brokenspoke
New member
I've been going nuts without snow and -HAD- to ski. So I headed over to Hunter on Sunday. It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine and moderate temps. There were essentially 2 ways down: the intermediate Belt Parkway and the 'expert' Hellgate. I have to acknowledge Hunter’s commitment to making snow and opening early. Having said that, I knew I might be in for less than ideal conditions when I hit rocks in the lift line. I mentioned it to a lift attendant, hoping that they might grab a shovel and throw some snow on the rocks, but they just shrugged their shoulders and said it wasn’t their job. I did a top to bottom on the Belt Parkway to warm up and found the conditions to be bullet proof but acceptable. It was VERY crowded...very much like driving the NJ Parkway...people to my left, to my right, in front of me, behind me, and gangs of boarders careening down the hill waiting to take out anyone getting in their way. I then hit Hellgate and immediately hit some major rocks. I was pretty ticked about it but figured it was my fault for skiing so close to the edge. Hellgate bumped up during the day and never got too crowded. It too, stayed bulletproof all day, despite the moderate temps. The rocks in the lift line got worse toward the afternoon, but I finally figured out how to avoid them. All in all, a great first day of skiing. What I’m left with is satisfaction and wonderment (was it REALLY worth trashing my skis for?)