Whiteface Conditions (2014-2015)

snoloco wrote

When will the summit open?

figuratively speaking, when Burnt Ridge at Gore.

Just tweeted that it will be open tomorrow.

Whiteface Mountain
‏@SkiWhiteface
Summit will open tomorrow, with Follies and Paron's Run, for experts only. #SkiTheFace #photooftheday… http://instagram.com/p/wzY-yHpT9O/ 

What's usually next? I'm sure they'll do the Kids Kampus stuff to get ready for the holidays, but after that? Skyward for the 29th-30th or so?

I believe that they will work on skyward next.

Does any one know what is going on with the gondola?

Welcome Atomicski and Merry Christmas.

Here's what we know about the Gondi:

http://forum.nyskiblog.com/Whiteface-Gondi-td4050757.html

Txt from Whiteface:

"Snowmaking will start again asap and we plan to go back to our bread and butter then off to Skyward. We plan to groom everything possible.  Will touch base again tomorrow. Happy holidays!"

Given the temp forecast for the next few days(Plenty cold enough at the higher elevations but marginal/nogo at the base for snowmaking), I'd think we'll see them start on Skyward sooner rather than later considering it'll be until Sunday/Monday likely before they can work on the lower parts of the mountain. Thanks for passing those messages on, it's much appreciated!

If you get the opportunity to try to get some timeline from Aaron for the gondi, that would be awesome, currently debating WF vs Sunday River for the weekend/next week(Am a passholder at both now since I recently moved to Boston), haven't been up to Whiteface much(only one weekend so far) this winter so would love to be there for a while and rack up some good days there but if the gondi won't be up by the weekend/early next week it's going to be a mess with the holiday crowds and probably will send me to SR. They seem to not want to reveal anything on social media in response to peoples questions, but maybe you'll be able to get a clearer answer? Thanks in advance!

I'll bet WF has a pretty good idea when this job will be done, but is hesitant to promise as stuff happens.

I totally understand their concern, but I'd think that people would rather have a tentative timeline with the understanding that it could change rather than be kept completely in the dark(They haven't said anything publicly other than the fact that it's down for unscheduled maintenance). If they know it'll be down say until at least 2015, why not say so and save a lot of trouble dealing with angry customers that don't read the conditions reports or think that unscheduled maintenance is just a day or two? Sure, they'll get their money, but they'll never get them back as customers and they'll pass the negativity onto their friends. Honesty is usually the best policy IMO.

Anyway, to go back on topic, looks like they made it through the warmup relatively unscathed, no major drop in trail count and coverage still looked pretty decent from the webcam. Should be springlike conditions with temps in the mid30s-lower 40s at the base and 20s at the summit tomorrow-Sunday before more widespread snowmaking temps return to start next week. Might have an icy day or two before they can get things back into shape but they're usually pretty good at recovery efforts.

I get where you are coming from. To be clear, what I said above was speculation. If we get go ahead to release something specific, will definitely do it.

I haven't skied WF too often, maybe five times, but when I did it seemed like we rode the Gondi once in the morning, and never came below mid until day's end. That midstation lodge IMO is really nice.  Do you guys use the Gondi alot?

It's not so much that we use it alot(although it's nice to have and especially in the afternoon we'll do laps on it when there's not much of a line), but that it takes a lot of crowds off of the other lifts. The folks that are visiting for X-mas break are going to be willing to wait in lines for the gondi usually and that leaves the LWF/Summit chairs usually fairly empty, in fact last X-mas both of those were ski on during pretty much the entire holiday period. With the gondi out of commission, that crowd is going to have to be absorbed somewhere and it'll likely be on those two lifts, and given that the gondi does 1800/hr, that's a pretty big increase for those chairs and will likely amp up lines quite a bit there, plus getting out of the base on the Facelift will be a big wait also(Look what's happened the last few times there's been a windhold on it on a holiday).

It's not the end of the world, but it would help a lot to have it online for sure. Strategy is definitely get high and stay high if the gondi is offline.

And understood completely about speculation, I know you guys wouldn't hold back info from us :)

I skied Whiteface in the spring last year and yes, I primarily stayed on the upper mountain.  As long as Freeway/Racer Chair, and the LWF chair is spinning, it is easy to avoid the base and stay on the upper mountain where the best skiing is.  If not, they have the same bottleneck as Gore where there are only 2 lifts that get you to elsewhere on the mountain.  

I was there on President's Day 2011 and the LWF chair crapped out BOTH DAYS I SKIED.  This meant that the only way to get to Little Whiteface was the gondola and that the only way to go from the base area to the upper mountain was the Facelift or Gondola.  This caused some monster lift lines.  I tried to catch one last run on Lookout before it closed at 3:30 I remember.  My dad and I were at the base at 3pm and decided to get in line at the gondola as that line looked shorter than for the Face Lift.  We missed last chair on Lookout.  That meant that it took OVER 30 MINUTES to get from the base area, up the gondola, and down Excelsior.

I'm pretty sure THAT WAS AN ORGANIZED PLOT just to get you. WPP

Sno, given what I've seen in the past, I think it was more the fact that it was Presidents Day weekend and not that the LWF was down that made the Gondi lines so long. LWF chair is usually ski on most of the holidays I've been up there, might have contributed a little bit but moreso the holiday crowds were the factor I'd guess.

Gondi is back online!

It's a Christmas miracle!

Speaking of miracles, does anyone have any thoughts on how much terrain they can get open in the next 10-12 days or so? I know they're in rebuild mode now.

If at least Skyward doesn't open, I'm pulling the plug. It'd be nice to see most of little Whiteface open (save for the usual suspects) and Wilmington trail as well.

joeschmoe wrote

If at least Skyward doesn't open, I'm pulling the plug.

The best info I got says 2 days or maybe 3.

Thanks Harvey! The long range models also look promising. Here's hoping they pan out!

How are the conditions? Against my better judgment, I will be there this weekend. I will probably go Alpine/Stiff Slalom skis as I suspect things will get pretty slick.

It's been decent in the morning and where they're blowing, not a ton open but what is open is pretty good. Icy in the afternoon though as to be expected. Big soft bumps on Mountain Run given that they've been blowing that for three days straight, they took the guns off of that this morning and were setting up on Skyward in the afternoon. Usually takes 4-5 days to get Skyward open but they've got somewhat of a base there already and they are going to get some natural over the weekend so that might accelerate it a bit. We'll see...