Hunter Mtn 12/20/11 Midweek Awesomeness

It was cloudy and 44 degrees as I left NJ. There was little traffic on the NYS Thruway and eventually there were glimpses of the Catskills.



Finally Exit 20 appeared in the windshield.



It was cloudy at the base of Hunter and the temperature was 30 degrees. There was snow on Eisenhower but Racer's Edge was grass.




Grassy Racer's

The skiing for me today included Hellgate/Broadway/Kennedy, Cliff, Minya Konka, Lower Crossover, Off Broadway, Madison Ave, Mossy Brook, East Side Dr, Belt Parkway, and after 1PM Way Out to the West. Way Out allowed us to get down to the newly located ZE HSQ on Hunter West.

Some of the skiing was firm to crispy and at times very loud. Machine groomed trails with traffic skied quite nicely. Eisenhower never opened. The best choice today was Minya Konka.It was loaded with moguls and snowmaking whales that softened up during the day.


Minya Konka

Broadway was fun as usual...


Broadway with a very blue sky.

The Cliff was verrrrry firm with scattered golf balls. It never got enough traffic or sun to soften up.



Way Out opened around 1PM...  



I was excited to see the new ZE lift.

"ZE" Zephyr Express...


It follows the old Y lift line up Westway/44. Ride time is less than 4 minutes.



By 2pm there were very few people left on the mountain and the shadows were getting quite long.


Madison Ave

The sun was starting to disappear behind Hunter. There still was plenty of sun across the valley.


Hellgate

I left the mountain around 3:15 and was treated to some wonderful alpenglow.



Hunter Mtn remains my midweek choice for the NY metro area. The massive snowmaking, the serious steeps and now the addition of the ZE lift on Hunter West makes for a great day in the Catskills.

Nice Report, X!

mattchuck2 wrote

Nice Report, X!

Thanks. I made the right choice as it is raining at Hunter today.

Agreed - great lookin report.

In that picture Cliff looks likes on it's "draining day."  Bumps are blown, but too soon to groom. (?)

Those look like some nice bumps on Minya Konka. (What is MK named after?)

Might actually be a nice day to ski today if you're dressed right - 40+ degrees.