Whiteface Terrain Question

Decided I'd make a separate thread for this and not put it in the conditions thread.

When they have racing on Draper's Drop, can one still access the lift and the other trails in that same area (Parkway, Thruway)?

Mountain Crick never passed up a chance to f*** over all their regular customers to accommodate a race.  They once closed a quarter of their available terrain and a lift on the busiest day of the season.  Rumor has it they're pushing to get even more events scheduled there, so this will happen even more.  Glad moved on to a better home mountain this year.

Generally,  only closures are Drapers and part to all of Upper and Lower Thruway, based on event type.  No impact to other areas.  Oh, Tom Cat too.  Would not expect that to be a show stopper.   Jump onto Mt Run and chase the racers during warm ups.  Great learning opportunity!

Definitely not a show stopper, especially once Summit and Lookout are open.  Parkway appears to be unaffected, which is a great (and uncrowded) run.  Looks like Low Road would also not be able to open, because it would cross the course.  That would mean that intermediates wouldn't be able to access the midstation lodge from the Freeway lift and would have to take the gondola or Facelift.  I don't really care about that because I can ski all the trails in the Mountain Run section and reach the lodge that way.

Everything skiers right of mountain run is closed off for the racers most of the time.  NYSEF pays a good chunk to have that set up and it really doesn't bother anyone.  The racers chair is for the racers.  I use it sparingly when crowds dictate.

Also expect Thruway and Drapers to be closed most mornings mid week for race training.  middle Parkway after the top of Thruway tends to be a lower priority trail to blow the last couple of years.  When it has been blown they will usually set up nets where it interesects Drapers and you have to then ski into the Bear section.  Nysef and NW also should sometimes train on Parkway.  The little kids u12 and below will also train and race on the old nastar area, Fox, and Bear and the skier cross is also closed for training and races.  Upper parkway is also used when they run Super G and FIS level GS races.

Sno
WF is above all a premier race venue and one of the busiest in the East with races and training happening almost continually so your anti racer attitude will not fly.  Please stop complaing about it now.  

As TJF said Nysef and NW pay Orda to blow snow and operate the Freeway lift.  Racing brings a ton of money in for lift tickets and beds and meals in town.  Many colleges including your own use WF as thier home area as well.  If you want to see good skiing stop and watch some of the races.

Yeah, other than the very top of U Parkway.....pretty much scratch Parkway, Thruway and Drapers off your skiing list.  Between racers and L Parkway rarely getting the snowmaking love you will only get occasional turns in that area, most likely. Sometimes you'll get U Thruway to Calamity Lane if nobody is training on U Thruway.  Not a big deal.

Mogul course on L Wilderness seems to be off limits most of the time.

My anti race bias comes from the fact that the best terrain at Mountain Creek was pretty much destroyed by it.  I also had many close calls with racers bombing open runs (while there was other terrain reserved for them), and they'd never fail to make a mess of the lodge and throw their crap all over the tables to make sure no one else could sit there (while there was a separate room reserved for them).

Haha! get over it, those kids can ski you into the ground.

Hating on racers is a tried and true ski area pastime (along with hating park kids, hating snowboarders, and hating ski instructors). I try not to hate on any group, but I guess Internet forums are good for complaining about "those people" who are undoubtedly responsible for ruining your ski experience.

Designated race trails are fun to ski at the end of the day (after the racers are done with it), as long as you avoid the one track that's icy. Does Whiteface open up Draper's around 3:00 at all? Gore sometimes opens Twister after training is done (on the non-"big race" days).

Yeah  usually late on a Sunday.  I usually forget about it.  twister was a  PITA because It blocked off getting into the woods.  It was so long ago that its probably no longer a problem.  I never seem to have a problem with racers.  There parents always seem to have an opinion on how other people should do there job...but hell for what they pay...

Yeah, when they closed Twister and cut off access to Twister glades, it used to be kind of a buzzkill. But now Gore has so many glades, it's less of a problem (and almost more of a snow retention aid for a trail that needs it in some spots).

I remember a couple years ago I submitted a complaint due to the unsafe and overcrowded condition of the one open trail on the south side  at Mountain Creek (I got taken out twice in one day and many other close calls), and expressed my concern for not making an attempt to open a second route immediately and instead blowing snow on the race trails.  They basically told me to piss off because the race teams paid more than I did (or anyone else skiing that section).  So they basically allowed the highest bidder to decide the terrain expansion plan.

Welcome to America.

It's the golden rule: he who has the gold makes the rules.

You would do well to take a business class or two, Sno.

MC is a business so they're just going to do whatever makes them the most money, and in this case, giving all their passholders and normal skiers the shaft to hold a race seems to be the profit maximizing scenario.  Still, you can't make me like it.

Back to Whiteface, there's a background picture on the website that shows exactly where the net that separates Parkway and Drapers is that Z was referring to.  It funnels you onto Parkway Exit, but there is a way to approach the lift from the other side and not go to the bottom.  There also appears to be a way to reach Lower Thruway from Mountain Run without going uphill on Google Earth, but it's not on the trail map.

The race chair has a mid-station, but if Lower Parkway is closed and they're using the full length course from Thruway, I'm guessing they make everyone ride to the top.  The lift is sort of useless for the public except to ski Parkway, as LWF serves Mountain Run better.

Totally useless I agree. No reason to ever use it.

tjf1967 wrote

Totally useless I agree. No reason to ever use it.

Lol. I wonder if sno will appreciate this conversation more after he gets to know the mountain....

I use that lift pretty often
It's the most wind sheltered lift in the Mt and it almost never has a line unless everything else is on wind hold.

You can not get to the top if lower northway from Mt run.  There is a cut there but it has not been used for around 15 years.  You can take Burtons which is just below the mid station lodge.

Seems like I'll be lucky to get on Draper's, with Thruway somewhat more likely.  I should almost always be able to get on Parkway, provided they put snow on it.  As the lift does not cross any race course, I should always be able to take it if it's spinning, but it might not be convenient under some circumstances.

If all or most of Parkway, Thruway, and Draper's are rented out on a given day, then why would one bother using the Freeway lift?  Sure you can ski Mountain Run to Valley, buy why not just get on LWF instead of taking the runout.  That's a scenario when it's pretty useless to the public, and there's no reason to ski it if LWF has no line.

I do remember skiing all the trails in that area one President's Weekend, which was great.  I guess they didn't have racing that weekend to keep all terrain available to the public.  On those days, that lift is a hidden gem.