Hunter Jan 30

Hello Hunter Fans,

OMG - two in a row - another home run day here in paradise.

No wind, brilliant sun, exceptional grooming and temps from an overnight low of 0 to 25 now. No crowds, no lines, no guns and no lift problems. #44 opened around noon time and was quickly attacked by the powder hounds - huge whales & swales of soft powder along the fence line but a few nasty ripples right at the bottom. The entire mountain was in A-1 condition. There wasn't a bad run anywhere today.

Looks like some clouds and light snow with warmer temps Friday and through the weekend:  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.Uuqjbvv4Jp0

Weekend movies - full schedule now posted:  http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

Check out the photo I took of a sunset over Hunter earlier this week.

Ski ya soon,

Jon

Hunter Jan 29

Hi All,

Today was a triple **10** OMG such great dry powder conditions - best winter skiing of the year! Okay so it was a little cold (-5 last night) but + 7 by the time it opened and 17 now with no wind, strong sun - not a cloud in the sky - and grooming perfection! There were no crowds / no line at any lift. The firefighters who have been here for 2 days raced on Madison but the numbers were way down except at the bar - ha! There were guns on Racer's making dry powder for each run and every trail on the front side had hero snow. The west also was well groomed and a pleasure to ski. There is very heavy snow making on #44 Westway and that may open either Thurs or Fri - wow! There were volcanos of snow on skier's right of Lower Cross waiting to be groomed out but lots of sweet powder on the left side. Thurs & Fri (maybe light snow) look to be a repeat of today but warmer - play hookey and come enjoy it - you won't regret it.

NWS forecast: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.UulKxvv4Jp0

I stopped by the old "Fireside" soon to be named "Hunter Mountain Brewery" with 12 craft beers and a good variety of American comfort food (not just BBQ as previously planned) with specials and occasional live music. They are hoping for a mid March opening - can't wait! The liquor store in the Village of Hunter will be moving into the space adjacent to the new Brewery with a larger selection and more reasonable prices so I am told.

Weekend movies:  http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

Ski & ride hard but safely,

Jon

Hunter Jan 24

Hello Hunter fans,

WOW!! - that's the bottom line on conditions - some of the best dry powder made in years and tons of it. There was no wind, the sun was strong but it was frigid. The early temp was -4 but now we have a heat wave at +11. The guns were still blasting on many slopes including LowerK27 (closed until Saturday) and UpperCross which today was incredible as was most of the mountain. Claire's which had been great the past 2 days was firm today with big mounds and not sure if it will get groomed tonight but Rt 80 (WhiteCloud/Wayout) was incredible. My only beef is that they are not (yet) blowing on Annapurna.  We are expecting 2 - 4" of new snow starting tomorrow afternoon according to the local radio news.

Come on up and enjoy some real cold weather powder skiing and riding! The base is deep and should insure some sweet spring conditions well into April.

NWS forecast: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.UuLHVftOl7I

Movies: http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

Have a great weekend!

Jon

Hunter Jan 22

Hi All,

All the snow fell to our south and we received a big fat ZERO inches. What we did get was the cold:  -5 this am up to +4 now with some gusty winds making the chill factor something like -20. The sky is a crystal clear blue with no clouds and plenty of sun but that is not adding any warmth to the air. The grooming looked to be exceptional and Hunter is making alot of snow on the face of the mtn in a recovery effort (the weekend crowds scraped it off down to the hardpack).  All roads are clear.  The local plumbers are busy with frozen pipes.  There are very few people on the hill - see for yourself on the webcams:  http://www.huntermtn.com/huntermtn/webcams.aspx  Tomorrow could be even colder. NWS forecast: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.Ut_6eftOl7I

Weekend movies include some Oscar nominees: http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

No other noteworthy news at this time.

Bundle up!

Jon

Hunter Jan 17

Hello Hunter Fans,

Today was near perfect with lots of sun, temps that went from 15 overnight to 36 now, extraordinary grooming of the entire mountain and some fresh powder blown on the main line. The hard groomed surface softened quickly and made for some easy hero snow. Snow making had ceased by the time the mountain opened. The crowd was relatively light considering we are heading into a 3 day MLK weekend with a minimal wait at the Flyer, no wait at either "F" which was running or "Z". Wayout was sweet but Claire's was a bit scratchy, hard, well groomed and softening a bit as the day progressed. White Cloud was closed until about 1:30 due to some earlier wet guns and irregular mounds of snow. Our friend George T fell and dislocated his left shoulder on Huega and we wish him well. He is being evaluated at Kingston Hospital. Looks like some snow during the day tomorrow of 2 - 4" with similar temps as today however an arctic blast is due next Tues - Fri.

Don't forget the laser light show Saturday evening slopeside.

NWS forecast: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.UtmEmPtOl7I

Weekend movies:  http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

Have a great weekend!

Jon

Hunter Jan 15

Hello All,

I have no first hand condition reports since I haven't been out on the slopes yet this week. The morning weather conditions have not been to my liking. Yesterday was a complete washout with rain and mid 40's all day. Today and this past Monday had very frozen am conditions although the brilliant sun softened things up by the afternoon. You could not ski where it wasn't groomed but grooming was excellent. Snowmaking will resume tonight in a recovery effort as the weather will hopefully cooperate. Forecast: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.UtbMgfs0WJ4

Hunter is planning a laser light show Sat evening and there will be a Bon Jovi cover band at the main bar for apres ski time:

"Join us for a Cream of Wheat Laser Light Show Spectacular on Saturday January 18th!

Brilliant laser imagery choreographed to music will dance across our slopes just after dark.  Live Entertainment from the ultimate Bon Jovi tribute band "Living on a Bad Name" in the Main Bar will keep the party rocking all night long!  "                         It looks like the new Brew / BBQ restaurant (the old Fireside) will try and open by mid Feb. There is work going on there constantly.

Weekend movies: http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

If you are up Friday night stop by "Cheese after Dark" in Tannersville for a live performance @ 8:30 of Marco's Jazz/Rock band - you won't regret it!

If you are a cheese cake fan try it at the new Bakery - great!

Ski ya,

Jon

Hunter Jan 9

Hi All,

Another beautiful day to be out on the slopes!  Overnight temps stayed at 12 and warmed up to 23 with oodles of sun and no wind. Snow making was suspended which was fine (the guys did a great job lately and needed a rest) but grooming was almost non-existent which was not okay. Most trails were left untouched from yesterday except for Claire's which fortunately was groomed out flat from top to bottom and accounted for most of my runs today - It was as good as it gets. Wayout was all swales but powdery from yesterday's snow making. Eside was a mess of whale humps and bumps and the Cliff was very bumpy. Racer's however stayed flat, firm and fast but with a thin powder surface. The main line was a bit inconsistent with some whales at the top of Hgate but easy to navigate due to the excellent visibility. The crowd was relatively light with a very minor wait for the Flyer. I was told that there will be some major grooming tonight but it looks cloudy for tomorrow. The weekend weather unfortunately does not look good at all:  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.Us7_1vuvkrc

Looks like a party weekend so party on.......

Jon

Hunter Jan 8

Hi All,

It felt like the polar ice cap here the past few days but today it let up a bit as temps have climbed from 0 to 15 (a heat wave) with great sun and no wind. Surface conditions and visibility were excellent as the guns deposited fresh dry powder on most trails for the past few days. I didn't ski any bad trails although Eside was full of whale humps & ungroomed. Minya / Lowercross was excellent. The Cliff had the best powder and down thru Racer's, Ike or Gunhill also all good. The main line was sweet but getting a bit scratchy by late morning. Huega was a bit granular. The Belt was very sweet all the way and only ended up on it to eyeball Wayout (west was opened only after 11:00) but the snow making made such a fog that it was near impossible to see so I continued down the Belt. My guess is that the high winds yesterday polished the west side so it was in a major recovery mode. There were no lift issues and the crowd was light - maybe had to wait for 3 or 4 chairs as it is "college week" with discounted tickets.

 

Thurs and Fri look pretty good but Sat & Sun could be messy:  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.Us2b1_uvkrc

 

Weekend movies: http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

Can't say enough good things about the new Bakery / Cafe with a great selection of goodies - also excellent sandwiches with Boar's Head cold cuts. Very neat and clean with that bakery smell - mmmm!  The new micro brewery & BBQ is still a few months away.

Van Winkles has resumed it's happy hour 4 - 6 every night now that the holidays have passed.

Happy trails,

Jon

Hunter Jan 3

Hi All,

It was an interesting powder day with 12" over the past 24 hrs.  It was fairly dry snow but had some weight to it.  First few runs were fun but once it got cut up, skiing became a bit more challenging and inconsistent. The only groomed and consistent powder trails from the top were the Belt and Huega/Dropoff or mid station which was groomed from the top of "D" down thru Kennedy. There was no "D" or "F" running. The temp was brutal at + 4 at the base and -10 at the top with gusty winds especially coming from the west side. It got colder and and more windy as the morning progressed. I would estimate the wind chill now at around minus 20 to 25.The only significant line was when the Flyer opened but after that you only had to wait for 3 or 4 chairs. The sun has been strong but didn't add any warmth - just good visibility. Many snow guns were and still are on. I would expect some major crowds tomorrow due to the snow that fell down state. Main St has a hard packed white surface - no pavement showing but the roads leading up here I am told are clear.

Weekend movies:  http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/movie-theater/index.html

There is another snow / mixed with rain system due Sun into Monday which will then freeze on Tue due to single digits forecast.

Forecast: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.UscOffuvkrc

Ski safely.....party hearty,

Jon

Hunter Jan 1 powder alert

Happy New Year Hunter Fans. I hope it is a good and healthy one for all of you.

Please see below snow forecast map and note we are in the 10"+ area for tonight thru Friday morning and it will be very dry and drifting snow due to the cold temps and below zero wind chills.

 

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157#.UsQ_GPuvkrc

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Greene County from 7 p.m. today through Friday morning. Heavy, fast snowfall is expected, with accumulations of six to 12 inches. Light snow is expected to start tonight, then become steadier through the day tomorrow and taper off tomorrow night into Friday morning. The snow will be accompanied by low temperatures, ranging from -4 to 21 degrees over the next two days.

 

Be safe on the roads and on the slopes!

Jon