jojoblais

My girlfriend & I want to take a few days mid-week in Jan to get away. Since we live in Qns, NY, & neither of us are real skiers, we thought Hunter would be a good choice, as it's close & has other activities.

Any suggestions as to where to stay? I was looking at the Kaatskill Mountain Club, which looked nice & is right at the foot of the mountain.

Is it worth staying at the mountain? I know there are cheaper motels a little bit away, but I thought since we don't have that much time, the convenience might be worth it.

Also -- anyone ever do the tubing? Or the Zip line?

Suggestions on restaurants? Places to hang & socialize at night for 2 attractive ladies in their 40's?

cindymal

The Mountain club is probably one of the nicest places to stay.They have a heated outdoor pool,jacuzzi and full SPa.The mountain has a fun atmosphere for apre ski.Most of the bars etc. are in Tannersville and cater to a younger crowd in the evening.
Zipline is fun-not sure about the tubeing this year due to the lack of snow.
Have to say if you do not ski I would not rec. Hunter but the lodge is very nice.

doug_stallings

Since there's no actual snow, Bear Mountain might not be the best choice.

cindymal

There is snow at Hunter mountain for skiing and the lodge would bea nice place for a couple to relax.
If you go stay there

doug_stallings

Sorry .. Hunter Mountain. There is snow but it's manufactured.

cindymal

Plenty of great man made snow.They actually do a great job blowing snow up there.
The weather at the Mountain is very different and they are able to blow snow on a regular basis

bmw732002

I have skied Hunter way too many times than I care to remember. MID WEEK will be very quiet!

Staying right at the mountain does nothing for non-skiers. Most of the bars and nightlife is near Tannersville as mentioned above.

A good spot to start the evening is to gather at the Ski lodge bar around 4pm when the lift close.

You might want to head over to Windham Ski area, which might have a different (read older) group of people

I usually stay with friends so I do not have any insight for places to stay.

Maybe I will see you up there since I very much enjoy the mid-week skiing experience at Hunter.

-john

jojoblais

For peo who are ski beginners, would Windham be better? I seem to recall someone telling me that, a long time ago ......

Also, how about the tubing & the zip line? We would def want to try those. Any info about them?

doug_stallings

I'm not really a skier, so I don't know if manufactured snow is easier to learn on than real snow. But I suspect if you just want to do tubing and a zip line it doesn't really matter if the snow is manufactured.

J62

I don't frequent either place, but personally I don't think Windham is a great place for beginners. Not because of the snow, but because most of the mountain (the top 1/2) is steeper and more difficult.

I recall Hunter has more Green (easy) trails, and more lifts that you can use as a beginner.

But both mountains will have lessons and enough beginner trails for 1st timers to enjoy. You will enjoy both.

Both mountains share the same weather - no natural snow at this point, and they will do a good job of machine grooming the man made stuff.

Unless you are there in the first few hours after a real snow you'll be skiing on the groomed base anyway.

jojoblais

Thanks all for the info!

cindymal

For a short trip Kaatskill lodge is very nice for couples.We actualy had lunch there today.
They have a nice spa, outdoor pool and jacuzzi.I liked it.
The tubeing was open but it was a small hill due to the weather.
From your post it does not sound like you are big skier's.if you were i would say go to vermont etc.The skiing was actually great today.yes we do need some cold weather up here and the nightlife may not be that exciting.
Enjoy whatver you decide

cindymal

oops,I missed your question.
Hunter is very good for beg.They have a new learning center and easy runs for beg.Zip line looks fun but I have not tried that.

jojoblais

thanks, all

Hunter is much closer to where I live, & frankly since we're beginner skiers, sounds perfect!