Whiteface Expert Skiing
Whiteface’s expert skiing features some of New York’s best black diamond ski trails – most notably the Slides and the two Olympic downhill runs. Without question, Whiteface’s expert terrain is the biggest ski experience in the Eastern United States.
Whiteface is known as a challenging mountain and expert skiers will find no shortage of difficult runs. The resort’s steeps are made more challenging by the fact the slopes are often windswept and icy. Fast and firm is the name of the game at Whiteface, or “Iceface” as it is ofter derogatorily called.
The most well-known of Whiteface’s advanced trails are accessible via the Summit Quad, which reaches Whiteface’s highest lift serviced point. Below are two tempting options, Cloudspin and Skyward, hosts of the women’s and men’s downhill events at the 1980 Olympics. Both offer solid, consistent pitch in their upper sections, but Skyward is the local’s favorite for its sharp left turn and abrupt drop into a steep lower half.
Little Whiteface is also home to a number of excellent black diamond runs. The Cloudsplitter Gondola provides convenient and quick access to a handful of parallel advanced runs like Essex, Approach and Empire. On the other face of Little Whiteface and slightly below the summit, skiers can tackle the Olympic Slalom and Giant Slalom slopes that run down towards Whiteface’s mid-mountain lodge.
Whiteface’s newest development, Lookout Mountain, offers a New England-style ski experience. The runs here have only been open a few winters, but are rapidly becoming favorites. The trails here are narrower and more rugged than the groomed superhighways found elsewhere at Whiteface. They tend to follow the natural contours of the mountain more closely and provide a welcome change of pace more reminiscent of expert runs in neighboring Vermont.
Lastly, Whiteface’s tree skiing is an oft-overlooked part of the resort’s advanced offerings. Whiteface’s gladed runs collect the snow that’s blown off the resort’s wide slopes. Conditions inside the trees can often be markedly better than conditions on-piste. Favorite glades are the 10th Mountain Division Glade located between Empire and Northway and the new, super long Sugar Valley Glade on Lookout Mountain.
Off-piste and backcountry skiing at Whiteface >>>