A FRIGID EARLY DECEMBER DAY AT WHITEFACE

Today was the first real cold day of my season. It was genuinely frigid, from the base to the top — but especially at the top. However, this is winter, after all, and a little cold won’t keep me from the mountain.

The Summit Quad.

Approach.

This afternoon, I headed to Whiteface alongside my wife. She’s not a skier, so while she cozied up in the bar with a book, I skied a few runs. Whiteface had five lifts open, providing access to 57 runs today. Some of those open runs have a natural snow base, such as on Cloudspin, Niagara, Lower Skyward, Lower Mackenzie and River Run. Additionally, some glades were listed as open today off Little Whiteface, though I didn’t check those out.

Upper Northway.

The Follies.

Cloudspin.

There were a lot of tracks down Upper Skyward, so I’m not sure if it was ever open or not, but by the time I arrived, it definitely wasn’t open. The run was roped off on Riva’s Ridge, and at the very end of it, at the top of Paron’s Run, there was a closed sign. I even checked the side entrances from Cloudspin and they were also roped off.

The snow continues to fall and the base is getting deep. The mountain received several inches of snow yesterday and several inches last night. Needless to say, conditions today were excellent. You could find a firm spot here or there, where snow had been scraped off or blown away, but there was packed powder or powder basically everywhere.

Little Whiteface seen from Cloudspin.

Lower McKenzie.

River Run.

I skied a few natural snow runs, including Cloudspin, Lower Mackenzie and River Run. Last week, Cloudspin was a little rocky, but it’s a bit deeper now. The rocks are still there, but they’re not as much of a concern. Lower Mackenzie was a little rocky in spots, but it was still nice to ski it so early in the season. I really enjoyed skiing River Run. I was worried it would be rocky as well, but the rocks were avoidable and it was fun to rip through.

Today would have been great for even midwinter, but it was especially impressive for Dec. 8. Not only was the snow great, but it was a beautiful day with ample sunshine. Sure, it was cold, but that only added to the ambience.

Never quit skiing,

Lincoln