hidden trail at hunter mountain, can u identify?

random question, I was flying around in my google earth spaceship and I noticed a trail to The skiers left Annapurna at Hunter Mountain, and figured you all would be good people to ask.  Have you skied this before ?what's it like? Where did it come from? access it from the top somehow?  it looks like it'd be great on a powder day

thanks!

jason

Long story short, it was a lift line cut by hunter in the 80s. They apparently went beyond the property line and were sued. It's really grown in now, and if you ski it you will not have a good time because it gets thick and totally miserable the lower you get. I think I'm still pulling thorns and sticks out of my clothes from the last time I tried doing it in 2009, so I wouldn't advise it.

This post moved here: Hunter Mountain Secret Trail.

https://nyskiblog.com/forum/threads/hunter-mountain-secret-trail.988/

I skied this ten years ago (March 2003) after discovering the traverse from Annapurna and put up photos on my now defunct Pbase.com photo gallery. Hunter Mountain Secret Trail I called it the "Hunter Mountain Secret Trail". Got flamed in the comments a few times from the Hunter religious about violating the taboo on revealing secret stash. I always thought, well you can see the trail from Route 23A, the main road, so where's the secret? Here it is, like a time capsule. Mike

Michaeltokyo wrote

LOL

Harvey wrote

Michaeltokyo wrote

LOL

LOL X 2

twas a good one

I wish it still looked like that.

wow guys,  what a response! not just a description,  photos taboot!

ok,   here's the funny thing,  i've never even skied hunter.  i've hiked it in the summer during a music festival, and as a kid, i had a trail map of it on my wall - basically memorized. hunter is about 3.5 hours away for me,  at that point i just go a little farther and head up to MRG, or if it's been snowing really hard in the catskills,  i just hit up plattekill.  but hunter's still on my list, and if the mid week catches a storm, i'll do it.  i love bushwhacking, and spend half my time just making up my own trails and exploring in between trails... amazing what you can find with google earth (and speaking of... use it for jackson hole, the resolution is so good there you can identify individual trees in the back side- i think that's because dick cheney's house is there, although he had it "removed" from sight)

 thanks for the great posts,  i'll check it out when the snow cover is good... thorns or not (just have to wear my beat up 90's jacket!).  lol, about the people flaming you for giving up the secret stash.  from the photos, that's about as obvious as it gets!  now if you want to blow up anyone else's secret spot... ha ha,  do tell.  i don't mind cliffs, stupidly tight trees, or thorns if it leads to upstate NY freshies

Michaeltokyo wrote

Got flamed in the comments a few times from the Hunter religious about violating the taboo on revealing secret stash.  I always thought, well you can see the trail from Route 23A, the main road, so where's the secret?  

Well it wasn't a freaking secret after your blathering post....

We flamed you because you have a big mouth...   And we used safety as an excuse to try to shut you up...
The only thing more you could've done to direct more traffic to it would be offer jeep rides and free coffee...

Most people don't see the X Trail because they come from a different direction..  
Doesn't really matter now because it's mostly over grown..  And because it got so popular we've created other places even better... So please no more maps with arrows...  Who are you John Madden???  

dmc_hunter wrote

Michaeltokyo wrote

Got flamed in the comments a few times from the Hunter religious about violating the taboo on revealing secret stash.  I always thought, well you can see the trail from Route 23A, the main road, so where's the secret?  

Well it wasn't a freaking secret after your blathering post....

We flamed you because you have a big mouth...   And we used safety as an excuse to try to shut you up...
The only thing more you could've done to direct more traffic to it would be offer jeep rides and free coffee...

Most people don't see the X Trail because they come from a different direction..  
Doesn't really matter now because it's mostly over grown..  And because it got so popular we've created other places even better... So please no more maps with arrows...  Who are you John Madden???

That's beautiful man!

How you runnin' DMC?

dmc_hunter wrote

Michaeltokyo wrote

Got flamed in the comments a few times from the Hunter religious about violating the taboo on revealing secret stash.  I always thought, well you can see the trail from Route 23A, the main road, so where's the secret?  

Well it wasn't a freaking secret after your blathering post....

We flamed you because you have a big mouth...   And we used safety as an excuse to try to shut you up...
The only thing more you could've done to direct more traffic to it would be offer jeep rides and free coffee...

Most people don't see the X Trail because they come from a different direction..  
Doesn't really matter now because it's mostly over grown..  And because it got so popular we've created other places even better... So please no more maps with arrows...  Who are you John Madden???

Make it free jeep rides and beer, and I'm in!!!

I'm stoked for winter that's for sure...  Campy my guy who was a groomer left to groom at Copper so no more of those shenanigans - but I can maybe find someone else to do it... haha.

Going to be a big one guys...  

Just hope people learn to keep their mouths shut and just enjoy these shots..  

dmc_hunter wrote

I'm stoked for winter that's for sure...  Campy my guy who was a groomer left to groom at Copper so no more of those shenanigans - but I can maybe find someone else to do it... haha.

Going to be a big one guys...  

Just hope people learn to keep their mouths shut and just enjoy these shots..

We'll bring our own rig to get us up top--hehehe

It IS gonna be a big one---saw that wolly bear you put up on FB, that's proof enough for me!!

campgottagopee wrote

dmc_hunter wrote

I'm stoked for winter that's for sure...  Campy my guy who was a groomer left to groom at Copper so no more of those shenanigans - but I can maybe find someone else to do it... haha.

Going to be a big one guys...  

Just hope people learn to keep their mouths shut and just enjoy these shots..

We'll bring our own rig to get us up top--hehehe

It IS gonna be a big one---saw that wolly bear you put up on FB, that's proof enough for me!!

that and all the apple trees were full this summer...  Limbs were so heavy they touched the ground... bring it...

hahaha... pungy sticks in the ass...priceless!

I need to get back to hunter one of these days for old times sake

gorgonzola wrote

hahaha... pungy sticks in the ass...priceless!

The Greene County (NY) Pungy Stick Growers Cooperative strongly urged me to remove from the internet my photo sharing page on the Secret Trail in 2004 after it was was alerted to the hazard by DMC.

I could care less about you getting butthurt from a pungi..

I was all about just getting you to remove that shit to keep things under wraps..  
You know the whole arrow point to the "secret stash" thing..  It's just not cool...  

figure it out.. Bring people there..  be safe... whatever..  but don't plaster it on the internet...

Man, since you've never skied Hunter you are missing out on a lot. But dragging your ass  and skis along the ground through the first growth beech and brambles to escape the "secret trail" is not one of those things.

Better to just test your mettle on the classics. Cliffs -> Bleecker -> Racer's Edge. Times infinity!

That's the most clearly visible secret trail ever!

ml242 wrote

Better to just test your mettle on the classics. Cliffs -> Bleecker -> Racer's Edge. Times infinity!

Or just drive north to better mountains.

Benny Profane wrote

ml242 wrote

Better to just test your mettle on the classics. Cliffs -> Bleecker -> Racer's Edge. Times infinity!

Or just drive north to better mountains.

then go west for even BETTER mountains...