On Friday, January 9, 2009, I met up with a couple friends at Whitetail Resort for some weekday skiing. Whitetail and other Mid-Atlantic areas had received a mix of “mixed precipitation” earlier in the week, in the form of unwelcome rain, freezing rain, and sleet. I was a bit concerned what effect this would have on the slopes, but the temperature had dropped below freezing by Thursday, and Whitetail began roaring the snowguns and grooming the slopes. On Friday morning I was greeted by perfectly acceptable snow conditions; while the trees at the top of the mountain were coated in glimmering ice, the slopes themselves had plenty of carvable packed powder.

Whitetail on Friday: Ice on the trees, but great packed powder on the slopes. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

Nearly all of Whitetail’s slopes were open. Some snowguns were firing across a small number of open trails (although most were turned off by noon or so), while guns were really blasting on intermediates Fanciful and Snowdancer, preparing for their opening. (Snowdancer opened two days later, on Sunday, and Fanciful should be opening in the next few days.)

Whitetail makes snow on Snowdancer, preparing for its opening. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

I began my day on Whitetail’s brand new slope, Sidewinder. Sidewinder begins at the top of the Easy Rider Quad and curves its way through the valley back to the base. The trail is wide and long, and has a nice, beginner-friendly pitch without any flats. Areco tower-mounted snowguns and lighting line the right side of the trail. The new trail is a great addition to Whitetail; it’s a lot of fun, and it’s also ideally suited for class lessons, providing a place for instructors and students to spread out and take their time getting back to the base.

The only problem with Sidewinder, from my perspective, is that it requires a lift ride on the slow, slow Easy Rider Quad. When you’re used to riding the Whitetail Express high-speed lift, a trip up the Easy Rider feels like you’re stuck in a slow-motion movie. But this probably works out in Sidewinder’s favor, as it will cut down on the crazy fast skiers and snowboarders that typically lap slopes such as Angel Drop. If Sidewinder were quicker to get to, I could see lots of skiers flying down it at warp speed, traumatizing the beginners it’s intended for.

After making my inaugural run on Sidewinder, it was time to meet my friends at the base and then head over to Whitetail’s expert terrain.

All of Whitetail’s expert terrain was open, including Drop In, Bold Decision, Exhibition, and Far Side. While Exhibition is normally allowed to bump up, there were no moguls on Friday. They may have been a victim of aggressive grooming after the recent freezing rain. All of the black diamonds had good coverage and good conditions, and were great fun to ski. After spending a few days in December skiing at Vail, it was hard not to notice that Whitetail’s expert slopes are not particularly steep, except for a short portion of Bold Decision and Drop In. Exhibition really isn’t much steeper than intermediates such as Limelight, but becomes more advanced when the moguls grow.

Riding the Expert’s Choice chair to the top of Exhibition. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

The expert side of Whitetail was particularly beautiful, as the trees along Exhibition were all coated in ice that sparkled and glistened in the sunlight. You could hear ice tinkling and crackling as you rode the lift up.

Earlier freezing rain added a beautiful glimmer to the mountaintop trees. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

I made some more runs with my friends before they headed home, and then I spent another hour or two making run after run, and taking some photos. Typical of weekdays, there was never a lift line - the lifts were always ski-on. Sometimes a pack of skiers or snowboarders would fly down a slope, but more often you had most of a slope to yourself.

Packed powder conditions made for easy carving. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

Temperatures hovered right around the freezing mark throughout the day. The cold temperatures kept the snow in nice shape, but weren’t too cold to be uncomfortable. Puffy white clouds floated through a blue sky.

Also new for this season: a double chairlift serving the terrain park, and reducing crowding on Upper Angel Drop. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

Whitetail’s in good shape, and with cold temperatures continuing, should be 100% open within days and able to begin fortifying its base. I look forward to visiting again soon.

Temperatures hovered right around freezing throughout the day, with no lift lines. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

Some ice-kissed grass blades off to the side of Exhibition. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

Trees at the top of the mountain. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.