Hunter skiing 12/30

Hi All,

Today was greeted by lots of fresh machine made powder, sun, no wind, and temps that rose from 15 to 28. The skiing was very sweet but the crowds were huge as the entire parking lot was filled for the first time. Lift lines were big especially when the quad went down again for about 40 mins due mechanical problems and is running slow. Grooming was great as both Claire's and Apurna were flatttened top to bottom tho quite firm. Lots of ungroomed powder on upper/lower K27 and Easide / Milky. Guns were on Huega, Ike, Racer's and recently started on upper Claire's. The crowds are quickly scraping off the snow down to a very hardpacked base.The weather will be variable over the next few days.

Let me emphasize again that I generally ski mornings and report on am conditions. What happens on the slopes in the pm can change 180º. If any of you care to add comments about pm conditions feel free to post it on my blogsite for all to read. http://hunterskiscene.blogspot.com/

In case you missed it yesterday here is the press release for the Zip Line:http://huntermtn.blogspot.com/2009/12/hunter-mountain-to-provide-base-for.html

Movie: "Princess and the Frog". Torchlight Parade and Fireworks tomorrow night at 7pm / main lodge bar open until 10pm.

This will be my last report until Mon Jan 4.

A happy, healthy new year 2010 to all of you and your families.

Ski ya next year!

Jon

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. High 23F. Winds light and variable.
• Tonight: Overcast. Low 17F. Winds light and variable.
• Tomorrow: Variably cloudy with snow showers. High 28F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
• Tomorrow night: Variable clouds with snow showers or flurries. Low 24F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%.
• Friday: Cloudy, some light snow. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the low 20s.
• Saturday: Snow showers. Highs in the low 20s and lows in the mid teens.
• Sunday: Chance of a few snow showers. Highs in the low 20s and lows in the upper teens.

Weather Advisories: POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ICE ON LAKES AND PONDS INTO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
WeatherNet 6 spotter reports indicate that yesterday's strong winds have caused some ice to break up on Saratoga Lake with two open areas of water. This has likely occurred on other area lakes as well. As the wind drops open areas of water will skim over with thin ice, but will not freeze deeply due to moderating conditions developing on Thursday and Friday. Snow by Friday will also hide areas of thin ice. USE EXTREME CAUTION THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND IF YOU HAVE RECREATIONAL PLANS ON THE ICE.
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Ice Thickness Guidelines from the NWS.
For People: 4" or more.
For Snowmobiles or ATV's: 5" or more.
For Cars and Light Trucks: 8"-12" minimum.
For Medium Trucks: 12"-15" minimum.

This Afternoon: Bright morning sunshine.
Increasing afternoon and evening high clouds.
Much less windy.
Much less cold.
Wind: SSW 10 mph
Sunset: 4:30 pm
High: 27

Tonight: Mostly cloudy.
A few flurries possible toward morning, otherwise dry.
Wind: Light southerly
Sunrise: 7:26
Low: Near 20

Tomorrow: NEW YEAR'S EVE.
Cloudy skies.
Flurries or a passing snow shower possible. A steadier period of light snow late in the afternoon.
Wind: South 5- 10 mph
Sunset: 4:31
High: Low 30s

Tomorrow Night: Cloudy with some light snow..
Wind: SSW 5-10 mph
Temps: Mid 20's

Friday: NEW YEAR'S DAY.
Cloudy skies.
Snow likely...a brief period of rain and snow mixed possible especially in areas south of Albany.
Wind: SE 5-10 mph
High: 34

Saturday: Cloudy.
Periods of light snow.
Windy.
Wind: NNW 10-20 mph
Temps: Mid 20's

Hunter 12/ 29 breaking news

Please check out this website for Zip Line news:

http://huntermtn.blogspot.com/2009/12/hunter-mountain-to-provide-base-for.html

Jon

Hunter skiing 12/29

Hi All,

Brrrrrrrr. Two good things: Hunter got the quad fixed (broken drive shaft) at 11 pm last night and after a test run this am it began loading shortly after 9. Secondly: Lots of new snow was blown last night on the main trails. The weather was and is a major factor today with base temps around +8 and summit at -6 with very strong gusty winds made the real feel at least -12 to -15. The quad ran slow - only slightly faster than "D" so it was a coooold ride up. All other lifts were operating normally. Snow making was suspended for the day today but lots of wind blown powder on all front side trails - best on Minya, Lowercross, & Ike. All open exposed areas and off ramps were however badly wind blown. Snowmaking should resume tonight but the wind blows alot into the woods. The west still had not opened by noon time as the wind from over there sounded like a freight train. The only saving grace today with the weather was the visibility as hazy sun prevailed but not enough to warm things up at all. Temps are expected to be around 0 to +2 tonight here in town with slightly warmer temps and flurries tomorrow. We could have snow new years eve and they are tracking a storm for Friday. There was a large crowd today but not on the slopes - minimum lines. The tubing park is open with about 12 lanes. The movie in town Wed thru Sun: "Princess and the Frog".

A hiker fell off the Kaaterskill Falls and was killed on Sunday (23A closed briefly): http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2009/12/29/news/doc4b399cf5dd5bf542958711.txt

Bundle up!!

http://hunterskiscene.blogspot.com/

Ski ya,

Jon

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: Windy. Snow flurries and a few snow showers throughout the day. Wind chills may approach -15F. High around 10F. Winds WNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy and windy. Low 7F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.
• Tomorrow: Mostly sunny skies. High around 25F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
• Tomorrow night: Cloudy. Low 17F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
• Thursday: Snow. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the mid 20s.
• Friday: Snow showers possible. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the mid teens.
• Saturday: Mostly cloudy and windy with snow showers. Highs in the upper teens and lows in the upper single digits.

Weather Advisories: A WIND ADVISORY has been issued for the entire area except for Rutland, Otsego and Delware counties through 7pm this evening. WNW winds will be sustained at 20-30 mph through today with gusts possibly reaching 50 mph. Winds will gradually decrease tonight.
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A WIND CHILL ADVISORY also remains in effect through 10am tomorrow for northern Herkimer, Hamilton, northern Fulton, northern Warren, western Greene, western Ulster, and Berkshire counties, where the combined effects of bitter cold temperatures and strong winds will act in concert to create wind chills down as low as -20. Wind chills across the rest of the region will generally range from -5 to -15 for much of the day.

This Afternoon: BITTERLY COLD.
A mixture of clouds and sunshine.
Generally dry with just a few flurries possible in the western Catskills.
Windy.
Wind: WNW 20-30 mph, gusting above 40 mph at times
Sunset: 4:30 pm
Temps: Near 10, wind chills between -5 and -15

Tonight: Mostly clear.
Diminishing wind.
Very cold.
Wind: Westerly dropping from 20 mph to near 10 mph
Sunrise: 7:25 am
Low: 6 (wind chills -5 to -15)

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny during the morning, but with increasing afternoon clouds.
Less windy.
Less cold.
Wind: Westerly shifting to southerly 5-15 mph
Sunset: 4:30 pm
High: Mid 20s

Tomorrow Night: Clouding up.
Dry.
Not as cold.
Wind: South 5-10 mph
Low: Mid teens

Thursday: Cloudy skies.
Flurries possible.
Wind: South 5- 10 mph
High: Near 30

Friday: NEW YEAR'S DAY.
Cloudy skies.
Some snow likely.
High: 31

Hunter skiing 12/28

Hi all - Hunter greeted the start of the holiday week with a major quad breakdown - full lift evacuation via the rope chairs from about 9:15 to 12:15 - that's right - some were stuck for 3 hrs. The gear box blew with a big bang and froze the bull wheel so not even the backup motor could be used. Fortunately I was not on it at the time. Supposedly a tech from Poma (the lift mfgr) is on his way here and some spare parts located in Vermont are also enroute but until they open it up they do not know what they have.......what a mess! There is a sizeable holiday crowd and as you can imagine big lines at D, B & F - Z wasn't bad. We had about 1-2" of wet snow this am so skiing was clumpy wet on hard granular surfaces due to the fact that the spring-like conditions over the weekend froze last night. The temp here is low 30's, mixed sun & clouds with occasioanl flurries and plenty of wind out of the west. Temps are supposed to drop into single digits for the next few night with a strong wind and chance of snow - see the Albany storm advisory forecast below. Grooming was good last night except on Claire's which was only done on the lower half - the top section was frozen bumps. RT 80 (White Cloud / Wayout) was a nice run. The crowds scraped off the front trails quickly. They really need to blow more snow now and start thinking of replacing the old lifts.

Ski ya,

Jon

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: Occasional snow showers. Quite windy. High 29F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
• Tonight: Becoming windy. Flurries and a few snow showers throughout the night. Low 14F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
• Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy and windy. Snow flurries and a few snow showers. Cold. High 14F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
• Tomorrow night: Mostly clear and windy. Low 7F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.
• Wednesday: Considerable cloudiness. Highs in the low 20s and lows in the upper teens.
• Thursday: Mostly Cloudy. Highs in the upper 20s and lows in the mid 20s.
• Friday: Snow showers possible. Highs in the mid 20s and lows in the upper teens.

Weather Advisories: A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for northern Herkimer County through noon tomorrow.
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The first batch of snow that impacted the area this morning will taper to flurries early this afternoon with generally dry conditions from mid afternoon through the evening. The exception will be the western Adirondacks, western Mohawk valley and western Catskills where increasing westerly winds may produce occasional lake effect snow showers.
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A second batch of snow will impact the entire area during the overnight as an arctic cold front passes through the region after midnight. Snow showers will be most likely and most intense in the lake effect areas of the Catskills, western Mohawk valley and western Adirondacks as well as the upslope areas in the Greens and Berkshires. Much of the area will be dry by tomorrow morning, but lake and mountain effect snow showers in these areas will linger into tomorrow morning before ending.
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Additional snowfall accumulation is possible everywhere tonight as snow associated with the arctic cold front moves through. Accumulations will be most likely in the lake and mountain effect areas. Snowfall totals (including what has fallen this morning and early this afternoon from the initial batch of snow) through 8am tomorrow morning will likely be in the 1"-3" range for most locations in the Hudson valley except in eastern Ulster, Dutchess and Litchfield counties where snowfall will likely be an inch or less. Slightly higher snowfall amounts are likely to occur across the western Adirondacks, western Mohawk valley, Catskills, Vermont and northern Berkshire county where 3"-5" of snow could fall due to the enhancement of snow from the lakes and mountains. Northern Herkimer County could see 6" or more of snow. This Afternoon: Cloudy.
Snow tapers to flurries early this afternoon.
Generally dry during the mid to late afternoon.
Windy.
Wind: West 10-20 mph, gusts to 30 mph
Sunset: 4:29 pm
High: Mid 30s

Tonight: Scattered snow showers redeveloping.
Snow showers most likely in the lake and mountain effect areas of the western Mohawk valley, Catskills, western Adirondacks, Greens and Berkshires.
Cold and windy.
Wind: WNW 15-25 mph, gusts to 30 mph
Sunrise: 7:25 am
Low: Mid to upper 10s

Tomorrow: Lake and mountain effect snow showers in the Catskills, western Mohawk valley, Greens and Berkshires diminishing.
Otherwise dry with a mixture of clouds and sunshine.
Very cold.
Very windy.
Wind: NW 20-30 mph, gusts to 35 mph
Sunset: 4:30 pm
Temps: Mid to upper 10s early, falling into the lower teens, wind chills 0 to -10

Tomorrow Night: Mostly clear.
Dry.
Very cold.
Wind: NW diminishing 10-15 mph
Low: 6, wind chills -5 to -15

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, but with some late day increase in high clouds.
Dry.
Cold.
Not as windy.
Wind: West 10 mph
High: 24

Thursday: Mostly cloudy.
Generally dry, but with a few late flurries possible.
Not as cold.
High: 28

Hunter skiing 12/23

Hiya Kids!

Say Amen to Apurna which saved the day! What a great opening of a great trail - oodles of powder on it and still blowing top to bottom - it was an "out of Hunter" experience - very sweet! There was some spotty sun early but the clouds soon won out and now it is actually flurrying from lake effect snow. The day was cold: 14 up to only 20 with a fairly stiff wind out of the west. Visibilty was flat on the wider trails and flat areas. There was still plenty of dry powder on most main line trails as many guns stayed on. Most of the eastside trails were however scraped off and Claire's had morphed into hard irregular bumps. Wayout was groomed to perfection. The entire slope down to and around the half pipe was closed off because the groomers were out forming the pipe. Quad, F, D were all running as B got a late start due to the base getting buried by snow making. There were lift lines tho minor as the early Xmas crowd began arriving and the wind chill factor took its toll. Saturday's weather outlook looks to be a disaster for all the new snow with freezing rain turning into rain.

I will not be writing reports Thurs or Fri unless something very unusual happens so until next week, have a very Merry Xmas.

Ski Ya, http://hunterskiscene.blogspot.com/

Jon

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: Scattered flurries and snow showers. High 18F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
• Tonight: A few clouds. Low 13F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
• Tomorrow: Partly cloudy skies. High 31F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
• Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 19F. Winds light and variable.
• Friday: Mostly Cloudy. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the mid 20s.
• Saturday: Rain and freezing rain. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the low 30s.
• Sunday: A few snow showers. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the low 20s.

Weather Advisories: LIGHT SNOW TO PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON CAUSING SLIPPERY TRAVEL.
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The combined effects of lake moisture and an upper level low pressure system will continue to produce periods of light snow through the remainder of the afternoon, especially in the Mohawk valley, Capital Region and mid Hudson valley. Untreated surfaces will be slippery including roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. Use extra caution and allow extra travel time into this evening.
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ICE SAFETY tips from the Albany National Weather Serivce.
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If you are planning recreational activities on the ice this holiday weekend use extra caution. Despite the recent cold, it does take awhile for ice thicknesses to become substantial enough to support people and equipment. Use these ice thickness guidelines to help in your decision making process as to whether you'll be venturing out onto the ice or not..
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For People: Look for an ice thickness of 4" or more.
For Snowmobiles or ATVs: Look for an ice thickness of 5" or more.
For Cars and Light Trucks: Look for an ice thickness of 8"-12".
For Medium Trucks: Look for an ice thickness of 12"-15" .
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Also note that lakes and ponds all freeze differently depending on their depth, water chemistry, how much flow is involved, depth of snow cover on the ice, and daily temperature. The bottom line, always use caution and never venture out on the ice alone.

This Afternoon: Generally cloudy..
Flurries and snow showers.
Very cold.
A coating to up to an inch of dry, powdery snow is possible in areas of more persistant snow showers.
Wind: WNW 15-20 mph, gusting to 25 mph
Sunset: 4:26 pm
High: 20

Tonight: Becoming clear late.
Cold.
Wind: NW 5-10 mph
Sunrise: 7:24
Low: 10-15

Tomorrow: CHRISTMAS EVE.
A mixture of clouds and sunshine.
Fair, dry.
Wind: NNW 5-10 mph
Sunset: 4:26
High: 32

Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy.
Not as cold.
Wind: Light
Temps: Low 20's

Friday: CHRISTMAS.
Increasing cloudiness.
Dry weather likely holding through the day.
(A mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain developing after dark).
Wind: SE 10 mph
High: Mid 30s

Saturday: Cloudy.
Sleet and freezing rain early changing to rain midday..
Wind: SE 10 mph
Temps: Mid 30's

Hunter skiing 12/22

Hi all,

Today was all about Claire's - WOW! Mounds of dry powder top to bottom and on both sides of the doughnut - gotta say: some of the best pre Xmas skiing I can remember at Hunter. The sun hits Claire's around 11 am. The snow making and grooming over the last week of cold weather days has been nothing short of spectacular. Kudos to snowmakers and groomers!! Virtually the entire mtn is covered with dry soft powder as main guns all over stay on 24/7 and every trail is sweet - I only wish my legs could keep up with my desire to keep going. Apurna should open sometime tomorrow but the sun will not get there until well after 1 pm. The weather today: cold 15- 25 and crisp with brilliant blue sky, lots of sun, and only a wind at the very top. Just pray that the rain predicted for Sat is wet snow but until then cold dry weather persists. http://hunterskiscene.blogspot.com/

Following info ex the Hunter website:

For starters, we've got a new YouTube video... check it out! As you can see, conditions are unbelievable. We are over 75% open, and pushing for 100%. Bruce, our snowmaking boss, even said if the weather is favorable, Westway (known to locals and experts as "44") will be open, bringing us to 100% open!! Check out more info in the latest snowmaking update in the Hunterblog!

We've got an awesome New Year's party coming up... the Main Bar will be open until 10pm and rockin' with the sounds of Third Rail and DJ Frankie. Our torchlight parade & fireworks kick off at 7pm. The Sushi Bar & Santini's pizza will be open all evening and we also welcome you to bring some food to share with friends! Come hang out...enjoy live music, friends, fireworks & the fun here at Hunter as we bring in 2010!

Ski ya,

Jon

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 22F. Winds WNW at 25 to 35 mph.
• Tonight: Generally clear. Low 9F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
• Tomorrow: A mix of clouds and sun in the morning giving way to a few snow showers during the afternoon. High 19F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%.
• Tomorrow night: A few clouds from time to time. Low 14F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
• Thursday: More sun than clouds. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the upper teens.
• Friday: Mostly Cloudy. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the upper 20s.
• Saturday: Rain. Highs in the upper 30s and lows in the low 30s.

Weather Advisories: None.

This Afternoon: Bright sunshine.
Breezy and cold.
Wind: WNW 15-20 mph, gusty
Sunset: 4:25 pm
High: Mid 20s

Tonight: Patchy cloudiness.
Cold.
Wind: WNW 5-15 mph
Sunrise: 7:23
Low: 12

Tomorrow: A mixture of clouds and sunshine.
A few flurries or snow showers possible in the mountains, otherwise dry.
Cold.
Wind: WNW 15-20 mph, gusty at times
Sunset: 4:26
High: 27

Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy.
Wind: West 5-10 mph
Temps: 15

Thursday: CHRISTMAS EVE.
Increasing high cloudiness.
Fair, dry.
Wind: SW 5-10 mph
High: 32

Friday: Some morning shunshine...Becoming cloudy.
A brief period of snow developing in the late afternoon or evening changing to sleet and freezing rain.
Wind: SE 10 mph
Temps: Mid 30's

Hunter skiing 12/21 - WINTER!!

Hi all,

Double Wow as winter begins!! What a great day to ski. Lots of sun, some wind, and lots of freshly made powder all over the mtn, with a light crowd tho lots of instructor trainees who stand around more than they ski which was fine with me. There were no bad trails today except maybe the very top of Racer's which was bumpy, hard and windblown - the rest was creamy especially if entered via Ike. Everything was open including Uppercross. Snow guns were on in key traffic areas keeping them well covered in dry soft powder and now blowing top to bottom on Apurna which should be open by Wed. Best trail was Hgate to Ike - soft dry powder every run. Temps this am: 18 base / 8 top but now 26 at the base & teens at the summit. The wind was only gusty at the base and very top but calm in between. The weather will stay cold all week so lots of snowmaking going on and we are watching a possible storm brewing for Friday.

The plumbing in the men's room at the summit lodge has been broken/backed up since last week so plan on doing your business elsewhere until they fix it - mgmt has been advised. The local is joke is that when the toilet is flushed the quad stops.

The quad was running slow today due to the wind up top and an icy windblown off ramp. F was opened about 11am but no D lift.

This holiday weekend movie: "Twilight: New Moon" for all you vampire & werewolf fans.

The following link which you may find interesting is a short video about the inevitable disappearance of the world's highest glacial ski area at about 17,500 ft just ouside of LaPaz, Bolivia where I lived, worked and skied in the early 1980's - talk about an experience!! http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/17239365

Ski ya,

Jon

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 23F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph.
• Tonight: Mainly clear skies. Low around 10F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
• Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. High 21F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
• Tomorrow night: A few clouds. Low 11F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
• Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 20s and lows in the mid teens.
• Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the low 20s.
• Friday: Cloudy with a light wintry mix. Highs in the low 30s with temperatures nearly steady overnite.

Weather Advisories: None.

This Afternoon: Mostly sunny.
Dry.
Breezy.
Wind: NW 10-20mph
Sunset: 4:24 pm
High: 30

Tonight: Mostly clear.
Cold.
Wind: WNW 10 mph
Sunrise: 7:23
Low: 10

Tomorrow: Morning sunshine with increasing clouds later in the day.
Wind: NW 5-8 mph
Sunset: 4:25
High: 28

Tomorrow Night: Mostly cloudy.
Cold and dry.
Wind: West 10 mph
Temps: 12

Wednesday: A mixture of clouds and sunshine.
Dry.
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Temps: Increasing clouds
High: Near 30

Thursday: Increasing clouds.
Dry.
Wind: SE10 mph
High: 32