 years ago(It's still not as empty as Bellayre or Plattekill) and still does have agressive riders and skiers (I'm one of them..)

More crazy rumours this weekend about the short term future of Hunter... Some really mindblowing... Film at 11:00....

 

[ALLSKIING]

More crazy rumours this weekend about the short term future of Hunter... Some really mindblowing...

Is that good or bad?

 

[dmc]

Is that good or bad?

All really great..

 

[BeanoNYC]

All really great..

You had me worried there. I can understand why you won't post any details, but feel free to PM me.

 

[dmc]

You had me worried there. I can understand why you won't post any details, but feel free to PM me.

As soon as I hear something solid I'll post it..

I the meatime.. I'm psyched to ride...

 

[RIDEr]

As soon as I hear something solid I'll post it..

I the meatime.. I'm psyched to ride...

Maybe they got the approvals for the expansion on the west side...

 

[BeanoNYC]

As soon as I hear something solid I'll post it..

I the meatime.. I'm psyched to ride...

No, seriously, if you have to tell someone, PM me...I'm here for you Doug. What's the band schedule look like for this winter? 23A still together? What about the other bands?

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Dang, talk about a thread hyjack.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Plugging DMC's band is a necessary hijack. It's Catskills related, even.

 

[dmc]

Plugging DMC's band is a necessary hijack. It's Catskills related, even.

Indeed... 23A will be playing the Saturday before Thanksgiving... For an ULLR thing... I'll post when the location is definate.

Third Rail's schedule should be finalized in a week or two...

Meanwhile the Catskill Funk Mafia will be appearing on and off...

 

[RIDEr]

Hunter – I know has good black terrain. Their snowmaking is second to none. I have not skied there in 6 years, but for the 40 years I did it was often crowded. The cliental was younger, aggressive skiers and riders, looking for a good time on the mountain and off. From reading in AZ I’m under the impression that it isn’t crowded anymore and the party atmosphere has died down..

There are enough people that say good things about Hunter and JimG and DMC will be proving their mountain this season, but when I was up there for about 10 days this past season I had no problems with the crowds....

Windham – I found the terrain a little too gentle for my liking. This past summer I paid a visit and was impressed with all the money they’re putting into on mountain improvements. I always thought the cliental there was upscale NYC family types, kinda the Deer Valley of Catskill skiing. I get the impression that they are looking for that customer niche still, but maybe with the improvements they are making they may attract some more serious recreational skiers.

There is enough intermediate-difficult terrain to enjoy yourself. Most of it isn't on the trail map, but when you see the tracks heading to places off the trail... follow them and they will lead you to the promised land... for at least Windham.

Belleayre – The impression I get is it is pretty much ridge skiing with mostly blue trails. It’s a no frills state run ski area not surrounded by condo ghettos which I find very appealing. Alot of AZ who like a no frills family type place seem very loyal to it. I think the recent infusion of state money will help it to continue to improve, but the proposed golf course, condo development will forever change the vibe of it if it goes through.

This mountain has dedicated most of its resources to the improvements in the lift system and added a few known glades runs. I spend half of my time at Bellayre and yet again... following the tracks into the woods will bring you to some really, really, really fun stuff when there is enough snow. I'll never be able to tell anybody that doesn't know where it is, but if you know... you love it.

Plattekill – Looks small, ridge type bowling alley trails. However, many Azers have said that their expert terrain is very good. I find it curious that they are only open on weekends and holidays. That gives me the impression that they are barely holding on

This is one of the only mountains (that I know) that is still family owned and operated. The family runs a great mountain and the reason they only are open on weekends is due to the amount of snow they can produce from the used snowmaking machines they purchased from the other catskill mountains... relying on the natural stuff for some of its trail systems. The only down side to the mountain is that you are finished with your run in about a little over a minute.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

This is one of the only mountains (that I know) that is still family owned and operated. .

Good post RIDEr, but Hunter is as family owned as it gets. It truly is all in the family there. If you work there and are not related to the Slutsky's you are very replaceable. I know that hasn't changed.

BTW, I always liked the Slutskys, good people, they just keep it family.

 

[dmc]

Good post RIDEr, but Hunter is as family owned as it gets. It truly is all in the family there. If you work there and are not related to the Slutsky's you are very replaceable. I know that hasn't changed.

BTW, I always liked the Slutskys, good people, they just keep it family.

Yup - family owned... And we like it that way..

 

[Greg]

I really, really dig Hunter. I've only skied there three times, but was impressed with the snowmaking and legit black diamond terrain. There's something really cool about Hunter; kinda like the place you're not suppose to like, but you do. At 2:15, it's about as far as I would travel for what it is. That's what keeps me from trying the other Catskill mountains. For a 2-2.5+ hour drive, I want to have a full, challenging day. I'd love to ski Platt after a dump (Powder Daize, baby), but if the area got hit with a dump, I'd likely hit Berkshire East at 2:00 versus Plattekill at closer to 3 hours. All in all, it seems like a great region for skiing.

 

[catskills]

Back to the initial thread topic. You have a good description of Hunter and Windham. Windham BTW is the only one with night skiing.

Belleayre has a large number of trails (Winisook, Tongora, Onteora, Yahoo, Utsy..., and Seneca) that are left ungroomed with moguls. These are single diamond trails with some double diamond steepness. When the moguls become boiler plate, rather then groom them flat like some mountains, Belleayre may close them for a day or cover them with 6 inches of fresh man made powder. There are days when it is difficult to find good moguls on single diamond trails at Hunter or Windham.

Plattekill makes a good part of their money during the summer with downhill mountain biking. I believe Plattekill is ranked number two in the country for DH moutain biking. Plattekill is not all bowling alley skiing. Also for the glade skiers their are some serious challenges at Plattekill. The best part of Plattekill is no crowds on the slopes on weekends and untracked powder for days after a powder dump. A two foot powder dump on a Friday night, Plattekill would be the place to go if you like ungroomed untracked powder. Plattekill is the MRG of the Catskills. They also have groomed trails for non-powder hounds. Plattekill is not all high steroids. They have a very nice green trail off skiers left that winds down the mountain and crosses a wooden bridge over a running brook.

 

[JimG.]

Back to the initial thread topic. You have a good description of Hunter and Windham. Windham BTW is the only one with night skiing.

Belleayre has a large number of trails (Winisook, Tongora, Onteora, Yahoo, Utsy..., and Seneca) that are left ungroomed with moguls. These are single diamond trails with some double diamond steepness. When the moguls become boiler plate, rather then groom them flat like some mountains, Belleayre may close them for a day or cover them with 6 inches of fresh man made powder. There are days when it is difficult to find good moguls on single diamond trails at Hunter or Windham.

Plattekill makes a good part of their money during the summer with downhill mountain biking. I believe Plattekill is ranked number two in the country for DH moutain biking. Plattekill is not all bowling alley skiing. Also for the glade skiers their are some serious challenges at Plattekill. The best part of Plattekill is no crowds on the slopes on weekends and untracked powder for days after a powder dump. A two foot powder dump on a Friday night, Plattekill would be the place to go if you like ungroomed untracked powder. Plattekill is the MRG of the Catskills. They also have groomed trails for non-powder hounds. Plattekill is not all high steroids. They have a very nice green trail off skiers left that winds down the mountain and crosses a wooden bridge over a running brook.

This is a good summary. BTW, there are moguls to be found on several single diamonds like Minya Konka, Hellgate, Cliff, and Eisenhower but you have to look for them on the sides of these trails. Hard left on the first 3 will provide some fine bump action.

 

[RIDEr]

This is a good summary. BTW, there are moguls to be found on several single diamonds like Minya Konka, Hellgate, Cliff, and Eisenhower but you have to look for them on the sides of these trails. Hard left on the first 3 will provide some fine bump action.

Didn't they also convert East Side Drive into a mogul run closer to the end of the year. It had good pitch and monster moguls.

 

[JimG.]

Didn't they also convert East Side Drive into a mogul run closer to the end of the year. It had good pitch and monster moguls.

No, East Side is always mowed flat. It might bump up a little on days when they make alot of snow on it, but it'll be groomed flat the next day. Remember, it's the bail out run for souls who want to take a look down lower K27.

You might be thinking of Lower Crossover which is sometimes allowed to bump up.

 

[mattchuck2]

Hunter – I know has good black terrain. Their snowmaking is second to none. I have not skied there in 6 years, but for the 40 years I did it was often crowded. The cliental was younger, aggressive skiers and riders, looking for a good time on the mountain and off. From reading in AZ I’m under the impression that it isn’t crowded anymore and the party atmosphere has died down.

Windham – I found the terrain a little too gentle for my liking. This past summer I paid a visit and was impressed with all the money they’re putting into on mountain improvements. I always thought the cliental there was upscale NYC family types, kinda the Deer Valley of Catskill skiing. I get the impression that they are looking for that customer niche still, but maybe with the improvements they are making they may attract some more serious recreational skiers.

Screw Hunter and Windham. I'll take Whiteface and Gore any day. Living in the Albany area, I have a choice between going North and going south, and I'll go ADKs any day.

I've never skied Bellayre or Plattekill, so I can't comment on those, but Hunter is still a crowded freakshow (on weekends), no matter what people on this forum say. It's decent, at best, on weekdays. And I gave it a fair shake too . . . A Monday and Tuesday last year, with 5 inches of fresh on the Monday. That one trail off the back 5550 or whatever, was the only thing decent . . . the rest of the trails had no character whatsoever - and pretty much the whole mountain was open (except for Racer's which umm . .. had a race on it?)

Windham is boring and stupid, and I'd actually rather ski Mount Snow . . . which I consider to be the most boring mountain in VT . . . than ski Windham. It's good for families, I guess, but I don't have a family and I'm not going to any time soon.

Screw the Catskills, ADKs for life!