The Powder Hunter

Yesterday I called in sick. I almost lost my job, but it was worth it.

It wasn’t clear to start the day that my gamble would pay off. Plattekill pulled the plug on a planned Powderdaize, when the sun rose on a disappointing three inches of frozen precipitation.

Scottski-Crossover

Fortunately NYSkiBlog HQ got me the information I needed and I traveled an exit farther north on the Thruway to Hunter Mountain where I met up with Lemmycaution and Scottski.

On my way in to grab a lift ticket, I ran into a Hunter employee and asked about the conditions. “They’re, um… interesting. Three inches of wind-effected sleet. I need to do some office stuff.”

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Hunter Mountain: Determined to Fly

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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Hunter Mountain Snowmaking Silk

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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