Hunter skiing 12/22

Well folks, the first full day of winter is anything but.

Yesterday's and last night's rain and warm temps, 50 overnight, took its toll on the mtn. If you like damp cold & dark (no sun) spring skiing then today is for you - not for me - currently 45 with some passing showers. Surface conditions I am told are very soft and forgiving but the terrain is much narrower. See attached photo. On the bright side we are expecting 2 - 5 " of snow tonight per below snow chart from WNYT, Albany. Colder weather is forecast for the weekend.

On a sad note, the old Mountain Brook Restaurant finally succumbed to the ravages of Irene in spite of attempts to save it and was being demolished yesterday and today - see photos.

Movies: http://www.catskillmtn.org/retail/farm-market-cafe/index.html

Pray for snow,

Jon

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: Sun and clouds mixed. High near 45F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
• Tonight: Rain showers this evening changing to mixed rain and snow overnight. Low 29F. Winds light and variable. Chance of precip 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
• Tomorrow: Snow during the morning will give way to mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon. High 36F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snowfall around one inch.
• Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy skies. Low near 20F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
• Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the upper teens.
• Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the mid 20s.
• Monday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the upper teens.

Hunter Skiing 12/ 20

Hi All and Happy Hanukah for those who celebrate it.

The morning was not nearly as good as I had predicted yesterday. The high temps of 45 yesterday pm softened the snow and then it dropped to 29 overnight freezing everything. There was no snow making and it was a damp cold this am with limited sun but no wind. There wasn't much the groomers could do with it except make frozen corduroy or marbles, both of which dominated and limited morning skiing. The temp now is only 35 but the sun is coming out so with enough traffic on the slopes the pm should be okay. There was no grooming on Cliff (closed), Ike (closed) or Minya (open but frozen whale humps). Eside was groomed but frozen flat into LowerCross which was all marbles followed by Madison (only way down) which was also all marbles. Cruising past B lift was narrow, frozen and flat. The terrain park was closed.The west had not opened by the time I quit. I did not ski the Belt. The Flyer was running great with no lines. The base for the most part is thin and there are brown patches exposed in many areas subject to windy conditions. The weather is not looking good for tomorrow or near future snow making. Winter officially begins on the 22nd but no one told the snow gods - oh well - it's 5:00 somewhere!

Hoping for better conditions,

Jon

• Today: Sunshine and clouds mixed. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly cloudy skies this evening. A few snow showers developing late. Low 23F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
• Tomorrow: Cloudy with rain and snow showers in the morning changing to all rain in the afternoon. High 42F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
• Tomorrow night: A steady rain early...then remaining cloudy with a few showers. Thunder possible. Low 36F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
• Thursday: More clouds than sun. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the upper 20s.
• Friday: Morning clouds followed by afternoon sun. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the mid 20s.
• Saturday: More clouds than sun. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the low 20s.

Hunter skiing Dec 19

Hi All,

Finally a day worth going out for the first time.

The good news: snow was made on HBK, Cliff, Wayout, Minya, LowerCross, Ike & Belt - the bad news: only HBK and Belt were open for the morning. Why? I'll tell ya - the temps went crazy last night from 11 to 28 and now 46 and most of the newly coated trails were frozen solid - not groomed - with visible humps, ruts and porcelain. Wayout was groomed (it looked very frozen) but due to very high winds the west side lift could not be opened this am. HBK was however very nice and the few slick spots were easily visible with the brilliant sun. The Belt was very windy and dark for at least the first 1/3 but the surface conditions were quite nice. The Flyer ran well but one was greeted with a wicked wind out of the west at the top. There were no crowds at all and one could ski right onto the lift. No snow can be made with these temps so with good grooming tonight and a softening of the surface, tomorrow could be the best day of the week based on weather forecasts of rain for Late Tues into Wed.

Be skiing ya,

Jon

• Today: Partly cloudy. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph.
• Tonight: A few snow showers around this evening, otherwise mostly cloudy. Low 24F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
• Tomorrow: Partly cloudy skies. High near 30F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
• Tomorrow night: Cloudy skies with a few snow showers later at night. Low 24F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
• Wednesday: Rain mixed with snow. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the mid 30s.
• Thursday: Considerable cloudiness. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the upper 20s.
• Friday: Mix of rain and snow showers. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the mid 20s.

Hunter - Sat opening

Following just posted by Hunter:

We will be opening on Saturday!

At this point it is looking like we will use the Kaatskill Flyer to up/download for F-Lift, so we will at the very least be open mid- to summit. If we get some really good temps and make a lot of snow, we will obviously open top to bottom. We will do whatever Mother Nature allows, so things may change between now and Saturday in terms of open terrain. We are *hoping* to have Hellgate-Broadway-Kennedy (otherwise known as HBK or Mainline) top-to-bottom open for Sunday, and the nighttime temps look good.

Hunter weather Dec 7th

Hi to all 100 of you on my list.

Still 41 and raining but the guns will be on full blast tonight 24/7 in addition to an expected 8+" of natural snow tonight.

FINALLY, HERE WE GO!!

Be skiing you soon,

Jon

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

Winter Storm Warning
Hazardous Weather Outlook

This Afternoon: Periods of rain. High near 43. North wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight: Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 3am. Low around 27. Northwest wind between 8 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches possible.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 35. Breezy, with a west wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. West wind between 3 and 9 mph.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Southwest wind between 5 and 9 mph.

Friday Night: A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 30.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 13.

Hunter snow making & weather

Hi All,

The guns were on for a few hrs last night lightly covering the upper half of Hellgate and some sections of the Belt. The weather does not appear favorable for full blasting until next Wed. It is 45 now and although nights will be cold the weekend days will continue unseasonably warm with a mix of rain & snow expected Mon -Tues. There will be more spotty snow making over the next few nights. No opening date has been set yet. Consumer demo weekend is still scheduled for Dec 10-11.

The base lodge bar and pizza counter will again open Saturday from 12 - 6 and Van Winkles will have its usual happy hour 4-6.

The west side quad news:

December 1: The load test took place yesterday and went well. The lift is running great and we took our first ride this afternoon. We are in good shape for a mid-December opening of the new lift!

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

Ski ya soon,

Jon