Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. We were hosted in order to facilitate a review. All opinions are my own.
We are well into the ski season and have decided to schedule at least six trips out to the slopes, which means we are going to have to stay closer to New York City to make these weekend trips work for us. Thunder Ridge is pretty close to the city and is great for a day trip. We usually head out of the state when we go skiing but decided to check out some mountains closer to us, Hunter Mountain is the closest big mountain to New York City.
There are both on-site and off-site lodging options at Hunter Mountain. Kaatskill Mountain Club is the premier on-site Hunter mountain lodging with a variety of accommodations and room sizes for varying parties.
Our family of 5, comfortably stayed in a Two Bedroom suite featuring two bathrooms a Jacuzzi in the Master bedroom, a living room with a sleeper sofa, cable TV, a fireplace and a fully equipped kitchen. We had more than enough space to move around freely and really enjoy our getaway. The suite even had a little outdoor terrace that was great for taking in a view of the mountains.
We arrived, checked in and spent our first afternoon exploring the property and mapping out our runs for the next day! We even did some snow-tubing which we all really enjoyed. There is a convenient shuttle that runs every couple minutes from the lodge to the base. We completed our rental forms the day before actually getting our rentals, which really helped speed up the process of getting the rentals the following day.
The boys got up bright and early to hit the slopes. Hunter Mountains’ rental system is actually a self-serve model but there are always friendly knowledgeable staff on-hand if you need assistance.
Once everyone was suited up in their gear, we headed to the “Learning Zone” to get warmed up before heading out on the lifts. My family consists of 2 skiers (myself and my 10 year old), 2 snowboarders (my husband and my 8 year old) and my 5 year old who does both but decided to ski for this trip. We did several runs on the East Carpet, working on stops and turns together.
My boys are pretty comfortable on green trails and are hoping to master the blue trails by the end of this season. Getting out early meant that we were able to enjoy some pretty empty trails and very short lines.
After about forty-five minutes in the learning zone, the guys decided to take the lift and ride some green trails back down while I explored more and mapped out a place to grab some lunch when they were ready. We decided on having ramen and sandwiches which were very tasty and a change from typical cafeteria food.
After a full day of skiing and snowboarding, we returned to the lodge on the shuttle and checked our skis/snowboards at the front desk for the next day. The boys decided to take a dip in the heated indoor/outdoor pool before dinner. Since, we had a full kitchen and dining room that would be great for eating a family meal together, I ordered take-out from the restaurant downstairs. The boys set the table in the suite and we enjoyed a meal together chatting about our first day out on Hunter Mountain.
Hunter Mountain NY is a family friendly resort that is great for a family like us where us parents are beginners and our children are Intermediate skiers/snowboarders because of the variety of beginner trails and terrain which makes it perfect for a fun whole family adventure out on the slopes. Heading to Vermont? Check out Mount Snow, Okemo, Stratton.