Crowds gathered at Whitetail this weekend for prime-season skiing. Photo provided by Whitetail's Web Cam.

Thousands of people flocked to Whitetail on Saturday - it was the busiest day the mountain has experienced this season. Many of them may have been influenced by Scott Smith’s recent report of excellent conditions at Whitetail, or by the not-too-hot, not-too-cold weather. A number of special events added to the attractions - there was late night skiing, boarding, and tubing until midnight, and some of the evening tickets only cost $15. During the day, there was the extreme ski and snowboard competition for the younger ones, hoping to win that coveted trip to Colorado and achieve fame before they reach high school. And, there was the International Ski and Snowboard Association Giant Slalom race.

If that were not enough, this was Scout weekend. As a former Girl Scout and Cub Scout Den “Sister,” I was delighted to see so many Scouts. But we were told there were 27 groups at Whitetail. Between the Scouts and Church and School groups, it was really crowded! During the height of the afternoon, the lift lines at the Whitetail Express sometimes reached 45 minutes. The Expert’s Choice Quad occasionally had lines of about a half an hour.

The mountain was fast, hard, and icy in places. On the sides, there was still some surviving powder. All the lifts were open, with the biggest moguls on Exhibition this time; not Bold Decision. Both of the runs tend to be my favorites. But, I just stuck to Farside on the Expert side. I was not feeling very confident in these conditions, with the crowds. In addition, I have another Western ski trip coming up, to New Mexico. So, I was timid and did not want to risk anything at this time.

The amazing thing about the day was the way Whitetail was able to handle the crowds. Scott is right when he talks about the high degree of professionalism on the part of the staff. In addition, many of them feel like family to me; I have been going to Whitetail for over ten years, and have a very warm feeling about the resort. Special thanks to General Manager Don MacAskill and Marketing Director Chris Black for all they do. I am delighted they had such a great day - it has been a very erratic season.

In short, Whitetail is a magnificent area. It is best if you are able to slip away for a few hours of skiing during the midweek. Night skiing is a lot of fun; the area is well-lit and you do not have to fight the flat light of a cloudy afternoon. If you do come on weekends, check out the areas first on their websites or dcski.com. If there are a large number of groups and events, and you are not part of them, try to defer your visit to another day.

I welcome any comments you might want to make about this, or any of my other articles - good, bad, or ugly! Please share your experiences with me -; just post them in the comments section below.