Whiteface Mountain

This article is about the mountain in New York. For other uses, see Whiteface (disambiguation).

Whiteface Mountain
Whiteface Mountain
Elevation	4,867 ft (1,483 m)
Prominence	3,110 ft (948 m)
Listing	5 Adirondack High Peaks
Location
Location	Wilmington, New York United States
Range	Adirondacks
Coordinates	44°21′57″N 73°54′10″W
Topo map	USGS Lake Placid
Climbing
Easiest route	road

Whiteface
Mountain

location of Whiteface, northeast of Lake Placid

Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in New York State, and one of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Set apart from most of the other High Peaks, the summit offers a 360-degree view featuring the Adirondacks and perhaps on a clear day glimpses of Vermont and even Canada. The skyscrapers of Montreal, 80 miles away, can be seen on a very clear day. Located in the town of Wilmington (about 13 miles (21 km) from Lake Placid) the mountain is home to a ski area with the highest vertical drop in the eastern United States (3430 feet, or 1,045 m). Part of the post World War II growth in recreational skiing attributed to the efforts of returning veterans of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, Whiteface also hosted the alpine skiing competition of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Unique among the High Peaks, Whiteface features a developed summit and seasonal accessibility by motor vehicle. Whiteface Memorial Highway reaches a parking area at an elevation of 4600 feet, with the remaining 267 feet being obtained by tunnel and elevator.

Conceived and initiated before the start of the Great Depression, Whiteface Castle and the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway were funded entirely by the state of New York, though the timing of the project led to a widespread belief that they were Depression Era public works projects arising from the New Deal. Construction on the toll road began in 1929, after passage of a necessary amendment to the state constitution, with a groundbreaking ceremony featuring then-New York State Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eventually costing 1.2 million dollars and ending within 300 vertical feet (90 m) of the summit the roadway is 5 miles (8.0 km) long (8 km) and features an impressively steep 8% average grade. Officially opened July 20, 1935, in a ceremony featuring Roosevelt, by then President, the highway was dedicated to veterans of the Great War.

Whiteface Castle, built with granite excavated during the road construction, dominates the summit area. From the adjacent parking lot there are two routes to the summit proper. The first route is the Stairway Ridge Trail, a footpath with handrails and intermittent cement and stone steps approximately 0.2 mile (120 m) long. The second is a 424-foot (129 m) long tunnel into the core of the mountain. At the end of the tunnel is an elevator, which rises 276 feet (84 m, or approximately 27 stories) to the summit.

Whiteface Ski Resort

Whiteface Ski Resort
Location	Wilmington, New York USA
Nearest city	Lake Placid
Coordinates	44°21′57″N 73°54′10″W
Vertical	3166 ft (965 m)
Top elevation	4386 ft (1337 m)
Base elevation	1220 ft (372 m)
Skiable area	314 acres (1.27 km2)
Runs	87 total - 20% easiest - 43% more difficult - 37% most difficult
Lift system	1 gondola 9 chairlifts 1 conveyor lift
Terrain parks	1
Snowfall	230 inches (584 cm)
Snowmaking	yes
Web site	Whiteface.com

Whiteface is a major ski area run by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Known for its big-mountain skiing, Whiteface is consistently ranked as one of the top ski resorts in the Northeast. Whiteface was a site of the 1980 Winter Olympics, hosting the downhill, giant slalom, and slalom alpine ski events. It also regularly hosts major alpine ski events such as the U.S. Alpine Championships. Whiteface is a U.S. Olympic Training Site.

Whiteface has lift-serviced terrain from 4,386 feet (1,337 m) and hike-to terrain (The Slides) from 4,650 feet (1,417 m). With a base elevation of 1220 feet (372 m), Whiteface has the greatest continuous vertical drop in the east at 3430 feet (1045 m). This is higher than Aspen and Vail in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Killington, Stowe, Jay Peak, and Stratton in Vermont; Sugarloaf in Maine; Lake Louise in Alberta; and Mont Tremblant in Quebec. Its neighbor, Little Whiteface, tops in altitude at 3,676 ft (1,120 m). Whiteface has a total of 22 miles (35 km) of ski terrain, spread out over 87 trails. 314 acres (1.27 km²) of skiing area includes 35 in-bounds, off-piste double-black diamond wilderness terrain skiing on "The Slides" (conditions permitting), 85.5 acres (346,000 m²) of tree skiing, 35 acres (140,000 m²) of expert extreme adventure terrain. The Slides is an unmaintained wilderness area that is rarely open, due to safety hazards. They can only be accessed by hiking from the top of the Summit Quad. A new 13-acre (53,000 m²) terrain park referred to as the "Park N' Pipe" was added in 2000–01 with ramps, rails, and pipes.

Whiteface has a separate area for beginners known as Kids Kampus. The ski trails receive plenty of southern exposure sometimes causing ice to form later in the day and subtle breezes sometimes blow snow off the trails, contributing to the nickname "iceface". In recent years major improvements in snowmaking and grooming have overcome these problems. Whiteface contains 87 trails accessible by one gondola, nine chairlifts, and one conveyor lift. Some 98% of the trails are covered by snowmaking, excluding the glades and the Slides. The Slides are double-black diamond runs that are usually only open at the end of the skiing season due to avalanche danger. They are between 35 and 40 degrees with high natural hazards (such as waterfalls, rocks, cliffs, trees, and variable conditions) for over 1250 feet vertical (381 m). The Slides are considered to be one of the most challenging ski slopes that are marked on a trail map in the Northeast.

In summer, Whiteface Mountain offers gondola rides and mountain biking.

Gallery

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  Whiteface Mountain

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  Whiteface Mountain from near Franklin Falls NY

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  Whiteface Mountain as seen from Esther Mountain

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  View from the Gondola on the way to the summit of Little Whiteface

External links

• Whiteface Mountain website
• Wilmington Historical Society Photos
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Whiteface Mountain
• Peakbagger.com: Whiteface Mountain
• Summitpost.org: Whiteface Mountain
• Vertical Feet.com