Hunter Mountain Groupon Review
A day in the Mountains for $100
Located in the Catskills, 2 hours from New York City, Hunter Mountain is ski resort renowned for it’s terrain and extensive snowmaking facilities.
Skeptical at first about paying for a day of skiing from an online deals site, I bit the bullet and signed up (mainly because my friends had already paid). For $100 we were entitled to a full day (9am-4pm) of skiing or snowboarding, which included a lift ticket, ski/snowboard rentals and round trip transport from Manhattan. All I needed to do was show up dressed in snow gear.
Despite the early start of 6:00am on a Sunday morning, we were on the road by 6:30am and arrived with just enough time to pick up rental gear and get on the slopes by lift opening at 8:30am.
It was now time to hit the slopes.
Let me just put it out there, the last couple times I went to the snow, I boarded and the last time I skied would have been at least 10 years prior.
Yep! That was me Photo Credit: Reddit
Looking somewhat like a baby giraffe standing for the first time, I warmed up on a slightly gentler run and mastered the awkwardness of getting off the chair lift. But after a couple of those I was no longer lily-livered and had the taste for some heart racing slopes.
Heading to the very top of the mountain at 3,200 feet with the wind smacking me in the face, I started to question my courage. But what goes up must come down, even if it meant on my ass the whole way. Hallelujah I made it down, not on my ass, but my skis.
Although it seemed geared towards beginners and intermediate slopes, there were adequate advance runs as well. Altogether there are 58 trails, 30% beginner, 30% intermediate, 30% advanced, 10% expert.
Despite having 7 full hours to ski, time goes extremely fast between waiting in line for chair lifts and tensing every muscle coming down the mountain. Of course lunch and a few drinks were included at some point in there too. Perched at the top of Hunter Mountain is Scottie’s Summit Lodge Café. The ‘Katskill Flyer’ chair lift will get you there and is perfect for a quick stop by before riding off again. Try the Hot Chocolate. Oh yeh! I had a free drink pass too.
The 411
There are many options to get to Hunter Mountain. Car or buses are the most ideal ways but you can also take the Amtrak to Hudson, which is 1.5 hours away. There are various bus groups that run all winter long to accommodate your needs.
To compare, below are the prices once you arrive at the mountain. Travel costs not included, nor is that awesome free drink card to enjoy your hot chocolate at the peak.
– $72- Full day Ticket (Weekend)
– $40- One Day Skis/Snowboard/Poles/Boots Package and Helmet.
I was surprisingly impressed as how good the deal was and could not recommend it more.
Photo Credit: Hunter Mountain
