WILD POWDER AFTERNOON AT WHITEFACE!

For the second time in a week, I had a powder afternoon. Last time, I was at Smugglers’ Notch, and it was epic. This time, I was at Whiteface Mountain, and it was also epic. Good things come to those who ski, and fortunately, I ski.

The view from the gondola near the base.

Approach.

I skied after work like usual during the week. The snow started dumping at some point late in the morning/early afternoon, and by the time I got there a few inches had already stacked up. After the ski day, Whiteface reported more than half a foot of snow had fallen. This snow fell over just a few short hours, so it was a free refill kind of day.

Lower Mackenzie.

Lower Valley.

Ausable Run.

With every run blanketed in a fresh coat of snow, conditions were fantastic. You could find some ice under the snow here and there, but it was mostly all just powdery goodness that you could float right through. And with the sky providing free refills, each run seemed to be better than the last.

Hoyt’s High.

Hoyt’s High.

Hoyt’s High.

With the new snow, some ropes did drop today on Hoyt’s High and The Follies. There may have been some others as well, but those are the ones I know about. I didn’t ski The Follies, but I did ski Hoyt’s High. Conditions on Hoyt’s High were the best I’ve ever seen them, though, admittedly, my experience with this run only dates back to last season, but still, the snow was very deep. The snowpack is getting a little narrow in spots on Hoyt’s, so you had to be careful not to end up in the rocks on the side, but I found it to be easy to see those areas coming.

Lower Thruway.

Lower Parkway.

Hoyt’s High was one of my favorite runs of the day, along with Thruway in full and Lower Parkway. The right side of Thruway, close to the edge, was a powder fest. It was some of the best skiing I’ve had at Whiteface in a while. It was minimally tracked out and I was floating through it all the way down the entirety of the run. Lower Parkway was so good, and so quiet, that I ended up riding the Freeway Lift to its mid-station, which is something I rarely do, just so I could ski it a couple of times. Like Thruway, the right side of it was also great.

Never Quit Skiing,

Lincoln