Mini Ski Trip

What a glorious week this has been! One of the best perks of being a teacher is getting a week off here and there without having to put in a request for vacation. Since hubby was in the midst of business reviews and preparing for his business trip next week, we decided to take a mini ski trip and stay locally during the week.

Having lived in New York for such a long time, I was wondering why I have never been to Hunter Mountain. I have some wild theories- limited snow, limited trails, driving the extra hour to hit Vermont slopes,... In any case, I had such an amazing time, now I cannot wait to go back (perhaps- next year?) for a two/three-day excursion!

We left our home in lower-Westchester and reached Hunter in a matter of two hours. The drive was painless- although, I was a just a happy passenger on the front seat, munching on my sinfully delicious toasted whole wheat bagel with butter & honey and sipping my skinny latte. I cannot ignore to mention: Starbucks did it again- what marketing geniuses! The skinny latte tastes similar to my usual tall skim latte but has a nutty flavor. I just found out that I could've gotten it in many flavors, including my all-time faves vanilla and hazelnut, but also cinnamon dolce and mocha. Yumm!

After a nice windy drive over the Kaatskills, debating how "Plattekill" should be pronounced in a phonetically correct way, hubby and I reached the town of Tannersville at a reasonable morning hour, and headed straight over to a rental shop to get my equipment. I've been a renter for a long time- have ski equipment commitment issues- and I was quite surprised to rent boots, skis and poles under $30! What a bargain! While I was trying to squeeze my feet into the boots (the most comfortable ones I've rented by FAR), hubby went right across the street over to the Forester Lodge, where we decided to stay, to get our discount passes for the day.

We hit the slopes before lunchtime and decided to go our own ways on the trails- no double-diamonds for me, thank you. I skied on the "Hunter One" side of the mountain, and I was pleasantly surprised how well-groomed the trails were. With that said, I don't know if I can say the same about the fellow skiers- no, I don't mean they were not well-groomed or anything, but a little more reckless than I had anticipated. I had some funny moments and some scary ones- I think the man who decided to take his skis off while waiting for the lift topped my list! Who really does that, I don't know, but I was among the unhappy skiers behind him. Quite frankly, the lines are already long enough, you really don't want to wait the extra time for something as silly as this one!

I think the best part of Hunter came after the slopes closed: The Happy Hour. When we reached the main lodge by 4:30 PM, there were many happy skiers who looked like they spent a happy hour or two already! I felt that we were late (such novices)- and not quite fashionably, either. With our hat-hair and red noses, we joined in the crowd singing along to the band du-jour and stomping in our ski boots. The Heineken Girls were among us pouring drinks left and right- and usually very mindful of beer calories, I did not mind the calories from my Amstel Light the least bit. After all, I earned them!

After the band's final set, we left for our room at the Forester Lodge to get ready for the evening. Nothing too fancy (or, anything related to fancy, for that matter), our room had a very utilitarian setting, but AMAZING views of the mountain! We toasted to the fireworks from our very front-row seats by our porch. Glorious!

Scouring the local papers, we located O'Neill's Public House as our evening destination. Being responsible adults, we took a cab (driven by a very bitter driver) and reached the restaurant/bar. The food was really nothing to write home- or here- about but what's worth mentioning is the after-dinner entertainment. We secured pretty decent spots at the bar and waited for that evening's band- the Amish Outlaws. And what a wild surprise! I don't know when it's the last time I heard a band cover Bell Biv DeVoe's "That Girl is Poison" and Johnny Cash's "Walk The Line"!!! What a treat! I hear they're going to be at Rambling House in Woodlawn a day before St. Patrick's, on March 16th- I cannot wait to see them there!

We wrapped up our evening by early Sunday morning, headed back to our humble room at Forester in the same exact cab with the same exact cab driver who seemed happier this time. Needless to say, we did not hit the slopes until mid-morning after a hearty (and free!) breakfast of eggs and toast...

Now I realize why Hunter is so popular- it's a quick ride from points around New York City and has a pretty decent apres-ski activities. I would do it all over again, but maybe this time, a little less novice in my ways...