Top 3 Best Lifts in NYS?

[Brownski]

Isn't that 4?

Don’t put me in your box, bro. I’m a free spirit

 

[x10003q]

The overhaul last summer significantly increased the operating speed of Whiteface's gondola, making it the fastest lift in New York and significantly upping its position on my list of favorite lifts. The speed during this recording is 5.4 m/sec or 1063 fpm, which isn't even the fastest they've run it this season. That would be 5.8 m/sec or 1140 fpm. The top speed is 1212 fpm.

Mechanically, it is an awesome lift, however, it really does not serve any skiers and riders well.

No green trails - a HUGE flaw

Only one 'tough when icy' Blue trail that turns into a high speed raceway that then splits into a drainage for Little WF black trails.

Some awesome Black trails off Little WF, but with a long, boring run out below midstation. Are experts going to yoyo the Gondi if the whole mountain is open? I doubt it. It really sucks in the spring when you have to ride a 1/2 mile of leg killing flat slush just to get back on the gondi.

I would not rank this lift anywhere near the top lifts in NY based on the terrain.

 

[Face4Me]

I would not rank this lift anywhere near the top lifts in NY based on the terrain.

I think your assessment is spot-on!!!

Earlier in the thread I had mentioned the Little Whiteface chair as one of my favorites, but that was just for the ride itself and the views ... certainly not the terrain.

 

[Harvey]

You guys had to know how @snoloco would answer this question!

 

[JTG]

Honestly, I’d have expected Sno to pick the Lookout triple over any lift at WF......why else would anyone buy a pass there?

 

[Kingslug]

Gotta throw in the old Z lift at Hunter west..or the new one..When its open..they have good snow..blah,blah,blah......

 

[snoloco]

Mechanically, it is an awesome lift, however, it really does not serve any skiers and riders well.

It's the most ridden lift on the mountain, so a large number of skiers think it serves them well. The problem is that it ends up being the lift everyone takes out of the base, as well as the lift everyone tries to lap, making the line much longer than for anything else.

No green trails - a HUGE flaw

There's no way to cut a green trail off Little Whiteface. The gondola would be where Facelift is if it was a requirement for it to serve a green trail.

Only one 'tough when icy' Blue trail that turns into a high speed raceway that then splits into a drainage for Little WF black trails.

Every mountain has a trail like this. The one blue or green trail from a peak where everything else is rated higher is always the most crowded trail on the mountain. Hunter has Belt Parkway, Belleayre has Deer Run, and Gore has Sunway. You can't fault the lift for that.

Some awesome Black trails off Little WF, but with a long, boring run out below midstation. Are experts going to yoyo the Gondi if the whole mountain is open? I doubt it. It really sucks in the spring when you have to ride a 1/2 mile of leg killing flat slush just to get back on the gondi.

In pre-covid times, I can say that most people including experts would lap the gondola when skiing Little Whiteface until the line got to a certain length. Then you'd start seeing more and more people riding the LWF chair. Last year, I tended to switch when the line got to about 5 minutes.

I would not rank this lift anywhere near the top lifts in NY based on the terrain.

I don't rank lifts based on terrain.

 

[snoloco]

Honestly, I’d have expected Sno to pick the Lookout triple over any lift at WF......why else would anyone buy a pass there?

If I ranked lifts based on terrain, that would be it.

 

[JTG]

You are going to make a great engineer Sno.

Question for you. My older brother is an engineer. Much like you evaluate lifts based on the mechanics and efficiency of the lift.....rather than the fun of the terrain that lift serves....every ski run he takes seems to be an exercise in science, a constant evaluation of, and attempt to perfect, the mechanics and efficiency of the turns. For the life of me, I don’t understand how he has any fun skiing! Different strokes, as they say. You like that when it comes to making turns? Not that it’s a bad thing.....

 

[Campgottagopee]

I'd toss in the M1 lift at Smuggs for my #1