2 days before Christmas, I had to go to Hunter in the Catskills for a meeting. As I sat in the meeting I scanned the valley from the picture window and saw a full view of the Hunter Mountain Ski Bowl. All the trails were white and the snow guns were going full tilt getting ready for the holiday onslaught. After the meeting I just had to hurry across the valley to get in a few runs before I had to return to the office and be responsible. It was cold and the wind was blowing t a pretty hefty clip. There were 2 positive things for the day and that was the sun was still shinning (which never happens here in the winter of the Northeast) and the snow surface was a mixture of fresh snow and fresh man-made snow.

It was packed powder everywhere and even though the ride up the lift was cold once you were on the slope you forgot about the wind which was against your back most of the time. It is not easy to eat a bar of candy and only have 2 bites and save some for later but that is what I had to do with just a couple runs and I will get back there in the very near future.

There is a lot of good skiing terrain at Hunter and skiers in the capital district miss much of it. We tend to go north to ski but it is actually less than an hour to get to Hunter and they get snow there when many areas don’t especially when the storm comes up the coast. That’s closest to Albany than any other area except maybe Jiminy Peak and Windham nearby neighbor of Hunter. Check out Hunter’s web cam for on the snow conditions. You can get to it through their website.

Here’s what’s going on at Hunter from today on into next week.

New Year's Eve Torchlight Parade & Fireworks today!

They’ve had an incredible holiday week and despite balmy weather this past weekend, our snow guns are chugging out fresh powder, and they are looking 

at 2-4" of natural snowfall today. There’s a ton of stuff going on! For those of you who have not yet made plans for New Year's Eve, plan to be here! 

They're Torchlight Parade & Fireworks kick off at 6:30pm, and there will  be live entertainmenby Third Rail and a busy Main Bar.  

Snowtubing will also be open, and daytime conditions should be fantastic. 

There are quite a few events coming up in the near future, including:

1/5 - LocalMotion Race #1

1/10 - 50th Anniversary Kick-off Celebration (details below)

ALSO: New videos! We had our first rail jam on the 28th, and we've got a great video to show for it ...awesome turnout, so thanks to everyone who came out. 

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OlnU6piiXI) 

50th Anniversary Celebration on January 10, 2009: BE THERE!

There will be no bigger party this year than our 50th Anniversary Kick-off Celebration! Party at the base lodge with Hunter's favorite party band, 

Nuts In A Blender. 

Dutchess Beverage will be running bar promotions all evening long. Fireworks begin at 6:30 pm...Stick around for unveiling of the vintage Hunter Mountain 

photos that will be auctioned off on January 9th, 2010 at the final celebration. ESPN Radio will also have Rangers and Knicks tickets on hand...along with other 

great prizes & giveaways!

50th Anniversary Special: Get a Lift Ticket for $19.59Buy a ticket on Saturday, January 10th or Sunday, January 11th, 2009 and they will sell you a 

non-holiday lift ticket of equal value for the 08/09 winter season  for $19.59. Season Passholders can also take advantage of this offer: just show 

your season pass and get one lift ticket for each day (Jan 10 & Jan 11) for $19.59....they make great gifts!

 Play & Stay Package: Real Close Relaxation - Jan 6 - 8, 2009

 For as low as $114.00 per person per day, receive 3 nights' accommodations athe Kaatskill Mountain Club (www.kaatskillmtnclub.com) or Liftside Village with 

3 days of skiing/riding, 3 mornings with full breakfast and a 25 minute Swedishmassage in our Mountain Club Spa for each person! Call 800-HunterMtn to book 

now!

 Offer not valid with any other specials, can not be used for any dates other than those listed above.

Coming Up: Slalom, Park & Pipe Workshops

Slalom Workshop

Improve your racing skills, tackle slalom gates and get your timing right! Come out for a slalom workshop to apply your short turns in a racing environment. 

Workshop includes video analysis, top-level instruction, lift ticket, and breakfast and lunch voucher.

Park & Pipe Workshop

Take a full day or 2-day riding workshop learning new tricks or improving on your form. Learn how to jump, jib, and slide on the rails and in the halfpipe 

better than before. Workshop includes video analysis, top-level instruction, ift ticket, and breakfast and lunch voucher.

Call Yaron (ysteinhauer@huntermtn.com) at 800-HunterMtn x2357 for more information or to reserve your spot!

Don't forget that Hunter Mountain's pass- and cardholders receive deep discounts on lift tickets and lodging at Telluride Ski Resort 

(http://www.tellurideskiresort.com) Visit HunterMtn.com for more information! 

Just before Thanksgiving, we all go to see the Warren Miller movie of the season. After which we get anxious to get out and ski. Early season skiing is almost always busy since there are limited trails because of the fact that there is limited fresh snow and the ski areas are starting to build up trail counts for their big Christmas season which this year is almost 2 full weeks.

Our first day out was to Okemo on the second week of December and there already was some fresh snow on the trails from some early snowfalls. I took my grandson Alex with me and we stayed at the Jackson Gore facility. It is the premier place to stay at Okemo. It is ski in ski out as most of the overnight accommodations at Okemo are.

We ran into members of the OC ski club, which if you want to join a great club in the Capital district for great ski deals ever week, that’s the one. They come up to Okemo with their own ski instructor to give their never ever skiers their first lesson. I would love to hear from them as to how the first time skier’s made out.

We were skiing on Saturday and the trail conditions were packed powder from a recent snowfall. We started out with a few short runs to get our ski legs going since it was first out for the season, then we went up to the top where we met up with another friend and his grandson. We proceeded to ski together and decided to go over to the main mountain to grab a hot chocolate. The cruise over on Mountain road was very pleasant and a great one for the kids as we approached the main mountain it became harder and harder to cross the downhill trails since it got busier and busier. It turned out that the Mountain Dew Vertical challenge taking place and
it was very busy on the main mountain.

After the hot chocolate in the lodge we headed back to the Solitude and Jackson Gore areas for some less busy skiing. You can always find trails on Okemo that are not busy as long as you stay off the main mountain, especially on the early season weekends. Of course when the whole mountain is open you can ski almost anywhere and not encounter a crowd since the lift system at Okemo handles the crowds really well.

As a note, when you are early season skiing or for that matter anytime, check out on the ski report at the mountain to see where trails have been groomed the night before and where snow has or is being made to get the best chance for good conditions. Also as the day progresses stay off the popular trails since they scratch down the earliest as well as the steeper areas. The later in the day it is go to the easier trails and you can almost guarantee good skiable surfaces all day. It’s a good rule to follow and it is safer since you are more tired at the end of the day and you should stick to the easier trails.

You can always find decent conditions at Okemo because their snowmaking and grooming is better than most ski areas and they just know how to do it!!!

Here is a deal for an early season party at Killington, as you can see below there are just 1958 medallions available at this price so act quickand go on line. The ski and stay package is also a good deal. many areas offer ski and stay packages. So when you are interested in going check out the resort of your choice for the ski and stay packeges.This information was issued on the 28th of October so there still may be tickets. If you find out that they are sold out, let us know at snowchronicles so we can let others know.

 Killington Resort is celebrating its 50th Birthday December 12-14 with numerous events and activities for the entire family, including a special commemorative 50th birthday medallion valid for a full weekend of skiing and riding.

To commemorate the founding of the resort on Dec. 13, 1958, Killington will offer 1,958 50th Birthday medallions valid for skiing and riding the weekend of Dec. 13-14. The $50 commemorative medallions will be available for purchase through Killington’s website beginning Nov. 14. In addition to skiing and riding, medallion holders will enjoy a variety of discount opportunities from Killington Chamber of Commerce members, preferred lift access and other resort benefits. Special 50th Birthday Ski and Stay Packages, including commemorative medallions, start at just $62 per person, per night.

“The entire weekend of events and activities will offer our guests an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful heritage and history of our resort,” said Chris Nyberg, Killington president and general manager. “There are many traditions that began and innovations that have taken place over the past 50 years here at Killington. From ski lift and snowmaking technology, to the ticket wicket and the Graduated Length Method of teaching, and we want to celebrate and honor those accomplishments and the folks that made it happen.”

While not an invention or even an innovation at Killington, the ski sweater was a statement of style on the slopes. Break out your White Stag, Obermeyer, CB Sports, Icelandic or Roffe ski sweater as the Ski Sweater Soirée kicks off the 50th Birthday weekend Friday night, Dec. 12 at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel and Spa. Honoring the founders, pioneers and those instrumental in building Killington Resort as the premiere winter destination in the east, the Ski Sweater Soirée will feature photos and memorabilia from the first 50 years, along with dinner and dancing! Killington’s own Joey Leone and his Chop Shop Band will open the Ski Sweater Soirée with classic jazz sounds for the cocktail hour and dinner, and then turn up the volume for an evening of dancing and celebration.

Saturday’s events include a Poker Run throughout the resort and historical mountain tours. Saturday evening, Killington kicks off its Birthday Party at the Snowshed Lodge with a torchlight parade, followed by a snowcat parade down Snowshed Slope. Live après entertainment fills the Long Trail Pub from 6-8 p.m. along with kid’s activities and entertainment will feature magic shows, sing-a-longs, face painting and of course cake and ice cream from 6-8 p.m. at the Snowshed Lodge. From 8-10 p.m. at the Resort Center the lively sounds of Diamond Neil will fill the lodge, and of course a huge birthday cake.

Opening for business on Dec. 13, 1958 with two surface lifts and seven trails, today Killington Resort stretches across seven mountain areas, including Pico Mountain, and features 30 lifts - including three express gondolas and seven express chairs – which provide access to the highest lift-served ski terrain in Vermont at 4,241 feet off Killington Peak. Killington’s 88 miles of diverse terrain includes 191 trails and provides skiers and riders of all ability levels a choice of wide-open groomed cruisers, narrow classic New England runs, moguls, steeps and 13 tree skiing areas. 
 

This will be a fun weekend, hope you all can get out there and enjoy the festivities. Early skiing at Killington is always great!!!

 We see all kinds of winter carnivals with numerous snow sculptures, the one in Quebec City probably tops all the ones that I have seen. Also there are many cities that have had artist paint up horse, pig and lama sculptures to name a few and set them around their cities and towns to help draw tourism .

Well, this is a new one. Not that the fall foliage isn't enough in Vermont but last year, Hay Bale Bear at the Water Wheel Trading Company on Route 4 in Killington caused quite a stir. Forget rubber-necking for moose, bear and deer. Cars lined up in the breakdown lane so motorists could stop and take a picture with this gigantic bear playing the drum – created solely out of hay bales.

Hay Bale Bear started a trend, and this fall dozens of business owners in Killington are following suit, erecting huge hay bale sculptures to celebrate fall foliage in Vermont.

  

Bauer is hoping to have 15 to 20 sculptures throughout Killington this year. While businesses are asked to contribute to the purchase of the hay bales and materials, the Economic Development and Tourism Commission is subsidizing building the sculptures as part of an initiative to draw people to the area and showcase the community. Approximately 100 four-foot round bales and 100 square bales will be used to create the artistic sculptures.

Creating one of these giant art sculptures takes many volunteer workers, people with trucks, tractors and other equipment to move the large hay bales, and the artistic prowess to be creative (and not just copy Hay Bale Bear from last year!). The Killington business community is always up for a challenge however, regardless of the time frame (sculptures are to be done by Sept. 29 in time for peak foliage season).

“The timeframe to make this all work is very short,” said Bauer, “but Killington is the sort of place where things can get done in a hurry if a good cause is at hand. We are a community that rallies together very well. These sculptures are simply going to be fantastic and for those who want great pictures, I’d advise bringing a wide angle lens. Some of the sculptures will be enormous!”

For more information about events and activities during fall foliage in Killington, contact the Killington Chamber of Commerce at 802.773.4181 or visit www.killingtonchamber.com

Information and photo provided by Kim Jackson Public Relations

By: Mike Roth

A couple close friends told me stories of there going to see a baseball game and how much it cost today and what it may cost next year at Yankee Stadium when the new stadium is opened the $28 ticket today in the nosebleed section of the stadium is projected to be around $100. Hard to believe but we will see? So a family of 4 for the day will cost $100 plus getting there, which I can write off since it costs to go to the ski areas as well with the high cost of gas.

Food, since you are not allowed to bring food or drink into the stadium can get up there in cost and since this is a full day there are at least 2 meals involved. Some people will stay over as I had indicated in my past article and make it a weekend especially if it is a night game. This weekend for 4 can run into $1000 without batting an eyelash!  Many families go more than once a season to a sporting event just to sit and watch.

A good friend of mine went on a vacation to the Caribbean with a close friend of his from Florida.  This friend had a big ocean going speedboat. (that sleeps 2).  They went for a week and hopped around from island to island. They spent $4500 in fuel to go 550 miles at $6.75/ gallon, that’s fuel economy for you! Mooring at a hotel marina each day was $100 per day minimally and $300 per night for the family of 4 to stay in the hotel. The meals were about $200 per day, which was cheap since they ate on the boat during the day and only spent for dinner on shore. Of course had to get to Florida, which was at least $1200. All in all he dropped over $9000 for the week for the family.

There is always lots of family togetherness when we go on vacation, go to sporting events or ever get together to go to the movies but in my opinion the best deal is to go skiing. The money spent on a day-to-day basis compared to skiing is almost outrageous. Yes, I know its people choice to do as they want, but when I hear that they just don’t have the money to ski because it is so expensive. I just don’t want to hear it. The money spent on other choices can buy season passes for the entire family, allowing you to ski all season long with the family

I know there is the cost of gas that gets added to the equation but families can gather together to help save in that cost. If one chooses there is always the bag lunch instead of eating at the lodge cafeteria or dining establishment. . For additional saving if you don’t want to invest in a season pass and want to experience different areas, there are many ski clubs in the area that have bus trips on a weekly basis.

Basically there are many ways to make the deal, but deals aside, skiing and riding are a value for life. They are a lifestyle; physically challenging sports; family adventures; a common bond. They open the door to winter fun, changing ones attitude towards the winter, bringing people of all ages together and satisfying the mildest of carvers to the heartiest of dare-devils. The common denominator is a universal feeling of joy – often revealed through a rosy-cheeked smile at about 4:00 p.m. slope-side.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to save a buck too, but it’s especially nice to be enamored – with life. Go it alone, or go with friends and family – all are welcome to enjoy the experiences of the mountain.

Check out the deals at www.snowchronicles.com to see the a sampling of offerings throughout Vermont.

Check out my other Blog on the Albany Times Union Web Page www.timesunion.com  skilog.