The Hunter Blog

Orville Slutzky was born in 1917 and developed a love for skiing early in life. Raised on a farm in the Catskills, he and his brother Israel made their own skis and slid down the gentle slopes of the farm owned by their father Isaac.

In the 1950’s the sport of skiing was gaining popularity in New York. A group of businessmen, lead by Orville and his brother Israel, developed plans to create a ski resort at Hunter Mountain. When plans to work with New York state didn’t materialize, the brothers sought other investors to advance the project. They created the Hunter Mountain Development Corporation, the first operator of the ski area.

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I like spring skiing best of all. We get to strip off the layers, the sun is high in the sky, and the hard conditions of the winter transform to soft easy skiing. After a decent season for snow and snow making, Hunter was looking really good for the weekend.

Saturday was Hunter’s Beach Bash and Pond Skimming Costume Contest. The sun was shining and there were blue skies, but with temps in the high teens and a 25mph wind, Hunter was in midwinter form. When I arrived, there was a thin layer of ice on top of the skimming pond.

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