Whiteface Conditions (2013-2014)

Danzilla wrote

Per WF facebook page the summit is now open for experts only (skyward).

 How do they qualify someone

Skyward Headwall.  No qualification required, although Patrol is there.  My first few runs, when people were side stepping, I thought to myself 'if you can't ski it, you shouldn't be on it!'  My fourth run I side stepped it, because the coverage is thin and side stepping in saves the bases.  

Below the headwall.  Let her rip!

skimore wrote

Danzilla wrote

Per WF facebook page the summit is now open for experts only (skyward).

 How do they qualify someone

You have to have a NYSKIBLOG.COM sticker or patch on your person or gear.

I really want to hit Essex, Northway, and Mountain Run....but that would require three trips to the bottom on manky slush.  Didn't mind coming down once to meet up with Mary and Ubu, but I don't know about three more trips.  Run the Little Whiteface!

That pesky Mary wanted to go again.....but it's time for Eesex to the Summit Quad.

LWF takes more staff and does not accept foot passengers. The mtn is doing good traffic from paying foot passengers each day.

The summit chair stuff complicated things today.  LWF possible for tomorrow.

(via mobile)

Yeah, I get that.....but it's all about me, me!, ME!!!!  I'll take the summit quad "complication".  This may be Old Milwaukee of me, but 50 degrees and top to bottom skiing from the summit.........

It doesn't get any better than this!

Not a bad out there today. Summit chair is running, sun is shining. A lil grabby at the base but up top soft and creamy.

Hey Skidds make sure you find these guys and apologize for being such a douchenozzle.  Thanks to them Summit is open!

Thanked them several times already, and did my sidestepping part to help pack it down.  I'd like to think a douchnozel or two helped inspire management to get the crew out there doing their great work.

Great to get the headwall passable, but Niagara and Lower Cloud have some spots that could give out at any moment....

The staff that spent the day shoveling the in run to Skyward rock!  Thanks guys



It was great to ski the summit today.  Awesome corn skiing.

Thank you to anyone who made opening the summit possible.  Tomorrow's gonna be awesome, especially if LWF runs too.

Nice pic Coach. Get it snoloco!

Aaron tells me the goal is to get LWF open tomorrow, but he didn't promise.  

I bet it happens.

There should be a trip report coming soon.

Coach Z wrote

My guess would be you can't get to LBO because there is not enough snow still on Wilmington Trail

More annoying is having to go to the bottom because they are running the Gondi and Face instead of the LWF.  The past management in spring would run Gondi and LWF and not run the facelift.  Who in their right mind wants to ski the bottom of the mt on a warm spring day?

Agreed.  The Face Lift isn't needed unless the summit is open too which it will be this weekend.  I only use it when I want direct access to the summit for a top to bottom run.  However, as said here, LWF will tentatively spin tomorrow, so problem solved.  They need the gondi for foot passengers and I love the 1 seat ride to LWF from the base, but the Face Lift serves nothing except for some flat runouts.  I would rather stay on the upper mountain like I did at Gore today.

True enough, other than direct access to the Summit Quad the Face Lift isn't accessing anything spectacular.  However, even though Boreen is marginal, it does provide a longer beginner trail.  If they nix the facelift everyone has to ski Excelsior.  To keep the beginner option available they will turn the Face Lift.

Skidds wrote

True enough, other than direct access to the Summit Quad the Face Lift isn't accessing anything spectacular.  However, even though Boreen is marginal, it does provide a longer beginner trail.  If they nix the facelift everyone has to ski Excelsior.  To keep the beginner option available they will turn the Face Lift.

exactly.
They want to run the Facelift, to serve the longer beginner terrain, whatever bad shape it is in, as long as you can literally get down Easy Street/Boren on skis.
They need to run the Gondola to serve foot passengers who chip in some $$$. (that's 2 lifts already ...)
We wanted the Summit badly, and they made it happen starting Fri.
We also wanted LWF not for accessing different trails, but to avoid skiing down to the bottom. It looks like it happened starting Sat, as appears from their website (I'm not there though :( ). Looks like a great weekend for skiing at WF. At the end they pulled all their resources to serve everyone.

Today was an awesome day, despite the summit being closed due to ice and wind.  There were people at the lift all day, but they were never cleared to start it up by patrol, so they wanted the summit open, but it was closed for weather.  They spun the Gondola, Facelift, and LWF all day.  Conditions started with r*in at the base and sleet at the top of the gondola, so we used the LWF chair to avoid the r*in.  After the r*in let up, we went down to the Facelift since its terrain already softened up and it was below the fog.  After lunch, the Little Whiteface terrain softened up and we took a bunch of laps there and occasionally dropping down to the Gondola for Draper's Drop.  When they closed it at 3:30, we finished with some more Facelift laps.  I always wonder why some people on this site are so crazy about Whiteface until I ski it, then I realize why.  If the summit opens tomorrow, it will be even better.

gkny wrote

Skidds wrote

True enough, other than direct access to the Summit Quad the Face Lift isn't accessing anything spectacular.  However, even though Boreen is marginal, it does provide a longer beginner trail.  If they nix the facelift everyone has to ski Excelsior.  To keep the beginner option available they will turn the Face Lift.

exactly.
They want to run the Facelift, to serve the longer beginner terrain, whatever bad shape it is in, as long as you can literally get down Easy Street/Boren on skis.
They need to run the Gondola to serve foot passengers who chip in some $$$. (that's 2 lifts already ...)
We wanted the Summit badly, and they made it happen starting Fri.
We also wanted LWF not for accessing different trails, but to avoid skiing down to the bottom. It looks like it happened starting Sat, as appears from their website (I'm not there though :( ). Looks like a great weekend for skiing at WF. At the end they pulled all their resources to serve everyone.

Facelift also provides direct access to the terrain park.  The majority of people riding it today were park kids.