INCREDIBLE POWDER DAY AT WHITEFACE
Between the heavy falling snow, the powder on the ground and the incredibly strong winds, this afternoon was a wild one at Whiteface. Near the end of the day, the sun ended up coming out. It was like someone flipped a switch and the mountain went from blizzard to sunny mode. Talk about a roller coaster ride!
Heavy snow coming down on Upper Skyward.
The sun out at the bottom of Easy Street.
Heavy snow coming down when I got to the mountain.
When I got to the mountain, it was dumping, and it intermittently dumped most of the afternoon. As a result of the free refills, the windblown powder and the several inches of fresh snow last night, conditions were amazing. As noted, it was windy, so both the gondola and the Summit Quad eventually did close due to wind, though the gondola ended up spinning again really late in the afternoon.
Whales on Upper Wilderness.
Upper Wilderness.
They had more than 90 runs and glades open today, including some trails that saw ropes drop like Upper McKenzie. I didn’t make it to Upper McKenzie today, but I did ski its next-door neighbor, Upper Wilderness. I’m not sure if it’s been open the last few days, but ether way, it was fantastic. I entered Upper Wilderness via Mountain Run and I was immediately greeted with some very large whales. On the other side of the whales, the snow was deep, and it was pretty much that way for the remainder of the run.
The most notable run of the day was my lone trip to the summit. I was one of the last to get up there before they shut it down due to wind, which means I got the windy special, and it didn’t disappoint. When I got off the Summit Quad, there was a full on whiteout on Riva’s Ridge. You couldn’t see anything, and it wasn’t due to low level clouds or fog. There was heavy snow coming down, and strong winds blowing it all around. It was intense.
Heavy snow falling at the summit.
Upper Skyward.
Upper Skyward.
Niagara.
As I stood there and took it all in, I decided I’d give Upper Skyward a go. I entered the run and, for a time or two, was a bit disoriented as wind and snow whipped all around me. I settled on skiing the left side of the run, and, I have to say, the wind really did me a solid today, because it was deep powder. I’m not exaggerating either. That was my best run this season at Whiteface so far. After I skied Upper Skyward, I chose to ski Niagara, and then Yellow Dot to Lower Skyward. All that was also fantastic, and Niagara was basically a continuation of what I experienced on Upper Skyward.
Victoria Shoot.
River Run.
Every ski season, there are a few days you remember for various reasons. No doubt, today will be one of those days. By the way, I once again hurt my toe. I stubbed it on my stairs right before I was about to leave to go ski, and the toenail started bleeding. Yes, it’s the same one I hurt earlier in the season. I thought about staying home, but in the end I decided to wrap the toe up and head out to ski. That proved to be the right decision.
Never Quit Skiing,
Lincoln