Whiteface Snowmaking is Game On

Picture from their website
Anyone local, is this for real, to what extent (how many guns), or just blowing out the mice?

From MC2's facebook

MC2 wrote

According to the twitter machine, Whiteface had 37 snow guns running last night from Connector to the midstation.

odd that they are starting in the middle - they usually start at the top and work down

ausable skier wrote

odd that they are starting in the middle - they usually start at the top and work down

I thought it was odd too.  Got this from Bruce this morning:

"We are making snow on Excelsior Upper Valley and Lower. Hope to be open from the top of Little Whiteface for the 25th…."

One thing I've learned - there is always a reason.

ausable skier wrote

odd that they are starting in the middle - they usually start at the top and work down

As you said, they normally start at the top of Little Whiteface and work their way down to the mid-station lodge. If they have enough time, and the weather cooperates, they then continue from the mid-station down to the base. If they can't get down to the base by opening day, they use the Little Whiteface chair to get back to the top of the gondola, and then have you download on the gondola to get back to the base lodge. With the Little Whiteface chair unavailable, they obviously had to change the game plan.

By starting with Upper and Lower Valley, all the way to the base, they can open the Face Lift (quad) first, providing for a way to get back to the base lodge. If time and weather permits, then I'm sure they'll move to the top of Little Whiteface and work their way down Excelsior to the top of the Face Lift.

i recall a season about 4-5 years ago where the face lift opened first

just a few weeks ago weren't we promised that the LWF would be good to go for the start of the season?

ausable skier wrote

just a few weeks ago weren't we promised that the LWF would be good to go for the start of the season?

And it may be, but it never hurts to hedge your bets!

Face4Me wrote

ausable skier wrote

just a few weeks ago weren't we promised that the LWF would be good to go for the start of the season?

And it may be, but it never hurts to hedge your bets!

Bruce said that the beginning of the season was possible, but that he was pretty confident about early or mid-December at the latest.  I know he didn't promise the beginning of the season - if he did, I guess he'd have to postpone the season for a few weeks.  


Speculation: LWF is very close to being complete.

the pestimist in me says that if its ready by xmas it will be a minor miracle

Yea, IDK. I keep waiting for that season when it craps out temps wise.
BUT I recall one warmish late November recently. Don't know if it was 06 07 or 0'whatever. We went to Pennsylvania for Turkey day weekend and then early December brought prolonged zero here at home.

Who knows.

Yo, Aussie, could you maybe do a drive by at Whiteface latter this week and give the folks here an idea of how well they're progressing ? If Gore doesn't get far, maybe Whiteface would be a better choice for them next weekend. Thanks.

I have to go over sometime this week to pick up my season pass - I'll shoot a photo of what it looks like then and post it

Great. People, especially the out of the area folks will appreciate it ! Thanks Aussie.

Is that a webcam...hmmm what a concept...

 

Darkside Shaman wrote

Is that a webcam...hmmm what a concept...

Revolutionary thinking, really.

CONTENTS DELETED

70s Gore Kid wrote

Am I asking too much?

 
Dear 70s Gore Kid,
Yes.
Love, Emily

Snowballs wrote

Great. People, especially the out of the area folks will appreciate it ! Thanks Aussie.

SB - Ask and ye shall receive - I'd say it looks pretty good for skiing friday but if it gets to 50 Saturday with lots of traffic Sunday might be iffy.  You can't see from the photos but they are pounded the upper part of excelsior - I saw that from the overlook by pale face but it was too dark to get a photo to come out in the shade with the sun setting behind LWF.

If you look on the two farther away shots taken from out by 86 you can see someone skiing - its the little black dot on the skiers left / lookers right of the photo on the tower ten hill section of valley - that is the pitch that is next to where Nastar used to be for those the don't speak Whiteface

Cool Aussie. Thanks. People will no doubt be getting itchy to get out. Your photos/report may help some decide where to go.