Whiteface Mountain

Heading Towards New Improvements

Story by Steven Cox

There have only been a few select ski resorts in North America that have had the privilege of hosting the Olympic games, and Whiteface in Wilmington, New York, about 13 miles outside of Lake Placid, is one of them. Besides hosting the Olympics, Whiteface Mountain is also home to the highest vertical drop on the east coast, even beating out some
resorts out west such as Park City, Utah. Since the winter of 2000-2001, after snowboarding made its mark in the history of sports with the winter Olympics, Whiteface decided to add a 13-acre terrain park to its resort that consisted of rails, jumps, and even a halfpipe.

Since the park was added, an entire new crowd was seen shredding down the slopes at this resort. The youths of the surrounding areas were taken in by snowboarding and started expanding the sport rapidly. That is what this resort and many alike were counting on. Though the mountain has had this terrain for quite some time now, many of the people who currently
ride on it aren’t very happy with it. One rider, and former park crew member at Belleayre Mountain in central New York who has gotten season passes at the mountain for the past three years now, Bradley Schaeffer, says, “I like the mountain and all it has to offer, but the snowboard park could definitely use some work. It’s always icy!”

"I like the mountain and all it has to offer, but the snowboard park could definitely use some work. It’s always icy!"

Another rider, John Berger says, “I liking riding halfpipe, but every time I try to ride it at Whiteface half of it is icy and the other half is all slush, you can never win. That's how the mountain got its nickname ‘Ice Face’ ”.

The mountains of the east coast have been battling the west since skiing starting becoming a recreational sport. In the West, powdered trails are considered customary, and this sort of tradition is trying to make its way across country. Starting this season, Whiteface Mountain will be starting the creation of their newly improved terrain park. After speaking with current snowboard instructor at Whiteface, Kellen Mack says that, “ The park is going to include bigger jumps, a separate jib park (rail park), a boarder cross track, and a newly placed halfpipe to answer everybody’s prayers. The halfpipe is going to be moved to the trail called Thruway, which used to be where the old jumps were. The Thruway will consist of a new halfpipe with three or four big jumps along the trail with it.”

"these sort of new additions will bring in a wide variety of snowboarders from beginners to experts in both fields, slope style and downhill."

Moving the position of the halfpipe will affect its conditions throughout the day. No longer will the sun only “hit” one side of the pipe at a time. With its new location it will receive a more equal spread of sunlight and in return create for a less drastic difference in conditions of the halfpipe walls.

Another change to the set-up is that Wolf & Wolf Run (two separate trails), which used to be where the halfpipe was, is changing into a boardcross track followed up by a beginner jib park. Mack says,
“These sort of new additions will bring in a wide variety of snowboarders from beginners to experts in both fields, slope style and downhill.” Also, the new locations of everything are supposed to enable for bigger and better jumps.

"The park is going to include bigger jumps, a separate jib park (rail park), a boarder cross track, and a newly placed halfpipe to answer everybody’s prayers."

The new terrain parks are supposed to be a great improvement to the mountain if you are a person who likes getting some hang-time in-between runs. Mack says, “It will have to wait to see the reaction of the rest of the riders on the mountain and how they take on the new changes.” Hopefully everything will go smoothly and Whiteface will maintain its household name.

Cick here for the Whiteface Trail Map.

Have you ever skiied the trails at Whiteface?