Couple of questions on Whiteface Trails

Hey Guys:

This weekend brings me back to my favorite place in the East.  As luck would have it we are getting what looks like a fairly big dump this week.  My crew and I will be there Saturday and Sunday.  I tried to convince a few to stay an extra day but they are busy with work.  What kind of skier what give up a day of skiing.  I need some new friends :)

Anyways there a couple of runs I have not done yet that I plan to do this weekend since I think they might be open.  I am wondering if anyone can tell me about the steepness and any other general information on the Cloudsplitter Glades and the 10th Division Glades.  

Also I would like to ski the Sugarvalley Glades but I am bit worried about the length.  Is there out of bounds and is it clearly marked.  What's the pitch and spacing like.  From other times I have looked at it, it looks like once you commit there is no way out.  I have skied almost all of the treed runs at Jay Peak (except Deliverence and Staircase) so I can ski the trees.  However the fact that Whiteface has them as double black scares the crap out of me.  If you they think Lookout Below is only single diamond I cannot image what Cloudsplitter and Sugarvalley glades will look like.

Any chance the Slides will be open if they get 20cm.  I thought I would ask just for giggles :)  How hard is it to ski them.  Can you guys give me a sense in comparison to another run on the mountain (ie Lookout or Upper Skyward).  I would love to ski it one day.  

One more questions on the slides.  Since I pretty much stopped going anywhere else but Whiteface eventually I am going to hit a weekend where they are open.  There maybe only one guy in my group that can ski but I don't think he would.  Is there any chance of asking a ski patroller or someone to go with me.  I would hate to go down something like this alone. Safety is my motto.    

Claude      

   

BigK75 wrote

Hey Guys:

This weekend brings me back to my favorite place in the East.  As luck would have it we are getting what looks like a fairly big dump this week.  My crew and I will be there Saturday and Sunday.  I tried to convince a few to stay an extra day but they are busy with work.  What kind of skier what give up a day of skiing.  I need some new friends :)

Anyways there a couple of runs I have not done yet that I plan to do this weekend since I think they might be open.  I am wondering if anyone can tell me about the steepness and any other general information on the Cloudsplitter Glades and the 10th Division Glades.  

Also I would like to ski the Sugarvalley Glades but I am bit worried about the length.  Is there out of bounds and is it clearly marked.  What's the pitch and spacing like.  From other times I have looked at it, it looks like once you commit there is no way out.  I have skied almost all of the treed runs at Jay Peak (except Deliverence and Staircase) so I can ski the trees.  However the fact that Whiteface has them as double black scares the crap out of me.  If you they think Lookout Below is only single diamond I cannot image what Cloudsplitter and Sugarvalley glades will look like.

Any chance the Slides will be open if they get 20cm.  I thought I would ask just for giggles :)  How hard is it to ski them.  Can you guys give me a sense in comparison to another run on the mountain (ie Lookout or Upper Skyward).  I would love to ski it one day.  

One more questions on the slides.  Since I pretty much stopped going anywhere else but Whiteface eventually I am going to hit a weekend where they are open.  There maybe only one guy in my group that can ski but I don't think he would.  Is there any chance of asking a ski patroller or someone to go with me.  I would hate to go down something like this alone. Safety is my motto.    

Claude

CS glades are thight and steep in parts and they run right into the 10th MD. They are really the same glade, but you can get into the 10th, not as steep, skiers right bottom of Upper Northway.

SV glades are steep at the top, but IMO they are not as difficult as the CS glades. Once you are in there is no way out until the bottom and you really don't have to worry about going out of bounds.

I think there is a good chance they will be open if we get the snow. Hard to compare the Slides to a cut trail regardless of steepness.

Great idea not going in alone. Go to customer service and tell them you want a Mt. Host to give you a tour of the Slides. Be sure to say Slides so you will get a Mt. Host with the right skill set and knowledge of the area.

One option for going into the Slides, is to just go to the top of the Summit Quad. When you see some people going in there, you can simply ask them if you can "tag along" with them. I've done that on many occasions. Most people are happy to have you along!

Face4Me wrote

One option for going into the Slides, is to just go to the top of the Summit Quad. When you see some people going in there, you can simply ask them if you can "tag along" with them. I've done that on many occasions. Most people are happy to have you along!

People who you tag with may not know their way around either

If you get a local who does, it doesn't mean he wants to slow down and give you a tour. You know the old saying there are no friends on a powder day. While at WF you can add there are no friends on a Slides Day.

If you get a Mt. Host its his job to stay with you and make sure you have an enjoyable experience. Trust me there are several who would be thrilled showing you around the Slides as their job for the day.

JMHO

BigK!!

Cloudsplitter glades accessed off Northway/Approach or Empire are fall line and steep in sections.  Pretty boney right now but we are getting some real nice dense snow today, so they may be officially open.  

From Northway to Empire:

First shot (Victor's Vortex) gets skied out fast.  Decent pitch on top w/ a short section just above 10th mtn entrance that is steep and usually boney. Watch on skiers left for big dead hanging yellow birch tree.

Second shot (Tommy's) is my fav.  Low angle entrance (w/ a nice boulder drop if you want) to an open birch pitch that steepens before mellowing into the 10th mtn section.

Third shot (Chris’s) is just past ski patrol snow stake along the high traverse.  Tight balsams/spruce line.  Couple of ledge drops are tucked into the trees on skiers left (some locals refer to this line as the T-11).  This line leads to (and around) a large 10-15 foot boulder drop and then goes low angle through fairly spaced birch trees.

Fourth Shot (Ravens) switchbacks left from the ski patrol blue tarp shack and leads to a fairly open section of balsam/spruce that is moderate pitch and holds great snow.

Fifth shot(blue tarp) leads off the 10-15 foot ledge directly in front of the blue tarp ski patrol shack and winds through very tight balsam/spruce/boulder filled section.

Sixth shot (closest to Empire – some call it paradise) is very tight and steep chute that goes pretty straight down the fall line.

10 mtn glades is accessed from the bottom of Northway.  It goes across the fall line at a moderate to low angle pitch leading out to Empire.  Its best to take 10th mtn and look up to see the lines dropping in from cloudsplitter glades.    Because its lower angle and close to snowmaking on lower northway it always has a deeper base.  
   
Sugar Valley Glades are a well spaced hardwood glade that runs mostly across the fall line (was suppose to be fall line but that got messed up…).  Upper entrance starts off steep and then cuts across the fall line.  It can be boney as hell when snowpack is low.  

There is a lower entrance to this glade which is on skier left of the Wilmington trail after the last steep pitch at the point where the trail bends right.  Very wide open and fun skiing.  Be careful in both sections to not get pulled to far down the fall line as it ends in a very flat and often snow choked drainage.  It takes a long time to make up for this mistake…

Forgot about the new entrance cut last year.  it's just before and across from the lean-to at the lookout below trail.  Straight down the fall line.  If its deep enough, I will ski that 2omorrow!  

We really need like 20-30 inches (not cm) to get all slides going.  The Feb week winds crushed slide zones all over the Adirondacks.  Some serious marble and rock out there.  Slide 4 is doable.  We'll see what happens the next couple of days.  This snow coming down is dense.  Which means it would cover chit up.  And it would work the legs!

See "The Slides" tab for details.

Highpeaksdrifter wrote

Face4Me wrote

One option for going into the Slides, is to just go to the top of the Summit Quad. When you see some people going in there, you can simply ask them if you can "tag along" with them. I've done that on many occasions. Most people are happy to have you along!

People who you tag with may not know their way around either

If you get a local who does, it doesn't mean he wants to slow down and give you a tour. You know the old saying there are no friends on a powder day. While at WF you can add there are no friends on a Slides Day.

If you get a Mt. Host its his job to stay with you and make sure you have an enjoyable experience. Trust me there are several who would be thrilled showing you around the Slides as their job for the day.

JMHO

 No friends on a slides day - I love it

I'm pretty helpful of customers asking about the mountain but when it comes to the slides but I would never let someone tag along with me in there unless I saw them ski skyward or another steep trail or glade 1st.

Make sure to check on the slides guide on this site and read the before you ski the slides section.

MeThinks that HPD is bucking for some guided slides duties.

Thanks Guys for all the awesome slides and glades advice.  It looks like the slides will not be open anyway from the looks of the Whiteface webpage.  I am going to use all your greats tips to ski some of the runs I have no skied before including Cloudsplitter glades and and 10th mountain.  I will will report back on Tuesday.  

I just extended my Whiteface trip by another day.  BooYa.  :)