Whiteface report

[freeheelwilly]

Well, the Face got about 6" of heavy wet stuff Friday into Saturday and then a bit more (2-3") Saturday night. Got a lot cooler Sunday and the guns came back on and new terrain was opening up. A little Alberta Clipper moved through Sunday-Monday giving us a bit more and last night the Lake Effect off Lake Ontario cranked up our way so that'll help too. (For those that don't know, Clippers are great for northern NY. Not as much snow as the coastal storms but they come in cold out of Canada and thus the snow is much drier. Sometimes we get in a pattern where there is just one after another. I'll take a few Clippers over a Nor'easter any day.) Temps are cold into the forseeable future and the guns will be cranked up. Flurries and snow every other day; a little here-a little there. It's really starting to look good. I still sense a Vermont bias on this board. I have nothing against (most) Vermont resorts/areas but honestly you all owe it to yourselves to consider WF/Placid. I don't know why I'm such a booster, regional pride I guess. Nothin' in it for me but longer lift lines but as you never (and I mean never) stand in a lift line for more than 3-5 mins at Whiteface, I'm not too worried. Do yourself a favor - watch the weather (that's important) and get up to Whiteface. This weekend should be very good for pre-season. The whole Mountain won't be open yet (obviously) but there should be great skiing and quite a bit of terrain. Placid's got great restaurants, there's bobsledding, etc. Get up here!!! (I'll bet there's some locals reading this right now thinking "Why doesn't that Willy guy just shut the F#$% up??!! )

 

[beswift]

What?

Why do they call it Iceface? It's really a matter of access when it comes to where you are skiing. This board prabably reflects internet access more than ski terrain access. Whiteface, Stowe, and Jay would be more Montreal areas than U.S. areas. I'ld love to find a French Forum for downhill skiing. In fact, a website with this name should have more posting about the Alps, shouldn't it? Today, I'm headed for Cannon. I think N.H. gets a bad rap in skiing. Vermont skiing has steeper lift service slopes, but N.H. has the better views, better back country trails and Tuckerman's!!!! Canon has the most challenging and interesting lift service trail in New England. In fact, nowadays, I believe you can find more wild country in N.H. than you can in the Adirondacks. Maine still allows a lot of logging and Vermont has it's Dairy farms.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Nice job Willy, you are becoming quite the ski ambassador for Whiteface. I’d like to respond to several points you made. Clippers are great and can add up inches, but I like my Nor’easters. Skiing after those are the days you remember and talk about for years. Nutin but cold weather for WF, X-mas week is setting up great. Of course there is a Vermont bias in here, why wouldn’t there be? Pound for pound Vermont has the best resorts in the Northeast and a lot of folks don’t get how great the skiing at WF is cause they buy into that “Iceface” crap. I read somewhere that there are more ski areas in NY then any other state. Let’s rate them: 1. Whiteface 2. Gore 3. Hunta 4 – 40 ahh, well, who cares. Speaking of no crowds, how about Sunday? It was like mid week. Heard on the radio that ski patrol was opening up Lower Drappers at 10:30 ish. We got there as the rope was dropping. All that fresh plus the guns were blowing strong. It was as good as it gets. Never shut the F#$% up Willy. You have lots of good things to say. :beer:

 

[Greg]

I read somewhere that there are more ski areas in NY then any other state.

Correct. 32, in fact!

 

[freeheelwilly]

HPD:

Man Drapers was good Sunday. By about 1:00 the bumps were built up and they was soft! I needed that after getting schooled on the hard, icey bumps on Mountain Run that morning. To round out my East Coast skills, I really need to learn how to ski big, icey bumps.

Why do they call it "Ice Face"? Because it's just too damn clever to go away, that's why. Whatever. And a board concerning NORTHEAST skiing should include Northern New York (It's part of the Northeast). The comparison to the Alps makes no sense.

 

[drhughes1]

Whiteface Lift Tickets

Thanks for updates on Whiteface.

I am planning on spending Christmas there from Dec. 23 -26.

Any suggestions on getting discounts on lift tickets.

Thanks.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Dr. Hughes,
Try this link: https://www2.pricechopper.com/skiany3/index.shtml
The only day you couldn't use these tickets is X-mas Day.

 

[loafer89]

I have only been to Whiteface once, and that was in 1990. I will have to decide in the next two weeks were to take my January vacation, and while I would like to go back to Whiteface, my heart lies with Sugarloaf. I'll gladly pass up all of the VT/NH resorts for Whiteface of Sugarloaf, it just depends on the snow conditions. Right now Sugarloaf has awesome conditions, I'am hearing secondhand that they are the best in the east!!!!

 

[freeheelwilly]

I have only been to Whiteface once, and that was in 1990. I will have to decide in the next two weeks were to take my January vacation, and while I would like to go back to Whiteface, my heart lies with Sugarloaf. I'll gladly pass up all of the VT/NH resorts for Whiteface of Sugarloaf, it just depends on the snow conditions. Right now Sugarloaf has awesome conditions, I'am hearing secondhand that they are the best in the east!!!!

Judging by K2trav's post above, you gotta go to Sugarloaf if your trip was now. 60 trails!! WF ain't there yet. But by January, the Face will be mostly, if not completely, open. I'd like to try Sugarloaf. I'm intrigued by those snowfields. Have fun.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Man would I like to be there today: http://www.whiteface.com/WhitefaceLive.htm
For those of you unfamilar with Whiteface this is a shot from the beginner area (Easy Acres/Kids Kampus) looking up to the trails of Little Whiteface to the left. Behind Little WF and to the right you can see some trails coming off Big Whiteface on the left, on the right on Big WF are the legendary Slides. Few men enter – nobody wants to leave.

Conditions are looking great for X-mas week. :lol:

 

[beswift]

Vulgarity

Nutin but cold weather for WF, X-mas week is setting up great. . . . a lot of folks don’t get how great the skiing at WF is cause they buy into that “Iceface” crap.:

:flame: Is there any real difference between N.Y. and Vt. conditions? Come on, they are all cold and icy as a rule. I've done my skiing in big icy bump fields. Let me guarantee that by the time you become expert you no longer have a set of sturdy knees. If you live on the N.Y. side of the Hoosic Tunnel, you should ski WF, If you are on the other side, you should ski Vt. I certainly would like it if more New Yorkers never left their Empire. So don't let a bias keep you from promoting in the spirit of Madison Ave.

I read somewhere that there are more ski areas in NY then any other state. Let’s rate them: 1. Whiteface 2. Gore 3. Hunta 4 – 40 ahh, well, who cares.

It would be better if you cited your criteria for rating these areas. On top of that I'ld like to see your definition of >>ski area<<. Isn't Central Park a ski area? I certainly have seen a lot of snow fall there. :flag:

 

[oneotwoandcounting]

I've been away from the Forum for a while (busy skiing). I took a couple of pics. at WF.

Wilmington Notch from the Gondola.

Whiteface's Summit from Little Whiteface.

 

[andyzee]

I've been away from the Forum for a while (busy skiing). I took a couple of pics. at WF.

Wilmington Notch from the Gondola.

Whiteface's Summit from Little Whiteface.

Nice shots, got more?

 

[oneotwoandcounting]

Whiteface Pictures

Through the years I have taken many pictures at Whiteface. Some can be seen at http://adkron.net/pics122702.html

 

[eatskisleep]

Re: Whiteface Pictures

Through the years I have taken many pictures at Whiteface. Some can be seen at http://adkron.net/pics122702.html

Nice pictures. How was Whistler?

 

[oneotwoandcounting]

Whistler was great. I'm going back this season. Whistler Village is also a cool place.

 

[beswift]

Please, don't take this personally, but I wonder if Iceface is living up to it's reputation now. I had some great views of Mt. Marcy and the Adirondacks Friday at the 'bush, but I couldn't make out your mountain. I'm wondering if this was due to the lack of snow on the slopes.

 

[oneotwoandcounting]

No offense taken. I can’t help you here because I haven’t skied since Thursday. It was warm and soft but melting. After the drop in temperature I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t slick on the mountain. Due to a spillway put in the AuSable River two summers ago (by the DEC or some Environmentalist group to protect the trout). This spillway has created a slush problem when it gets cold and it inhibits snowmaking. I heard a few hundred thousand dollars was spent this summer to fix the problem. Whatever they spent it didn’t work.

I’m not knocking protecting the environment and I am a catch and release trout fisherman but this was a bone headed mistake. I don’t thing the mountain takes enough water out of the river to effect the trout during the winter. What they do take melts and is returned to the river in the spring when the trout again become active.

I hope for the sake of the skiers and the mountain they can make snow and groom to make it fun and safe for the general public. Whiteface needs a good holiday season to help pay the bills.