Sharon
New member
Haven't been to Whiteface in over 12 years. I spent most of those 12 years commuting to Vermont (Killington, Okemo, Sugarbush and Jay) and skiing locally in central NY (Greek Peak). But Whiteface proved to be quite a gem this weekend. <BR> <BR>Conditions there were excellent, and though the main blue trails were busy, there was plenty of room on the black diamond slopes, especially the ones where they were blowing snow (Drapers Run and Essex). The trails from the Summit were in pretty good shape, but visibility was an issue this weekend. Little Whiteface has the best offerings and good visibility. It snowed lightly on and off all weekend, keeping the surfaces snowy and carvable. There were some spots where rocks were visible, but easily avoidable. I think that is a given with the anemic snowfall we've been having. Whiteface was in great shape and they were making lots of snow, but certianly a dump of natural snow will make for some natural snow trails to come to life. <BR> <BR>What makes this mountain awesome is its more continuous pitch and 3400' of vertical drop. Runs from top to bottom are real quad burners. Very long and demanding with no real flat areas or runouts. You are turning all the way down. <BR> <BR>Today, (Sunday), they had some kind of promotion with an Island theme. The lift attendants were wearing grass skirts and seashell bras and hats, AND I got leid by the lift attendant (while my husband watched). Everyone there got leid! It was great. There were pink flamingos AND lift tickets were only $25, and with the discount for showing my Greek Peak seasons pass, I got 25% off that and paid less than $20 for the days skiing! What a day! <BR> <BR>And, there were no lift lines! There was never more than a 3 minute wait for the gondola which wisks you up to the top of Little Whiteface in heated cabins at high speeds. No lines (to speak of) at any of the other lifts either. <BR> <BR>Most people seemed to be pass holders from the Adirondack area down to the Albany area. We met a lot of locals, though we also shared the Gondola with some Canadians from Ottawa and some guys from Syracuse. It didn't seem like there were a lot of toursists. It seemed like a large locals mountain. <BR> <BR>Lake Placid is a wonderful town and lodging can be had for $45 a room or cottage. Great brewpub as well. <BR> <BR>This place should not be overlooked. <BR> <BR>It is snowing now here in Central NY. Looks like tmrw will be a powder day at Greek Peak! <BR> <BR>-Sh