Hunter March 8

Hello Hunter fans,

Today was a fantastic Friday. Bright sun early warmed the temps up from 3 to 36 now. There is no wind but a high cloud cover has moved in to mute the sunshine just a bit.

The grooming was exceptional. Every main trail was coated with corduroy powder on a flat granular surface. It was an ego ski & ride day. Cliff / Racers was especially sweet.

The crowd was light for such a beautiful Friday. F lift was running but not Z which has been down all week for a maintenance issue.

Claire’s was closed this am but Wayout was open to Northern Express.

Saturday should be a bright sunny day but Saturday night into Sunday is another story with a forecast of early snow changing to sleet and then rain with temps approaching 40. Big sales are on at all the local ski shops.

Spring is around the corner,

Jon

 

 

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable.

Saturday Night

Snow, mainly after 1am. Low around 26. Southeast wind 6 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Sunday

Snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 11am, then rain and sleet likely between 11am and 1pm, then a chance of rain after 1pm. High near 38. Southeast wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 11pm and 2am, then a chance of snow showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Ex Hunter skier now manages Vail

A very interesting article that is a must for all skiers and boarders to read.

 

Will PEAK be the next addition to Vail’s Epic or Alterra’s Ikon pass?

Time will tell.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-03-01/epic-vs-ikon-battle-for-the-best-ski-pass

Hunter March 4 - powder day

Hi All,

Finally a sunny powder day at least until late am when clouds rolled in. We had 4” of relatively light powder with temps holding in the mid 20’s.

The wind was gusty early but has since calmed down as temps slowly climbed to about 30 now. There were freshies to be had for a while.

Nothing above the top of B lift was groomed although I did not go down the Belt. I preferred to stay in the sun. Minya, Eside, Hgate, Cliff, Mid-station, Racers, Ike & Gunhill were not groomed but were cut up within a half hour of opening. Huega I heard was badly wind blown by the switch-back with a massive snow drift and slick ice.  Kennedy was groomed and that was it from what I saw. Except for a crowd waiting for the Flyer to open, it was a relatively light turnout.

By 10 am it was bumpy clumps of powder with frozen granular in between i.e. noisy scratchy skiing. Snow making is done so it all depends now on the grooming and mother nature. We may get some lake effect snow this week but only a dusting.

The rest of this week will be bitter cold with mid-winter like conditions. 

Hard to believe that we turn the clocks ahead this weekend – get ready for crazy March weather.

Happy trails,

Jon

 

Tonight

A slight chance of snow showers between 7pm and 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 4. Wind chill values as low as -8. West wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday

A slight chance of snow showers after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -9. West wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night

A chance of snow showers, mainly between 7pm and 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7. Wind chill values as low as -8. West wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Wednesday

A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 15. West wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 2.

Thursday

A chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 20. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 7.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 27.

 

Hunter - Valentine's Day 2019

Hello all you heart-throbs,

Valentine’s Day proved to be a great day to be out on the slopes. The morning had lots of sun making for great visibility with excellent consistent grooming on all trails that made for some real ego skiing & riding. All the snow from yesterday (5”) and the crusty ice that followed was nicely ground into powder & granules.

The temperature rose from low 20’s to 33 by noon time and the wind which was strong early, died down considerably. I couldn’t tell you what the summit temp & wind were like because the weather station was and is out of order – no surprise there. All front side trails were excellent but one still had to be mindful of the very hard base directly under the powdery surface. It was starting to get scraped off by late morning. The crowds were sparse and one could ski right onto the chair all morning. Hunter North – Overlook, was very dark and a bit scary in spots with no ability to discern the surface - good thing it was groomed flat. My favorites were all in the sun:  the main line, Minya, Huega or Cliff to Ike.

The weekend weather will be variable with Sunday looking like the best of the three day President’s weekend. Ticket sales people told me that the pre-holiday sales are off the charts so expect some monster crowds.

There are no delays on the mountain road but beware of falling ice.

Happy Valentine’s Day and President’s Weekend,

Jon

 

 

 

NWS Forecast

Friday

A chance of rain and snow showers before 10am, then a chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. South wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night

Isolated snow showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. West wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday

Isolated snow showers after 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 32. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 13.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 28.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14.

Washington's Birthday

Partly sunny, with a high near 26.

Hunter 23A update

Pleased to advise repairs completed and the road is open without any lights or delays.

Hunter 23A correction

As of today, February 6.................

Hunter - Route 23A delays

Hi All,

As of today, January 6,  there are emergency repairs on 23A between Palenville and Haines Falls due to structural damage from the recent thaws & freezes.

It is quite a long stretch that is affected from the lower parking area to the upper one which includes the curves around the water fall.

There is a one lane traffic light system in place and I am told it will last at least a week. I will stay on top of it. Expect delays.

Jon