Friday, March 29, 2013

Hunter March 29

Hi All,
Good Friday was a Great Friday!  After yesterday's dark, windy and snowy sky, today was a welcome relief. It got down to 28 last night but warmed quickly to 44 under a brilliant sun - at least for a while. Clouds came in around 11 am and still dominate. The crowds came out today in a Saturday type atmosphere since schools are all closed for the holiday. The lift line got long for a while until "F" was opened. Claire's was not groomed and was very slick on the upper section but Wayout was a nice cruiser - no lines on the west. The entire front side was groomed and was very nice although it did get heavy fast as the sun beat down on it. The only thin / brown I saw was on Upper K27 otherwise the base is deep and there is still a snow cover in the woods.
Hunter will most likely close during the week April 8-11 then reopen for a final 3 day weekend April 12-14.
The Zip Line is getting back into the swing of things and taking bookings.
Enjoy your Easter, party hearty and beware of those chocolate Easter bunnies & eggs mmmm!
Jon
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Hunter March 27 - A "10"

Hello friends of Hunter,
I do not often give out a "10" but today was one of them. There were no deductions:  not for temps, or grooming, or visibility, or wind, or surface conditons or crowds!  It got down to 23 last night, was 32 at the time lifts opened and 46 now. Great sun, a surface that was like cream cheese on a hard base - call it hero snow or ego snow but it was GREAT! Grooming was perfect tho not on Claire's last night. Best run Cliff / Racer's or Ike. The west side including Claire's will be great this afternoon as it softens a bit. It is getting a bit overcast now and the wind has picked up a bit but still very pleasant outside. These are the best late March conditions I can recall in the 37 years I have been skiing here. The cold nights will continue to preserve the base even tho the trend now is for warmer days. I anticipate seeing the bears out sometime next week even though the ground off trail is still white & frozen.
These late winter conditions are rare for March so get out and enjoy them - keep the golf clubs in the closet a bit longer.
Ski on.....
Jon
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Hunter March 26

Hello Hunter fans,
Winter just won't let go. Upper 20's last night, only 34 now with a stiff breeze and crazy changing weather with mostly dark clouds bringing some heavy snow squalls and some flurries off the great lakes with a few glimpses of the sun. There was actually some accumulation on the top half of the mtn. I did not ski but I can tell you surface conditions were excellent however visibilty went from near zero during the squalls to okay. The mtn policy this school holiday week has been to groom every trail every night except Racer's and Claire's which get groomed alternatively every other night. Last night it was Claire's turn but Racer's was anyway good. Upper K was not done either. There were more than the usual number of people for a Tuesday (school holiday) but not enough for a lift line. A definite closing date has still not been established as they are waffling on opening during the week after April 7. It will be based on how many customers they think they will have so like several past seasons it will come down to a last minute decision - It's all about the $money$ now.
The 7 day forecast calls for more variable weather with possibilities for snow & rain as we head towards the weekend with a gradual warming trend into the low 40's.
You'll need wax on those skis and boards - it's getting sticky.
It's ski & party time - Happy Passover and Easter holidays.
Jon
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Friday, March 22, 2013

Hunter March 22

Hi All,
Another dusting last night with cold temps made for another nice day of skiing. It was a bit colder today and the visibility was not as good as yesterday due to frequent cloud cover. There was a noticiable wind on top also. A front started moving in around 11:30 with flat light and flurries as expected. Grooming again was sensational with the entire mountain treated to a facial. Claire's was hard and fast but the best trail in terms of snow was Racer's which actually had a powder surface rather than granular. The Eside trails were quite good as was Cliff, HBK and Ike. No crowds, no lines and no "F" or "D" all week.  There was a rumor of bear tracks on Eside Drive but I didn't see any. It wont be long untill we do have bear sightings if spring ever gets here. The 7 day forecast calls for continued cold and flurries. Sunday looks to be a bit warmer than Saturday as we may see temps hit 40.  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157
Keep the cold weather gear handy and the edges sharpened,
Jon
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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Hunter March 21

Hi All,
Winter is ignoring the calendar. It got down to 9 last night, 20 by the start of the day and only about 32 now.
First let me say that I got biased negative info yesterday which I heard about today from many who said skiing was great with excellent grooming but there was a visibility issue. From now on, if I do not experience the conditions first hand, I will not rely on others for trail condition reports.
Today was a top 10 day of the year. We had another dusting last night and there was great sun, no wind, perfect grooming and very consistent flat, fast and firm surface conditions. I had the most runs on Racer's and Claire's than I have all season. There wasn't a bad trail on the mtn and there were no lines in spite of the fact this is another college week - spring break - where $35 and a vaild ID gets you a lift ticket.
The season is now going to be extened another week to April 14 due to the fact that we still have an unbelievable base with more cold weather and some snow for next week.
In other news, The Bagel Shop is closed and has a "For Sale" sign on it.
There are still tickets ($150/each) available for the Beaux Arts Ball on Saturday night April 6.
Keep those skis tuned and enjoy some great winter conditions.
Jon
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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Hunter March 20

Hello Hunter Fans,
So much for the first day of spring!  We had another dusting to an inch of wind blown snow last night. Temps remain very cold for the season with 21 last night to only 33 now. The early skiers had comments like: very limited grooming, heavy, tough, alot of work, flat light, cold and windy. The clouds have been prevalent all day with only occasional glimpses of filtered sunlight. The rest of the week looks to be about the same with cold temps, wind and clouds:  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157   or   http://www.ctweather.com/wrip-weather.php
So far this has been one of the coldest if not the coldest month of March in decades.
In restaurant news - The Village Bistro in Tannersville is closed - out of business and the Bagel Shop in Hunter I'm afraid is not far behind.
The tentative closing date for the mountain is Sunday April 7 even though there will be plenty of snow left on the trails.
Keep those edges sharp - no spring conditions for a while!
Jon
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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Hunter March 19

Hi All,
You would never know that tomorrow is the first day of spring. Mother nature is messing with us. We had about 3" of snow followed by about 2" of sleet topped off with another 2" of wet snow. The roads did not get cleared until after noon time and all schools were shut down. Temps went from 29 to almost 40 now and the snow is very heavy. Those who attempted to ski early said it was very heavy, sticky and tough. I witnessed those few who were out there struggling to get down Racer's.
Tomorrow could be a great ski day.
Play hooky!
Jon
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Monday, March 18, 2013

Hunter March 18 - winter storm warning

Hello Hunter Fans,
I hope everyone enjoyed their St Patrick's Day. Temps dipped to 9 last night but with the sun out early and no wind it rose quickly to 33 now.  Clouds have moved in with a front that should bring us some wet March snow tonight:   5 - 8" is the latest forecast. Grooming was excellent and skiing was fast on a frozen granular surface - it was an ego day.  Snow Forecast:
 
 
 
Wish I could call it a powder alert but it looks too wet for that.
So much for an early spring,
Jon
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Friday, March 15, 2013

Hunter March 15

Hi All,
Remember the words whispered to Caesar "Beware the ides of March" - well today there was nothing to beware of - yesterday's brutal arctic dark cold windy weather is gone. The sun was out early and strong with just a light breeze and temps were 20 overnight but 30 by the time the lift opened. The grooming was excellent and the surface conditions were hard, fast, flat, easy & enjoyable. Cliff/Racer's or Ike - great as was HBK and the Eside trails. There was no ice although Claire's had a bit of a shine to it and Wayout was in great shape. Where it wasn't groomed looked like moonscape. Not much coverage left on 44 or Apurna which were closed. The sun disappeared around 11:30 and it is snowing lightly now at 33. Looks like cold weather will preserve the snow for the weekend but you need good edges. Forecasts:  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Hunter&state=NY&site=ALY&lat=42.2112&lon=-74.2157  or  http://www.ctweather.com/wrip-weather.php  Sunday - St. Patty's day, looks to be the sunnier of the two.
Last weekend for Bear Creek - reservations recommended.
Watch out for that green beer and local law enforcement but stay thirsty my friends,
Jon

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Hunter March 13

Hi All,
We had 2" of rain yesterday and the temps dropped to 29 last night (21 on top). I went out at 10 this am and called it quits after 1 run. Grooming was done on all trails except Racer's, Claire's & Alternate, Whitecloud, UpperK & Dropoff.  Although the sun is out now and it is 42 it was very cloudy this am and the surface was very variable / deep heavy granular sugar with marbles and occasional ice. Where the water ponded near the bottom of "F" and under the upper section of "B" it was a frozen lake.  The mtn was like a ghost town. The weather will turn much colder over the next few nights with some flurries possible and high wind as a cold front moves in.
Keep those edges sharp.
Jon
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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Hunter March 12

Hello Hunter fans,
Rain, rain go away.....It has taken a significant toll on the mtn as brown and bare spots appear.  All of the snow that fell last week is gone and then some. Front lawns are visible again for the first time in months. Those who skied yesterday am said it was only possible and good but heavy where it was groomed and not many trails were groomed. It was 50 yesterday and low 40's overnight with a temp now of 48, heavy rain, high winds and poor visibility. It has been raining hard since last night and typical of March, freezing temps in the 20's and teens are forecast for tonight thru the weekend nights.
Streams and creeks are high and getting higher as ice dams break up - flood warnings have been issued for the entire region.
This will be the last weekend for Bear Creek managed by The Lazy Swan as the seasonal lease ends so make reservations if you plan on dining there.
Better sharpen your edges again for the up-coming St. Patty's Day weekend.
Ski ya,
Jon
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Friday, March 8, 2013

Hunter March 8 - powder day

Hi All,
The snow storm unexpectedly stalled over us and the snow has been coming down heavily all day so far. We will end up with about 10". Schools are closed and the streets including 23A are still all white - no significant plowing yet.The temp has slowly climbed from 25 to about 31 now and the wind has been steady at about 10 - 15 mph.  Very few trails were groomed and skiing I hear is alot of work with compromised visibility. The west side is better than the front as A'purna has opened and 44 is back on the open list. 
Expect warmer temps Sat and Sun with sunny skies for the Winter Carnival.
Wax your skis,
Jon
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Hunter March 5

Hi All,
After a miserable weather day yesterday that didn't warrant skiing, today started off cold 27 and cloudy with top 1/3 of the mtn in a fog but finally - no wind. After waiting an hour for some brightness to work its way in, the first two runs were still dominated by flat light.  The surface was great, soft, no ice, very well groomed. It got brighter and warmer with each run until the sun broke through and brought the temp up to 40. There were no crowds and no lines. Even the trails that had not been groomed like upper K and Eside were okay.  Best runs: Cliff to either Racer's or Ike and Rt 80. Did not ski Claire's as wasn't sure about the upper part - it had not been groomed. Some crazy daredevil on skis went thru the closed signs on 44 and was slowly working his way down the fence line - it was not well covered.
Hunter has a big winter carnival weekend coming up:
The weather for the rest of the week does not look that good with mixed snow & rain predicted but no accumulation:
Ski on....Party on!
Jon
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Friday, March 1, 2013

Hunter March 1

Hi All,
Did someone say crunchy? Yes it was frozen corduroy, noisy and fast with very poor visibility as low clouds dominated the day. Temps were 30 overnight and 34 now with occasional flurries. Wind was not a factor.  Reliable sources said grooming was sub-par but I was told that the entire mtn including Claire's and Racer's will get a facial tonight. I was told that good (not great) runs included WhiteCloud to Wayout. The trails were scraped off early and one had to stay to the sides to get the "sugar" otherwise it was slick city. The mtn was empty for a Friday. The weekend weather looks to be mostly cloudy with temps in the low to mid 30's.
For those of you who have AT&T as a cell phone carrier you will be happy to hear that they will add a dish to the older communication tower on top of the mtn very soon.
Ski on.....
Jon
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