Hunter vs ADK is the extra ride worth it?

I am new to Gore spent last weekend there and really liked it.  I have always gone to VT in the past but have gotten sick of the lame terrain of S. Vt.  (ex. Magic).  I feel that for a 4 hour ride Gore gives the best bang for the time.    A bunch of people from where I live in N. New Jersey always tell me how great Hunter is and how they would not drive the extra distance to Gore.  I feel different because I think Hunter is just a ski place but has no inner beauty on weekends it is just a hill with a bunch of over hyped up people with bad accents--Huntah.  Is it me or does the place have no evergreen trees?  

I love the 'Dacks, but living in North NJ (Franklin Lakes) until three years ago, Hunter was the best day trip. 90 - 100 mins to great terrain, great snow-making and great services if you know how to find it.  Work the lifts and you'll never have to wait long in line.  Get to know the lodge and you can find your own quiet corner.  Yes, there's lots of tri-state people with their attitude, but I find that once you get past the attitude facade, most of them are basically pretty friendly.    If you're looking for a pretty trail with evergreens, go to Mossy Brook, a lovely forgotten corner of Hunter. It even has green circle glades. Lukoil and Getty have promotions for a free ticket with four gas purchases (no minimum) good any non- holiday non-Saturday.  Unless you live in NYC you're buying gas every week, right?  Liftopia.com has frequent discounts and there's also Hunters Big Lift Card.  Plus everything at Hunter goes downhill, with no flats if you're on a snowboard, unlike Gore.  Gore's nice if conditions compel you north, but don't forget for a little extra driving you get bigger mountain skiing and more ski town at Whiteface and Killington.
I wouldn't do Hunter for a weekend trip from No. Jersey, but consider a Friday off from work, stop at Hunter on your way north and do Gore, Whiteface, Killington or points north in Vt.

Great feedback, maybe I need to give the Catskills/ Hunter a second look.  I rented a place near Gore about 1/2 hour, my son is in the ski program now for 5 weeks, but I might take some time off and hit Whiteface.  Hunter might be a good day trip mountain for me from what you said it is not so bad once you pierce the surface.


Best,

Sirskier

I like Hunter.  The place has got challenging steep terrain, and they have amazing snowmaking capability.  This year they went from zero to fully open in maybe 10 days.

It's my (admittedly biased) opinion that there is no ski hill closer to NY/NJ that is better than Gore.  This opinion is based on my own personal preferences for sure. I'm a teleskier, who lives for tree skiing.  Gore is loaded with treed terrain, both on an off the map.  There is a real love of tree skiing at Gore.  And Gore Mgmt is IMO very friend to tree skiers, and also IMO they have worked hard to open great terrain under the lifts - Dark Side, High Pines, Double Barrel.

Also, being a teleskier, I'm not a huge vert hound. Upper mountain runs at Gore have about 600-800 feet of vert depending on how you count. That works for me. Also, I am not a big fan of high speed lifts.  Contrary to most people, I really like the positioning of Gore's high speed chairs - Gondi, Adk Express, and Burnt Ridge. Summits tend to be smaller areas than "lower mountains." The existing chairs that service Gore' summit work well for me.

For all of these same reason I really love Plattekill too.

Hunter is the "iciest" place you will ever ski. Well, maybe if you go further south into the mid Atlantic but, I haven't had the pleasure. I think it's one of the more unique ski areas in the world, considering it's the best terrain within a day trip to NYC metro. Did i say it's icy? As Harvey said, they go from zero to 100 in a very short time, which means the whole place is covered in wet, artificial snow that is subject to a lot of freeze/thaw, and. well, rain/freeze. I think natural snow total is something like 80 inches. But, the terrain is great. Much more interesting than surrounding hills, and, a much more extensive lift system. You have to like ice, though, so, be prepared. Sharp edges are a must, and a nice little slalom ski designed for racing on ice is almost required. Even if it dumps, like it did for me a few years ago, there is still a very hard surface under that powder, which makes for some very rude surprises if you turn the raggae on and start to chill in the pow imaging you're in Colorado. Trust me, mistakes hurt. It's a tough place.
It's also quite dangerous because it's quite crowded with bad skiers on the weekend on said ice, and alcohol is very much a factor. The bar is cooking by 10am.

Wear a helmet, and don't listen to raggae (stay aware!). Good luck. Oh, NEVER consider learning to snowboard or ski there. man, it hurts.

The drive is worth it.  Even on busy days the lift lines are short if you stay away from the base.  It has great beginner terrain serviced by a warm gondi.  It has great expert terrain up top, and all sorts of on and off map stashes.  I've been riding Gore for 6 years at least and can count "bad" days on one hand.  There's always a new places to explore.

To be honest, I miss Gore this year, especially now that their getting some snow

More Gore!

I agree with your assessment of Gore.  I think it is the best closest place to where I live in No. Jersey.  I just can't figure out why it took me so long for I am 41 years old and always went east to VT.  Granted it is no Stowe but that is a 6 to 7 hour ride.  I am sold!   Blows away Mt. Blow.

sirskier wrote

I agree with your assessment of Gore.  I think it is the best closest place to where I live in No. Jersey.  I just can't figure out why it took me so long for I am 41 years old and always went east to VT.  Granted it is no Stowe but that is a 6 to 7 hour ride.  I am sold!   Blows away Mt. Blow.

Awful marketing. Just awful. I can't tell you how many times I've mentioned Gore to Westchester/Fairfield residents and gotten a blank look.

Oh, consider staying in Saratoga Springs when you ski Gore. I know, I know, it's an hour south, but, that's kinda the point. It shortens the initial drive, and you have time to close a bar when you get there on Friday. Great town, excellent bars, great food, and a lot of rooms that are discounted heavily for the winter because it's primarily a summer town (racetrack). I think it's the coolest town in that entire region, but, I'm biased - I lived there recently for three years. I miss it.
The drive to Gore is pretty smooth, even if it snows. Half of it is on the Northway.

I took a plunge and rented a log home near Chestertown for 5 weeks (I can use it anytime.)  I think it was reasonable at $2500.  Nice to leave all the kids stuff and my stuff up there and not have lugg so much.

Check out Hickory while you're up there, too. An old school experience your kids may be telling their kids about.

I'm not sure if you said you had a season's pass, but, if not, check this out for discounted tickets: https://www2.pricechopper.com/orderform/skipass.shtml 
Not good on Saturday, though.

sirskier wrote

I agree with your assessment of Gore.  I think it is the best closest place to where I live in No. Jersey.  I just can't figure out why it took me so long for I am 41 years old and always went east to VT.  Granted it is no Stowe but that is a 6 to 7 hour ride.    

This is the question. Very few people know about Gore and nobody knows where it is located. I have been talking about Gore for 25 years and I still get the blank look. Sometimes when people say " Isn't that about 5-6 hours from here?" and I respond with "its only a little over 3 hours" they look at me like I have grown a third arm. The lack of marketing by Gore and ORDA to the N Jersey market is a crime. I have seen some cable ads lately from the Lake George area. They mention all the great skiing in the Adirondacks without mentioning any ski areas. You would think Gore would partner with Lake George.

After renting in VT for years I got sick of the drive and crowds (Killington) and the terrain and crowds (Mt Snow/Stratton).
I had never skied Gore or WF. I rented in 1985/1986 and bought a place the following year. The drive is amazingly easy fron North Jersey. The terrain is more exciting than Mt Snow/Stratton. I also think it is an easier drive than southern VT.

When I go for a midweek day trip I usually hit Hunter. As mentioned they have great terrain and always have 90% of the place opened. For a weekend day trip I go to Plattekill. It takes about 2:15 to get to Plattekill. For another 50-60 minutes I could be at Gore. This is why I did not buy in the Catskills. The Cats are great for day tripping. For a weekend Gore offers more options and less crowding for a little longer drive. Also WF is about 70 minutes north and included in the season pass. That is a great benefit for Gore.

I'm a Killington season pass holder, can't speak to Gore as I've never had the pleasure, but when I can't do a weekend in VT, I will definitely hit the Catskills for a day trip. Hunter and Plattekill being my favorites. Plattekill is great for uncrowded slopes and great snow conditions when they get freshies. Hunter, is good for nice long interesting trails, plenty of manmade snow and contrary to belief of crowd and such, there are far worse out there. I can actually say I never had an issue with crowds at Hunter, If lines got long at the bottom, I stayed at the mid mountain lift.