SKIING SOFT SNOW AT WHITEFACE IN EARLY DECEMBER

For the first time in a long time, when I got to Whiteface this afternoon you could actually see the mountain. Visibility was clear! However, by the time I got up to the summit visibility had reduced and stayed that way pretty much the rest of the afternoon. Oh well, such is life.

Whiteface was spinning the gondola, Summit Quad, Face Lift and Falcon Flyer today. There were no snow guns on. It was a mild afternoon on the mountain. Temperatures at the base were in the low 40s, while up high they were in the 30s. It was warm enough that I didn’t wear a face mask at all.

As a result of the mild temperatures, the snow was soft and extremely carve-able. It felt like an early spring day out there. You know that first week or two of March when we have a mild day and soft snow for the first time in a while? That’s what today was like. However, the mountain was empty, so the snow wasn’t bumped up anywhere.

It’s hard to select a run of the day when everything was skiing well thanks to the soft snow, but I really enjoyed The Follies to Excelsior and down to the base. That chain of trails was a nice run to cruise on from the top of the mountain to the bottom, and I was in the mood to cruise. Essex was also once again good. The snow was soft and the firmness that had been there in some spots the last few days was gone.

With all of that being said, rain is in the forecast tomorrow and I definitely plan on skiing. I don’t know why skiing in the rain has such a bad reputation. It can actually be pretty good. The snow is usually really nice and there is NO ONE on the mountain. The good news is that the rain should end as snow. Thursday looks cold, so hopefully that’ll help with the hard freeze that’s coming.

Talk to you tomorrow,

Lincoln