Ski

It's cool, montageskier...if you spend a lot of time at Hunter, you end up defensive and angry more than is healthy. I'll try and be nicer about Hunter and you try and keep from having him kick yer butt JK...I bet he decides to wander over to the GS course that day...

Yeah, I know you just like to call out teenagers. Well, if you change your mind, ASRA is coming to Hunter Jan. 29th. Racing's not my forte (I'm just a gatekeeper/aspiring learner), but it sure would be fun to try and slap you down on a GS course in your backyard... But nevermind...I'm not a 15 year old kid.... Good luck in your mission of hunting down people on the internet that don't like Hunter

Ski and snowboard bases are made out of polyethylene, which is a thermoplastic material composed of polymers of ethylene. Even if it's a high end graphite base, it's still just graphite added to the polethylene pellets. So I suppose you can call it fancy plastic

It would never have even crossed my mind to fight you...I don't even get if that was really a joke...fighting over what? Papasteeze and I disagree over just about everything, but I still get hugs from his kids. No, it's just that as a crappy intermediate I thought maybe it'd be fun to go head to head with you at the BMMC. I was just looking for something fun that the PASR kids might get a kick out of and I'm an old, rusty bumper.

Ha, that's hard to imagine.

People that don't like Hunter are crappy skiers, eh? Yeah, you're probably right. I sure can't imagine ever reaching your level of skiing. I've seen you arc some pretty gnarly turns. EDIT: I almost forgot...any chance you'll be at KMart 4/1 for the BMMC?

I've either worked, volunteered, or been part-owner of four ski areas. I have written a ski column for the largest newspaper chain in the world, in which I reviewed ski areas in the Northeast. I do NOT claim to be a great skier, especially since I'm often surrounded by people who are just flat out better than me---like yesterday, for instance. On the one hand, I'm humbled by great skiers--especially great racers--; and, on the other, I get the most enjoyment out of watching them. As with most people, I could live anywhere I want. This is America, after all. And I chose to live in the Poconos, where I can find enough steep headwalls, some empty weekday and night slopes, and be close enough to some surfable waves when a lower pressure system wanders by. But I really can't be bullied into liking someplace that is filled with bullies, rude people, and drunks. Sure, I've only been to Hunter 150 days or so, with most of it spent on greens and blues trying to earn $5 tips, but my opinion of the place is something I freely share with anyone that asks. I don't feel compelled to lie about Hunter to protect the bars and restaurants from lost business. If Hunter wants to morph into a family destination, then I suggest they crack down on the drunks instead of trying to shut up people with honest opinions. Lastly, I love skiing the Catskills. Before buying property in Wyoming, we seriously considered a farm house not far from Ski Plattekill, outside Roxbury. Here's the lead review of Hunter on Epinions.com... "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."

DMC: Hunter is a quiet, inexpensive, friendly, empty, clean place. A group of kids did NOT steal 14 stubby gates and ruin a Thanksgiving race camp. I have NOT witnessed people flick lit cigarettes from lifts at my classes dozens of times. I haven't witnessed a half-dozen fights. My kids have NOT been nearly decapitated by kids hitting blind jumps. You worked so hard this weekend on my behalf that I'll take it all back. Hunter rules! EDIT: PS, I'm sorry I made you stew over this for so long. I'm truly sorry my opinion and experiences had this much effect on you.

You spent how many hours waiting, worrying, plotting, discussing, and photographing today for my benefit? You even took the time to carefully compose a picture of your watch in front of the slopes for me? That is TOOOOO funny! I feel soooo special! Okay, DMC, Hunter is an empty and friendly place. And you don't have a strange obsession with disproving the FACT that Hunter is typically overrun by NYC gapers? Your very thread could have been a beautiful depiction of opening weekend, but you decided to waste it on some weird revenge? Thanks for thinking of me all weekend long. I feel a little guilty that you wasted one of the few days of the season that Hunter isn't packed wall-to-wall with the Manhattan masses worrying about me. Sure makes me want to head back to Hunter! Gotta love the happy go lucky, friendly locals!

Jeez, DMC, it's REALLY super that warm city temps kept peoples mind's off skiing/riding Hunter AND Belleayre this weekend. Really, it's a GREAT thing. And I imagine KMart and the Bush were empty today, as well. If you feel that changes our experiences on past opening days where absolute butthead *ssholes have crashed into my kids while catching blind air, then go right ahead. You are the one that said how much you can't wait for the Poconos and MC to open to be rid of the crowds. You are welcome to have your glowing opinion of Hunter. It's your opinion. My opinion comes from my own experience with some truly dangerous situations. I don't troll over to your Hunter MB and bash Hunter. But I freely express and share my experiences of Hunter here among my PA friends. Do you really have a problem with that? Is it mandatory to you that everyone love Hunter? I've worked there, had my oldest in three Thanksgiving race camps there, and still have friends that ski there regularly. It's cool to see your pics. Leaving out repetitive negativity would have made them cooler.

You don't miss out on much when Hunter uses that lift---you mostly just lose the runout.

Because snow coverage only came down to mid-mountain. So you ride one lift all the way to the top, then ski halfway down the mountain to another lift that goes back up to the summit. When you want to leave, you board the top to bottom lift and ride all the way down.

30 runs down the same slope is about right...opening days are great and all, but it's more about hanging with old friends again than the epic skiing. Skimom summed it up pretty good by saying it felt a little like the movie Groundhog Day. Belleayre opened with a blue square-type run that went 2/3rds of the way up the mountain. From DMC's pics of Hellgate, I think we made the right choice, since we were mostly looking to work on GS turns and all had our race skis. Plus, we got free tickets to ski this spring. I believe they opened the rail park, but I think they had to hike it. Steeze, Ridge, and Rob spent a lot of time over there.

Cool, DMC, great to hear there was only one rude New Yorker at Hunter today!

Yep, Jeff will probably post when he gets home later.

Blue sky, white snow, warm temps, and fairly empty slopes at Belleayre today... And Jeff didn't kill us in a firey BMW crash! Thanks for the ride~it's great to ski with great skiers like you, 'Dude and my favorite 'Mom.

Yes!

POC, I have to tell you that I'm impressed and amazed when a professional educator and family man such as yourself is up at 4:30am asking about Tanglwood's vertical drop. 415 ft.

Belleayre will be just to the midstation Sunday, BUT you'll get a free all day/any day pass when you buy a lift ticket tomorrow. They are still 'planning' on the rail park being open tomorrow. Great deal for you guys., for sure---$35 gets you a ticket for tomorrow AND a free ticket for later.

No, they changed Purgatory's name to Durango

Three Hidden Valleys...the one in Joisey, as well as Hidden Valley Ski Area in Missouri; their moto: "It's never too dark to ski." Hmmm...two Blue Mountains. There's also a Shawnee Peak ski area in Maine. There's another Camelback Mountain, but not for skiing. There's Squaw Valley and a closed Squaw in Colorado's Front Range about to reopen with another name. There's cross country skiing at Sugarloaf in Canada, as well as downhill Sugarloaf, Maine. There's a Big Bear in PA, as well as a California Big Bear Lake Ski Area. There's an Alpine Mountain in PA, and an Alpine Valley Ski Area in Michigan, as well as one in Ohio and another in Wisconsin. There's a Mad River Glen and a Mad River Mountain Ski Resort in Ohio. I was thinking about proposing we change The Hideout Ski Hill to Purgatory, since they aren't using it anymore.

Twisty with 50mph speed limit signs, mostly. There are a bunch of small towns to get through and it's a tough ride without a map person, but def quicker than the major hwys. The ride from Stroudsburg to my house is worse than the ride going north of here.

Yup and yup. The back roads from Stroudsburg to Honesdale (which is where the good shortcut to Highmount, NY, 'begins') ends up slower than going out 84. The DD is a little steeper and longer than Rocket. Would that be a good comparison 'Mom? But from midstation down it's just a nicely pitched blue diamond, really.

C'mon my little Asian Sensation Montage bro---nice shirts, but we need some Dr. D's Wicked Wax type stickers to plaster around for ya.

I guess I'd equate it to Big Pocono, without the runout at the bottom; an easy blue square. The upper half, above midstation, is a diamond run, though.