Woooo what a weekend. We had a bunch of trips go out smoothly and I was lucky enough to run back to back days to Hunter Mtn. It was my first time at Hunter this season and it did not disappoint.
Now it’s no lie that MLK weekend is one of the busiest in the snow season. Hunter had over 6,000 people at the mountain on Sunday which seems like a lot, but it was surprisingly not a madhouse. The lift lines went quick and we were lapping Jimmy Huega, Cliffhanger, and Empire Park all day.
Sunday’s weather was overcast, a bit cold, with snow guns a’blazin, and had a few sprinklings of real snow throughout the day. Lucky for me I finally found my low light goggles after digging around my apt for a few hours (they were underneath my bathroom sink…?) so visibility was not a problem.
The crew had a beer or three to loosen up and then headed back up to the top to take a few more turns. The highlight of my day was when I was coming over a roller and threw a frontside 180. Only problem was that as I turned the 180 degrees it put me face to face with another snowboarder mid air. We landed simultaneously practically holding hands, and then, in unison pushed off each other laying both of us out sliding down the mountain in parallel lines. We were both fine, shook the snow off and continued to follow each other’s lines down the mountain. At the bottom we were both stoked on the circumstances of our friendship (and I never saw him again).
Monday was a different beast all together. First, the sky cleared/clouded up in intervals and it was an on/off bluebird day which is weird. The sun definitely softened up the snow making it a bit more forgiving, which in my case meant that it was time to “huck it” which I most certainly did.
Highlight of the day was when the squad was just beginning to bomb down Cliffhanger. I spotted a perfect side hit on skier’s right, flanking a little roller. I’m goofy so I came in toeside with plenty of speed and landed hands down the most perfect backside 360 I’ve ever done. It was one of those moments where your mind just goes completely blank and muscle memory takes over. First I was speeding towards the takeoff, next thing I’m in the air, and then I’m riding away. I wasn’t really processing what I was doing, I just knew I wanted to do a 360 and it worked out (…the first time. There were several attempts made after that were not as successful). OvRCrew alum Pooyah was literally right next to the takeoff of the jump and watched (not filmed unfortunately) the nose of my board come within inches of his face. I apologized and he didn’t even care. He was just really stoked and so was I.
The day wound down in usual fashion. Mitten covered beers by the outdoor fireplace, a few swigs of whiskey, and a nice long bus ride to dream about the next trip. If you haven’t made it up to the mountain then you really are missing out. Join me at Hunter this weekend where I’ll be going after that fresh snow that has us all so excited!
Once again, this is Jeremy Mountain. Hope to see you on the hill.
This is Jeremy Mountain!