I am wondering which resort is better to ski when it is sunny and warm in 50's. Whitetail slops are South facing and the snow becomes slush piles very quickly, especially on the blue trails. Is Liberty any better?
I remember skiing in Bryce in 50 degree weather and the slops held up much better, probably because the slops are North facing and shady. The size of the slops there is a different matter.
Any ideas?
skijw wrote:
I am wondering which resort is better to ski when it is sunny and warm in 50's. Whitetail slops are South facing and the snow becomes slush piles very quickly, especially on the blue trails. Is Liberty any better?
I remember skiing in Bryce in 50 degree weather and the slops held up much better, probably because the slops are North facing and shady. The size of the slops there is a different matter.
Any ideas?
It has been my experience that yes, Whitetail's conditions can deteriorate very quickly when it gets warm due to the slope placement. That said, I remember last March where after it got warm Liberty's slopes really gave my legs a workout, the snow condition really pounded the legs, to the point where I really had to watch my balance, except that White Lightning on the front side was better. I would imagine that Whitetail would always be worse though.
I had hoped to go to Whitetail this weekend with my wife, and was wondering the same thing myself, would it be worth it especially for my wife, who is a beginner, and I wondered if the flatter slopes would be even worse.
Bottom line,once late March takes hold....... (where is the "crying " icon?)
Mike
I was at Whitetail on Sunday 3/9. Beautiful day, moderate crowds and all slopes open. The main mtn sugared-up heavily by about noon. It was coolish, 40something degrees and the piles of snow were more like sugar than slush, but something you had to power through. In all honesty, that stuff is a sign of how much nice manmade they had laying around. Sidewinder, the long flat trail from top of secondary chair was actually the least slushy trail in the whole place and very pleasant skiing all day. It probably was crispy/firm at 9am, but we didn't start skiing until about 1030am.
The green trails at Whitetail - Snowpark and Sidewinder could hold up better than the blue ones on a sunny warm day. The green trails are East facing and does not have as direct Sun exposure. Sidewinder is further shielded by some trees. When the main mountain has big piles of slush, the greens are generally okay with small chunks of slush that you can easily power through.
Liberty holds the snow better than Whitetail, so I would expect conditions at Liberty to be better on a sunny day. Blue Streak often has the best condtions at Liberty, since it doesn't get as much skier traffic as other trails.
I'm planning on hitting Liberty this Sunday. Sad to say, it will likely be my last day of the season.
skijw wrote:
The green trails at Whitetail - Snowpark and Sidewinder could hold up better than the blue ones on a sunny warm day. The green trails are East facing and does not have as direct Sun exposure. Sidewinder is further shielded by some trees. When the main mountain has big piles of slush, the greens are generally okay with small chunks of slush that you can easily power through.
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