Whiteface: Slides Gold Weekend

Whiteface has the largest vertical drop of any ski area in the northeast. It’s also the only eastern ski area to have ever held an Olympics. As such, it goes without saying that they have steep terrain, lots of it. Not only do they have steep terrain, but they also have some of the most unique and challenging terrain in the east.

Whiteface
The objective

That terrain is known as The Slides. Located a short hike above the Summit Quad, The Slides include five distinct lines down natural rock slides. They even include frozen waterfalls. There is no snowmaking, no grooming, and no trail work of any kind. It’s a unique opportunity to ski backcountry style terrain, in-bounds at a ski area.

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Whiteface Opens T2B in 2022

The first day of a new season is always special. While the quantity and quality of skiing usually isn’t the best, it’s a chance to get back on snow, to reconnect with familiar faces and scenery, and to get back in shape for better days to come.

Whiteface base opening day 2022
Whiteface Opening Day 2022

The first day of the season is even better when it’s before Thanksgiving with really good conditions on 3000 vertical feet of top-to-bottom skiing.

For me, opening day of the 2022-2023 season at Whiteface came after a hiatus. Still, the tallest ski area in the Northeast remains one of my favorites.

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By the Numbers: Gore’s Adirondack Express

I’m fascinated by lifts and lift technology, so I was excited when GM Mike Pratt offered me the chance to visit Gore Mountain for an update on the new lift, the Adirondack Express 2.

Adirondack-Express-Tower-Heads

As we were driving into the parking lot, we saw all of the new lift parts lined up in the parking lot, ready to go.

The new high speed quad is a bottom drive with the same configuration as the relatively new Burnt Ridge Quad. The motor is 700 horsepower and runs off of 480 volts.

Max design speed for the new lift is 1100 feet per minute (fpm) like the Burnt Ridge Quad and Gondola. While it’s unlikely that it will be run at full speed, it will still be considerably faster than the old lift.

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