A History of Hunter Mountain

Hunter Mountain Ski BowlThe history of Hunter Mountain is the story of two brothers whose desire to build would not be denied.

Orville and Israel Slutzky had a vision for a ski area on a steep, rocky mountain in Hunter New York, and no amount of adversity or skepticism was enough to deter them from their goal.

In the mid-1950’s the sport of skiing was gaining popularity in New York and across the northeast. At the same, as people became more mobile and began to travel farther for vacations, the Catskills’ appeal as a summer vacation destination was declining. Meanwhile a few miles to the south, Belleayre Ski Center was attracting visitors and driving economic activity in the town of Pine Hill.

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The Ski Season in Photos #2

First Tracks at Killington
Condor on Royal Flush • Killington, VT • October 28, 2011

While Killington has come under fire in recent years for a reduced commitment to the eight month season that created “the beast,” the fact remains that the mountain remains incredibly important to New York skiers.  The combination of convenient location, excellent orographics and an aggressive approach to October snowmaking puts Killington top of mind for many of us, especially in the early season. This past season half of all the trip reports posted in the NY Ski Forums in November 2011 were from Killington.

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The Ski Season in Photos #1

First turns of the Season at Plattekill
Plattekill Mtn • October 30, 2011 • photo by ml242

Each of the last two summers we’ve published a weekly series that we call Friday Fantasy Photos. It’s designed to help us dream about the sport we love through the hottest months of the year.  Speaking for myself, this summer feels a little different. The season was tough on both skiers and the ski business.  While NYSB remains as stoked as ever about the years of skiing ahead, we wanted to try something a little different.

We’re going to continue our tradition of posting ski photos each Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  But this year we’re calling the series “The Season in Photos.” And instead of emphasizing the season itself, our focus is going to be on the spirit that drives us to ski.

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