frontrange
New member
Got our now annual pilgramage to Whiteface in this week and was not disappointed. Rode up on second gondola car Monday to find nicely groomed packed powder. Skied and rode (the kids at least) runs off gondola and the summit quad all day. Found a bit of ice later in the day as the grooming was skied off. The important point is, no crowds- there wasn't a line to be found anywhere all week. <BR>After one run on Paron's run Tuesday I concluded that it has to be one of the best intermediate runs on the east coast. It has it all- moderately steep, lots of vertical, excellent scenery, well groomed, good exits to near above treetop skiing, etc. Also enjoyed the other intermediate run off the summit- the Follies. This one is narrower but with a gentler pitch and has some nice descending turns. <BR> Did Upper and Lower Skyward several times- this trail has over 1800 ft of vertical at the top of the mt. The entry can be testy due to a prevailing lip of ice but once on it its a great run. It just goes down and down, the pitch only lessens at one point. Wanted to do Cloudspin but it hadn't been groomed and I didn't want to break anything on my bod! <BR> Off Little Whiteface (the gondola mt with 2,432 ft vert) had lots of fun bombing Excelsior-- lots of turns with a moderate pitch. Hit Upper Mackenzie, Upper Wilderness, Upper Parkway and their lower exits. Really enjoyed Upper Wilderness. Bombed out in the moguls on Upper Mackenzie- some crusty snow took me out and I almost broke my shoulder. <BR> Conditions- Monday and Tuesday AM- packed powder over an icy base. Tuesday PM- 3-6" new snow, whiteout conditions up top, a bit heavy but lots of fun. Weds AM- nasty frozen granular, took 2 runs then went in. Came back later, the lower mt was loosened up and the ice up top was much better. The top was placarded experts only because of the ice but it wasn't that bad. <BR> All in all a great week. Rented some shaped skis to replace my 23 year old Rossi's- wow, what a difference. I ended up buying them at the end- I think the sharp edges probably helped a bit. <BR> If you're looking for a place with no lines on weekday's, try Whiteface! <BR>I'll try and add some pix Sunday. <BR><A HREF="mailto:frontrange@yahoo.com">frontrange@yahoo.com</A>