im planning on making a day trip up to either liberty or whitetail tomorrow... i've been to both a handful of times and enjoy them equally... however i know early in the season they can be pretty different... has anyone been to either yet? what kinda shape are the trails (that are open) in? i've looked at both the snow reports on their websites, but those normally only tell half the story... anyone? thanks...

I was at Liberty on the 25th (yes, Christmas day - was covering a shift for a patroller friend - AND wearing my DCSki pin with pride!). Heavenly and Ultra were open top to bottom on the backside. Blue Streak, Dipsy, Sneaky Pete, Alpine Alley and the Beginner area were all open on the front. The snow was AWESOME! The area was making snow furiously on Eastwind and parts of Strata. Whitney's was a short groom from being open. I would say Liberty has got considerable terrain open and more on the way - surprising given the warm spell and over one inch of rain a few days ago. Its a testament to the area's ability to make snow when the temps are right!