When I woke up this morning I had a big decision to make: Where was I going to ski? The options included Jay Peak, Whiteface Mountain and Sugarbush. Whiteface is my home mountain, but I’m a Jay Peak pass holder and I've got an ikon Base Pass. There was a lot to weigh in this decision. For instance, it was Jay Peak and Sugarbush’s opening day, which means both could’ve been a little more crowded. On top of that, Jay Peak has received a ton of snow in recent weeks and it’s DEEP there.

Fortunately, I had some eyes on the ground to help me out. My friend Pro Skier Darren White made the trek to Jay Peak. He let me know that the parking lots were full and that he was bailing and heading to Cannon Mountain. Once Jay Peak was out of the picture, I checked the webcams at Sugarbush. There were a lot of people in line for the Super Bravo Express Lift at the base. The mountain hadn’t opened yet, but it was enough for me to just call it and head to Whiteface. Plus, I’d a game to catch this afternoon (GO CATS) at 3:30 and Whiteface makes that even easier.

I was booted up and waiting in line for the gondola at 10:45 AM. The line was short and, in general, the mountain didn’t feel too busy. Along with the gondola, the Summit Quad and the Face Lift were spinning. There were 12 runs open. Yesterday, visibility was poor up high and it rained. The weather was much better today. It was cloudy, but visibility was good and there was the occasional passing flurry.

Yesterday’s rain was today’s ice. That’s just how it goes in the East. Fortunately, it wasn’t terribly icy, but it was definitely more fast and firm than it was just a day ago. The edges of trails had plenty of snow, though, and that’s where I tried to stay. I did find the runs off the Summit Quad to be in better shape, which makes sense as it didn’t get as warm up there. If I had to choose a run of the day, I'd probably go with Paron’s Run. There was a lot of snow on the edges and it was a joy to carve through.

I don’t think there were any snow guns on when I got there, but they did eventually go live on a couple of trails as the weather permitted. By the time I left, they were making snow on the connector trail from Excelsior to Victoria, as well as Victoria itself and Easy Street. I like Victoria a lot so I'm looking forward to it opening soon.

Tomorrow is another chance to go to Jay Peak or Sugarbush. However, I may end up at Whiteface again. I don’t think I’ll make this decision until the morning. I do believe both will be less busy compared to today, so it’ll really just come down to what I feel like doing when I wake up.

NEVER Quit Skiing,

Lincoln

JAY PEAK? NO. SUGARBUSH? NO. WHITEFACE? YES!

A WET NOVEMBER SKI DAY AT WHITEFACE