Wilmington, NY – The calendar may say August, but the skiing and riding season at Whiteface Mountain, in the Adirondack town of Wilmington, N.Y. near Lake Placid, is not too far off. Weather permitting, the first day of the season is scheduled to begin, Friday, Nov. 29, and the Olympic mountain will this season debut a new and as yet un-named glade on Lookout Mountain.

The 1,500 foot-long expert glade will be cut halfway down Hoyt’s High and will also connect to the Summit Chair lift. The development of the new glade is expected to begin this week.  Once completed, it will add an additional 4.7 acres to the mountain’s existing 283 acres of skiable terrain and 3,430 of vertical feet, the most vertical east of the Rocky Mountains. This glade will be the first new trail added to Whiteface Mountain in more than five years.

“We’re pretty excited about this plan.  It’s the resort’s first new trail since the opening of Lookout Mountain in 2008,” said Ted Blazer, president and CEO of Whiteface’s operator, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).  “Last winter the mountain added snowmaking to Hoyt’s High and this will make another exciting addition that will enhance our guests’ overall experience at the mountain.”

Other mountain improvements underway this summer include the addition of 35 low energy snow guns that will provide efficient snow coverage on Easy Street, Broadway and Excelsior. The mountain has also purchased an energy efficient boom fan snow gun that will be used to cover the mountain’s Lower Valley trail.

“Our overall goal is to always improve upon our guests’ experience, while at the same time use less energy and be more efficient.  The purchasing of the 35 additional guns and the boom snow gun keeps us moving in that direction,” added the mountain’s general manager Aaron Kellett.

A new Pisten Bully 600 Winch Cat has also been added to Whiteface’s fleet of cats and groomers.