POWDER DAY AT WHITEFACE
The clipper system that I talked about in yesterday’s report ending up dropping around six inches of snow on Whiteface. A little bit of that fell yesterday afternoon while I was skiing, but most of it fell after the ski day. It also snowed throughout the day today, so it’s possible that they received even more than the six inches of snow that was reported in the last 24 hours. All of this to say, there was plenty of powder on the mountain and I had a great afternoon skiing.
Excelsior.
Upper Northway.
If you read yesterday’s blog, you may be wondering why I decided not to go to Smuggler’s Notch, which I’d mentioned I was considering doing. When I got off work I was feeling pretty tired and decided I’d just stick to Whiteface for the afternoon. Plus, I’ll likely be heading over to Smuggler’s Notch in the near future, as I’m blacked out at Whiteface for nine days, starting on the 14th, for President’s Day week. My Smuggler’s Notch Bash Badge isn’t blacked out during this time, neither is my Jay Peak pass, and my Ikon Base Pass is only blacked out for two days this weekend.
The top of The Wilmington Trail.
Lower Skyward.
Lower Valley.
Anyways, all lifts, except the Freeway Lift, were spinning today, providing access to 89 runs. I mainly stuck to the gondola, though I did take one trip up the Lookout Mountain Triple to ski The Wilmington Trail. There wasn’t much of a crowd today, which was kind of surprising given the powder.
The fresh snow made for great conditions everywhere. As I’ve said numerous times, during the week I ski after work in the afternoons, and today was no different. As a result, most of the snow was tracked out, except on trails where the wind had really blown the snow around. For instance, about halfway down on The Wilmington Trail, the right edge of the run was full of deep wind blown powder with no tracks through it. The same goes for the left side of Upper Wilderness, as well as the sides of Upper Mackenzie.
The edge on The Wilmington Trail.
Upper Wilderness.
Upper and Lower Wilderness.
With the snow being tracked out, there were little soft bumps on some of the terrain, which made for a fun added challenge. Some of the more memorable bumpy areas included Lower Mackenzie and the left side of Lower Wilderness. For whatever reason, there was a ton of snow at the bottom of Wilderness/Mountain Run.
Upper Mackenzie.
Lower Mackenzie.
My run of the day was Mackenzie in full. As mentioned, the sides of Upper Mackenzie had a ton of snow. It was deep! In the steepest area, the run was very windswept and firm down the center. Once you cleared the steepest area, the soft small bumps started and they continued on for the rest of the run. Basically, it was a mix of conditions, and for that reason it was a ton of fun.
Never Quit Skiing,
Lincoln