Friday, December 31, 2010

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY TONIGHT + AFTERPARTY IDEAS!

Ever tune up for New Years at Hunter Mountain? You've been missing out.  We have the best ramp-up party in the east! The party continues when the slopes close at 4pm and the base lodge at Hunter turns into a tailgate-style party...guests bring their own food...some full-on buffets!  Dance the evening away with loads of friends. Still feeling hungry? Santini's Pizza and Hunter Sushi will be open til' the music stops at 9:00pm.

We've got lots of great music from DJ Frankie and The Shackadelics, fireworks at 7:30 and fun for the whole family at Hunter Mountain. Come join in the festivities!  The party at the base lodge ends at 9:00pm and picks-up again at any number of venues:
  • Kaatskill Mountain Club: starting at 9pm with music in the lobby, games for kids and a balloon drop at midnight! VanWinkles at the Kaatskill Mountain Club will offer a scrumptous prix fixe menu! Reservations recommended!
  • Slopes....where the party never stops....there is a cover but it includes a bottle of champagne for everyone on the dance floor at midnight!
  • Spinning Room...another party that will go to the wee hours of the morning... and never a cover!!
  • Last Chance Tavern: a softer crowd that will groove to live entertainment. Check their website for details!
  • MacGregors - the ever-present pub party right across from the Hunter Mountain entrance always ensures a good time!
Looking for a venue to dress to the nines? Meet great people, enjoy a wonderful dinner & dance the night away and help a great cause....make a reservation for the annual SnowBall at Hunter Mountain! Keep reading for more info on this very special event!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Another Video?! Why Not!

The Empire Terrain Park is on POINT! Check it out!

18" of Powder!! Dec 27th 2010

Hunter Mountain 18" of Powder!! Dec 27th 2010. Thanks to Jermey Thompson and Jeremiah Dixon for the GoPro footage!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Hunter Mountain Presents: Steep and Deep with Randy And Dre GOPRO

From December 26-27, 2010, Hunter Mountain received 18 inches of fresh snow! Randy and Dre tackled the steeps and brought you these shots! This was filmed on December 27, 2010 using a GOPRO HD Camera!

Film edited by Da589's Pablo Mori

18" of snow & still coming down.... AM update

Two weeks ago the marketing team went on a limb and called this month the December to Remember at Hunter Mountain. Some at Hunter who are very superstitious showed some great reluctance..."why jinx it", they all said. Our snowmakers were running full steam ahead, guns were blazing, and we were covering and opening terrain like never before. The investment in 150 new snow guns was surely paying off and Hunter certainly delivered for our skiers and riders.

On December 26th, the marketing team again went out on that limb, which held strong, and said that we would get a massive pow dump throughout the night and into day on the 27th. The snow gods smiled at our positivity and gave Hunter exactly what we had asked for. Good morning everyone...and welcome to 18+ inches of fresh POW at Hunter Mountain and flurries coming all through the week. The slopes are in excellent shape and we're grooming some before we open...many will be left exactly like Mother Nature intended them to be...untouched and pristine...awaiting the first tracks of skiers and riders.

Coming up? We urge you to be careful...the main roads coming off the NY Thruway are cleared but the wind is blowing so you may encounter some areas that have become snow-covered. The county plow trucks are out and have also cleared most side roads...just in case you're needing to get to your share-house or area lodging.

This is not a sight to be missed! Whether you're coming up to shred some pow, bringing the kids up for a Learn-To-Ski/Snowboard program, taking the family snowtubing or just getting away for a winter weekend in the Catskills....a beautiful snow-covered town, just over 2 hours from NYC awaits you at Hunter Mountain.

Enjoy the snow...wherever you are!

Brian
Director of Sales & Marketing

Sunday, December 26, 2010

POWDER ALERT! 12-24" of SNOW forecast for HUNTER!

Check this out... as of 9am this morning, the forecast for Hunter and the higher altitude areas of Greene County are as follows. Hunter is due for more snow from this storm than any ski area in the east: 12-24" will fall on Hunter beginning now and ending sometime Monday evening.

Check out the forecast, courtesy of Weather Underground.


Stay tuned -- we'll be updating Facebook and HunterMtn.com with snow totals, photos, video and more information as the snow continues to fall. It has already begun...

We hope to see you soon!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Gorgeous Conditions Today!

If you aren't here, you're missing out! It's beautiful out! Come spend your Christmas with Hunter Mountain. See you soon!


New Video! Go Pro Featuring Jeremy Thompson!

Flow Snowboarding's Jeremy Thompson rolled through Hunter Mountain yesterday 12-23-10 and shot for us using the GoPro HD! Conditions were great with a 2-4" of fresh snow! Christmas weekend should be amazing! See you all here!

Also features riding from D. VanValkenburgh, Andrzej Stopka (skier), Vicki Thompson, Amber France, and Dre Mori.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

eNews 12/21/10!

Hello from Hunter Mountain! We have truly hit the jackpot this season with fantastic start-up weather. Our snowguns are still cranking, putting more snow out on Clair's, Annapurna, Hunter One and others. The weekend looks to be absolutely fantastic weather-wise and we are excited to kick off the holiday week!

SNOWTUBING will be opening on Friday from 11am-5pm! It will be open on Saturday (Christmas Day) from 11am-7pm, and then 9am-9pm Sunday through Saturday of the holiday week. More info/pricing is available here!

In case you haven't heard, the Skyrider tour -- the longest and highest zipline & canopy tour in North America -- is now open and accepting reservations. There are some videos available and further information can be found on ziplinenewyork.com. The initial tours have been an enormous success... this is truly a once in a lifetime experience!

In other news, Dre has been hard at work on a new RideHunter.com -- take a look! Plus a video of last weekend's Never Summer Snowboards rail jam... enjoy!

We've got an awesome package available at the Kaatskill Mountain Club in cooperation with Ski Areas of New York -- SKI STAY FREE! Ski & stay for two days & nights, get the third day of skiing and night of lodging FREE! More info here!

2 MORE VIDEOS: HOLIDAY AD VIDEO + WEEKEND RECAP!

We've got two more videos this week, including a new "The Feeling Stays With You" ad video with a caption contest on Facebook! The winner gets two (2) Hunter lift tickets and two (2) tickets to Seton Hall/Georgetown, 4th row up from the floor!! Get in it to win it on our Facebook page HERE!
We've also got a weekend recap video here. Enjoy and remember we'll be releasing a new one every week! Be sure to bookmark our YouTube station at youtube.com/huntermountain!

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY HERE AT HUNTER + OUT ON THE TOWN IDEAS

Ever tune up for New Years at Hunter Mountain? You've been missing out.  We have the best ramp-up party in the east! The party continues when the slopes close at 4pm and the base lodge at Hunter turns into a tailgate-style party...guests bring their own food...some full-on buffets!  Dance the evening away with loads of friends. Still feeling hungry? Santini's Pizza and Hunter Sushi will be open til' the music stops at 9:00pm.

We've got lots of great music from DJ Frankie and The Shackadelics, fireworks at 7:30 and fun for the whole family at Hunter Mountain. Come join in the festivities!  The party at the base lodge ends at 9:00pm and picks-up again at any number of venues:
  • Kaatskill Mountain Club: starting at 9pm with music in the lobby, games for kids and a balloon drop at midnight! VanWinkles at the Kaatskill Mountain Club will offer a scrumptous prix fixe menu! Reservations recommended!
  • Slopes....where the party never stops....there is a cover but it includes a bottle of champagne for everyone on the dance floor at midnight!
  • Spinning Room...another party that will go to the wee hours of the morning... and never a cover!!
  • Last Chance Tavern: a softer crowd that will groove to live entertainment. Check their website for details!
  • MacGregors - the ever-present pub party right across from the Hunter Mountain entrance always ensures a good time!
Looking for a venue to dress to the nines? Meet great people, enjoy a wonderful dinner & dance the night away and help a great cause....make a reservation for the annual SnowBall at Hunter Mountain! Keep reading for more info on this very special event!

HUNTER MOUNTAIN RACING FOUNDATION SNOWBALL! NEW YEAR'S EVE!

The Hunter Mountain Racing Foundation will be hosting its 14th Annual SnowBall on New Year's Eve at The Copper Tree Restaurant in the base lodge.  SnowBall is the foundation's largest fundraising event of the year and helps the foundation support all of the members of our competition teams in alpine, freestyle and snowboarding. 

Tickets to the SnowBall are $125 per person and include an open bar (beer and wine), dinner, a live band, a silent auction and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets can be purchased on the foundation's website (www.gohmrf.com) and from any member of the Foundation's Board of Directors.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

New Weekend and Park Videos!

Hello skiers and riders! Today we have not one, but two new videos for your viewing pleasure! One is our weekly recap video, and the other is a park video. Make sure to check out ridehunter.com for the most up to date park information!


Saturday, December 18, 2010

Snowmaking Update 12/17

From Bruce:

Some of the best skiing ever and it is only December!  Today we opened up K27 And Clair's... That only leaves Annapurna and 44, so Saturday we will start Annapurna up. Tonight we will resurface to make some of the trails like-new: K27 and Clair's, White Cloud, Hellgate and some others out there. 

Tommorrow morning before most wake up, we will give a coating to Racer's and Upper Crossover - what a weekend it will be! Give yourselves a Christmas present and ski or ride this weekend!

Friday, December 17, 2010

New York Minute: 12-16-2010

A sick Thursday at Hunter Mountain, courtesy of the GoPro Camera.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Conditions Continue to Be Fantastic!

Just a short post to show you how great it is out there! Snowmaking is continuing this week as we expand to open more trails! Check out some of the pics!


As you can see above, the park is getting hammered with snow! Expect a sick setup this weekend!


We currently have the most trails in New York State, making this a December to Remember!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

eNews 12/14 - Snowmaking, etc.

Winter greetings from Hunter Mountain! We're elated to have such amazing snowmaking weather, and the guns are roaring. The weather we'll be enjoying this week is optimal for snowmaking and also creates epic surface conditions.... come see for yourself! Last night we covered Hellgate, Minya Konka, Lower Crossover, East Side Drive, Milky Way, the Belt, Ike and Kennedy. Clair's and Taylor's are now in progress! If you missed last weekend, see below for 2 new videos!

We'll have 40 or more trails open, with K27 and Clair's Way available this weekend for the experts out there! We've got huge plans for Saturday & Sunday in the terrain park as well... lots of boxes, rails and jibs plus a jump line. We've created what we're calling a Piton park... you have to ride it to get the feel! Step 1: turn on snow guns, Step 2: blow the heck out of the park and push snow into giant mounds. These mounds of shaped snow are fun to ski and ride, jump and freestyle... like a butter boardercross.

This weekend we've also got the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge. Open to anyone with a lift ticket... win lots of prizes! Registration is from 8am-11am near the real estate booth, and the race starts at 11am. Awards & party at 2:30pm! Visit HunterMtn.com for more info! We've also got a Never Summer rail jam with sign-ups at 2pm on Saturday (starts at 4pm) and live entertainment at the Main Bar on Saturday night!




LODGING SPECIALS, HOLIDAY MENUS, COPPER TREE & SUMMIT LODGE!

We've got some amazing specials at the Kaatskill Mountain Club, Liftside & Pinnacle Condos in addition to our season-long Play & Stay specials. Here are some great ideas for holiday gifts... whether it's the whole weekend, or the Mountain Club Spa or VanWinkle's Restaurant experience!

Speaking of VanWinkle's, if you haven't heard, the menus have undergone complete reworking, plus we're offering
Christmas & New Year's prix fixe menus!

Scottie's Foods, the operators of the Karl Ehmer sausage booth so popular during our summer & fall festivals, has taken over food operations at the Summit Lodge this season! New storefront, new menu, fresh salads, custom sandwiches, wraps, burgers, Italian sausage, soups, chili and much more! Stop in and say hello!

The Copper Tree is opening on Saturday! New food concept over in our beautiful restaurant, including rotisserie chicken platters, BBQ ribs platters beef brisket, pulled pork & chicken sandwiches and much more!

HUNTER MOUNTAIN RACING FOUNDATION SNOWBALL! NEW YEAR'S EVE!

The Hunter Mountain Racing Foundation will be hosting its 14th Annual SnowBall on New Year's Eve at The Copper Tree Restaurant in the base lodge.  SnowBall is the foundation's largest fundraising event of the year and helps the foundation support all of the members of our competition teams in alpine, freestyle and snowboarding. 

Tickets to the SnowBall are $125 per person and include an open bar (beer and wine), dinner, a live band, a silent auction and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets can be purchased on the foundation's website (www.gohmrf.com) and from any member of the Foundation's Board of Directors.

Monday, December 13, 2010

We Have Plenty of Coverage! Rain? No Problem!

Hello skiers and riders. Just came back in from a few runs... snow is great! Yesterdays rain event didn't hurt us as bad as you may think! The snowmakers and groomers did a great job maintaining great conditions on the hill. Check out the photos below and check out even more photos on our Facebook page!





On a side note, weather looks favorable this week for snowmaking...Stay tuned for more info!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Check out our terrain park!

We have some serious stuff happening in our terrain park.. check out the features!! More photos posted on our Facebook page! Thanks for an AWESOME day!!!

Upcoming Weather... not so bad!

It is a GORGEOUS day here at Hunter Mountain... what a perfect first Saturday of the season!


We've also got an internal weather report with much less sensational news regarding tomorrow's weather. We could get a light smattering of the r-word, but there is NO upcoming thaw. Sit tight and enjoy... with 38 open trails, we're thanking Mother Nature for an incredible start to the season and pristine weather.



Friday, December 10, 2010

WEEKEND PRICING & 30+ TRAILS, AMAZING SNOWMAKING & WEATHER!

Hello from Hunter... we hope you're looking forward to the weekend! We plan to have more than 30 trails open, including Hunter One, the terrain park and the West Side. Keep checking back at the Snow Report page as we'll have new trails opening as our Ski Patrol gives us the go-ahead!

Friday pricing has been posted on our Snow Report page as well, and this upcoming weekend pricing will be our typical *midweek* pricing:

Adult: $57
Young Adult: $50
Junior/Senior: $36
Toddler: $36

We hope you enjoy the incredible conditions and PERFECT weatherwe've been enjoying... we are moving our guns around as quickly as possible and our snowmakers are doing an unbelievable job! Be sure to thank them if you see them around!

This weekend we've got our Consumer Demo Days: so far we've gotAtomic, Dynastar, Arbor, Burton, Fischer, Never Summer, Head, Ride, K2, Salomon, Line, Nordica, Kastle, Rossignol & Salomon. Visit this page for more info on how Demo Days work, and how to demo equipment! A DJ will help finish out the day and start the evening at the Main Bar on Saturday, and we are expecting amazing weather.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Weekend Info (from eNews 12/7)

Hello from Hunter Mountain!

Thanks to those of you who have come out to enjoy our first few days! We had an incredible opening, complete with first chair pics and other photos. For the weekend, open trails will include Minya Konka, Lower Crossover, East Side Drive, Milky Way, & Eisenhower. We plan to run lifts B, C, GII, B, F, Kaatskill Flyer and Z. We may even run D-Lift! Hunter One will be open and ready!

We are also planning on opening the Terrain Park later in the week, so stay tuned at RideHunter.com for more info!

This weekend we've got our Consumer Demo Days: so far we've got Atomic, Dynastar, Arbor, Burton, Fischer, Never Summer, Head, Ride, K2, Salomon, Line, Nordica, Kastle, Rossignol & SalomonVisit this page for more info on how Demo Days work, and how to demo equipment! A DJ will help finish out the day and start the evening at the Main Bar on Saturday, and we are expecting amazing weather.

NEW VIDEOS UP & HUGE CONTEST!! Get in to win!!

OPENING DAY/FIRST CHAIR VIDEO UP NOW ON YOUTUBE!
We've got an awesome opening day/first chair video up on our YouTube channel for viewing right now -- check it out! We'll be posting new videos every week, from the terrain park to weekend recaps and our new advertising campaign!

CAPTION THIS & WIN TICKETS TO HUNTER... AND THE Z100 JINGLE BALL!
The second video in our "The Feeling Stays With You" campaign is up for viewing, and we are holding a caption contest on Facebook! Head over to our page, "Like" us, and join in! The winner of this caption contest wins two (2) tickets to the Z100 Jingle Ball, featuring Justin Bieber, Paramore, Enrique Iglesias, Taio Cruz and many more... we checked on what these tickets are going for right now, and they are selling for more than $300 a piece!! You've got to get in it to win it!! The winner also gets two lift tickets to Hunter!! Head over to Facebook now and post your caption!

Awesome Zipline offer Available Thursday ONLY!

20% off gift cards, online only from 7am-9pm! Visit ziplinenewyork.com to purchase! The Skyrider Tour at Hunter Mountain will be open later this month... making Hunter host to the longest & highest zipline in North America!

The Mid-Mountain Tour and Adventure Tower are taking reservations daily and will remain open through the ski season! Bundle up and zip away! Visit ziplinenewyork.com for more information!

New Video! Opening Weekend!

Opening Day at Hunter Mountain Dec 5th and 6th!
Check out opening day at Hunter Mountain and the first flight of the new Kaatskill Flyer 6 person chair lift!!

Monday, December 06, 2010

4" OF SNOW SO FAR TODAY!!! Crraaaazy!

Well, we woke up this morning to about 2" of snow on the ground, and we've got another 2" since then. It's still flying here and shows no signs of stopping... not to mention snowmaking continues, with new terrain including Hunter One opening this weekend! 

We'll have much more info for you tomorrow morning, plus a new video when our eNews is released. If you don't receive the weekly Hunter Newsletter, visit HunterMtn.com to sign up! Snow reports, powder alerts and last minute specials are also available.

Sunday, December 05, 2010

HAPPY OPENING DAY! FIRST CHAIR!


FIRST CHAIR AT HUNTER! It's a great opening day here at Hunter, and our Kaatskill Flyer has officially been put to work! Haines Falls & Tannersville got a cover of snow overnight, and it's flurrying and about 24 degrees. GREAT snowmaking weather continues throughout the week and we hope to see you soon if you aren't already here!! Stay tuned for more updates... we're hoping to open Belt Parkway tomorrow!

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Who got first chair?

Who got first chair? Diehard Hunter skiers, The Belsky Family...Alan, Shea and Spencer, were at Hunter today gazing at the new Kaatskill Flyer so Brian took them up for a ride.  They'll be here tomorrow standing in line for the real first chair of opening day...where will you be?

Snowmaking Update, 12/4: Belt underway, Ike & Mossy next.

A short e-mail from Bruce -
Top of Hellgate to the Flyer, & H-B-K is running and will be great skiing and riding for Sunday. We are also making snow on the Belt Parkway and Hunter One. Tonight the plan will be to start Eisenhower and maybe Off Broadway and Mossy Brook if everything goes to plan.


Stay tuned!

New photos from a lunch-time ride up the Flyer!

More on Facebook... link up NOW!

Snowguns Churning on Belt Parkway, Top to Bottom & Tomorrow's Opening!

Hello everyone and happy Saturday! We know many of you are waiting for our opening tomorrow morning!

We'd like to first answer a question we feel many of you may be wondering -- WHY NOT OPEN TODAY?
The answer: base depth. We are blowing a LOT of snow. And the deeper we can get the base on the first day, the longer it will stick around at the end of the season. We're thinking ahead in waiting an extra day to open our slopes to the many skis and boards... we want to lay down a strong, deep base to keep snow reliable and packed all season long.

The forecast for snowmaking, meanwhile, looks FANTASTIC. Mother Nature is compensating for making us wait and dumping a metric ton of rain on us last week! We've got long term snowmaking weather and some natural snow coming mid-next week! Stay tuned for an update on the spread-out plan from the snowmaking shop... we'll have lots of new photos coming soon, and we'll get Dre out on his board shortly.

Meanwhile, ticket prices for tomorrow through Tuesday are located here, and conditions reporting starts tonight! If you'd like to receive snow reports (daily or weekend) or powder alerts, sign up at HunterMtn.com!

Friday, December 03, 2010

NEW RIDEHUNTER VIDEO! 1st one of the season!!

We're Opening on Sunday! Ticket Prices, New Videos & more!

Snowmaking is proceeding fantastically and we hope those of you who live nearby have taken a gander at the streak of white down the mainline! We will be opening on Sunday with intermediate/expert terrain of Hellgate/Broadway/5th & Kennedy. Other terrain will open rapidly, as weather looks perfect for snowmaking! We've posted a whole album of snowmaking pics on Facebook -- link up to our profile and check them out!

We've also got a new snowmaking video on our YouTube channel! We'll be posting more photos, videos and more on the website, on Facebook and in the Hunterblog as snow continues to fly!

Ticket prices for Sunday - Tuesday are as follows:
$35 Adult
$32 Young Adult
$24 Junior/Senior
25% off valid for Big Lift Card holders on Sunday, 50% off valid on Monday & Tuesday
30% off valid for ValuePass on Sunday
Our opening on Sunday and first terrain available will be serviced via our brand new Kaatskill Flyer, the first high-speed detachable 6-person chairlift in New York!! We'll even be throwing out a few rails for some jibbing fun!

For those of you on our Snow Report list, reports start on Sunday at 7:30am!

The Power of Hunter Mountain Snowmaking

Here is the piece shot by videographer Shane, Wed and Thursday at beautiful Hunter Mountain. Take a ride on the new Kaatskill Flyer 6 person lift and watch Hunter fire up their snow guns for the 2010 2011 Season!

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Sheets of Powder

This year Hunter Mountain went out into the concrete jungle to capture what our guests do during the off season. The results may surprise you...

This is the first of many videos in our collection, stay tuned through out the season as we release even more!



Hunter Mountain, the feeling stays with you!

We hope you enjoyed watching this and share it with your friends!

Snowmaking Has Begun!

The time has finally come! The guns are on! Snowmaking started early this morning and is continuing until further notice. We are shooting for a Sunday opening. Check out more pictures of the progress on our Facebook.




Expect more pictures and video as accumulation develops!