SKIING OPENING DAY AT WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN!
After 32 days, I finally skied again. Today was Day 2 of the ski season and it was opening day for Whiteface Ski Area, my home mountain. It was a fantastic day with great weather and snow.
Whiteface announced they were opening yesterday. The mountain typically only opens after skiing is possible to the base of the mountain in one form or another, so it was a surprise when their webcam appeared to show they did not have the snow (at all) needed to open. However, the mountain had different plans from its normal routine. It opened with uploading and downloading via the Face Lift, with all the skiable terrain off the Summit Quad — which is definitely not something I’ve seen them do since I started skiing there. For the record, uploading and downloading early and late in the season is awesome and I fully support the effort.
During the week, I ski after work, so I got to Whiteface around 1 p.m. Unsurprisingly, there was no line for the Face Lift. I was uploading, after all, and all the action was off the Summit Quad. I hopped on the lift with my friend Matt and away we went. Once we got to the top of the lift we skied off and down to the Summit Quad, which is just a short distance from the Face Lift’s top terminal.
Once we got to the top of the mountain, we were treated to some great opening day conditions. The sun was out, it wasn’t too cold and it wasn’t too busy. There really was only one way down — Paron’s Run to Lower Northway — and it all skied great. Paron’s Run is right off the summit and it was baking in the sun all day, so the snow was very soft. There were even some moguls! The shady parts were a bit firmer, especially Lower Northway, which was extremely firm. No complaints from me, though. I’m just happy to be skiing!
While there was no snowmaking on the main skiable trails, they were making snow on The Follies, Excelsior, the top gondola area and a few more connector trails here and there. The weather forecast isn’t great over the next week for snowmaking, so it’ll be interesting to see when they can get some more terrain open. The mountain will be open this weekend and then they’ll be closed on November 18 for the week. I’d bet they’ll be open next weekend, the 23rd and 24th, and then they’ll close again before opening 7 days a week the day after Thanksgiving, but we will just have to wait and see.
I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow!
-Lincoln