A WET NOVEMBER SKI DAY AT WHITEFACE
The scene at the top of Little Whiteface.
It may be November 21, but Whiteface was open top-to-bottom today. According to the mountain, the 3,166 ft. of lift served vertical open was good for most open vertical in the United States. Not bad for an East Coast ski area! This not only shows how great November has been for natural snow and snowmaking, but it also reflects how hard the snowmaking team at Whiteface has worked. It’s quite an accomplishment to get the mountain top-to-bottom before Thanksgiving.
The bottom of the trail Broadway.
Riva’s Ridge.
Today was season passholder day so everyone on the mountain had a season pass. Whiteface also did some other special stuff like 2-for-1 drinks and free food. It was the first week day of the season, which means I got to the mountain in the afternoon after work and skied for a couple of hours. I’m not sure if it was because it was passholders day, the weather or because I got there in the afternoon, but the mountain wasn’t too busy.
It was an interesting day weather wise. Visibility was very poor up high and it rained or misted most of the afternoon. If you went up to the summit you could find some sleet or perhaps a light snow shower. I’d say the visibility improved as you dipped below 3,000 ft. on the mountain.
Essex.
They were spinning the gondola for the first time this season and the Summit Quad. Those two lifts provided access to 12 trails total, some of which opened for the season today. Last weekend, the main trails open were Paron’s Run, The Follies, Excelsior and Lower Northway. Today, those same runs were open, as well as Essex, Broadway, Upper Valley and Boreen. Of the lot, I enjoyed Excelsior and Essex the most.
Overall, the snow was nice and soft from top-to-bottom. The only trails with any noticeable ice were The Follies and Essex. Upper Valley was covered in some huge whales and it was fun to ski up and over them. I was a little worried that the snow in this area may be sticky, but it was perfectly fine.
The Follies.
Boreen.
Upper Valley.
Originally, Whiteface had planned to just be open this weekend and then close next week until Friday, when they would begin daily operations for the season. However, they’ve since decided to be open every day next week, except Thanksgiving, which means daily skiing has begun for me!
I’m not sure where I'll be skiing tomorrow. Could it be Jay Peak, Sugarbush, LOON?! I don’t know. For the weekend before Thanksgiving, there are a lot of options. This season is getting off to an incredible start.
Talk to you tomorrow,
Lincoln