Windham Conditions

[tirolski]

I probably should post this somewhere else, but what is the status of all that? Last I saw there was a vote supportive of it, but I don't know all the bureaucratic steps. I've heard that would give close to 2k of vertical off the branch near Deer Run.

There’s some discussion in the UMP above but that was written in 2015 or so.

 

[Ripitz]

4

Has anyone skied all four in one day?

 

[Ripitz]

I'm just curious why it gets so little love from NYSkiBlog members.

It’s true. Poor Windy.
It’s like this;
Hunter has more vert and more lift lines than Platty.
Belleayre is flatter than Platty.
Windham is not Platty.

 

[dubstar]

If you know the trails and lifts well and when to hit them, especially when both peaks are in play, there are a lot of options at Windham. Some trails are also harder to access, which can really break up the crowd. More than a few tree lines in addition to the official glades when the natural snow cooperates. Windham also has consistently good grooming and quality snowmaking. For those who like bumps, the Wall and Upper Wheelchair are almost never groomed out. Several technical steeps and flat out speed runs, as well. It helps to go with someone who is familiar with the rhythm of the place. Uphill travel friendly also.

 

[da-bum]

I use to ski Windham a long while ago on weekends. The line were insane, so most of my time was on the east mountain where the lift line was non-existent. The snow was always blown off and had to ski on ice regularly. If I was to ski on the main mountain, I usually ride the wheelchair triple from mid-station as to avoid the masses at the base.

I started to ski at Hunter and did everything to avoid riding the base lodge lift, then eventually did more and more weekday skiing and never went back to weekends. I did head back to Windham on some weekdays and realized I finished the run much quicker than Hunter. I measure the elevation from my altimeter watch on the start/end of the chairlift ride and it came in at around 1300 ft and felt deceived by their marketing. Heading to the east mountain to get a higher elevation was to no avail. Also, after skiing Hunter, all of Windham's trails felt like a short headwall with a really long runout.

 

[MarzNC]

Anyone been to Windham lately? Considering checking it out for a few hours on the way to Plattekill on Thursday. I've got Ikon.

 

[snoloco]

I use to ski Windham a long while ago on weekends. The line were insane, so most of my time was on the east mountain where the lift line was non-existent. The snow was always blown off and had to ski on ice regularly. If I was to ski on the main mountain, I usually ride the wheelchair triple from mid-station as to avoid the masses at the base.

I started to ski at Hunter and did everything to avoid riding the base lodge lift, then eventually did more and more weekday skiing and never went back to weekends. I did head back to Windham on some weekdays and realized I finished the run much quicker than Hunter. I measure the elevation from my altimeter watch on the start/end of the chairlift ride and it came in at around 1300 ft and felt deceived by their marketing. Heading to the east mountain to get a higher elevation was to no avail. Also, after skiing Hunter, all of Windham's trails felt like a short headwall with a really long runout.

Windham's advertised vertical is greatly exaggerated. The main lift is listed at 1294 vertical feet. Hunter's main lift is listed at 1475 vertical feet. Note that at Windham, the East Peak summit is about 50 feet higher than the West Peak summit, and they have a beginner trail called Whisper Run that's actually built on the former parking lot, so they get 1450 feet from the highest to lowest point. They advertise 1600. Hunter advertises the same, and it's pretty close to accurate when you consider that the Hunter East lifts start lower than the main base.

 

[Ripitz]

Windham's advertised vertical is greatly exaggerated. The main lift is listed at 1294 vertical feet. Hunter's main lift is listed at 1475 vertical feet. Note that at Windham, the East Peak summit is about 50 feet higher than the West Peak summit, and they have a beginner trail called Whisper Run that's actually built on the former parking lot, so they get 1450 feet from the highest to lowest point. They advertise 1600. Hunter advertises the same, and it's pretty close to accurate when you consider that the Hunter East lifts start lower than the main base.

Alternative facts.

 

[MarzNC]

Plan to stop at Windham on the way to Plattekill. Probably get there by 10 am on Feb. 24.

 

[dubstar]

Windham rode great on Wednesday. Firm and fast early, with borderline frozen sections that you could just set an edge into. Plenty of soft snow sections, as well. The snow softened up nicely but never became grippy aside from a few slush puddles in transition areas like the East Peak lift line. Most of the mountain was groomed with numerous sections left untouched. Those ungroomed sections were mostly soft enough with leftover natural snow on the main peak, while the ungroomed sections on East Peak remained firm and technically challenging. I was still finding sections of unridden corduroy up to 12:30pm when I left. Perfect for carving deep trenches. There were a few bare spots and ice sections but overall the coverage was impressive. Started out on the K2 156 Niseko Pkeasures but it was little too stiff for the early firmness. Switched to the K2 154 Instrument at 10:00am and the slightly softer flex really helped with the variable conditions and terrain. Both boards properly tuned and waxed. Standout trails for me were Upper Wolverine and Why Not. I was testing a new GoPro Max 360 my wife gave me, so here’s a still I pulled from the video. If I figure out the editing, I’ll post a clip that shows how fun it was. Hopefully the rain holds off and we make it to April.

I can repost this in the Windham thread if more appropriate.

And just for fun…