Skiing @ Hunter Mountain

It's early March, kind of late for a first ski trip this winter, but that's exactly what I was up to this weekend. After the snowfall on the previous Sunday, it seemed like the best chance to get on the slopes before warmer temperatures kick in. And my friend Pranav and I were not disappointed; it turned out to be one of my better ski trips.

Hunter Mountain is about 120 miles from Mt. Vernon and easily reachable by car. The town area has an abundance of ski and rental shops where one can pick up equipment at better rates than at the resort itself. Pranav checked out the rentals while I got my skis inspected, and then we set off to ski.

And ski we did, with an amazing deal as well. As we were making our way out of the parking lot, a guy pulled up in a pickup truck offering $20 lift tickets. Naturally skeptical, but finding authentic-looking passes, we decided to take a chance and bought a pair. We weren't too keen on his offer for additional tickets for the following day (not knowing if they would work), but he ended up giving them to us for free anyway. Turns out he had purchased a LOT of equipment from a local ski store and had no use for the coupons he had collected. Anyway, the passes worked fine, so we got 2 days worth of skiing at a fifth of the price! Pretty neat. The weather was warmer so there was hardly any ice from the Friday rain, and the slopes got a light dusting of snow each day to make just right conditions.

Pictures are online in the gallery and on Facebook. I also got a chance to take some video on the green and lower blue slopes. No vids from the steeper blues yet because the camera still distracts me a bit on those slopes.

Also, I just have to mention the "Last Chance Cheese" restaurant in the town. As you may have guessed, they have a good assortment of cheese. The also have an excellent gourmet burger and a huge beer selection for anyone so inclined.

Pranav wishes this was the paparazzi on skis: