Thursday, February 28, 2013

Hunter Feb 28

Hello all,
The last day of Feb was "push the mush" day according to the die hards that ventured out there today. The mtn was in a fog until about 10:30 and skiing was alot of work. Only the groomed trails - and there were not alot of them - were easy to ski. The ungroomed were like cement - sticky, grabby snow. The sky did get alot brighter after noon but no direct sun. The temp is 43 now with occasional rain and wet flurries. It never really went below 30 last night.
 
Movies this weekend include Les Mis:  http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html
Ski ya,
Jon

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Hunter Feb 27

Hi All,
It's a sloppy mess here in Hunter. We had about 5" of wet snow last night while the temp was 29 but this am it changed to rain - heavy at times - and now 39. There is nothing but very heavy slush all over the place as the water has no where to drain. The rain will continue well into this evening.  I can't even imagine what skiing was like today other than very wet and uncomfortable especially on the lift. The wind is not bad  - yet. The top 1/2 of the mtn has been invisible all day - in a wet fog.
My fear is that it will freeze overnight.
Stay tuned........
Jon

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Hunter Feb 26

Hello all,
After a cold night with a heavy frost the base temp was 20 (not 30 as the mtn reported) and the sky was dark and cloudy with very flat light until about 10 am when some brightness emerged. There was no wind and the skiing was on a frozen noisy corduroy surface for a while until the temps rose (now 40) and more light filtered through the clouds. The snow softened quite a bit in a short period of time. Claire's was groomed last night and proved to be a hard, flat and fast run. Most of the front was groomed EXCEPT Minya, Dropoff, Gunhill and Racer's. It was all consistent hard, noisy and fast until about 11:30 when it softened. 
There were no crowds / lines at all and no "F" which not needed.
Hunter announced today a big weekend party for March 9 - 10:  

We still have plenty of fun coming up with the Winter Carnival on Saturday, March 9th, including a Paper Box Derby and a Dummy Race.  Get your creative juices flowing and think up your most clever creations- there are prizes to be won!  We will finish off the night with a torchlight parade and fireworks extravaganza brought to you by our friends at Grand Marnier. http://youtu.be/z1FVg9EWLhw
The weather forecast for tomorrow (24 hr storm) as you all probably know (unless you live in a cave) is nasty with snow, sleet, wind & rain predictions all over the place:  from 2 - 4" to 6 - 9".  Take your pick: 
I forgot to metion to those of you who have not been down Ski Bowl Rd lately that one of the last reminders of Hunter's hey days has been torn down - O'Sheas  a.k.a. Mahogany Ridge is now a pile of rubble.
I most likely will not be out on the hill tomorrow if visibility is poor as expected.
Be skiing ya soon,
Jon

Monday, February 25, 2013

Hunter Feb 25

Hi All,
With the crowds and wet weather gone Monday started out very overcast and dark so I got out a bit later than usual. Last night we had just enough freezing mist and light snow to leave a crusty coating around town. The sun made an appearance late this am but after playing hide n seek with the clouds, lost out to a low cloud cover.  Surface conditions were soft and spring-like as temps hit the upper 30's and in fact the snow became heavy by noon time. It was easy skiing as long as you could see. Everything was groomed flat for the most part including Upper Cross (rare occasion) which was very sweet. There were no crowds and no lines. The Local Motion race was set for today on Madison. White Cloud to Wayout was very nice but since I didn't see a soul on Claire's I wasn't going to be the guinea pig even tho it looked flat from the bottom - looks can be deceiving especially on that trail. HBK, Cliff/Racers, Ike all good.  Tomorrow should be okay but it looks like we are getting  some real messy weather Tue nite into Wed with a mix of snow, sleet and rain coming out of storms now in the mid-west and south as they combine forces. Forecasts are all the same:
Ski on.....
Jon

Friday, February 22, 2013

Hunter Feb 22

Hello Hunter fans and Happy B'day George Washington.
The wind died down and the sun made a hazy appearance until 10 am when it disappeared behind a low cloud cover and the light went very flat. The sun has reappeared now and the temp has climbed from 21 early to 36. The front side trails were once again groomed to perfection and there wasn't a bad spot to be found. I cannot comment on the west side as I never made it over there. The lift lines started to build around 10 as many poured in for the end of President's week and filled up the Flyer corral. There are various reports for the weekend weather ranging from 2 - 4 " of snow to snow changing over to sleet and freezing rain Sat into Sun. Take your pick: 
 
Happy Trails,
Jon

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Hunter Feb 21

Hi All,
I am pleased to say that I can once again give you first hand ski reports. The day started out very cold and windy with a temp of  6 at the summit and wind chills 18 below zero.  It is about 22 now but still windy. The sun was strong and the wind was bad at the base and summit only - there was no wind from Hgate down to Kennedy. The entire mtn was groomed to perfection - not even a cat track. There were very few people and one could ski right onto the chairlift. "F" was running too. Apparently it was too windy to open the west side lift so those trails were all closed this am. I tried to get down to Wayout via the Belt and the wind stood me straight up going down the first section above the switch-back. I heard that the west opened up late morning. Cliff / Racers was perfect as was HBK, Ike, Eside, Milky, and Minya/Lower Cross. Other than the wind, it was a near perfect day. Tomorrow looks to be even better with no wind and temps in the low 30's. The weekend weather looks to be variable:  http://www.ctweather.com/wrip-weather.php
This should be the last crazy weekend as President's Week comes to an end (yeah!) with multiple races for various groups.
Back on skis,
Jon

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Hunter Feb 13

Hi All,
What a beautiful day to be skiing - too bad I'm not out yet due to a confirmed torn rotator cuff.
Temps dipped into the mid 20's last night but rebounded quickly to 40 now (60 on the deck in the sun).
Loads of sun, no wind and a great base that was well groomed. My sources told me that the East Side trails softened first and were like skiing through icing on a cake. Claire's was scary this am with alot of hard ice - maybe soft enough to enjoy now. Racer's was primo as was the rest of the face of the mtn. For those of you that were here on Sunday you were part of a 10 year record crowd!
There was a decent crowd for a Wednesday with only minor lift lines and no lift problems.
Tomorrow the mtn is hosting a free Valentine's Day "renew your vows" ceremony at the summit wedding deck for those with lift tickets and the ability to ski down.  I understand there will be alot of participants (see below).
There will be fireworks Sat night to start off Presidents week.
The weather will continue with cold nights and warmer days with some mixed precipitaion on Friday night into Sat. http://www.ctweather.com/wrip-weather.php or you can go to:  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157
Don't forget your significant other tomorrow or you will join Fido in the dog house!
Ski ya,
Jon
 
Take your love to new heights this Valentine’s Day at Hunter Mountain!  We are arranging for couples to renew their vows at the summit with a special ceremony. The offer is extended to any married couple with lift tickets or season passes who are able to ski or ride from the top of the mountain.  Everyone participating will meet on the summit deck at 10:30am.  Reverend Karen Monk, of the Kaaterskill United Methodist Church will be there to officiate the ceremony. After the “I Do's”, the group will be treated to a small reception at the summit lodge.
 
Not that this has anything to do with skiing but for those of you who drink diet soda, best read this news:

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Hunter Feb 7 storm warning - powder alert

Hi All,
We are in for a major snow event Friday into Saturday morning 14 - 20 inches expected with high winds i.e a nor'easter.
Airlines are already warning passengers to change flights now without incurring extra fees.
See below NWS Albany forecast:
 
 
Clouds will continue to increase and thicken tonight well in advance of a developing storm, which is currently making its way through the mid part of the country.  This low pressure center will make its way down the Ohio Valley tonight toward Cleveland by early tomorrow morning.  On this track, light snow will begin to break out in Central and Northern New York by sunrise tomorrow.  Overnight lows will be in the upper teens.  At the same time, a secondary low pressure center, rich with subtropical moisture, will get organized in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.  This system will track through the Southeast to a position near Cape Hatteras by early morning tomorrow. 
Light snow will continue to overspread the entire region during the morning hours tomorrow.  During the day, the energy from the primary storm will transfer to the coast and the secondary storm will become more powerful.  Snowfall rates will increase as this occurs and by tomorrow evening a steady light to moderate snow will be falling.  We can expect at least a few inches of snow across most of interior New York and New England by dark.  Temperatures will top out in the upper 20’s.
At this point, the storm will intensify rapidly as it makes its way to a position east and south of Cape Cod overnight into Saturday morning.  It is during this time that the heaviest snow will fall.  Most places will pick up at least 8 to as much as 14 inches of snow in the Mohawk Valley, the Greater Capital District and Northern New York and Vermont.  Parts of the Catskills, the Mid and Lower Hudson Valley, the Taconics, Berkshires, Southern Vermont and Southern New England will receive at least a foot of snow up to 18 inches.  There will be considerable blowing and drifting of the snow, especially closer to the storm’s center towards the coast.  Please click here for a detailed snowfall forecast map.
More wind and snow is likely on Saturday morning but it will gradually wind down during the morning, first in Central and Eastern New York,  then in New England, where it could snow at least into the early part of the afternoon.  Several more inches of snow will accumulate in these locations.  With a return to sunshine from west to east, high temperatures will be in the mid to upper 20’s.
Be careful on the roads!
Jon

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Hunter Feb 6

Hi All,
Been some good cold weather skiing as long as you stay on the groomed sections otherwise it's moonscape. The temp never got out of the 20's this week and it has been windy and cloudy most of the time except for today when sun prevailed. Hunter did make some new snow on the main trails.
It looks like a significant storm is developing for Friday which should please the powder hounds. http://www.ctweather.com/wrip-weather.php
I haven't seen any accumulation predicitons yet.
The WNYT Albany forecast:
The wind shifting to the northwest and becoming gusty, readings will fall back through the 20's during the late afternoon hours.
It will be dry and cold tonight with most locations falling to between 0 and 10 above.
On Thursday, morning sunshine will give way to increasing clouds as a storm heads our way from the west.  This storm will bring light snow across the Adirondacks and North Country later in the day.  Highs will be in the lower to mid 20's. 
From there, we'll continue to track the opportunity for a decent snow storm on Friday as initial storm transfers its energy to a stronger coastal storm.  The exact timing, track and intensity of the coastal storm will determine what we get for snowfall across our region, but it looks like most of us will have at least a moderate snowstorm.
Weekend movies: http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html
Hope to ski ya soon,
Jon