Whiteface 3/5

B

Boardhappy

New member
After the snow all week, I was looking for a solid day on the slopes, even at the top of the mountain. I was very disappointed. It was super windy, very icy, and crowded. I was hit twice by mildly out of control patrons, but it was so crowded in certain parts, there was nowhere for them to go.

The top of the moutain was a solid sheet of ice underneath 0-1 inches of snow.

We called it a day pretty quickly. Lots of grumbling in the group. Lots.
Am I missing something here at Whiteface? I have yet to have a good experience. My crew are not off-piste skiers, but do cover most of the rest of the mountain.

The snowboard competition was, at least, fun to watch. Not worth the price of the lift ticket though.
 
It is unfortunate, but you had a typical day at WF. THere are more bad days than good there. Hitting it good is tricky, as when it snows, there is always wind, and that wind blows the snow off the trails. The trails are pretty steep and have a lot of verts, and that is the attraction of the mountain, as well as its location near Lake Placid and the High Peaks. I've gone to Lake Placid many times with the intent on skiing at WF and didn't ski half of them due to wind and ice. This season is particularly bad since there were so many melt-downs.

The nice thing about that area is that if the skiing at WF isn't good, there are many other things to do. Lots of backcountry options, ice climbing, ice skating, xc skiing on groomed trails or on the Jack Rabbit trail, Northville-Placid trail and numerous other places. Snowshoeing all over the high peaks, makes bagging a peak in winter fun. Plenty of good eateries, not to mention the Candyman chocolate shoppe (yum) if chocolate is a staple in your diet. There are the Olympic venues, so you can go bobsledding or watch ski jumping. Really so much to do there. I always have fun up there, even if I don't ski.

One nice thing that Whiteface offers is the "One Ride" lift ticket for $12. You can get one ride from the base to check conditions. If they warrant a lift ticket purchase, you can put the $12 towards a regular lift ticket. This was ideal on a day when the wind was blowing hard and not worth staying. Sometimes taking 2 runs for $24 is good too if you don't want to ski all day.
 
Jess,

What you're missing at Whiteface is timing. I was there all day Sunday (3/6) and conditions were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. A storm started rolling in and had put down deep drifts all over the mountain, providing firsttracks every run from 1 PM to close. When planning a trip to Iceface, you definately have to research the weather. It can be a mean mother of a mountain, but I've also found pure heaven there as well.
 
Had I only know about the 12 buck lift tickets.... it would have definitely taken the sting off! Thanks for the tip. Right now my boyfriend refuses to go back to that mountain, ever...but I figure he'll forget eventually.
 
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