Whiteface Conditions (2017 - 2018)

JTG - You have a much higher tolerance for crowds and ice than I do.

Skiing is always fun though. That’s what matters.

Could just be the economy doing well and skier visits trending up.  They actually didn't break the attendance record they set last season of 6400 on Presidents Day Saturday.

I noticed so many struggling intermediates on terrain they couldn't handle that did not look to be enjoying themselves and won't likely return, proving that marketing Whiteface as an intermediate mountain is a bad idea.

W Trail was the most challenging blue trail I've ever skied today.  Harder than trails marked double black in the Catskills.  It is long, steep, and was pretty icy.  And add a bunch of borderline intermediate skiers and it was a shit show of nearly inconceivable incompetence.  People were falling all over the trail and there were many walking down and butt sliding.  Not to mention stopping in the middle of the cliff sections.

Marketing Whiteface as this "soft and friendly intermediate mountain" like Stratton is going to get a bunch of people injured.  It's a serious mountain with very challenging terrain.  There is no "easy way down" off summit and lookout and even Excelsior might be rated black at another mountain.  Give the terrain the respect it deserves and you'll have a great time.  Don't and you can and will get injured.

The very first time I went to Belleayre, there were 8K there. that was back when they were handing out free tickets to increase skier visits.

snoloco wrote

I noticed so many struggling intermediates on terrain they couldn't handle that did not look to be enjoying themselves and won't likely return, proving that marketing Whiteface as an intermediate mountain is a bad idea.

W Trail was the most challenging blue trail I've ever skied today.  Harder than trails marked double black in the Catskills.  It is long, steep, and was pretty icy.  And add a bunch of borderline intermediate skiers and it was a shit show of nearly inconceivable incompetence.  People were falling all over the trail and there were many walking down and butt sliding.  

LOTS of folks in over their heads today for sure.

Eh....”crowds” and “ice” and “people over their heads” and all.....we cruised Wilmington twice today.  The boys cruised where they wanted, no problem, and I found soft, sweet turns along the edges.  Other than managing people in my peripheral, I barely noticed other people on the trail either time.

My tolerance is pretty damn high....

If you’ve never listened to Vinny at the Lounge in the Whiteface Lodge, he makes it all better.  John Denver to Pearl Jam to Live to James Taylor to Bon Jovi.....best Lounge in Placid!

I skied it twice around 10:30 and 1:30.  The first time was decent and the second time horrific.  Only reason I tried it the second time was because I saw there was hardly anyone on the lift so I thought the trail wouldn't be crowded.  I went Bear to Freeway both times out of the base.

I really didn't have any operational complaints today.  The only lift not open was the Mountain Run lift that doesn't go to the top and Mountain Run was in really bad condition.  The line at LWF got pretty long but I rode Freeway when it was at its worst.

All the non beginner lifts were running well with few slows and stops and LWF and Freeway were running as fast as I've ever seen a fixed grip move.

What a difference a day makes!  The crowds are gone, the sun is out, the temps are up, and from mid down it’s all buttery hero snow.  Above mid it’s fast, fun, and carveable.  Mountain Run and Wilmington skied about as good this morning as I’ve ever skied them.

Yesterday was sweet!  

Driving past the mtn this weekend I was very excitted to see the volume of people at WF.  Such a positive hit to the local economy.

Congrats to everyone at WF for there efforts to manage climate change and keep the lifts turning and trails covered. It’s an incredibly complicated and overly criticized task.  

(BillyMac - correct use??).

 

To Hell with the Queen

Scotty

If they really cared about being resilient to climate change then that snow that was made on Lower Parkway would've been on Skyward and Mountain Run and the money that was spent on the bar would've been spent on snowmaking.  Their anal desire to emulate Stratton just cost us a month of spring skiing.

snoloco wrote

Scotty

  Their anal desire

Bahaha! Sno said anal desire.......

That’s creepy!

Hope you enjoy skiing Excelsior all spring.  I luckily saved enough max pass days so I can actually ski good terrain.  Whiteface used to be one of the best spring destinations in the east, but now it's mediocre at best without Skyward, Hoyt's, or Mountain Run.

I was thinking I would go tomorrow but it's going to freeze solid tonight and do it early AM so they won't have time to groom so I probably won't go.  It is really going to suck.  Based on the amount of snow on the trails last weekend my guess is Summit and Lookout are both toast.  And the top of Mountain Run and I lift is also most definitely gone so zero expert terrain except maybe Wilderness but you'll have to ride the gondola to lap it.  Hard to imagine a season without quality spring skiing at Whiteface but it looks like that will happen.

Ok, chicken little......

No doubt with the thaw-freeze the next couple days could be rough, but I’m sure more terrain will survive to this weekend (and beyond) than a WROD on Excelsior.

This was Skyward last Sunday.  There's already rocks poking through.  Not a chance it's open after the r*in and 60 degree temps.  Once the rocks come totally out the ground thaws and Riva Ridge goes quick and it's adios to the summit till next year.

And in the unlikely event they do make snow again, how am I supposed to believe that it will be on the summit since they haven't made a flake of snow up there since December.

Sno......I skied Skyward on Sunday and Monday myself, and based on my decades of experience at Whiteface I don’t share your pessimism regarding the availability of either Skyward or Mountain Run for this weekend and beyond.

As of the 1:15 update the Sn-holy triumvirate of Wilmington/Skyward/Mountain Run were still open.  Temps have already dropped, and with no more blowtorch temps (barely any above freezing) in the forecast from late this afternoon right through the first week of March.......well, I think they’ll stick around for a while.  While you may not appreciate WF management’s commitment to customer, I’m not sure you’ve ever really experienced the shovel brigade lengths they’ve gone to in order to keep terrain open much later in past seasons.

You really need to tone down your tired “horrific, the sky is falling” rhetoric if you want to be taken more seriously, IMHO.  You contribute plenty of good stuff, but for me it gets lost in your noise......

According to that report it's 50 on top and it's pouring r*in in Potsdam.

Where did I say I didn't appreciate the work of the shovel brigade?  And yes I have experienced their work and been very much appreciative of it.  It's just something that is to be done in April and not Feb.

Also according to the report Victoria, Paron's, and Lower Sky are closed so no way Upper Sky is open and if Paron's is closed they can't groom Sky.  Mountain Run and W Trail are still open, but summit closed for the season on Feb 21st.  So sad

JTG you are the biggest optimist ever.