# Hunter Mountain - 2/27/2006 (AZ Gathering)



## Greg (Feb 28, 2006)

*Date(s) Skied: *Monday, 2/27/2006

*Resort or Ski Area: *Hunter Mountain, New York

*Conditions: *Machine made packed powder. Sunny, cold, windy at the summit.

*Trip Report: *bvibert and I arrived at the mountain shortly after 10 am. We booted up and got in one run before the planned meet-up at the summit at 11 am. After our first run, we saw JimG. and boarded the lift with him. Already waiting at the summit was kingslug. Within a few minutes 2knees and YardSaleDad arrived and we were off.

JimG. acted as our tour guide and showed us around the mountain. We skied several runs on the front of the mountain and really enjoyed the fresh manmade. We were all amazed how much snow they were making. The smooth manmade surface was fantastic. We did several runs on Eisenhower which worked out well as those that wanted to hit the bumps could, while the others could ski the groomed section on skier's right. Today proved how well an AZ gathering with skiers of all ability levels could work. Great job keeping us all together, Jim!

All in all another great AZ gathering. There were a total of six of us: Greg, bvibert, JimG., 2knees, kingslug and YardSaleDad. Great to meet kingslug and YSD. Brian, Pat, Jim - always a pleasure. Thanks for the great day guys! Here are some pics:

*2knees on Eisonhower bumps:*














*JimG.:*









*JimG. and 2knees:*





*kingslug:*





*YardSaleDad:*





*bvibert:*


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 28, 2006)

Nice...Looks like you guys had a good trip.


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2006)

Nice pics Greg, you got better ones than me.  I'll post mine up when I get a chnace.

It was nice to meet Jim, YSD, Slug, and 2 kness.  Jim did an excellent job showing us around the mountain! :beer:  Thanks for putting this together Greg!


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## 2knees (Feb 28, 2006)

Great day for sure.  Not as cold as i had feared.  Sorry for sticking to eisenhower all day, i had a one track mind.  And i'm paying for it today. Hunter is a cool mtn for sure.  I'd love to go back when the west side has better conditions, that stuff looked like it had serious potential.  One side note, K27 was apparently a death trap on the top 1/3 so we bailed on that one.  It was great meeting bvibert, yardsale, kingslug and Jimg.  Thanks for the pointers jim, now i just need more time on the snow.  And greg, a pleasure again.  We'll have to get a sundown night again soon.


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## JimG. (Feb 28, 2006)

A day of great fun everyone! Let's all thank Hunter for all the snow they blew and continue to blow as we speak. That's probably the first time I've seen them blow snow on the bump course the day after a bump comp. That made the day!

Pat, I don't blame you for sticking to the bumps, but I wanted to show everyone else around the rest of the hill. I almost convinced Greg to try Lower K27...it was pretty sketchy for the first 5 turns or so, but then pretty nice. Not really a death trap unless you're not a confident skier.

Unlike those morning pics, the bumps got fairly huge in the afternoon. Our last run down in flat light got everyone's attention I'm sure. Still, the course held up great.

Nice to meet Pat, Tom, Ira, and Brian. Greg, your skiing has improved alot since last season...keep it up!

Now I'm gonna go find some rope so I can tie my legs together in those bumps. Everything else looked pretty good except for the space between my legs!


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## andyzee (Feb 28, 2006)

Nice pics!


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## Greg (Feb 28, 2006)

JimG. said:
			
		

> A day of great fun everyone! Let's all thank Hunter for all the snow they blew and continue to blow as we speak. That's probably the first time I've seen them blow snow on the bump course the day after a bump comp. That made the day!


No kidding. The entire mountain held up well. Even that run over towards the back side without any snowmaking was typical 15 degree weather hard pack, but still very edgeable.



			
				JimG. said:
			
		

> Pat, I don't blame you for sticking to the bumps, but I wanted to show everyone else around the rest of the hill. I almost convinced Greg to try Lower K27...it was pretty sketchy for the first 5 turns or so, but then pretty nice. Not really a death trap unless you're not a confident skier.


I'm glad I opted out of Lower K. After my final feeble attempt of the bump course, I'm sure I would have struggled. You should have got me right before lunch - that's when I was feeling my best.



			
				JimG. said:
			
		

> Unlike those morning pics, the bumps got fairly huge in the afternoon. Our last run down in flat light got everyone's attention I'm sure. Still, the course held up great.


Oh yes. I got pulled down twice. Fatigue+flat light =  



			
				JimG. said:
			
		

> Nice to meet Pat, Tom, Ira, and Brian. Greg, your skiing has improved alot since last season...keep it up!


Likewise. Always great to meet new AZers. Thanks for the kind words. Like I said, it's all about the miles. As a father with young kids, I certainly don't get out as often as many, but I did get 25 days in last season and it looks like 20 will be a reality this year so that helps, as do your tips, Jim. Gonna work on the elevated hips thing for the rest of this season, especially on the groomers which I hope will translate into the bumps. I'm a crouch master.



			
				JimG. said:
			
		

> Now I'm gonna go find some rope so I can tie my legs together in those bumps. Everything else looked pretty good except for the space between my legs!


Don't let the pics sway you. You always look confident in the bumps, Jim. I think Brian has some videos that maybe he'll post. I'm sure they'll do more justice!


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## Catul (Feb 28, 2006)

Looks like a great time!  Wish I coulda joined you guys ...


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2006)

Greg said:
			
		

> Jim. I think Brian has some videos that maybe he'll post. I'm sure they'll do more justice!


Yup, here they are:
*2knees*
*JimG.*
*Greg*
There are some more, but they were from too far away so they didn't come out too good.  The files are a little on the big side, so it might work better to save them to your computer before viewing.

Here's some pics:
*JimG and Greg*



*Greg* (the guy who slid half-way down the mountain is in the background)



*JimG.*



*2knees*



*Greg*



*JimG.*







There's a couple more in my *gallery*, I think.  I didn't get any of YSD, I guess because we were always skiing close to each other.  I could never pick out kingslug's jacket from the bottom of the bump run, thats why there are none of him.


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## JimG. (Feb 28, 2006)

OK, that's the way I see myself skiing bumps. Nice video Brian.

Amazing how the shutter always snaps at the worst time in skiing pics, especially ones taken of me!


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2006)

JimG. said:
			
		

> OK, that's the way I see myself skiing bumps. Nice video Brian.
> 
> Amazing how the shutter always snaps at the worst time in skiing pics, especially ones taken of me!


Glad you liked the vid Jim.  Thanks for the tips yesterday, I'll be working on keeping the hips up/foward as well as the hands the rest of this season.


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## JimG. (Feb 28, 2006)

bvibert said:
			
		

> Glad you liked the vid Jim.  Thanks for the tips yesterday, I'll be working on keeping the hips up/foward as well as the hands the rest of this season.



Perhaps we will hook up again this season and work on those things.


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2006)

JimG. said:
			
		

> Perhaps we will hook up again this season and work on those things.


A definite possibility!


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2006)

Catul said:
			
		

> Looks like a great time!  Wish I coulda joined you guys ...



Bummer you couldn't make it, it was indeed a great time!  Maybe next time..


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## cooper (Feb 28, 2006)

Looks like a great day - and like you had the place to yourselves.  Thanks for posting the pix and vids.


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## 2knees (Feb 28, 2006)

and that's why i dont get air anymore.  Nice skid out on the landing.  DOH!  thanks for the videos brian.


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## Greg (Feb 28, 2006)

2knees said:
			
		

> and that's why i dont get air anymore.  Nice skid out on the landing.  DOH!  thanks for the videos brian.


Good recovery though!


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## YardSaleDad (Feb 28, 2006)

*A wonderful day*

Great pics!!! Thanks to everyone for a memorable day.  The conditions and company were great.  I look forward to more AZ outings.


Am I the only one whose butt is dragging today?


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2006)

YardSaleDad said:
			
		

> Am I the only one whose butt is dragging today?


Nope!  I'm practically falling asleep at my desk...


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## JimG. (Feb 28, 2006)

You two need to get in shape! 

Drill sargent JimG. reporting for butt kicking duty.


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2006)

JimG. said:
			
		

> You two need to get in shape!
> 
> Drill sargent JimG. reporting for butt kicking duty.


You got that right, I didn't even hit any bumps and I'm still pretty beat.

I was just happy that I made it to 4:00 without collapsing...


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## Eski (Feb 28, 2006)

JimG. said:
			
		

> ... Drill sargent JimG. reporting for butt kicking duty.



I reported for happy hour duty and expected to see you and the crew there ... next thing I see from across the way was you backpackin' it outta the lodge ... nice snow to be found that day


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## kingslug (Feb 28, 2006)

*Hunter Mountain 2/27/06*

OK, a trip report. Hunter proved it's slogan as the snowmaking capitol of the world. They had the guns going full blast all day. We met up at 11. Some of us had been there since around 9 whith a good amount of laps already in. The weather was cold but we had blue skies. The conditions where great with very little ice. They had a class B mogul course set up so we decided to hang there for a while. Jim G. Gregg, and Pat ( names right?) showed us less talented folk how it's done. I'm still trying to get the hang of it after 10 years. The run was only half moguls so you could bail or just not do them. We then checked out the rest of the area. Racers Edge which has been closed for a while due to a snow making computer malfunction was up and running. The top was ugly, the middle near the guns was better. Everything else was in good shape, mini konka, east side drive, gun hill road, all in good shape. Kennedy was a manmade blizzard, all the guns where going and the powder was piling up. You couldn't see a thing but who cared. We then ventured over to the west side. It looked very slick, the top entrance was closed as it was a solid sheet. Well what the hell how bad could it be. Jim G, Gregg, and I  decided to give it a whirl. The bumps on the side where OK, the middle a sheet. I picked skiers left when out of no where a ski passes me. I looked up to see a body sliding down at full speed towards me. Full yardsale into the fence right behind me. Then his buddy decides to do the same. They where all right, time to bail. Guess some people don't take the warning sign too seriously. After lunch we took it easy. Too many bump runs and you get jello legs. It was great to be able to hang with quality mogul skiers all day and every body else of course. You know it's good when you close the place. Have to do it again some time soon. And yes Jim I will try to make a few more turns. Which leads me to post a question in the main forum.
__________________


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## JimG. (Mar 1, 2006)

Eski said:
			
		

> I reported for happy hour duty and expected to see you and the crew there ... next thing I see from across the way was you backpackin' it outta the lodge ... nice snow to be found that day



Sorry I missed you Ed...had to pack it out of there home to keep the family happy too. At least we got a chair ride in with Doug's lovely fiance Alexa.

BTW, there have been alot of NYstate troopers out there in the past 2 weeks pulling over anyone speeding even a little bit. If you're gonna hit happy hour after the slopes, kick back a while and enjoy some down time before hitting the road.


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## JimG. (Mar 1, 2006)

kingslug said:
			
		

> I picked skiers left when out of no where a ski passes me. I looked up to see a body sliding down at full speed towards me.



OMG I almost forgot that debacle! Clairs really wasn't in bad shape but those 2 guys just couldn't handle eastern hardpack. And I was the one who suggested you go over to that side while Greg and I hit the ice bumps on the right. 

When the ski just missed you and I saw the first guy go into the streamlined, feet first, I'm never going to stop missle shape I thought he was going to take you out too. And he didn't hit the fence (that was the second guy who I screamed at to dig his heels in). The first guy went top to bottom and was travelling at least 40 MPH by the time he stopped at the bottom.

Scary.


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## YardSaleDad (Mar 1, 2006)

JimG. said:
			
		

> The first guy went top to bottom and was travelling at least 40 MPH by the time he stopped at the bottom.
> 
> Scary.



He didn't land on the trail either.  It was the rocky scrub on the side, with very little snow coverage.  

You could have knocked me over with a feather, when he just got up and started walking.  Albeit walking gingerly.


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## Greg (Mar 1, 2006)

Brings up an interesting point. What's the proper way to self-arrest in that situation? Simply bend the knees, shoulder-width apart, and dig the heels in hard? Once that guy got up to speed, would he have even been able to stop himself without anything short of an ice axe?


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## dmc (Mar 1, 2006)

Greg said:
			
		

> Brings up an interesting point. What's the proper way to self-arrest in that situation? Simply bend the knees, shoulder-width apart, and dig the heels in hard? Once that guy got up to speed, would he have even been able to stop himself without anything short of an ice axe?



If you still have skis on pull them under your body and you might get back to standing...

No skis - the you have to grab your poles down by the baskets and use the points in the snow... Like an axe...

If you have a pack on - roll over onto your back and it may slow you down...


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## JimG. (Mar 1, 2006)

dmc said:
			
		

> If you still have skis on pull them under your body and you might get back to standing...
> 
> No skis - the you have to grab your poles down by the baskets and use the points in the snow... Like an axe...
> 
> If you have a pack on - roll over onto your back and it may slow you down...



Unfortunately, this poor soul shed all his equipment way up on top of Clairs near the intersection with upper Taylors. 

D, he reminded me of that guy who took the top to bottom wipe in the Chute at Tucks a few years back.


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## Eski (Mar 1, 2006)

JimG. said:
			
		

> .... If you're gonna hit happy hour after the slopes, kick back a while and enjoy some down time before hitting the road.


yup, went from lodge to the hotel w/friends and hung out a few hours before getting on the road


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## ALLSKIING (Mar 1, 2006)

dmc said:
			
		

> No skis - the you have to grab your poles down by the baskets and use the points in the snow... Like an axe...
> 
> ..


Thats a great idea...never thought of that.


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## kingslug (Mar 1, 2006)

Well thank God no pics of me trying those bumps. Class B course, class D skier....does not make for good pics. Unless for comedy.


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## Greg (Mar 1, 2006)

kingslug said:
			
		

> Well thank God no pics of me trying those bumps. Class B course, class D skier....does not make for good pics. Unless for comedy.


Yeah, but isn't that you in the tail end of my video?  Sorry for outing you...


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## bvibert (Mar 1, 2006)

Greg said:
			
		

> Yeah, but isn't that you in the tail end of my video?  Sorry for outing you...


Sure is...


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## kingslug (Mar 1, 2006)

Those 2 sliding reminded me of the opening scene in the movie Vertical Limit when the climbers fall off El Capitan. I've seen some pretty bad yardsales back there. The woman who fell off the side of Mini and landed in the tree was also pretty scary. Not an easy mountain for most.


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## kingslug (Mar 1, 2006)

Greg said:
			
		

> Yeah, but isn't that you in the tail end of my video?  Sorry for outing you...


I can't watch it at my work computer. Have to wait till I get home. Hope it's not too ugly. I look much better skiing powder.


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## awf170 (Mar 1, 2006)

First question: Jim are you wearing AT boots?

Second question: What the heck of you wearing for pants YSD? It doesn't even look like you have ski pants on.


Anyway awsome trip report, and I envy jimg, 2knees, and greg mogul skills.


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## bvibert (Mar 1, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> First question: Jim are you wearing AT boots?
> 
> Second question: What the heck of you wearing for pants YSD? It doesn't even look like you have ski pants on.
> 
> ...


Yes, Jim was wearing his AT boots.  IIRC YSD had some fleece pants on.


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## JimG. (Mar 7, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> First question: Jim are you wearing AT boots?



Yup, my Adrenalins. 

But, I've got the DIN soles on in place of the rocker hiking sole and those are my alpine bump skis with regular alpine binders.

This versatility is one of the things that make these boots the absolute best I've ever owned. And my bootfitter Keith tells me every week that he's sold another pair. As expensive as they are, these boots are a great value.


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