Whiteface Conditions (2015 - 2016)

I asked a simple question about the possibility for terrain expansion in the coming cold week.  I just added what I thought was an idea that many people on here would like (open Hoyt's before Wilmington).  That's nothing to get flamed for.  

How did that 7" ski this weekend?  I had to head home Saturday evening...missed it...

Conditions Monday were very nice.  With it having warmed/rained some Saturday, followed by freezing temps, you can imagine that things were firm 'below the surface'.  Yes, the tribe did a great job of providing a great sliding surface on Sunday, but even under the best of circumstances some trails can get skied off by the end of a day.  So late on Monday things like Victoria and Mountain Run, parts of Vally and Boreen got skied off.  Excelsior was good all day.  That said......

My son and I were third gondola on Monday.  Approach to Mountain Run to Upper Thruway to Calamity Lane (Drapers close for racers) and Lower Valley  skied wonderfully.  New snow blown off to silky cord in places, up to a foot of untracked wind blown in others.  From there I got first chair for the summit, with a variable Paron's that had lots of manmade goodness, with true untracked natural up to a wind blown foot plus in large stretches.

After that conditions were wonderful all the way around, with the usual suspects getting a bit skied off late.

Poachers bagged lower Sky and it looks like they were relatively unscathed.  Tracks into Empire and Mac.  One good storm could really make a difference.

snoloco wrote

ETA on Lookout?

 It allows the lift to be lapped instead of doing the Lookout Chair-Wilmington-Facelift loop.

  Trick is the get people to lap that chair instead of sending them down to the bottom.  I find that WF skis best if you take the Gondola or Facelift up and don't return to the bottom except for lunch and the end of the day.

two more trails to cut on this POD.  One lookers right of chairlift coming from top of Wilmington Trail just past access trail to porcupine lodge.  Will connect back to Hoyts at a location to link to exiting Rand's Last Stand.  Rand's Last Stand will eventually be cleared (current unfinished glade) get snowmaking and exit right to summit quad.

As far as Lookout.  It be open round end of month.  Mother nature willing..  
 

Coach Z wrote

I barely go to the bar anymore since they took the games out so my kid doesn't feel like hanging out anymore.

good to know.  I thought you were boycotting all us Bernie supporters!

ScottyJack wrote

two more trails to cut on this POD.  One lookers right of chairlift coming from top of Wilmington Trail just past access trail to porcupine lodge.  Will connect back to Hoyts at a location to link to exiting Rand's Last Stand.  Rand's Last Stand will eventually be cleared (current unfinished glade) get snowmaking and exit right to summit quad.

Is this fact or speculation? ETA on that known?

trails were approved in the 2004 Whiteface Mountain Ski Center Intensive Use Unit Management Plan.  No set time but obvi the hope is sooner rather than later.  

The new trail starting from upper flats on Wilmington will be sweet.  Only 80-120 feet wide.  May even start as a glade depending on budget for snow making infrastructure.  

An amendment is now in the works to modify original layout and incorporate Rand's Last Stand as a designated trail leading to summit quad.      

ScottyJack wrote

  Only 80-120 feet wide.  May even start as a glade depending on budget for snow making infrastructure.  

.

Needs to wider, flat, grooming and 100% snowmaking

And the amendment needs to include a bubble for the Lookout chair.  Heck, bubbles all the way around!

Any word on snowmaking on Upper Sky and whether it'll open for this weekend?

"We're working on Follies and the Face and we will be heading to Wilderness in a day or so. We are also touching up a bit on Excelsior and Johns Bypass. Skyward should fit in in the very near future, but we don't anticipate having it open for the weekend."

Def will be best conditions of the season!  Perfect week of blowing some of the best ManAmade snow on the planet!

"We started making snow on Skyward yesterday. Things are going great so far!"

It was a wonderful day up at the Face today.  I'm not generally a fan of Paron's Run and The Follies, but they were absolutely beautiful today.  Dry manmade packed powder, some of the nicest snow we've skied on this year.  Guns were blowing on Skyward, should be open in a couple more days.  Wilderness was outstanding with fun fun fun bumps and tons of soft snow under the guns.  Mountain Run was great with more of that dry chalky man-a-made.  Took the gondi up and never came back down to the base till the end of the day.  Last run was on Follies (4th time we skied it today) and the light was just magical.  Love skiing all 3200 verts in one long shot.  Blue skies, cold air, no wind, the way winter is supposed to be.  Best day so far this season.

So great having the summit open:


Beth and the kids skiing Follies with the High Peaks as a backdrop:


Mountain Run:

Saw they opened Skyward today.  Awesome.

Skyward skied beautifully yesterday and I'm sure it's even better today.  The exit on Ladies' Drop was a little sketch but it'll get better.  Get yourselves up to Wilmington because it's really getting good!

Cadence Lodge wrote

Skyward skied beautifully yesterday and I'm sure it's even better today.  The exit on Ladies' Drop was a little sketch but it'll get better.  Get yourselves up to Wilmington because it's really getting good!

Good take

Is all of Lower Skyward open, or (as I suspect) just down to Weber's?

Lower skyward is open to the lift

Saturday the skiing was really good.  Upper Mac was the run of the day for me.  

Blowing Wimington trail started Friday night.  

Conditions at WF yesterday were primo in the am. Warm temps and sun took its toll later in the day...not so much in the shaded areas for obvious reasons, All in all it was a great day to ski/ride there.