Ski Technique revelation re: shaped ski turning, carving. My thoughts, your feedback...

[riverc0il]

i don't see hop turns in that video. if you ain't hop turning, it aint' that steep

 

[patentcad]

People can bad mouth Hunter, dislike it, despise it, disparage it, etc. I've been going there for 30 years, along with dozens of other ski resorts all over the U.S. and Canada, so I have a pretty good idea of what's out there and what I like or dislike in a ski resort. Hunter has enough of what I like and doesn't have too many things that I don't like. The fact that it has a variety of challenging terrain and that I can get there in 90 minutes makes it one of my favorite ski mountains. I like Snowmass better, but that's tough for a mid-week day trip. The weekend crowds that give Hunter a bad name? I haven't been there on a weekend in 20 years and from what I hear Sundays in March are fine. I'll probably head up there on Sunday April 3 with my daughter and her friend for a day. They'll still be open and have plenty of snow. In the meantime if you guys want to continue Great K-27 Debate, enjoy. I love Hunter and so does every serious or semi serious skier from the NY Metro Area that I ever discuss the topic with. What would be do without it? Drive a whole hour further to friggin Plattekill? Nice place but to be a serious ski resort in the Catskills you need serious snowmaking - something that Hunter does better than just about any resort in the world.

 

[dmc]

The reality of Hunter for me is...
When it gets crowded - I ski the Westside... Ride the Y lift... Which never has more then a few people waiting for it...

The thing I enjoy about it is the terrain... It's interesting..
Clairs way has some of my favorite lines on the mountain.. Under the Z Chair is great line near the bottom..
Racers Edge has a great falline and a nice pitch... You come blasting down the middle against a rock wall on one side and it opens up into the bottom face.. I always love that...
Westway is an amazing trail... Wide open like Superstar or OL... Sweet steep pitch great double falline.. Ride under the chair for some turns with some bushes and rocks to thread through or against the fence where the snow tends to pile up...
Duck off of Westway and you can ski Taylors which is a natural snow trail that jumps in and out of Westway along the right side...
Anna Purna is great too.. But it's kinda a ski trail and I respect that. YOur on Anna.... YOur skiing bumps... No way around it...

MAN I can't wait to get out on the mountain...

 

[patentcad]

Thanks dmc, for reminding me of all those ear to ear smiles I've had at the bottom of a fantastic run down Claires on one of those perfect sunny Catskill winter afternoons. I've had more great days @ Hunter than just about anywhere else - mainly because it is such a nice little ski area (little compared to major resorts like Killington and Jackson Hole) and because it's close enough to me so that I can ski it with some frequency. We had another phenomenal day yesterday, and everybody got their 42 bucks worth, no doubt. We were all basking in the tired glory of a great time with a bunch of ski buddies on a great ski hill.

I love Hunter Mountain, so do my friends, and at the end of the day, what else matters? I consider Hunter to be my 'home' ski area, as do many of us in the NY area. Many of those who frequent Hunter travel to major ski resorts around North America and Europe every year - they tend to be well travelled NY area professionals who have been skiing for a long time. They still love coming to Hunter when they're skiing local. The place holds up to such comparisons, and that says more about the place than I ever could.

 

[dmc]

I consider Hunter to be my 'home' ski area, as do many of us in the NY area. Many of those who frequent Hunter travel to major ski resorts around North America and Europe every year - they tend to be well travelled NY area professionals who have been skiing for a long time.

One of my Hunter friends - a retired NYPD guy - is in his motorhome driving around out west with his wife right now!!!
Check his webpage out...
http://www.followthesnow.net

 

[JimG.]

i don't see hop turns in that video. if you ain't hop turning, it aint' that steep

No, it certainly isn't steep enough to require hop turns, but that wasn't really the point. It's not an extreme pitch, not very long either, but it's alot of fun and it is certainly as steep as other NE expert trails.

Believe me, there are plenty of pitches OB at Hunter that require good technical skills or airtime.

 

[JimG.]

People can bad mouth Hunter, dislike it, despise it, disparage it, etc. I've been going there for 30 years, along with dozens of other ski resorts all over the U.S. and Canada, so I have a pretty good idea of what's out there and what I like or dislike in a ski resort. Hunter has enough of what I like and doesn't have too many things that I don't like. The fact that it has a variety of challenging terrain and that I can get there in 90 minutes makes it one of my favorite ski mountains. I like Snowmass better, but that's tough for a mid-week day trip. The weekend crowds that give Hunter a bad name? I haven't been there on a weekend in 20 years and from what I hear Sundays in March are fine. I'll probably head up there on Sunday April 3 with my daughter and her friend for a day. They'll still be open and have plenty of snow. In the meantime if you guys want to continue Great K-27 Debate, enjoy. I love Hunter and so does every serious or semi serious skier from the NY Metro Area that I ever discuss the topic with. What would be do without it? Drive a whole hour further to friggin Plattekill? Nice place but to be a serious ski resort in the Catskills you need serious snowmaking - something that Hunter does better than just about any resort in the world.

This says it all for me. We ought to hook up for some turns in the near future.

 

[dmc]

i don't see hop turns in that video. if you ain't hop turning, it aint' that steep

No, it certainly isn't steep enough to require hop turns, but that wasn't really the point. It's not an extreme pitch, not very long either, but it's alot of fun and it is certainly as steep as other NE expert trails.

Believe me, there are plenty of pitches OB at Hunter that require good technical skills or airtime.

You don't need to jump turn on steeps... You can carve(if you have room) - your just going to go really fast..

We're headed into the Catskill BC this weekend... I here it's good!!! Cant wait!

 

[JimG.]

We're headed into the Catskill BC this weekend... I here it's good!!! Cant wait!

Leaving for Las Vegas on business early Sunday, I'll be lucky to ski a half day tomorrow ; Enjoy!

 

[Brettski]

I love Hunter Mountain, so do my friends, and at the end of the day, what else matters? I consider Hunter to be my 'home' ski area, as do many of us in the NY area.

Same here...not much difference in time between the outter reaches of the pokes to Hunter...

Many of those who frequent Hunter travel to major ski resorts around North America and Europe every year - they tend to be well travelled NY area professionals who have been skiing for a long time. They still love coming to Hunter when they're skiing local.

Perhaps...but on the weekend? Hunter was also #1 in the country for ski thefts...single 'em out boys and girls...

The place holds up to such comparisons, and that says more about the place than I ever could.

Hold's up...you mean like the fences holding up the skiiers from falling off the cliff face?

Again, I like hunter, but let's get real. Are there places where I can ski that will give me a serious work out...sure...

Are the people in the lodge freindly..absolutley...one of the best...can't remember where else they are waiting to wipe down tables for you because a set of pigs were there before you...Is the ski school great...no doubt...Got my wife to a whole new level once in a foot and a half of powder...Are the lifites good...yes and quite freindly and helpful...Do they have enough covergae? Some of the best...they have to or they'll be shut out....are there enough Rangers on the Mountain? This is a BIG NO....Should there be? If you're North of KMart, they're all over, and they don't need to be...

I GOT IT...it's not the Mountain...it's the proximity...

Gotta like Bellayres $15.00 dollar Fridays...Nobody seems to know about that place...They say it's 16 as well...sure ride a grand though....Good for the Kids...If Hunter opened the "D" Lift midweek that would be great...They could close the double to the summit instead and just use the quad....

 

[dmc]

Perhaps...but on the weekend? Hunter was also #1 in the country for ski thefts...single 'em out boys and girls...

wrong... I'd like to see where you get your facts..
Windham gets more skis stolen then Hunter..
Ski theft inst a big deal at Hunter...

Seriously - it's been years since I've heard of someone losing skis...

I GOT IT...it's not the Mountain...it's the proximity...

If that were the case - I'd be at Windham or Bellayre - or even Mountain Creek....
My personal opinion is that Hunter's terrain is better then anything around...

 

[Brettski]

... I'd like to see where you get your facts..

Ok, so the ski mag article could be a decade or more old...

If that were the case - I'd be at Windham or Bellayre - or even Mountain Creek....
My personal opinion is that Hunter's terrain is better then anything around...

When I meant proximity...I didn't mean anything about the terrain...

Hunter is the closest, biggest Mountain to NYC...

Is it your contention that Hunter doesn't attract a large contingent of Rude, Arrogant, selfish, careless, ignorant people?

The same group that when the have time end up at Stratton?

 

[patentcad]

Yep, I'd say Brettski's starting to look more like a troll with every post, so I won't go there. But it appears he thinks he has better places to ski than my favorite hometown hill, so I guess we won't be colliding anytime soon : ).

Stolen skis? I don't know which area has the biggest ski theft problem - but regardless you can lose your skis @ any major resort. I just laid out $700 for my 5-Star/Marker Piston setup, so I carry a cable lock and secure them every time I go into the lodge. Takes 10 seconds and then the theives can swipe one of the several dozen unlocked pairs of skis nearby. Is it sad that there are criminals out there? Of course it is. You can say the same thing about NY City, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying everything the greatest city in the world has to offer. If your litmus test for ski area quality is the nature of its lowlife thieves then I don't know know what's sadder - the thieves or your outlook on life. I'd rather focus on the positive aspects of Hunter and the fabulous job the Slutsky family has done to bring high quality skiing closer to the enthusiasts here in the NY Metro Area. I'm not sure what we'd do without them. Spend a lot more time driving I suppose...

 

[dmc]

To be honest - I dont have a problem with the NYC fauna... I really don't encounter them that much on the trails I ride...
Belt Parkway - YES...
But Claires... Not so much..

Hunter has changed a lot in the last decade...
The amount of people coming up to club all night and ski a run has decreased to the point where we lost a ton of bars and clubs... 10 years ago - there were lines to get into the bars.. Now - they beg you to come in...
Bakc in the day - when I worked in the bus lot - we'd park 45 busses a day!!!!! Now - there's 8 or 10 in the lot...

Hunter is really trying to change the perception I battle on the internet everyday..
And it's not because I support the Slutskys... It's cause I live in Hunter now and have lots of friends that are starting businesses and stuff... I want them to prosper...

 

[goldsbar]

I've skiied most of Vermont's major resorts and I've been out west from Crested Butte to Aspen to Jackson Hole to all over Utah, and K-27 would rank as a double diamond trail at any of them.

:-?

Ummmmm - no way. You've been on the double blacks at Jackson and you can actually compare them to K27? This goes back to a post I just put in the trip reports section. Jackson's DD's are steeper and MUCH narrower then K27. K27 is hard to ski aggresively. It's not very hard to pick your way down. I remember doing it many times when I wasn't at best a strong intermediate skier. Take a look - you'll see people doing it every weekend. Those people would never even consider Paintbrush, the Alta Chutes, Tower Chutes (all at Jackson), etc. No way. I'll go so far to say that a bumped Annapurna is tougher than K27 if you want to stick to Huntah. :beer:

 

[dmc]

Ummmmm - no way. You've been on the double blacks at Jackson and you can actually compare them to K27? This goes back to a post I just put in the trip reports section. Jackson's DD's are steeper and MUCH narrower then K27. K27 is hard to ski aggresively. It's not very hard to pick your way down. I remember doing it many times when I wasn't at best a strong intermediate skier. Take a look - you'll see people doing it every weekend. Those people would never even consider Paintbrush, the Alta Chutes, Tower Chutes (all at Jackson), etc. No way. I'll go so far to say that a bumped Annapurna is tougher than K27 if you want to stick to Huntah. :beer:

Some of my friends that ski Lower K27 are just getting back from skiing Paintbrush, Corbetts, Alta and Tower III chutes.. We all ski/ride it agressivly... But probably because we know the terrain really well..

Anna is tougher then K27 for sure - mainly because of the length...

 

[Brettski]

Troll?

How many times do I have to say I like Hunter?

And yes, after I got the kids off the Belt (we only did 1 warm up run on it...and nobody wanted to go back) and onto street, cliff, Jimmy's...they had a great time...just playing follow the leader...then dropping in to Kennedy and the like....

Listen, We stayed at Villa Vosilla..got a nice big "family Room"...Got $10.00 off tickets (32.00) mid week for the adults...and free skiing for the kids...

We had a great time..it was so empty that the room to the far right was closed...and still I have to deal with someone bowling over a novice...1st run of the day, 1st day of the Thur-Sat get away...

That was the only problem I had that trip. Made the kids very attentive and listen about stopping on the side of the trail, looking up hill, staying together as a group.

Like I said..it's a place where the skiers rules are very important (like everywhere, but more so here..since it seems few people know what they are there)...now if that's trolling...then sign me up...but it's the truth...you have to be more careful at hunter than other mountains...if you are then you're good to go...

 

[Brettski]

I'll go so far to say that a bumped Annapurna is tougher than K27 if you want to stick to Huntah. :beer:

Huntah...lol...

Anna's my favorite trail.....double fall line and all...and it's alot longer...

 

[dmc]

Troll?

How many times do I have to say I like Hunter?

No way - you just got opinions..
I understand..

When you coming back?? Me and JimG will hook up with you!

 

[Brettski]

I'm thinking next Friday...

http://www.epinions.com/trvl-Ski_Resorts-United_States-New_York-Hunter_Mountain/display_~reviews

I'll be the only guy with the blue rockets