Wild Nightlife, Great Snow and 1/2 of NYC - Hunter Mountain
Written: Dec 13 '03 (Updated Feb 02 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Diverse terrain, lots of lifts, Great Mountain if you can beat the crowds
Cons: NYC-North might be a better name - crowds, attitude and partying, not for families
The Bottom Line: Hunter doesn't have the reputation that is has for no reason - Wild nightlife, massive snowmaking, proximity to NYC - if you can take it - it's worth it
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| jps246's Full Review: Hunter Mountain |
Live in the Tri-State metro region (I’m talking NY, CT and NJ here) and ski or snowboard? You’ve probably already heard of Hunter Mountain the Catskills then, but you may have not yet skied there yet and if you haven’t, your decision on going should rest on exactly what you are looking for in your ski area.
The Details
Located in Hunter, New York in the heart of the northeast Catskills, Hunter Mountain offers 1,600 vertical feet of descent for skiers, along with 53 trails and 11 different lifts to get to those various trails. In regard to easy, moderate and difficult trails, Hunter’s terrain is broken down into (from their website):
30% easy
30% moderate
27% hard (black diamond)
13% really hard (double black diamond)
One should be aware that these trail ratings, like anything are subjective. I’ve found that Northeast ski areas tend to overestimate the difficultly of some trails and thus they are marked as the double black diamond trails. For someone who is used to western black diamond trails, an eastern double black diamond will probably not pose a problem to them.
Hunter is divided up into three sections, or as they call them, mountains, which include Hunter One, Hunter Mountain and Hunter West. Hunter One has 16 trails that contain the majority of the beginner trails and a few moderate trails. People never on skis before, or just getting used to skiing, should stick to this area. Hunter Mountain proper has 31 trails that include roughly an equal distribution of beginner, moderate and expert trails with a few double diamond trails thrown in. Finally Hunter West is more of the technical side of the mountain with three out of the six trails being double diamonds and the remaining three as expert trails. Beginners and novices should not venture over to Hunter West, they will not have a pleasant experience.
The 11 lifts serve all the various parts of the mountain and include 3 high-speed quad chairs, two triple chairs, five double chairs and a handle tow lift. Generally skiers and snowboarders are kept moving on these chairs, but with the crowds that crop up at Hunter, one can often be waiting a significant amount of time to get a ride to the top of the mountain.
Hunter Mountain has always billed itself as the “Snowmaking Capitol of the World,” and it is a fairly well deserved reputation. The Catskills are notorious for unpredictable winters and snow pack. One year, you could be digging out from 4 or 5 feet of snow and the next winter, you might only get a dusting all year. So Hunter set out to build a snowmaking system that could cover the mountain in quality man-made snow. With over 1100 snowguns on the mountain, 60 plus miles of piping, and the ability to manufacture over 40 tons of snow per minute, in a single night below freezing, Hunter can produce enough snow to cover all of the trails with a usable snowpack. Add that up all winter and the base depths that Hunter can build up can be truly amazing.
Liftside lodging is fairly limited and most people stay in the village of Hunter at the various hotels, or in the nearby towns of Tannersville and Haines Falls in their hotels and motels. Several bed and breakfasts are also located throughout all three of the villages and in the surrounding mountain communities.
Hunter Mountain is pricy and compared to what you pay at larger resorts throughout the rest of the Northeast, the cost-benefit ratio may be a bit off. However, it is closer than most other major resorts (such as the Vermont and New Hampshire resorts) to the New York City metropolitan region. A weekend/holiday adult ticket will cost you $51 dollars and a midweek ticket $41 dollars. Young adults, children and seniors are slightly cheaper.
Should you be looking for lessons, Hunter offers several different packages at various costs. A beginner package, for people who have never really skied will cost you $58 dollars and includes rental equipment, an all-day pass to Hunter One and a group lesson.
The Good Parts…
With an incredible snowmaking system, Hunter is able to open early and remain open throughout the winter season and is not subject to the whims of the weather (though this season they weren’t able to stay open as early as they usually do because of the warm temperatures this fall). If you get to Hunter Mountain in the wintertime, it will have a deep snowpack, will have quality snow, and you will be able to ski a variety of terrain.
Hunter is also close to many different areas in the metro area, if you aren’t lucky enough to live in the mountains. New York City is about 2 hours away, Poughkeepsie an hour, Kingston a ½ an hour, and Albany is about 45 minutes away.
The terrain at Hunter is fairly varied and almost equally divided among the various difficulty classes (with a bit of a tilt towards expert and double diamond) but a skier of any level will find trails that fit them at Hunter Mountain.
The Bad Ones…
I’ll admit it, I’m not a city boy even though I live in Boston. I grew up in the Catskills, went to college in northeastern Vermont and lived in Maine for two years before I started living outside of Boston. I hate crowded areas and places that remind me of cities. I prefer a quiet and laid-back resort and vacation destination.
Hunter is everything I don’t like in a resort. Because of its proximity to NYC and the rest of the metro-region, it is always packed on weekends. Most of the people at Hunter Mountain are from the city, Long Island or New Jersey. Nothing against any of these people, but when you take them all out of the city and stick them all on a mountain, it’s like being in the city again, just on the slopes.
The trails can be incredibly crowded to the point of not even wanting to bother skiing or snowboarding because you’re more likely to hit someone than get down the trail and have a good time.
There are a lot of people with a lot of attitude on this mountain. I go to a mountain to ski, not to get into a fight or a dispute with someone.
Drinking and partying are as much a part of the “Hunter Scene” as skiing is. At night, Hunter Mountain and the village of Hunter turn into a big party. We used to joke growing up nearby that it was just a bunch of drunk and coked out folks out there every Saturday night. It was so bad at times that just driving through the village of Hunter was a challenge, drunk and high people wandering the streets and running in front of cars.
Hunter has tried to clean up its image, but it is still more of a party place than a ski place. People go to Hunter to have a good time, a really good time and that includes the nightlife. Between Hunter and Tannersville, bars and pubs probably outnumber all of the other businesses combined (well that may be a slight exaggeration).
Hunter is not a family destination – it’s for young people looking for some good skiing and some good times after the slopes. Looking for a family resort, head over to Ski Windham, which is much more of a family friendly ski resort in the Catskills. If you want a truly relaxing and enjoyable ski experience (for families, single skiers, or groups of friends), considering heading over to Bellayre Mountain, a state owned ski area further southwest in the Catskills.
Even though it’s only 20 minutes or so from my folks, I almost never ski at Hunter, unless I’m around during the week when the crowds are smaller and the attitude is significantly tuned down.
So…
The lift tickets are pricy, the trails can be crowded, attitude is evident everywhere, and it is probably one of the biggest party scenes at a ski resort in the northeast, but it is a technically competent mountain that is worth skiing at least once.
If you aren’t looking for the big parties or throngs of people, consider hitting Hunter Mountain during the week when everything on the mountain tones down and you can sometimes even have a few trails to yourself.
But if you are looking for a good time to go along with your ski trip and you don’t mind crowds, then Hunter Mountain is probably right up your alley and you will fully enjoy your trip.
More Skiing Reviews
Bellayre Mountain (NY) / Ski Windham (NY) / Burke Mountain (VT) / Catamount (MA) / Jiminy Peak (MA) / Whiteface Mountain/Lake Placid (NY) / Tuckerman Ravine (NH) / Gore Mountain (NY)
Catskill Resources
The Catskills
Woodstock
Hunter, Tannersville and Haines Falls
Phoenicia
Hunter Mountain Wild Forest
Westkill Mountain Wilderness Area
Tremper Mountain Fire Tower
Hunter Mountain Fire Tower
Woodland Valley Campground
Devil's Tombstone Campground and Day-Use Area
Ski Windham Ski Resort
Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort
Emerson Place
Catskill Trails Map Set
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: All
Best Time to Visit: February
Best Suited For: Singles
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