Closing Weekend at Whiteface

Closing weekend at your favorite resort is like a bad break up: it’s sudden, messy, and keeps you wondering if it could have lasted longer. Once the news was shared that Gore and Belleayre were closing in mid-April, it wouldn’t be long after until Whiteface too would call it quits for the 2024-2025 season.

Whiteface

As good as this winter was, with 189 total inches reported at the Face, spring came early at the mountain, receiving less than a foot of fresh snow in March and nothing more than a dusting in April. At least spring skiing can almost guarantee a good corn harvest.

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Flower Skate Shop Rail Jam 2025

In a sea of brown on the Tug Hill, a small slushy island of snow remained. Steel statues protruded from the snow, monuments to the season passed. Delicately arranged by the guys at Flower Skate Shop and Nick at Snow Ridge, the features were ready.

This oasis was set to provide one last chance for park riders to slide some steel. For the 5th year in a row, riders came from far and wide for the end of season rail at Snow Ridge.

Still booted up and recovering from injury, I got to the jam later than usual. The weather was a little suspect with light rain but it was forecast to clear up by 12.

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HoliMont: WNY Season Finale

I’d already called it. The skis were tuned and tucked away, boots dried in the mudroom. After returning from an April ski trip out west, I assumed my season was over. Every ski area in a 2 hour radius of home was closed. I was mentally ready to move onto the next season. Then I saw that HoliMont in Ellicottville would have 16 trails open, with a forecast of 50° and sunny. My season was not done… yet.

Main Chalet

Our season started in WNY with a magical lake effect snow cycle the first weekend of December, that brought a 5 day total of 40” before any mountains began their season operations.

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