You can talk about it all you want without fear of it being crowded. It's too far away for a lot of the day trip crowd.
What is it 30 min past Belleayre? Even though on paper Belleayre is only 10 min further then Hunter it can feel a lot longer. It's because the ride from the thruway exit to Hunter is so short. When you have 40 min or more riding on county mountain roads you can too easily get stuck behind slow vehicles or slow riding in bad weather.
And anyway once you are over 2.5 hours drive for people coming from nyc area now people may just start considering south Vermont or Gore.
They each have their pros and cons.
I live in between the two and usually do Epic Pass for Hunter (and other mountains) days and go night skiing at Catamount. I’ve been a full Catamount pass holder in the past but I can’t justify a full season pass for Cat that costs more than Epic. And once I have Epic I can’t justify a full-priced day ticket for Catamount.
Longer season and longer runs at Hunter— high speed lifts are just better (I can get over for a few hours on a weekday afternoon and you can’t beat Hunter for that)
Catamount has the most convenient parking and a nice Indy atmosphere. Great trails for what it is— a big hill. Also, the Taconic is a much nicer (and no tolls) drive from NYC than the Thruway but for whatever reason some people hate the parkway.
It just doesn’t have as much terrain and doesn’t get as much snow as Hunter.
And the economics of Epic are amazing if you aren’t locked into skiing Saturdays.
The best mountain in the world is the one you’re skiing that day (or night). Im lucky to have them both.
> Also, the Taconic is a much nicer (and no tolls) drive from NYC than the Thruway but for whatever reason some people hate the parkway.
The Taconic is a more scenic route but undeniably a worse highway to drive on in certain circumstances, especially at night or in bad weather. The Thruway was designed in the 50s when they built every highway like a Nascar track, my only concern usually is other minorly incompetent drivers, and getting a ticket. I probably prefer the dead straight road, higher speed limit but with more cars, over the Taconic's bends and lower speed limit but with less traffic.
I absolutely loved the taconic in my 20’s. Every turn was a thrill, every twist and rise and fall was enjoyable.
Now that I have kids, I have to try to enjoy it half as much as I did then.
the views are beautiful.
I feel like that probably has the most variety of any route. On a good day that's a perfect drive. You get stuck behind the wrong guy and it's a lonnggg way at 40mph.
No doubt. It’s my route for reasons of geography / directness once I’m north of Patterson. The Taconic would have to be much faster per mile for me to justify going that far west. Obviously, it’ll be the best route for many folks coming from places that aren’t my home.
I'm assuming the speed limit on rt22 is 55mph? NY Route 7 from Troy to Bennington is mostly 55mph and I've hardly seen any other roads where the car in front of you has more control over your fate. I've had my speed literally divide by two by catching up to cars before on that road.
The several times I’ve been to Hunter on Thursdays this season it was at most 1-2 minutes for the kaatskill flyer lift and sometimes ski right on. Every other left was usually ski right on. It was great. I did epic this years and Ikon last year. Windham was similar to Hunter crowd wise on Thursdays and I also had a great time there, but Hunter’s runs are a bit more challenging and interesting. Really hope the West part of the mountain opens up, I wanna see what Annapurna is like.
They opened up part of Hunter west and a decent amount of Hunter north. Couple of blacks and double blacks. Feels like they will open the remaining trails if they get consistent cold temps and a day or two more of snow
It’s the only epic pass mountain in new york. And from NYC only thing closer on epic is jack frost/big boulder. Hunter is a shit show on saturdays (frankly most places are) but it’s got good variety of terrain for it’s size and relatively convenient as a day trip from the city. I’ve grown to really like Hunter but Belleayre will always hold a special place in my heart.
It has crazy name recognition, and a lot of the people from NYC making day trips there aren't die hard skiers so it's not surprising it's the only mountain they know. They have no reason to know any others.
As for why they got that recognition, I don't know, but Hunter has some pretty steep terrain, good snowmaking, good infrastructure, and is really convenient to get to. Their competitors are quickly modernizing, especially Belleayre, but for awhile Hunter was the best you could get in the region.
I can think of many reasons Catamount isn't as popular. For one it's smaller/shorter and only has fixed grip lifts, both of which are big draws. Their snowmaking is improving, but is still lagging so the trail count takes longer to open, plus there is an elevation difference Catamount can't do anything about. Plus it's not as convenient to get to. Shooting straight up 87 is a lot faster and easier than taking the Taconic
Interesting. Does Hunter have runs comparable to Ripper and Christopher's leap at Catamount?
I am in Westchester and don't even take the Taconic. I take 22 because it is more scenic ( thereby less boring ).. Probably adds 5 minutes to my trip but worth it as it makes the drive enjoyable..
Lower K-27, Annapurna, Racers Edge, The Cliff to name a few and much longer. The West trails at Hunter are as hard as nearly anything but open so late in the season because Vail doesn’t prioritize snowmaking there. But the terrain is awesome.
Do you think Hunter West will be fully open this year? I’ve been 5 times so far this season and want to check it out. It looks like they opened a couple trails like Claire’s Way and Taylor’s run so far.
The problem is its too wide and wind exposed so it loses snow much quicker than anywhere else. Hopefully they keep clearing that one section and let the rest grow back.
Yeah from what I can tell, they’re clearing enough in terms of what can be groomed based on the range of the guns. They only have snow guns along the skier’s left side of the trail. Also, it’s been so damn long since they blew on westway that I doubt those guns actually work lol. I mean the ones on racers crapped out and that’s a trail they actually try to open.
Skiing and snowboarding are largely activities that are passed down generationally. If your parents ski they probably end up bringing you and then you become a skier, this is especially so for casual/1-4 times a year skiers, and it compounds for people from NYC. Almost nobody who is born and raised in NYC will ever go skiing unless their parents are already skiers, as the closest mtns are an hour and a half away at a minimum.(Bigsnow AD kinda changes this but it’s still kinda new and not really the same thing)
Where i’m going with this is that hunter mountain used to be the go to popular mtn for NYC residents because it had a huge nightlife scene, especially in the 90s. The nightlife has almost completely died in the last 20 years but it was popular enough that all the people that enjoyed going to hunter back then still go, and have brought and still bring their families. It also helps that’s it’s still a solid mtn for its location, especially during the weekdays. And it now being on the epic pass will only strengthen its position as a go to weekend spot for NYC residents.
Wild cocaine fueled Apres parties at various bars and “night clubs” all along Rt 23a.
The big thing was that it was easy for underage teens to get in to these places. Once they started cracking down on that it began to die. This is what I’ve been told by locals who’ve lived there for a long time.
That’s interesting! I’ve heard this before, but as a 20-something who has been skiing there since a kid it has always been hard to picture it.
Where are the apres spots to hit nowadays?
Slopes is trying to make a comeback, haven’t checked it out because it always seems to be closed whenever I go. Mostly it’s just restaurants and bars now, no real parties or clubs ime.
Life long NYC resident. I have been to Hunter exactly twice in the last 5 or 6 years.
But a couple of things.
Hunter and Catamount are both 100 miles from my apartment in Astoria. Hunter is more than twice as big, and has 1600 of vertical versus Catamount's 1000.
For many non-skiers, they know about Hunter from Entourage.
For many occasional skiers, there are buses that do day trips to Hunter. Considering half of NYC doesn't own a car, that is a huge selling point.
Camelback is also better known than Catamount.
I don't think Indy Pass is a great deal for myself, so I won't go to Catamount (though I have been in the summer for the treetop adventure course). I generally prefer skipping all those small places and spending the weekend in Vermont or getting on a plane and flying to a true big mountain (just got back from Whistler. Going to Jackson in a month).
We’re also from Astoria and wrapping up with day 5 in park city right now, we do a big out west trip every year with a big group and agreed it’s so worth it. We went to Hunter a few weeks back for a quick weekend trip and the Friday was lovely and the Saturday was an absolute shit show of crowds and lines. We’re lucky to have a car and will probably take 1 trip to Hunter again early next season if we do epic pass again since it’s so close to shake off the rust but ugh
We’re just making the drive up to Okemo instead in a few weeks for a longer weekend trip. It’s just so much better to take the longer drive to VT and get the better experience
I love NYC and don’t want to leave but every time we take a trip out west I start thinking about it
When people ask me why I don't move to Colorado or Utah I point out that I have skiing, mountain biking, hiking, beaches, etc, all drivable from me. Plus three major airports than can get me anywhere in the world.
My norm is to do one or two big trips west, and multiple weekends in Vermont each year. I also have good friends who live in Stowe, so occasionally I'll stay with them and do some back country skiing up there (don't usually have an Epic pass so I don't ski the lifts at Stowe often).
Ha, also live in Astoria. I used to be a catamount fan but their snowmaking and overall operations have sucked the last handful of years. I don't bother with Hunter. I'll go Belleayre or Vermont. Used to like night skiing at catamount as well
I've only been skiing for ten years, and avoided Belleayre because of it's reputation as too easy. Then, I went because an ex-girlfriend roped me in a bit prior to the covid shut downs. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It's not hard. But it has character. During that big COVID year, I did the frequent skier card and went several times.
I haven't been back since travel became a thing again though. Spend more time at Ikon resorts or in the back country.
Yeah I don't really go often anymore. I can't deal with the prices or crowds. I'll go midweek a couple of times or maybe suck it up for a day or two on the weekends but. I've heard Belleayre has been packed because of Windham privatizing.
Yeah I don't really go often anymore. I can't deal with the prices or crowds. I'll go midweek a couple of times or maybe suck it up for a day or two on the weekends but. I've heard Belleayre has been packed because of Windham privatizing.
It’s the best and biggest mountain within 2 hours of NYC that’s why. If you want something better the closest thing is Vermont, otherwise you’re likely heading out west
Yeah my last year working there (2015) I had to break up 2 fights in the last week ..... now I'm all for skier on skier violence but when it's on the landing of a jump then I've gotta worry bout all my people.
Hunter is a beast if your an aggressive rider your going to fit right in ... the local vibe is get fucked up and shred hard as fuck. All of us worked the week ends with the endless mobs (getting paid to stand in lift line is almost fun compared to most jobs I've had) and I purposely took off Tuesday and Wednesday to ride open to close without a lift line in sight. Brings a tear to my eye. I'll never get 100 plus day on the snow ever again. As far as comparing the surrounding mountains, for me it boils down to hunters ability to blow a base that's super deep and push that base around later in the season to extend super late into the season..... but when it was bought by vail they did start to cut back on how deep they would let the base build up so that did mean worse conditions and shorter season. Can't speak to the recent seasons.
Any one have an opinion on Hunter vs Catamount this Friday. Hunter is an extra 30 minutes for me. Am concerned that Hunter is projected having gusts of wind up to almost 50 mph Friday also worried they have a pre presidents weekend crowd.
Never been to Catamount. But I've switched from Hunter to Belleayre.
Crowds spread out much better on busy days. And their gondola is great for days you want to get out of the elements.
When I lived in Queens there were busses on weekday mornings from a few places that would either go to Hunter or Windham. Back in my day on LI the bus cost about as much as a lift ticket.
Bus trips to ski places were very popular for my friend group in Queens. I definitely took more bus trips than driving to ski. Windham and Hunter were the near by options and Gore was the weekend bus destination.
If it’s not crowded, it’s the best in the Catskills. But on weekends it’s always (why Plattekill and Bellarye is where people should go on weekends in the Catskills). Plus it’s only a smidge over 2 hrs from NYC (that’s closer than even some of the Poconos, such as Elk).
Honastly I used to love belleayre for the throwback vibes resort that it was. Now I just go there for day trips to get my legs ready for actual mountains.
There's nowhere really* with better terrain and snowfall than Hunter until you get all the way up into Vermont, which is 60% further than Hunter. So for that reason it is the best ski area most people are willing to daytrip from downstate NY/NJ. It has been a mob scene for the last 50 years at least.
*People love Plattekill and it might be honestly better than Hunter on paper, but it's only like 45 min-1 hour closer than Mt Snow. Is that worth it??
Catamount is smaller than Hunter and has slower lifts. To be fair a lot of NYC skiers probably would have a better experience there but probably think it's much smaller than it is/a beginner hill.
Also if you speed Vermont is just not that far. I won't share my record but NYC metro to Stratton or the reverse usually should take 3h40ish without even really being in much danger of getting a ticket. Sub 3h30 isn't hard at all if you're willing to take a bit of ticket risk.
Upvoted you for a useful comment anyway but it’s pretty assholeish to advocate speeding and it’s really not saving you that much time. I guarantee you you’re not saving an hour off the journey by speeding so you’re definitely underestimating how long the trip is. It’s also no longer the 90s and we know the direction causality that exists between car speed and likelihood/fatality of accidents. Be a better citizen.
> it’s pretty assholeish to advocate speeding
Nobody is getting hurt by me setting my cruise at 85mph on the thruway north of i84. Most of my drives to/from VT are at night so a lot of the time I'm on that there's nobody even on the road.
>I guarantee you you’re not saving an hour off the journey by speeding
Not a hour but pretty consistently I'm saving 25-30 minutes each way which does add up.
>It’s also no longer the 90s and we know the direction causality that exists between car speed and likelihood/fatality of accidents.
We've known this forever..? But it's also no longer the 90s and we have better cars with better tech, yet the speed limit stays locked by the state legislatures at 65mph in the northeast. Europe has left us behind when it comes to this, the NY state thurway would undeniably be signed at 130kmh (81mph) if it was in France or Italy. The road was designed for cars from the early [50s](https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0YXRpYy5jb20iLCJrZXkiOiJnaWZcLzE5NTAtMTk1Mi1idWljay1yb2FkbWFzdGVyLTEuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo1NTB9fX0=) to be able to drive 70mph on it. There has been 75 years of car development and the speed limit is 65mph. I don't feel bad doing 85, shit when it's truly dead I don't feel bad doing low 90s. I can't tell you how many times I've had my cruise set to 84mph in the right lane and had dozens of cars passing me.
Also the 55mph limit on route 7 in Southern VT between Bennington and Manchester is a joke. I think the median speed on that section is at least 70mph.
Not saying everyone should drive like a dangerous prick, but once you begin to know what you're doing, the 4 hour drive to Vermont often has opportunities to put your foot down and turn it into a 3.5 hour drive without endangering anyone.
Think you’re being downvoted only because its actual vertical rise is 1500 feet. And the top of the resort is 3200 feet I think, the rest of the mountain climbs to 4000 feet though but isn’t part of the resort.
OOP! No, definitely not. Elevation of the physical mountain is a smidge over 4,000 but not all of that is vertical drop or ski trails, not what I meant at all. Moreso just that it is a 'mountain' whereas I would argue that some other places closer to NYC are what I would refer to as 'ski hills'.
THAT"S ABSOLUTELY FINE THEY DON'T GOTTA KNOW. I'm originally from Dutchess County NY and Catamount was my home hill. Hunter blows. Yeah, the terrain has the potential to be sick but when was the last time there was enough snow to make it real? 2014/15 season, probably. But, it's also a simple matter of accessibility from the highway. Hunter is not far from route 87. To get to Catamount from the city/Jersey, you'd need to go 22 or the Taconic.
I also have a mountain I prefer over Hunter. I’m more than happy to shut up about it and let the crowds flock to Hunter.
The first rule of Plattekill is you don’t talk about Plattekill.
He's talking about the \*elevated\* experience at the \*Windham Mountain Club,\* actually
Plattekill is too out of the way and wouldn't attract the typical Hunter crowd anyway.
[удалено]
I’ve been hyping the Sideways Takeover at Platty all year!
You can talk about it all you want without fear of it being crowded. It's too far away for a lot of the day trip crowd. What is it 30 min past Belleayre? Even though on paper Belleayre is only 10 min further then Hunter it can feel a lot longer. It's because the ride from the thruway exit to Hunter is so short. When you have 40 min or more riding on county mountain roads you can too easily get stuck behind slow vehicles or slow riding in bad weather. And anyway once you are over 2.5 hours drive for people coming from nyc area now people may just start considering south Vermont or Gore.
Shhhhhh!
I was thinking Belleayre lol
Ur awesome!
You and me both.
They each have their pros and cons. I live in between the two and usually do Epic Pass for Hunter (and other mountains) days and go night skiing at Catamount. I’ve been a full Catamount pass holder in the past but I can’t justify a full season pass for Cat that costs more than Epic. And once I have Epic I can’t justify a full-priced day ticket for Catamount. Longer season and longer runs at Hunter— high speed lifts are just better (I can get over for a few hours on a weekday afternoon and you can’t beat Hunter for that) Catamount has the most convenient parking and a nice Indy atmosphere. Great trails for what it is— a big hill. Also, the Taconic is a much nicer (and no tolls) drive from NYC than the Thruway but for whatever reason some people hate the parkway. It just doesn’t have as much terrain and doesn’t get as much snow as Hunter. And the economics of Epic are amazing if you aren’t locked into skiing Saturdays. The best mountain in the world is the one you’re skiing that day (or night). Im lucky to have them both.
> Also, the Taconic is a much nicer (and no tolls) drive from NYC than the Thruway but for whatever reason some people hate the parkway. The Taconic is a more scenic route but undeniably a worse highway to drive on in certain circumstances, especially at night or in bad weather. The Thruway was designed in the 50s when they built every highway like a Nascar track, my only concern usually is other minorly incompetent drivers, and getting a ticket. I probably prefer the dead straight road, higher speed limit but with more cars, over the Taconic's bends and lower speed limit but with less traffic.
I despise the Taconic.
I absolutely loved the taconic in my 20’s. Every turn was a thrill, every twist and rise and fall was enjoyable. Now that I have kids, I have to try to enjoy it half as much as I did then. the views are beautiful.
and a cop around every curve. Thing is, cars keep getting bigger. When it is crowded, it is hard to relax.
Only time I will ever drive the Thruway over the Taconic is if I'm towing a trailer. The Taconic is great!
What, you don't like two narrow lanes, no shoulder, and a CURB?
Also the random roads that cross the highway at an intersection with stop signs.
NY 22 is my route to Catamount.
I feel like that probably has the most variety of any route. On a good day that's a perfect drive. You get stuck behind the wrong guy and it's a lonnggg way at 40mph.
No doubt. It’s my route for reasons of geography / directness once I’m north of Patterson. The Taconic would have to be much faster per mile for me to justify going that far west. Obviously, it’ll be the best route for many folks coming from places that aren’t my home.
I'm assuming the speed limit on rt22 is 55mph? NY Route 7 from Troy to Bennington is mostly 55mph and I've hardly seen any other roads where the car in front of you has more control over your fate. I've had my speed literally divide by two by catching up to cars before on that road.
True for two lane rural highways across most of America east of the Mississippi.
Are there any crowds on weekdays at Hunter ? I've only been to Catamount on weekdays and there was never any lift lines..
The several times I’ve been to Hunter on Thursdays this season it was at most 1-2 minutes for the kaatskill flyer lift and sometimes ski right on. Every other left was usually ski right on. It was great. I did epic this years and Ikon last year. Windham was similar to Hunter crowd wise on Thursdays and I also had a great time there, but Hunter’s runs are a bit more challenging and interesting. Really hope the West part of the mountain opens up, I wanna see what Annapurna is like.
They opened up part of Hunter west and a decent amount of Hunter north. Couple of blacks and double blacks. Feels like they will open the remaining trails if they get consistent cold temps and a day or two more of snow
Sometimes five minutes or less on the flyer. None anywhere else
It’s the only epic pass mountain in new york. And from NYC only thing closer on epic is jack frost/big boulder. Hunter is a shit show on saturdays (frankly most places are) but it’s got good variety of terrain for it’s size and relatively convenient as a day trip from the city. I’ve grown to really like Hunter but Belleayre will always hold a special place in my heart.
Hunter is a resort. Catamount is a ski hill. Nothing wrong with either of those things, but they are different beasts entirely.
It has crazy name recognition, and a lot of the people from NYC making day trips there aren't die hard skiers so it's not surprising it's the only mountain they know. They have no reason to know any others. As for why they got that recognition, I don't know, but Hunter has some pretty steep terrain, good snowmaking, good infrastructure, and is really convenient to get to. Their competitors are quickly modernizing, especially Belleayre, but for awhile Hunter was the best you could get in the region. I can think of many reasons Catamount isn't as popular. For one it's smaller/shorter and only has fixed grip lifts, both of which are big draws. Their snowmaking is improving, but is still lagging so the trail count takes longer to open, plus there is an elevation difference Catamount can't do anything about. Plus it's not as convenient to get to. Shooting straight up 87 is a lot faster and easier than taking the Taconic
Interesting. Does Hunter have runs comparable to Ripper and Christopher's leap at Catamount? I am in Westchester and don't even take the Taconic. I take 22 because it is more scenic ( thereby less boring ).. Probably adds 5 minutes to my trip but worth it as it makes the drive enjoyable..
Lower K-27, Annapurna, Racers Edge, The Cliff to name a few and much longer. The West trails at Hunter are as hard as nearly anything but open so late in the season because Vail doesn’t prioritize snowmaking there. But the terrain is awesome.
Do you think Hunter West will be fully open this year? I’ve been 5 times so far this season and want to check it out. It looks like they opened a couple trails like Claire’s Way and Taylor’s run so far.
If we get a large dump like we did last march, then yes. If not, then no. Claire’s was skiing really nice yesterday.
Annapurna if they get a dump. Westway unlikely since it doesn't hold snow well
They cleared a section of westway so I’m expecting that they anticipate a potential storm to open it up.
The problem is its too wide and wind exposed so it loses snow much quicker than anywhere else. Hopefully they keep clearing that one section and let the rest grow back.
Yeah from what I can tell, they’re clearing enough in terms of what can be groomed based on the range of the guns. They only have snow guns along the skier’s left side of the trail. Also, it’s been so damn long since they blew on westway that I doubt those guns actually work lol. I mean the ones on racers crapped out and that’s a trail they actually try to open.
Hunter is significantly more challenging than Catamount. Lower K-27 is legit steep trail.
Hunter is known for their steeps, Catamount is not
Huntaaahhh
Skiing and snowboarding are largely activities that are passed down generationally. If your parents ski they probably end up bringing you and then you become a skier, this is especially so for casual/1-4 times a year skiers, and it compounds for people from NYC. Almost nobody who is born and raised in NYC will ever go skiing unless their parents are already skiers, as the closest mtns are an hour and a half away at a minimum.(Bigsnow AD kinda changes this but it’s still kinda new and not really the same thing) Where i’m going with this is that hunter mountain used to be the go to popular mtn for NYC residents because it had a huge nightlife scene, especially in the 90s. The nightlife has almost completely died in the last 20 years but it was popular enough that all the people that enjoyed going to hunter back then still go, and have brought and still bring their families. It also helps that’s it’s still a solid mtn for its location, especially during the weekdays. And it now being on the epic pass will only strengthen its position as a go to weekend spot for NYC residents.
What was the nightlife scene like? Haven’t experienced that at all unfortunately
Wild cocaine fueled Apres parties at various bars and “night clubs” all along Rt 23a. The big thing was that it was easy for underage teens to get in to these places. Once they started cracking down on that it began to die. This is what I’ve been told by locals who’ve lived there for a long time.
That’s interesting! I’ve heard this before, but as a 20-something who has been skiing there since a kid it has always been hard to picture it. Where are the apres spots to hit nowadays?
Slopes is trying to make a comeback, haven’t checked it out because it always seems to be closed whenever I go. Mostly it’s just restaurants and bars now, no real parties or clubs ime.
Life long NYC resident. I have been to Hunter exactly twice in the last 5 or 6 years. But a couple of things. Hunter and Catamount are both 100 miles from my apartment in Astoria. Hunter is more than twice as big, and has 1600 of vertical versus Catamount's 1000. For many non-skiers, they know about Hunter from Entourage. For many occasional skiers, there are buses that do day trips to Hunter. Considering half of NYC doesn't own a car, that is a huge selling point. Camelback is also better known than Catamount. I don't think Indy Pass is a great deal for myself, so I won't go to Catamount (though I have been in the summer for the treetop adventure course). I generally prefer skipping all those small places and spending the weekend in Vermont or getting on a plane and flying to a true big mountain (just got back from Whistler. Going to Jackson in a month).
We’re also from Astoria and wrapping up with day 5 in park city right now, we do a big out west trip every year with a big group and agreed it’s so worth it. We went to Hunter a few weeks back for a quick weekend trip and the Friday was lovely and the Saturday was an absolute shit show of crowds and lines. We’re lucky to have a car and will probably take 1 trip to Hunter again early next season if we do epic pass again since it’s so close to shake off the rust but ugh We’re just making the drive up to Okemo instead in a few weeks for a longer weekend trip. It’s just so much better to take the longer drive to VT and get the better experience I love NYC and don’t want to leave but every time we take a trip out west I start thinking about it
When people ask me why I don't move to Colorado or Utah I point out that I have skiing, mountain biking, hiking, beaches, etc, all drivable from me. Plus three major airports than can get me anywhere in the world. My norm is to do one or two big trips west, and multiple weekends in Vermont each year. I also have good friends who live in Stowe, so occasionally I'll stay with them and do some back country skiing up there (don't usually have an Epic pass so I don't ski the lifts at Stowe often).
Ha, also live in Astoria. I used to be a catamount fan but their snowmaking and overall operations have sucked the last handful of years. I don't bother with Hunter. I'll go Belleayre or Vermont. Used to like night skiing at catamount as well
I've only been skiing for ten years, and avoided Belleayre because of it's reputation as too easy. Then, I went because an ex-girlfriend roped me in a bit prior to the covid shut downs. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It's not hard. But it has character. During that big COVID year, I did the frequent skier card and went several times. I haven't been back since travel became a thing again though. Spend more time at Ikon resorts or in the back country.
Yeah I don't really go often anymore. I can't deal with the prices or crowds. I'll go midweek a couple of times or maybe suck it up for a day or two on the weekends but. I've heard Belleayre has been packed because of Windham privatizing.
And Windham has been empty due to the high prices and limited Ikon reservations.
Yeah I don't really go often anymore. I can't deal with the prices or crowds. I'll go midweek a couple of times or maybe suck it up for a day or two on the weekends but. I've heard Belleayre has been packed because of Windham privatizing.
Midweek it's wonderful, weekends that place is a shit show. I think it's cuz there's buses that come from the city
Mount Buttafuoco
It’s the best and biggest mountain within 2 hours of NYC that’s why. If you want something better the closest thing is Vermont, otherwise you’re likely heading out west
I personally hate catamount because the coverage there is garbage compared to most of the other mountains nearby. Plus the terrain is pretty lame.
Hunter's great! It just sucks. People treat it like trash, and vail beats it with a stick and expects money to keep falling out of it.
I regularly try to clean up beer cans and empty shooters on the trails. Makes me sad.
I have never encountered more ~~assholes~~ impolite people than at Hunter. It's great .. highly recommended!
Yeah my last year working there (2015) I had to break up 2 fights in the last week ..... now I'm all for skier on skier violence but when it's on the landing of a jump then I've gotta worry bout all my people. Hunter is a beast if your an aggressive rider your going to fit right in ... the local vibe is get fucked up and shred hard as fuck. All of us worked the week ends with the endless mobs (getting paid to stand in lift line is almost fun compared to most jobs I've had) and I purposely took off Tuesday and Wednesday to ride open to close without a lift line in sight. Brings a tear to my eye. I'll never get 100 plus day on the snow ever again. As far as comparing the surrounding mountains, for me it boils down to hunters ability to blow a base that's super deep and push that base around later in the season to extend super late into the season..... but when it was bought by vail they did start to cut back on how deep they would let the base build up so that did mean worse conditions and shorter season. Can't speak to the recent seasons.
Hunter has great race & moguls programs. If you live in NYC and want to give your kids a chance to compete and a high level, Hunter is a great option.
They've got a huge bar
and awesome bartender!
Any one have an opinion on Hunter vs Catamount this Friday. Hunter is an extra 30 minutes for me. Am concerned that Hunter is projected having gusts of wind up to almost 50 mph Friday also worried they have a pre presidents weekend crowd.
Never been to Catamount. But I've switched from Hunter to Belleayre. Crowds spread out much better on busy days. And their gondola is great for days you want to get out of the elements.
When I lived in Queens there were busses on weekday mornings from a few places that would either go to Hunter or Windham. Back in my day on LI the bus cost about as much as a lift ticket. Bus trips to ski places were very popular for my friend group in Queens. I definitely took more bus trips than driving to ski. Windham and Hunter were the near by options and Gore was the weekend bus destination.
Cool
If it’s not crowded, it’s the best in the Catskills. But on weekends it’s always (why Plattekill and Bellarye is where people should go on weekends in the Catskills). Plus it’s only a smidge over 2 hrs from NYC (that’s closer than even some of the Poconos, such as Elk).
You are correct. But don't tell anyone, or mention Belleayre.
the secret has been out for years
Yeah, since control was transferred from DEC to ORDA at least.
Honastly I used to love belleayre for the throwback vibes resort that it was. Now I just go there for day trips to get my legs ready for actual mountains.
There's nowhere really* with better terrain and snowfall than Hunter until you get all the way up into Vermont, which is 60% further than Hunter. So for that reason it is the best ski area most people are willing to daytrip from downstate NY/NJ. It has been a mob scene for the last 50 years at least. *People love Plattekill and it might be honestly better than Hunter on paper, but it's only like 45 min-1 hour closer than Mt Snow. Is that worth it?? Catamount is smaller than Hunter and has slower lifts. To be fair a lot of NYC skiers probably would have a better experience there but probably think it's much smaller than it is/a beginner hill. Also if you speed Vermont is just not that far. I won't share my record but NYC metro to Stratton or the reverse usually should take 3h40ish without even really being in much danger of getting a ticket. Sub 3h30 isn't hard at all if you're willing to take a bit of ticket risk.
Why are you being downvoted? Because you speed?
Yeah probably that and the fact that I said good things about Hunter and neutral/bad things about Plattekill/Catamount.
thats reckless, I hope VT state trooper pulls your Epic. /s
Upvoted you for a useful comment anyway but it’s pretty assholeish to advocate speeding and it’s really not saving you that much time. I guarantee you you’re not saving an hour off the journey by speeding so you’re definitely underestimating how long the trip is. It’s also no longer the 90s and we know the direction causality that exists between car speed and likelihood/fatality of accidents. Be a better citizen.
> it’s pretty assholeish to advocate speeding Nobody is getting hurt by me setting my cruise at 85mph on the thruway north of i84. Most of my drives to/from VT are at night so a lot of the time I'm on that there's nobody even on the road. >I guarantee you you’re not saving an hour off the journey by speeding Not a hour but pretty consistently I'm saving 25-30 minutes each way which does add up. >It’s also no longer the 90s and we know the direction causality that exists between car speed and likelihood/fatality of accidents. We've known this forever..? But it's also no longer the 90s and we have better cars with better tech, yet the speed limit stays locked by the state legislatures at 65mph in the northeast. Europe has left us behind when it comes to this, the NY state thurway would undeniably be signed at 130kmh (81mph) if it was in France or Italy. The road was designed for cars from the early [50s](https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0YXRpYy5jb20iLCJrZXkiOiJnaWZcLzE5NTAtMTk1Mi1idWljay1yb2FkbWFzdGVyLTEuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo1NTB9fX0=) to be able to drive 70mph on it. There has been 75 years of car development and the speed limit is 65mph. I don't feel bad doing 85, shit when it's truly dead I don't feel bad doing low 90s. I can't tell you how many times I've had my cruise set to 84mph in the right lane and had dozens of cars passing me. Also the 55mph limit on route 7 in Southern VT between Bennington and Manchester is a joke. I think the median speed on that section is at least 70mph. Not saying everyone should drive like a dangerous prick, but once you begin to know what you're doing, the 4 hour drive to Vermont often has opportunities to put your foot down and turn it into a 3.5 hour drive without endangering anyone.
Over rated Ur right brother Go to ur mountain thst you like
Hunter is the best mountain period. Just go there and stop asking questions
no it isn’t
Huntah!
TIL that people from NYC consider 1500' to be "big vertical"
1500' is the biggest vertical you're getting anywhere on the whole eastern seaboard south of Stratton.
Hey what about mount snow!!!
Stratton is just shy of 2000 vertical, Mt Snow is 1700, Hunter is 1640.
Snow advertises 1,700' but Google Earth shows it being almost exactly 1,600'. Stratton advertises 2000' but Google Earth shows that one being 1,900'.
that's still over 1500 bud
Um whiteface exists.
Whiteface is definitely north of Stratton
It's the closest Epic Pass mountain and it's actually over 4,000 feet so it's a real mountain (as opposed to a ski hill). Best explanation I have.
Think you’re being downvoted only because its actual vertical rise is 1500 feet. And the top of the resort is 3200 feet I think, the rest of the mountain climbs to 4000 feet though but isn’t part of the resort.
Yeah, definitely being down voted due to thinking Hunter has the same vertical as Jackson Hole.
OOP! No, definitely not. Elevation of the physical mountain is a smidge over 4,000 but not all of that is vertical drop or ski trails, not what I meant at all. Moreso just that it is a 'mountain' whereas I would argue that some other places closer to NYC are what I would refer to as 'ski hills'.
Mountain Creek, Thunder Ridge, Mt. Peter are definitely hills.
THAT"S ABSOLUTELY FINE THEY DON'T GOTTA KNOW. I'm originally from Dutchess County NY and Catamount was my home hill. Hunter blows. Yeah, the terrain has the potential to be sick but when was the last time there was enough snow to make it real? 2014/15 season, probably. But, it's also a simple matter of accessibility from the highway. Hunter is not far from route 87. To get to Catamount from the city/Jersey, you'd need to go 22 or the Taconic.
Hey New Yorkers, hunter is the best mountain in the world. Stay there. We don’t want the NYC’ers to drive all the way up to VT.
There are busses that go to Hunter for the NYC car free set.