New York, New York. Sinatra, sightseeing, shopping, skiing. Skiing? Are you
kidding? It seems not. Just before Christmas, I was glancing at the website
of the American skiing specialist Ski Dream when I spotted New York listed
alongside the likes of Colorado and Utah. I knew there was skiing in New
England, but New York State?
The resort in question, Hunter Mountain, is a two-and-a-half-hour drive
northwest of New York City. The Catskill Mountains are not high - about
1,000m (3,300ft) - but the climate means that you get more snow than a
similarly low resort in the Alps.
Later the same day, I mentioned to my wife that you could ski in New York.
“New York, eh?” Suddenly, she had that look in her eyes - the look that a
predator gets when its prey comes into view. I soon realised we were going
to New York skiing.
That combination of shop and ski is the stroke of genius with this holiday.
The number of people who ask me whether they can suggest a good company for
a solo ski holiday - and these are people in relationships - shows that this
is a big issue.
We flew out to see if the combination worked in early February. The shopping,
of course, lived up to our expectations. We stayed in the Ritz Carlton on
Central Park, a stone's throw from the shops of Fifth Avenue.
The only problem was the jet lag. Waking at 4am and having to wait until 10am
for the shops to open was almost too much for my wife to bear.
And the skiing? The website OnTheSnow calls Hunter Mountain “the snowmaking
capital of the world” and says it makes artificial snow “early, often and in
large quantities”. In fact, the resort's 97ha (240 acres) of piste are
covered by an extensive snowmaking system.
Despite the resort's small size - about the same as a Bulgarian resort or one
of the smaller Austrian ones - there is some interesting variety. Hunter has
a nice beginner's area, Hunter One; a central intermediate area; and Hunter
West, an expert zone with several single and double black diamond runs.
My favourites were the long, easy blue run Belt Parkway, which runs from the
resort's summit to the valley, and the challenging Claire's Way, with its
great views of the rest of the Catskills.
Hunter certainly has enough to keep an average British skier happy for three
days. New York's boutiques will keep an average British shopper happy for
far longer. But if you're caught on the skiing/shopping divide, this is a
great solution.
Need to know
Two nights at the Ritz Carlton, New York Central Park, followed by two nights
in a studio at the Kaatskill Mountain Club costs £910pp. This is based on
two people sharing and includes BA direct flights from Heathrow to JFK and
car hire for three days
(Ski Dream, 0845 2773333, www.skidream.com)
