Hunter January 28

Hell Hunter fans,

It was two thumbs up today and if I had 4 thumbs they would be up too. What a difference from yesterday’s bad conditions.

Crystal blue sky with awesome sun made for great visibility. Fresh powder was blown on all main front side trails except Racer’s & Huega and they were all excellent.

Apurna & Claire’s groomed top to bottom – excellent. Light crowds. Temps overnight were in the low 20’s but now 38 at the base. There was a wind out of the west 10 mph at the top but no big deal. The summit temp is 29 was as low as 18.

Tomorrow looks to be cloudy with a 40% chance of snow/rain – hopefully just some snow. The weekend is looking warmer and clear.

Be aware that they are now checking tickets/passes for every run with a crew of 4 at the Flyer. Long range weather forecast for the entire northeast Feb – April calls for above normal temps.

Come ski it while we have it and man we have it!

Happy trails,

Jon

 

 

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Friday

Scattered snow showers, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Light west wind becoming northwest 8 to 13 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night

Isolated snow showers before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday

Partly sunny, with a high near 35. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Sunday

Partly sunny, with a high near 44.

Hunter January 27

Hello Hunter fans,

Didn’t go out yesterday due to flat light, early rain, temps at 48 & high wind. I was told surface conditions were soft and consistent if you could see it. The Flyer was unloaded and shut down late morning for about an hour and there were other lift issues later. Temps dropped into the upper 20’s last night and you know what that means after a spring-like day. Even with heading out late at 10 this am I found surface conditions hard marbles and slick spots – very variable. One could only ski where it was groomed otherwise it was shiny surfaces. The sun was out for a while but now we have flurries, flat light & wind. Temps around 35 at the base, 26 on top with 15-20 mph wind. The only consistent flat surface run was Cliff/ Racers but it was noisy. The groomers did their best but the marbles were no fun so it was a short day for me at least. The main line and all east side trails were marbles. There were and are no guns on. There were no lift issues today – so far - and no crowds. They were checking all lift tickets for the first time this season.

Looks like a variable cold and windy week & weekend ahead. Bring back Monday!

Ski on.............

Jon

 

 

 

 

This Afternoon

A slight chance of snow showers before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 34. West wind 14 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 18. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. South wind 6 to 11 mph.

Thursday Night

A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday

Scattered snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31. West wind 7 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night

Isolated snow showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Sunday

Partly sunny, with a high near 44.

Hunter January 25

Hello Hunter fans and storm survivors,

All I can say is OMG!  What a day to be on the slopes – best of the season by many accounts. Those of you who stayed up here because of the down state snow conditions had a real treat. Not a single snowflake up here from the storm.

Great sun, NO WIND and temps that went from an overnight low of 25 to 37 now. Every popular front-side trail had consistent excellent groomed (thanks Skip!) powdery conditions (Thanks Bruce!). Apurna & Claire’s were not groomed but softened by late morning. Cliff / Racer’s / Ike / Gunhill magnificent! HBK, Minya, Eside, Huega etc. couldn’t have been much better.

There were no crowds, no lift issues and no snow guns to deal with. Today was the first of the Localmotion races for all the mid and late life wannabe racers. ( I expect some feedback for that comment but hey – I really don’t care)

Even though the grooming report showed Lower K groomed it was only the run out – a bit of misinformation there. They do not groom the headwall.

The weather for the week looks to be okay for the most part with some mixed precip Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Going to be a great week – come play hooky!

Jon

 

 

 

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. South wind 7 to 11 mph.

Tuesday

A slight chance of freezing rain between 9am and 11am, then scattered rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. South wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night

A chance of rain and snow showers before 7pm, then a slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Southwest wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday

Isolated snow showers after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 34. West wind 9 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday Night

Isolated snow showers before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 31.

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Friday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33.

Hunter January 22

Hello all,

Come on up and enjoy some of the best skiing of the young season.

Today easily was a top 2 day with great sun, no wind and fresh powder from lots of snow making on groomed corduroy. It was very cold with summit temps in single digits and  22 at the base.

Guns were blasting fresh powder in many areas especially the entire mid-station section. The Cliff and Huega were not groomed (probably tonight). Huega was full of soft whale humps which were fun to ski since there was no ice for a change. There is massive snow making now on Apurna which may officially open tomorrow for the first time in 3 years.  Claire’s is in very good shape.  The depth of the snow base is now quite substantial on most trails especially Hgate which I would estimate at 7 ft.

They were running “F” today but it really was not needed. All of you from downstate, LI & NJ better get on the road tonight if you plan to make it up here. We are not expected to get any more than an inch or two if any out of the storm. IT will however be cloudy and windy.

Winter has arrived!! Enjoy the weekend.

Jon

 

 

Detailed Forecast

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Wind chill values as low as zero. North wind 5 to 8 mph.

Saturday

A slight chance of snow after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -1. North wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night

A slight chance of snow before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 13. Wind chill values as low as -2. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 28. Wind chill values as low as -1. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Northwest wind around 8 mph.

Hunter January 21

Hi all you Hunter Fans,

I got back on the slopes after a few days off. Those who were out during the first hour said conditions were excellent with lots of powder on the main line trails and Racer’s – thanks “Killer”. I went out at 10:00 and found conditions good but not great. It was another cold windy day with temps in the teens and a brisk cold wind. It was very sunny. Although it is 23 at the base now the wind chill is still around 10. It is 15 at the summit with a real feel of 0 and wind steady at 15 mph with gusts to 30. The lifts were functioning well but no “F” or “D” as not needed.

Those surfaces exposed to the wind were blown off and very hard. The wind was out of the west today. The guns were still on in many places so there were pockets of powder in between hard packed “noisy” surfaces. I found many trails scraped off except for narrow strips on the sides. My opinion, very variable conditions. Cliff was left with ungroomed whale humps. Wayout was hard and fast. Claire’s, which was only accessible via the Alternate, had guns blasting from both sides top to bottom and although a few said the powder was excellent I do not ski a trail like that anymore unless the visibility is very good. White Cloud was just that – a snow guns whiteout.  Every trail on the mountain except Apurna & 44 Westway is open with good coverage. The weather for tomorrow looks to be a repeat of today. The Nor’easter forecast for the Atlantic coast is not expected to reach Hunter with anymore than winds and maybe a dusting to an inch or two.

If you know of anyone interested in a sublet of a High Peaks locker with parking benefits for the rest of the season please let me know as I have someone who will not ski the rest of this year.

Bundle up for the weekend – it will be very cold,

Jon

 

NWS forecast for Hunter

 

This Afternoon

Sunny, with a high near 22. Northwest wind around 14 mph.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -1. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 23. Wind chill values as low as zero. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10. North wind 3 to 6 mph.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. North wind around 8 mph.

Saturday Night

A chance of snow after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday

A chance of snow before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 15.

Hunter January 14

Hello Hunter fans,

It was a great day to be on the slopes. The surface conditions were excellent powder, packed powder and consistent grooming (except E-side which was covered with whale humps). The snow guns continued blasting on many slopes and we expect Claire’s, Gunhill and White Cloud to open tomorrow for the first time. Upper Cross opened today and it was superb even with the guns still going. The sun was adequate with some high clouds filtering it at times. The wind was much less than yesterday but still fairly strong on the west side especially on the upper Belt and on the Z lift – that was a cold ride up.   Wayout was very nice from which one could take UpperK to Minya & LowerCross. 

Cliif/ Racer’s or Ike was exceptional. The entire mid-station area was nothing but fresh dry squeaky powder right down through Kennedy. I don’t recall seeing so many guns operating at the same time as yesterday & today.

Overnight temps stayed in the mid teens but rose to a high of 26 today. It is just now clouding up with a lake effect squall due soon. The crowd was relatively light – no”F” or “D” needed or open.

Friday looks to be another really nice day, warmer, but the weekend outlook looks rather sketchy with a mixed bag of tricks from mother nature Friday night and Saturday followed by a deep freeze Sunday night into Monday.

Have a great safe MLK weekend,

Jon

 

Tonight

A slight chance of snow showers before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday

Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Friday Night

Showers likely, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday

A chance of rain and snow showers before 11am, then a chance of rain showers between 11am and 3pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Southeast wind 6 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Sunday

Partly sunny, with a high near 29.

Sunday Night

A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

M.L.King Day

Partly sunny, with a high near 19.

Hunter January 13

Hi All,

What a difference a day makes.

The visibility this morning was bright & perfect although clouds and some lake effect snow started rolling in around 11:30. It is snowing now. The only thing we had to deal with was cold (teens bottom & single digits top) and strong steady 20+ MPH wind – gusts to 35. The wind chills were sub zero all morning. Surface conditions were excellent and consistent. Guns were blowing allover the place but they were not wet so there was no issue with goggles freezing up. Snow making was added to Gunhill, Claire’s, Upper Cross, 42nd. and the paths leading to/from the Hotel.

Best powder run today was Eside/Milky under dry powder guns. Wayout was opened late but the wind was out of the west today so getting there was dark and cold. You will notice that Wayout is now much wider, it’s fenced on skier’s right and the drops are gone. Also, the run-out to the lift is flatter. The wind would actually almost stop you on the top of Belt & Huega.

The Flyer had no issues and there was no “D” or “F” as not needed. The terrain Park was closed as it was being constructed by the groomers.

Thursday and Friday look good but there are storm warnings for Saturday that include mixed precipitation – Boo! The mountain has quite a few festivities planned for the 3 day MLK weekend – check their web site for details.

Hunter is back! Enjoy it!

Jon

 

Detailed Forecast (NWS) for Hunter

This Afternoon

A chance of snow showers, mainly before 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 18. Wind chill values as low as zero. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Wind chill values as low as zero. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26. West wind around 7 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Friday

Partly sunny, with a high near 39. South wind 5 to 7 mph.

Friday Night

A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 1am, then a chance of sleet between 1am and 4am, then a chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday

Rain and snow likely before 1pm, then scattered rain and snow showers between 1pm and 4pm, then scattered snow after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Sunday

Partly sunny, with a high near 30.

Sunday Night

A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

M.L.King Day

Partly sunny, with a high near 19.

Hunter January 12

Hi all,

It was one and done for me today – probably wasn’t worth the effort to boot up and go out but I was antsy to ski again. It was defensive skiing.

The snow guns were blasting in an effort to recover from Sunday’s heavy rains and the Monday freeze. It is also snowing – the wind was blowing (actually howling) out of the east. Visibility was very poor and surface conditions very variable.

Where the surface was exposed to the wind it was polished and where it was calm, lots of powder – problem was you couldn’t see it. Wind gusts at the top were 46 mph / wind chill –4 / temp 16 and it hindered your exit from the flyer.

Grooming was minimal and there were whale humps on Kennedy that were glazed.

Temps were in the teens but about 25 now at the base. The west side was closed after only half an hour and the Flyer was running slow and stopping frequently. Wind will continue tomorrow and snow accumulation today expected to be 2 –3”.  Here is the link to the summit weather and base conditions:  http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KNYHUNTE3

 

Ski & ride safely,

Jon

 

Detailed Forecast (NWS)

Today

Snow showers likely, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 26. South wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Tonight

Snow showers likely, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wind chill values as low as -1. Breezy, with a southwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming west 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Wednesday

A chance of snow showers, mainly before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -2. Breezy, with a west wind 16 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Wind chill values as low as zero. West wind 8 to 11 mph.

Thursday

Partly sunny, with a high near 27. West wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Friday

Partly sunny, with a high near 37.

Friday Night

A chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday

A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 33. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday Night

A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday

A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Hunter January 7

Hi All,

Hunter officially changed hands at 8 am this morning – the end of a long chapter in many of our lives.  New ownership is now in charge but don’t ask me what will change or when as I do not have any answers yet.

Today was just another day in paradise. Conditions mirrored those of yesterday except Wayout was groomed and open as was Racer’s. Still no snow yet on Gunhill. Other than that , excellent grooming and perfect weather. It started out at 15 but now 40 and very sunny. Unfortunately the weekend looks like a rain event.

I have to correct something from yesterday: The happy hours at the main bar are from 3 to 5pm weekdays only.

The Hunter Brewery is now under new management as well with Mike Tancredi  (ex Tequillas) running the show. They are finally proceeding with securing a brewing license.

Ski on...........

Jon

 

 

NWS forecast for Hunter:

This Afternoon

Sunny, with a high near 37. Calm wind.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Light northwest wind.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.

Friday Night

A chance of snow and sleet before 8pm, then a chance of sleet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday

A chance of snow and sleet before 10am, then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday Night

Rain likely, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday

Rain. High near 48. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night

A chance of rain showers before 10pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Hunter skiing Jan 6

Hello Hunter fans.

Today was the latest first day ever for me, in this my 40th season pass year at Hunter, and it was GREAT!

Definitely worth waiting for after the miserable slow start we had to winter. Brilliant sun, no wind with temps that went from a low of 7 to 37 now.

Every open front side trail was well covered from massive snow making & groomed to perfection: HBK, Cliff/Ike, Eside/Milky, Minya/LowerCross & the Belt. The top of Racers was closed due to glazing but the lower section was accessible via Ike. Nice powdery conditions all over. There was a decent crowd but not enough for a line and no need for “F” or ”D”.

Wayout was closed and looked ungroomed & glazed.

The groomers were out forming the chutes in the tubing park which was well covered too.

The rest of the week is looking good but not the weekend unfortunately per NWS forecast below.

The main bar in the lodge now has happy hour prices on limited beers, wine & well drinks from 4 – 7.

Happy Trails,

Jon

 

 

This Afternoon

Sunny, with a high near 36. Southwest wind around 7 mph.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 17. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 37. Light and variable wind.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 19. Light northwest wind.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Light and variable wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night

A chance of freezing drizzle before 1am, then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday

A chance of freezing drizzle before 10am, then a chance of drizzle. Cloudy, with a high near 38.

Saturday Night

Rain likely, mainly after 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday

Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night

Scattered rain showers before 10pm, then scattered rain and snow showers between 10pm and 1am, then scattered snow showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 30%.