Whiteface / Lake Placid trip

[Svend]

Here are a few pics from our family trip to Whiteface and Lake Placid last week.? We rented a cabin in the woods about 2 miles from the mountain.? What a great way to go.? Private, quiet, and very relaxing after a full day of skiing.?

Ski conditions were excellent -- first day there it snowed like crazy...about 10 inches, I would guess....next day the lifts were all closed from a wind storm; but the rest of week was terrific.? Wednesday was a ski day from heaven -- about 30 degrees, clear blue sky, not a breath of wind, fresh snow under the feet -- sweet.? One of those days that keeps you going into the next year.? On Thursday it got really warm - into the 40's - but the top half of the mountain still had hard snow, so we just stayed up there all day.? Got rained out on Friday -- a sad sight to wake up to.

Whiteface, for those who haven't been there for a while, has opened up a new area called Lookout Mountain.? This expands their terrain nicely, as the mountain is tall (3400 ft. vertical) but not broad.? Lookout Mtn. has some nice runs, including some real steep stuff.? A very welcome addition, and will just get better as even more new runs get added there.

Love the area, love the mountain! Had a great time!

Notes on the pics:? the first one is looking SW over Mirror Lake and the town of Lake Placid; the third pic looks NE into Vermont and Lake Champlain.? Like I said, it's a high mountain (for the east) and on clear day you can see forever.? ?

[attachment deleted by admin]

[jim-ratliff]

Very nice pictures, gorgeous scenery.
"A ski day from Heaven"  What more can anyone ask for??
How were the Mythic Riders?

[Svend]

Thanks Jim.? Yeah, it's a really nice area down there -- not too commercial, no condos or outlet malls.? And Lake Placid is one of those genuine ski towns with history behind it, that the big corporate resorts try to emulate.? We really like it there.

I enjoyed the Mythics, but didn't really have a chance to test 'em out properly.? The only day I really had to give them a good workout was Thursday, and it was so warm that the snow got really soft and mushy on most of the mountain -- almost slush.? The top part of the mountain was OK, but lots of ice.? Not fair to make a judgment on the skis under those conditions.? Did have a couple of really good runs on them, though, and I liked what they could do.? So far so good.? Also, I need to get them tweaked to my tune preferences, and I'm going to move the bindings around and see how that makes them behave.? Felt a bit off-center (no jokes, please) and unbalanced.? I'll get them out again this week and get a better feel for them.

[midwif]

Svend
You take really wonderful pictures. What camera do you use??
Though I am sure it is the photographers skill and not the camera that is responsible.

Sounds like an almost ideal week.  The cabinIin the woods seems to be a great way to go.

  I remember Whiteface fondly from a 5 day ski trip with my daughter about 6-7 years ago.
Sounds like a trip back is in order. The extra terrain would be fun to explore!

I remember "eating some wood" in a tree run that I had no business being in.
My skills were not at double black level, but because I made it thru once, thought I could again. Wood is hard, isn't it?

Maybe we can arrange a meet up with the Canadian aspect of the realskier contingent next year.
Lynn

[Svend]

It would be great to meet you there.? Let's make it happen! This is looking like it will be an annual trip for us, we like it so much.? BTW, when we weren't skiing, there were lot's of other things to do -- we went snowshoeing and skating, and there are some great cross-country ski trails around there (not that I'm into that, but it would be good to try it again).?

Lake Placid is only a six hour drive for us, so is do-able on a long weekend too.? We may go back at the end of March, actually -- a last-minute trip if the weather cooperates and the mountain has good conditions.

Camera is a Sony Cybershot (W-series) -- nothing fancy, but has great German optics.? The colours from all the Sony's that we've had have always been true-to-life.? Pretty much rendered as they were in real life.? Some cameras tend to emphasize certain colours, making the pics warmer or more saturated.? The Sony's seem to render things as they were.? What you see is what you get.? Nice.

Eating wood -- ouch.? I'm with you there.? The kids took me into the trees last year, and I regretted it immediately.? With their short, nimble skis, they could zip around like little mice in a maze.? Not me and my long skis -- got hung up on buried branches, stumps and tree trunks.? Fell three times, and ended up walking (stomping, rather) out of the woods to the groomed run, cussing and muttering.

[Glenn]

Nice pics!