Photo contributed by Summit Photo Sandra Deckelman and Steve Flynn take a breather at Hunter Mountain. (Click for larger image)

Hitting the Slopes

By Sandra Deckelman & Steve Flynn

REGION — Over the next several weeks, we will be reviewing the slopes of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Catskill Mountains. If there is a slope you are dying to try, but want to hear about it first, drop us a line and we’ll try to add it to our hit list. We can be reached at sandy@riverreporter.com or 845/252-7414.

Hunter Mountain

Hunter Mountain, located approximately an hour and a half from Narrowsburg in the Catskill Mountains, offers terrific views, great skiing and some high prices. The skiing at Hunter is wonderful.

The lift lines moved quickly and were well organized, but it seemed to take forever to get to the top of the mountain. I think we made 10 runs during the day. The snow boarders had the opportunity to play in the two terrain parks, one of which had a half pipe. (Some said it was a little icy.)

The long, well-maintained trails presented challenging skiing for all skill levels, from beginner to expert skier and snowboarder.

The down side of Hunter was the price and travel time. But, this is a great slope to try for a special occasion.

The food court was packed with people and the prices were on the high side. We chose to eat in the lounge. A cheeseburger, fries and a beer cost $13.50 per person.

For directions, snow reports and lift, rental and general information regarding Hunter Mountain call 800/FOR-SNOW or visit www.huntermtn.com.

Elk Mountain

If you are looking for the challenges presented by Hunter Mountain, but lack travel time, you could ski Elk Mountain. Located in Union Dale, only 45 minutes from Narrowsburg, it offers skiing similar to Hunter, but provides more ski time, less lift time and costs less.

We arrived at 9:00 a.m. and made the first run directly from the parking lot. (Something not everyone knows.) We rode the lift to the top and then skied to the lodge and purchased our lift tickets. The trails had a nice covering of fresh powder and were well maintained. We found only one spot having any of those nasty ice balls that are treacherous to skiers and riders alike.

Elk features a nice array of slopes for all skill levels, including a chair lift just for beginners, which stopped for new skiers and riders to learn the trick of exiting the lift. Several black diamonds offer moguls on the top half of the slopes. The terrain is a challenge to riders, with steep banks and some off-trail areas to sneak a little adventure into the day.

There was also a “fun box,” a safe, roped-off area with an embankment designed for jumping and tricks for skiers and riders. If anything, the fun box was fun to watch, with some really great talent out on the mountain.

We chose to eat in the cafeteria, which wasn’t as crowded as we would have expected at noon. The cost for three of us to eat lunch (a chef salad, two orders of fries, a slice of pizza, a bag of chips, two sodas and a mountain burger with all the fixings) was $14. It would cost more to eat at McDonalds!

A live band was playing in the lounge, and Corona Light beer was giving away a snowboard and several other gifts, (T-shirts and key leashes). The atmosphere was laid back and a lot of fun, but bring your ID if you plan on enjoying a cocktail. We found all of the slopes to be very strict about underage drinking. Elk is a family slope that treats you like family. It’s close, affordable and the skiing is wonderful!

Visit Elk on line at www.elkskier.com or call, toll free, at 800/233-4131 for directions, snow reports and information regarding lift and rental prices.

Make sure to check us out next week, when we report back to you on The All New Holiday Mountain in Bridgeville, NY and Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA.