Whiteface Conditions (2016 - 2017)

ugh...no skiing for me until Saturday...

i too am living vicariously through those 30 of you on the hill today and yesterday.

thanks for the update.  It was quite nice to read.

Now to figure out what to grill on Saturday...

Pineapple.

Here's a pic....



Run of the day so far, but not phenomenal.  Fun day on silky packed powder lower down low, but less than I was hoping for as it seems the summit got more icing and rain crust than the lower mountain.  You didn't miss that much by being in the office today.  Details later....

I took the morning off work to ski with and play tour guide to the Volkl Tech Rep and his dad who were in town today.  We had a good day ripping around.  The vis was really bad on the summit early on as there was freezing fog on your goggles and we were in the cloud.  The summit was only so-so I agree that it had more of a rain crust in spots.

LWF was NICE.  Groomers were buttery.  Empire any time its open is a treat and it was fun but the bottom was a rock garden.  We didn't get back to do CC Glade for some reason but should have.  He were impressed with WF and said its similar in feel to Cannon where he grew up and hope to come back when the slides are open.

My afternoon was really good, lots of good skiing, some of the best having very little to do with ma natch's recent storm, and lots to do with the storm the Snow Tribe releases on the mountain.

Day after a storm, even just 8 inches, I went hoping for some cut up powder and some leftover soft piles.  That didn't materialize on a wide scale, as "8 inches" wasn't necessarily 8 inches everywhere, and many places it was groomed in, so at lunch time I was feeling a little bit bust, even though conditions were good.  Then I found some really good stuff in the afternoon.

The mountain is in great shape.  LWF, as well as from Niagara down, were just phenomenal packed powder, just about everywhere.  So soft, so quiet to ski on.  A real pleasure to just let them rip, hardly a patch of firm to be found.  Unfortunately not what one wants from a sloppy seconds powder day, but nice.  Upper Boreen and the "headwall" cuts round were open.  Heck, lots was open.  Unfortunately, not everything listed as "open" on the DAC and conditions report was actually open.  For instance, Cloudsplitter Glades and Upper Mac were listed as open, but they weren't.

The summit was....interesting, variable.  Upper Sky was groomed to one of the most consistently carveable surfaces I've ever seen on the trail.  Just wall to wall soft, but not packed powder soft.  Venture off the groomed and it was largely varying amounts of dust (0 to 10 wind blown inches of dust, some soft, some wind affected) on crust.  The upper mountain must have gotten some snow, then freezing rain creating a crust, followed by a couple more inches of snow.  For instance, the trees right of the upper part of Skyward, which can often hold great snow, were a bulletproof crust.  A few death cookies could be found on upper Sky, evidence of the groomers working over the crust.  Cutting over from Sky to Cloudspin there was a definite rain crust under two inches of powder.  Cloudspin was generally terrible.  Sure, a couple spots you could link a handful of turns in powder or some soft wind affected, but otherwise it was a magic shell ice coating with pockets and bits of crusty wind blown powder.  Not worth a second lap.  Niagara was supremely carveable.  Empire was really good, nice powder at the edges for those that can still make short radius.  Wilderness was ok, but no powder.  Ok day so far, but not stellar.

Like I said, I found better after lunch.  They opened Lower Sky under the guns, saving any need to duck.  Supreme gun pow was great fun, to the tune of four laps.  Afternoon getting long it was time to move on, finding the best snow of the day.  Upper Mac was gorgeous.  No rain crust to be found in the 6 inches +/- of powder.  Run of the day.  Lower Mac was great packed powder with piles of the soft I was looking for at the edges.  Lapped that twice.  While boney on the steep section, not really sure why the rope was up on Upper Mc.  Then it was a quick duck onto Upper Northway.  So much gun pow, really good coverage, should have been open.

Thanks for the report JTG - despite some problem areas, sounds like the net gain of 0-10" really turned things around after the thaw...so between that and the guns going back on, I'm thinking this weekend is shaping up to be real nice.

Latest NWS statement is calling for lake effect all weekend with 2-6" possible each day.  I'll take that.

Cloudsplitter Glades were open from the entrance off Empire to the left about 10 turns from the top.  You skied right past it.

They actually actually are series of 4 separate glades the then funnel into a common exit.  On the 3 paths that start from Northway you ski either all or some of 10th Mt Div glades at the end.  From the Empire side you basically just exit right back into the bottom of Empire.  It's almost impossible except in huge snow years to ski between the 4 paths.  There also is an entrance that is usually roped off approach unless they don't blow Northway.

I prefer the first two paths off Northway as they are longer and have more flow.  The one off Empire is so tight I find myself having to stop a lot to find the route that won't destroy my skis since everyone is forced by the cut to ski the same line.

I guess being able to enter off Empire does make the skiable/open, but I prefer the other entrances.  But you make a good point.

4 inches last night / this morning?

it's a snowing and a blowing....

Scotty, are they setting up guns on Wilmington?  

in the high peaks till sunday Petit Homme!  Winkytown trail be getting some love soon enough.  

How was it today, deciding gore or face tomorrow

Whiteface ... packed power & frozen granular ... lots of "stashes" on the sides ...

All in all ... a great day at the face.

Tomorrow looking even better ... possible opening of Upper Northway and it's snowing pretty good right now in LP.

I'll be there

snoloco wrote

I'll be there

Awesome ... maybe we can meet up and count sheave wheels together ...

No I won't actually do that.  I posted my original data point because I thought some people might find it interesting to know.

I don't find sheave wheels interesting, but I do find the fact that you find them to be so interesting.....interesting, and not necessarily in a bad way!  Gotta give props to a guy who loves all things skiing, even sheave wheels!!

Actually, I find the infrastructure that supports skiing operations to be interesting, mainly snowmaking and lifts.

Going to bed now, gotta be up at 5am tomorrow to go skiing.

Shaaawiiing