The Catskills Blog

Hunter Mountain: Determined to Fly

Posted on by Harvey

The history of Hunter Mountain is all about facing challenges. In the late 1950s Orville and Israel Slutzky built their resort on a mountain deemed “too steep and rocky” for a ski area. From what I can see, that spirit of determination thrives today.

Hunter Mountain

Last week winter came to a grinding halt for few days. At Hunter I don’t think they even noticed. After Wednesday’s rain event, I checked the Hunter webcam and trails were still wall-to-wall.

When we arrived early Sunday morning things were looking as I expected. Deep bases and corduroy were everywhere. If it wasn’t for the lack of snow in town and in the trees, you’d hardly know winter was struggling through another season.

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Tagged: Catskills, Hunter11 Comments

Hunter Mountain Snowmaking Silk

Posted on by ml242

Gun running has been a persistent topic of conversation over the past year in the mainstream media. We —the subversives at the NYSkiBlog— have taken to giving it a new meaning.

Hunter Mountain Snowmaking

Instead of an illicit trade, we use the term to describe that awesome experience of skiing top quality manmade cold silk snow under the guns at ski resorts in the Northeast. To be completely forthright, skiing under the guns today during the work week felt way too good to be legal.

The product on the slopes of Hunter was the best manmade snow I have ever skied.  It’s simple science; super cold temps + compressed air + water = pure silk. Arctic cold for days, dozens of canons and fan guns, meant that it was laid down in bulk.

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Tagged: Catskills, Hunter8 Comments

Windham’s Wounded Warrior Weekend

Posted on by James Michaud

Many people have written heartfelt essays about the magic of skiing — how it takes us out of our sometimes drab everyday lives filled with responsibilities and routine, puts us in the middle of nature, and allows us to fly for a few minutes.

Windham Wounded Warrior

If we’re lucky, the snow will be soft and the lift lines short. If we’re extra lucky (especially here in the northeast), we might score untracked powder.

But this past weekend at Windham Mountain, the ninth annual northeastern Wounded Warriors winter event — where 31 servicemen and women who’ve suffered spinal-cord and orthopedic injuries, amputated limbs, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) came to ski and snowboard together with their families — gave me a new appreciation for skiing’s transformative power.

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Tagged: Catskills, Windham5 Comments