method9455 Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Hey, My girlfriend has an apartment up near Marist so looks like in addition to my JFBB season pass I'm going to snag a college pass to one of the catskills mountains. I'll usually be driving up friday, riding maybe friday and definitely saturday for the whole winter. I've only ever been to Hunter before, and while I like the backside a lot, there snowmaking is good, and it is great during the week - that place is a zoo on Saturdays. I've gotten a lot of recommendations for Windham. Anyone here have an opinion? I'm not worried about park since I'll be doing my park at JFBB, so I'm just looking for less ice and smaller crowds than hunter, without losing too much steepness. I've also heard if you hit the D lift and the backside of Hunter you can avoid the crowds, but don't they let the backside bump up? We can do a few mogul runs but on a snowboard you can't spend the whole day on that you'll be so beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicSkier Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Belleayre is a PASR maggot favorite. I don't think Belleayre ever gets crowded, and has some pretty good terrain. Only 1 HSDQ, but it sounds like they're going to be expanding exponentially soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papasteeze Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 bell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Law Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 I haven't been to Windham but I really liked Belleayre. Hunter bumps up and has some steepness to it but IMHO it is designed kind of stupid. The whole mountain is on top of itself and it leads to the a very crowded feeling when there aren't that many people. Belleayre has bumps and a decent park and has a much better layout and if I remember right midstation unloading on at least one lift. Belleayre is generally open a little later (maybe a week or two) though watch out for the burgers in the caf, only time in my life I have ever eaten something and gotten sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrwilco Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 (edited) i definitely recommend bell. i haven't been to whindham, but i have heard the terrain is pretty boring. hunter has aaaalot of backcountry off of the true summit and surrounding bowls, but only in good snow years. bell has high speed lift, no crowds, good snow, and alot of fun stuff to find off piste and on. plus the vibe at bell is so chill and laid back, get at it while it lasts. Edited October 11, 2007 by d-unit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method9455 Posted October 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Sweet. So Hunter is definitely out out, its is $300 for college kids (unless you get 4 then it is $250 but we only have 2 right now) Bellearye vs Windham from Skiernet.com Bellearye Specs: Summit elevation: 3429'; Base elevation: 2025'. 8 Lifts: 2 quads, 1 triple, 2 doubles, 3 handle tows. Uphill Capacity: 10,980/hr. Terrain Mix: 21-62-17. Longest Run: 12,024'. Season: usually November through early April. Annual Snowfall: 141". Snowmaking: 96%. The SKInny: Operated by the State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation. One thing about the NY DEC, they take their recreation seriously. Belleayre is often the first open, last to close. There's some serious terrain here -- more like Windham than Hunter -- nothing as steep and long as Hunter West. Most of the expert trails are tough for a short drop, then ease off to a gentle run out. But you can find some seriously tough skiing here; take the snowcat to the woods and you'll find out what you're really made of. On the other hand, this is a much more family-friendly ski area than Hunter or even Windham, with fewer crowds and a more low-key atmosphere than Hunter, and more novice terrain than Windham. The knock on Belleayre has been the short runs, slow lifts, and difficulty moving about between the lower "novice" area and the upper main mountain. Indeed the 1400' vertical is a bit misleading; to get the full run you are required to ski through to the lowest area, then have to double up on chair rides to return to the summit. Hotshots find plenty of challenge on the steeps or in the woods, but these are short stretches that flatten out into easier runs. Wanderers will love Belleayre; as mid-sized mountains go it's vertically smallish, but spread out with lots of exploring to do. Strong blue skiers will be delighted by the difficult but brief drops that help elevate their game. From the summit, skiers can move to either of two blues that switchback down the sides to avoid the white-knuckle drops on the face. Little known fact: Deer Run (a blue) has a full-blown 20' rock drop for huckers who are so inclined, as well as some smaller ones in many spots. Belleayre also has "mid stations" on each summit lift that are more like "three-quarter stations" enabling you to avoid the steeps at the summit if you wish. Note that the double blacks are usually mogul runs, and the single blacks are just as steep but often groomed...and lots of fun. An all-around pleasurable ski area, we'll rank it 5th best in the state, and on any given weekend it fights for higher. Signature Trail: Dot Nebel. Ski Windham, Windham (Catskills) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 I've been to all 3 but none mid-season. Belleayre is my favorite, hunter is the largest, and windham is the middle ground between hunter and belleayre, but not as steep as either (on the trails that were open anyways). Belleayre is in the middle of no-where, but a closer drive from the poconos, and you have to drive past hunter to get to windham. I've heard hunter had some really sick terrain, but it was always from skiers, so perhaps they were all referring to the bumps. Thats about all I've got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method9455 Posted October 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Barking Bear forum thread I found through google described Bellearye as the harder of the two (windham vs bell) so thats good. Windham's trail map just looks steeper but we know how deceiving they can be. Thanks for all the tips guys it will probably be Bell for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Yeah I see what you mean about the trail maps. The wall was the steepest thing open when I was at windham, but it's so short and I still don't think it's as steep as some of the stuff at belleayre. Nothing on the (skiers) right peak was open, but that stuff really didn't look too steep either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method9455 Posted October 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Where is Marist?? Is this the same girlfriend who lived in Hawaii last year? Wow sounds like alot of driving but at least you'll be getting action on the regular...Holla.. Yea she did transfer from UH to Marist which is in Poughkeepsie. Its about an hour and 15 from the mountains. So leave at 7, get up there by 8:30, hit up first chair at 9 - shouldn't be too bad. Its only slightly farther than our hometown to the poconos, and about a half hour longer than our home town to Mountain Creek. Luckily for me I'm home from Dec 15th to Feb 15th, so I'm not driving up from delaware much, I can hit up JFBB weekdays and Bellearye weekends, and we're doing a trip to Mount Snow with about 15 high school friends, and the two of us might hit up Jay Peak at some point for a weekend. Should be a good winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papasteeze Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Barking Bear forum thread I found through google described Bellearye as the harder of the two (windham vs bell) so thats good. Windham's trail map just looks steeper but we know how deceiving they can be. Thanks for all the tips guys it will probably be Bell for us. good choice. get in with the locals for ECBC stuff if you are into that after a dump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 The skiernet.com description is kind of odd: " The knock on Belleayre has been the short runs, slow lifts, and difficulty moving about between the lower "novice" area and the upper main mountain." The high speed was up and running all last season, plus who cares that you can't "move about" between expert and bunny runs? It's actually BETTER that the novice runs are way down below and out of the way. It's like they were saying it would be better to have long, flat runouts. Belleayre isn't CB, skiernet Like Jeff said, Belleayre is a PARS maggot spot...it's not a vert whore paradise, but you have lots of steep headwalls that line up off the ridge to choose from, so it skis even bigger than it is. And the Dot Nebel run is a GREAT blue cruiser for high speed turns. It's where ASRA holds an annual GS race and it's by far the best race slope in the region. BTW, Belleayre opens BEFORE Hunter these days and has 1/4 the crowds (and 1/50th the assholes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 I thought Dot Nebal was a double diamond..lol I think it's black into blue, but really just a solid blue run. That's where we took a bunch of pics, either right before or right after you tried to feel up the Portugese girl on the lift... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 PASR maggot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicSkier Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Jordan obviously doesn't read TGR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method9455 Posted October 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Yea and $200 for a season pass (college student) is rediculous, thats only 4 days! I'm not too worried about vert per run I'm interested in quality of the day, and I know its going to be better avoiding hunter. I'm hoping I can get my first day this year in Nov, Last year was my earliest day ever at like Dec 10, this year I'm aiming for 2nd weekend they're open which will push it up. As for 1/50th of Hunter's assholes, Hunter is the only place I've ever been to that seemed worse than Mountain Creek in that department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Law Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Yeah we're all PASR maggots..alot steezier than the barking bears over at epicski.. I don't get that at all, I mean what the f&*k is barking bear ? They really should change there names to something more apt like Pink Flamingos or Angry Butterflies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Jordan obviously doesn't read TGR I am on TGR, i just dont think you can just steal the term and apply it to PASR though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 i am pumped to go to the TGR premier in boulder tonight then to an afterparty with uber amounts of PBR then skiing at A-Basin tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan- Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 my season will start late december/early january... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicSkier Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 slipknot has been calling their fans maggots for years tp4 just pwn3d teh jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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