Winter away to Hunter Mountain

The time has come

I've accomplished to avoid bike riding, however I decided to compromise with my boyfriend on the activities we do together, thus I agreed to go skiing. As someone with the blood of the desert and tropics, heading into near freezing temperature is suicide. However, for the sake of trying something new, crossing something off my bucket list, and as a bonding activity with someone I love. I decided to try skiing. If you are new to skiing like I am, maybe you had some of the following thoughts:

• Does my insurance cover out of state accidents?
• Is it expensive to rent ski equipment? 
• Is it expensive to get lift tickets?
• Can I fall off the ski lift? What happens if I miss getting off?
• Are lessons expensive?
• What will I do is someone crashes into me?
• Can I do this alone without having an emotional break down? Will I have an emotional break down?
• Am I sane?

I do have some answers to those questions. First off, at Hunter Mountain the hours of operations are from 9 am to 4 pm. The cost of an adult lift ticket is for one day mid-week 70$ and weekend 80$. Click here for additional rates. As for lessons there are various packages that include lift and rental fees. For an adult group lesson without rental is 35$ + tax, Click here for packages. I opted to rent my ski equipment from The Pro Ski and Ride shop, I paid about 47$ for two days worth of rental. The rental rates do vary, so I suggest to look at the rental list.

After all of that, I was ready to hit the slopes. I lasted less than 20 minutes in my lesson, due to the fact that I started to lose all circulation in my legs. I found out that the size of my ski boots were to small because my feet are wide and my calves are bigger then than the average female. When I tried on the boot, they were fine. However, moving around for a long period of time did not stand the test. It resulted in giving up for the day, yet the next day I tackled the Bunny Hill and mastered it. I'm not the type of person to give up. I had so much fun even though it was really strenuous for me. It made me realized I need to be more consistent with my workouts.

With a long day in the snow and being away from home, the decision on where to stay was in contemplation. Originally, I was going to stay at Hunter Inn but I found out they do not open until December 16. Luckily, I was able to find a new location which ended up to be Hotel Vienna. This hotel is located in Windham, about a 15 minute drive from the mountain. I really did not want to drive that far, however the price for the night was reasonable (121 with tax for the night) at last minutes. Other locations were running at the 200+ per night. I was really surprised at the location, I did not expect much. The lobby was small, yet well kept. The room was larger than I expected and the tub was able to fit about 2 people. I could not hear other people through the walls and the facility was so clean. The one downside is that the pool and hot tub are located in another building in which you have to walk to. But hey, the cold can wake you up. I would come back to the hotel again.

For my second night at Hunter, I ended up staying at Villa Vosilla which was 100 + tax. The facility does have it's own bar, nightclub, restaurant, pool/hot tub, game room, and sauna. Having a plethora of amenities, it was so poorly kept.  The room was small, yet thinking about the price and what you get it's a bang for your buck. Plus, it's only a 10 minutes drive from the mountain. The next day when I was time to get back I wanted to check out Tannersville, a town with cafes and antique shops. It's a small town, but has a rich community with all the small shops and friendliness I enjoyed.

The trip I had was the first it's kind and I have a feeling I may come back again, better prepared though.