Hardpack ScrapeOff: Platty vs Belle, Hunter.

[TheGreatAbyss]

For the past decade I've been driving past the Cats do my skiing up in either the Daks or in Vermont. However after having a kid that's becoming a much harder proposition, and I'm finding myself back in the Cats more often. The problem with having the ORDA pass is that Belle just isn't very exciting when the bumps and trees aren't in play - after that first drop the mountain is mostly runout.

I hear great things about Plattekill when the snow is soft and the trees are stacked, but how is it on your run of the mill Ice Coast hardpack day? Would you rather be there, Hunter or Belle? How would you compare it to Gore?

I'm probably still going to get the ORDA pass next year but I'd like to augment it with another Catskills mountain.

The way I see it the advantages of Hunter over Plattekill are:
1) 50 minutes less driving round trip
2) Access to other resorts on the Epic Pass
3) Better Grooming?
4) Open all week
5) More terrain
6) More to do in the nearby towns

The advantages of Plattekill over Hunter are:
1) Better off-piste terrain
2) Smaller crowds?

Curious to everyone else's opinions.

 

[JTG]

Ummm.....don’t ski on Ice Coast hardpack days.

Come on, really. We all tell ourselves afterwards that any day on “snow” is better than not skiing, and maybe the day on Ice Coast conditions isn’t “that bad”. However, in all honesty...if you say you really enjoyed the day/conditions you are just lying to yourself. I know it. You know it. We ALL know it.

Quality over quantity! Powder the the people!!

 

[x10003q]

If you ski weekends, Plattekill is the choice. It is not even close. However, if you can ski mid-week regularly, Hunter becomes the choice. It is that simple.

 

[x10003q]

The complicated answer involves how much you might use the Epic pass.

 

[Harvey]

I'm guessing with a child you might be mostly a weekend/holiday skier?

I probably won't give an answer to your question but that ^^ is an important question.

Regarding hardpack, I have 96mm skis, so if they are too wide, I don't ski. ?

 

[Harvey]

The advantages of Plattekill:
1) Better off-piste terrain
2) Smaller crowds?

Yes, and no liftlines
Less competition for powder
Best bar in NY
Massive side country
Most snow in the Cats

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

Yeah mostly weekend / holiday. The wife didn't allow it this year, but for next year my thinking is the time I do take off mid week I'll try and chase storms up at Gore. What I don't want to do next year is drive all the way up to Gore on weekends to ski hardpack, I'd rather do that closer to home.

In terms of the other Vail mountains I probably won't use them much next season, so that's not as important to me as it once was (Although if Platty was on Indy Pass that would make my decision easier)

So it really boils down to: If you're gonna ski a weekend day in the Cats, and it's Ice Coast hard pack, would you rather be at Platty or Hunter?

 

[Brownski]

Hunter grooms better but then the crowds scrape it off faster so they’re really about even on that metric. For all the other metrics on a weekend, Plattekill is superior. Once you have kids in lessons, Catamount is the way to go

 

[JTG]

So it really boils down to: If you're gonna ski a weekend day in the Cats, and it's Ice Coast hard pack, would you rather be at Platty or Hunter?

Granted, I say this as someone who hasn’t skied Hunter in a long time, and I know Hunter has changed in many ways since: not the party scene of back in the day (good), expanded terrain (good), Vail (mostly bad?).

With that, I say Platty. Hunter has great terrain, but it’s going to be more crowded on weekends, and I think the clientele Hunter generally attracts still isn’t great. Crowds and a high percentage of marginal skiers = not good.

Thing is, Platty has great terrain, too. The vibe, and the kind of skiers that vibe attracts, are better. Better chances for more natural snow. Better woods/side country.

I’ve had numerous bad (disastrous, really) weekend days at Hunter, mostly because of the clientele (bad skiers, over their head, on terrain they have no business on). I’ve never had a bad day at Platty. Even though my last couple days at Platty were on not so great (firm) conditions, they were still great, and the woods were still in play.

Platty is the kind of cool place I’d want my skiing kids growing up. FWIW, my daughter skied her first days at both Hunter and Platty this year. She liked Hunter, but didn’t find the mountain/trails to have much interesting character. She loved Plattekill, even though the conditions weren’t as good.

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

Thanks JTG. Seems Platty is a fan fave around here and worth the extra driving.

I might pick up next year's season pass when it goes on sale in a few days and try and make it up there a few times this spring.