SKIING WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN WITH PRO SKIER DARREN WHITE

Yesterday was supposed to be Day 5. However, I arrived at Whiteface after work to find that they had closed down due to strong winds. I had a drink at the bar with a friend, complained that I couldn’t ski and headed home. Today was the real Day 5 and, boy, was it a good one! Following more than 8 inches of fresh snow on Thursday and Friday, the conditions at Whiteface were great!

It was a fairly busy day on the mountain, relative to how much terrain is open, but the snow conditions made up for it. The fresh snow on Paron’s Run, The Follies and Lower Northway was skiing great. There’s no snow at the base and we’re still uploading and downloading via The Face Lift.

Today I skied with my friend Pro Skier Darren White and Ryan from Vermont. Darren has a season pass to Whiteface and Ryan from Vermont bought a $65 lift ticket for today, which I think is a great deal compared to what other mountains are charging this weekend for limited terrain. It was also Ryan from Vermont’s first time at Whiteface in years so it was cool getting to ski with someone who doesn’t ski there often.

                                                                                                                                          Today’s crew

Now to the skiing. As I said, the snow conditions were great. When this snow fell, it was actually very heavy, wet and dense, so I was expecting thick snow that may even be a little sticky, but that was not the case. This snow was great to ski on and, at times, it was even kind of powdery! Visibility was very low on Paron’s Run and The Follies. There was also freezing mist in the air and I found myself frequently wiping my goggles. Visibility increased the further down you went and, by the time you reached Excelsior, you could see just fine.

The narrow area on Paron’s Run is still there and will be until they can make enough snow to cover the boulders, but there’s really no bare rock under the snow where we ski, like there was last weekend. The Follies, on the other hand, has some areas to watch out for. Most of them are marked, but there’s a hole here and there, plus some thin spots near Paron’s Run. Also, as inviting as the natural snow on part of The Follies looked, I found it pretty rocky. I did some damage to my skis and had to take them in to the shop due to a core shot. It is what it is!

There were no guns on today, but there might be tonight. The pattern looks good heading in to Thanksgiving weekend so hopefully we’re skiing and riding from the top to the bottom soon at Whiteface!

-Lincoln