I went up this morning to get some last turns in for the year and was surprised by how "good" the snow was. Farside and Bold Decision were groomed and in good shape, with Exhibition still holding on to its bumps. Granted, the bottom of Exhibition had a 10 foot corridor that you had to negotiate to get to the lift, but with no one there it was not a problem. I'm guessing with the rain forecast for tomorrow, they'll have to groom the bottom of the trail to keep it open. Fanciful and Snow Dancer were also in surprisingly good shape.
I talked to one of the workers and asked what the target date for staying open is and he said that they were hoping for March 18th but are now going to try for the 11th. He said that he had even heard talk that they might try to blow snow this weekend. I seriously doubt that, but who knows.
So Whitetail did end up blowing snow last night. Strangely, it looks like Roundtop didn't. Roundtop's website is saying that snowmaking will return Sunday night. You'd think that they'd want to lay down the white rug for the weekend crowds. Looks like it's Whitetail tomorrow! (They said that they'll be blowing snow tonight, again.)
I was at whitetail this morning for a few hours. Quick review:
I was there at 8:30, at this point the 3 open blues were groomed pretty well and there was a nice later of new machine powder. Lapped the express quad for a few hours while it was still cool and snow was holding ok. I then ventured over to the expert quad...all 3 trails over there were in MUCH better shape than the blues. Farside has a huge base and Expedition was a blast, I suspect farside could make that March 18th weekend with no new snowmaking. They even had an extra snow pile at the top there they can use for resurfacing. At this point I ventured back to the express quad...snow dancer and fanciful now had sections that were quite exposed, made a few more runs and called it quits.
I think they will make it through at least next weekend, I suspect they may have to move some snow from fanciful (and close it) to keep snow dancer open for next weekend and move some snow down to the entrance of jib junction. But I think they have enough to work with.
Anyone going tomorrow I would say, get there early and lap the blues until it warms up and then hit the expert quad for the duration
Excellent trip report. Thanks for the beta. We'll get there for first chair and ski until the snow gets skied off. Hopefully they can blow snow again tonight.
I was there yesterday, Monday 3/5. They are 75% open with the notable closures being Limelight and Snowpark.. Kind of sad going up a lift with nothing but rocks and grass below. Farside and Bold decision are in good share as was exhibition but all bumps are gone. The trails that were open were had heavy spring snow with only a few bald spots. They are putting down 2-3 per night and should be able to hold their ground. I spoke with a couple employees and they think if the weather forecast holds they should make St Patrick weekend.
Hi - new here. I'm hoping to get up to Whitetail tomorrow, so thanks for the updates!
Any guesses on what conditions will be like at Whitetail this weekend?
I have a friend who is working there tonight. I asked him to find out if they plan to blow anymore this season. That should dictate what weekend conditions will be like. I'll post something tomorrow when I hear back from him.
Whitetail says on Facebook snowmaking returns Friday and Saturday night. It’s awesome to see them continue to keep things open this late, I really hope they make money off these choices!
rbrtlav wrote:
Whitetail says on Facebook snowmaking returns Friday and Saturday night. It’s awesome to see them continue to keep things open this late, I really hope they make money off these choices!
A friend just bought a Snowtime season pass for next season for the first time. The good late season conditions at Whitetail and Liberty was the primary reason. So it's not just about money coming in the next few weeks but also selling season passes in the spring well before anyone can know what next winter will be like.
Whitetail put out word to the employees that they'll be open until March 25th. That should help sell some season passes for next year.
We are really fortunate to have a forward-thinking well run company like Snow Time with three properties in our region.
Wish they could own, or at least operate the twin ski areas in Canaan Valley
MorganB
I'll add a shout out for Liberty this week. Despite the winter challenges, they are still open with reasonable coverage. Yes, only a little over an hour from the DC area. We were there Friday, fighting the wild wind on the frontside, and it was quiet as a mouse on the backside. We left with a smile. They seem to be able to make it work, planning to blow snow again tonight.
ksampson3 wrote:
Whitetail put out word to the employees that they'll be open until March 25th. That should help sell some season passes for next year.
Great move, Snowtime !
Woody
RodneyBD wrote:
We are really fortunate to have a forward-thinking well run company like Snow Time with three properties in our region.
A lot of advantages to a company that has a clear focus. Only realized recently that Snow Time used to own Windham. Windham was sold to local businessmen in 2005. They have done a pretty good job investing in infrastructure to make Windham a full 4-season resort. That allowed Snow Time to focus on the DC and central PA market with Roundtop, Liberty, and Whitetail.
http://www.dcski.com/articles/view_article.php?article_id=839&mode=rss
* * * excerpt
“I have no interest in selling the Pennsylvania resorts, individually or collectively,” said Naylor. “The sale of Windham Mountain will allow Snow Time management to focus its efforts in one state and one marketplace,” he added.
Irv Naylor originally started Ski Roundtop in 1964. A decade later, Ski Roundtop purchased Ski Liberty. New York’s Windham Mountain was purchased in 1981, followed by Whitetail Resort in 1999. In 2004, Irv Naylor was honored with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Lifetime Achievement Award.
* * *
RodneyBD wrote:
We are really fortunate to have a forward-thinking well run company like Snow Time with three properties in our region.
I could not agree more!
rivergirl wrote:
I'll add a shout out for Liberty this week. Despite the winter challenges, they are still open with reasonable coverage. Yes, only a little over an hour from the DC area. We were there Friday, fighting the wild wind on the frontside, and it was quiet as a mouse on the backside. We left with a smile. They seem to be able to make it work, planning to blow snow again tonight.
Was there Thursday myself. It was a fantastic time -- especially for those taking lessons. They were very generous with their instructors since it was so quiet. They could have easily put my daughters in a lesson with another set of siblings, but as they had many available instructors, they did not. Was appreciative and impressed.
I swung by Whitetail this afternoon, and just published a story for DCSki: http://www.dcski.com/articles/1553.
It was very much springlike conditions, but I still had fun and didn't put too many new gouges in my skis. The place was pretty empty Sunday afternoon. I suspect Whitetail will try to get one more weekend in and will then close the books on the ski season.
Agreed about the relatively good conditions at Liberty. A friend and I went Saturday for a night session and had a blast. The surface on Sneaky Pete and Lower Blue Streak was pretty icy when we did some warm up runs, but the backside was in great shape and we never had to wait more than one or two groups to ride the chair lifts. Hoping to get back up there or to Whitetail this weekend, Liberty is forecasting they’ll get 6-12 inches with the midweek storm, but Accuweather says 4-8.
I spoke to a Liberty patroller this past weekend, he said they are hoping to stay open until the second weekend in April, which was shocking to me.
I made the trip up yesterday and it was awesome! There was at least a foot of new snow everywhere, it looked like a winter paradise. Limelite and Homerun remained closed, but were heavily poached as there was so much inviting powder. Nothing was groomed, so it was fluffy bumps everywhere. I got there around noon as I hummed and hawed before going up, but I was glad I did. There were plenty of people there with the snow day, but I was still able to lap the express andexperts chairs. I'm guessing they'll have some great spring skiing this weekend. When you compare it to the March 18 photos, it's an amazing recovery.
Also, this is my first post. Really happy to join the community!
eggraid wrote:
I spoke to a Liberty patroller this past weekend, he said they are hoping to stay open until the second weekend in April, which was shocking to me.
Whitetail is aiming for April 1st as a closing date. As for Liberty, I'm not surprised, with the additional water sources for snowmaking this year they were able to make a quick recovery and more snow than year's past. Whitetail drained their pond quickly this year, unfortunately to too much sediment run off in the main pond limited them. Dredging the pond has been talked about and the possibility of a second pond being added has been hinted at but not confirmed.
Condition wise, which is better: Liberty or Whitetail?
I plan to ski one last time here in Mid-Atlantic on Saturday before the season ends.
Can anyone comment?
SteveinDC wrote:
I made the trip up yesterday and it was awesome! .........
Also, this is my first post. Really happy to join the community!
Welcome to the DCSKI community!
I was at Whitetail today and posted a recap on my site. By noon it was clumpy, but it's spring, so we'll take what we can get. I had fun.
SKIING: MARCH 22, 2018 WHITETAIL RECAP
WFY | March 22, 2018
A Washingtonian recaps a day of spring skiing at Whitetail in March 2018.
padjaski68 wrote:
Whitetail is aiming for April 1st as a closing date.
I wouldn't bet on that. That would be Easter weekend and staffing would be an issue on such short notice. Especially for necessary on snow personnel. ..who aren't traditionally paid. ;-)
SteveinDC,
Welcome to DCSki!!! I assume you have been lurking for awhile and already know this is a quality site, operated by Scott Smith as a labor of care for the mid-Atlantic ski/board community.
MorganB
aka The Colonel
SteveinDC,
Welcome to DCSki!!! I assume you have been lurking for awhile and already know this is a quality site, operated by Scott Smith as a labor of care for the mid-Atlantic ski/board community.
MorganB
aka The Colonel
Yup, lurked for quite a while and finally decided to join in. The site has been a great resource for getting a sense of the different resorts and it got me to explore more of Pennsylvania than I had previously. Very welcoming community, happy to a part of it now.
Whitetail and roundtop are done after Sunday. Liberty will be open until at least 3/31. Considering how February went I would say they had a great season!
SteveinDC wrote
Also, this is my first post. Really happy to join the community.p
Welcome to DC Ski. I am new also but have lurked for years. Great resource for mid-Atlantic sking. Whitetail is my home base due to proximity and resposibilities. It is not perfect or the best in the mid-Atlantic but glad it is there. Alot of great features such as the vertical, high speed quad and comitment to improving the redort and to the season pass holders.
Scott is the man who keeps it together. Great community.
Brian W
Aka: bdw611
Returned to Liberty yesterday for another Saturday night session. For the most part conditions were better than last Saturday along with a slightly larger crowd, although we didn’t have to wait more than a minute to get on a lift and usually just got right on. There were some bare patches here and there but pretty amazing coverage this late in the year for the mid-Atlantic. Best conditions were on the lower half of the backside, Lower Heavenly in particular. I’m not sure how they’re going to stay open with temps getting into the 50s a bunch this week up there, the first half of Upper Ultra and the first half Sidewinder seemed like they we’re on their last legs.
I had overlooked Liberty until recently but I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting a night pass next season.
I'm looking at getting a night pass as well. Is there a "better" place to buy a pass? I'm new to all 3 mountains, but not sure that'll I'll ski Liberty enough to make use of the plus option.
New to DCSki too. I haven't skied much the last 20 years but wanting to get back into it. Learned up at Seven Springs, lived in Utah several years (Solitude was my favorite), and then I got married. :P
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