Whiteface Mountain

[Forts]

Hello all,

I am heading to Lake placid tomorrow and will be either skiing or hiking whiteface mountain. If the weather isn't great to ski I will hike and haven't done the mountain yet and need it as part of my 46ers pursuit.
Has anyone has been up there lately? Any trip reports as far as weather, conditions…? I am taking a couple novice hikers as well and was wondering if cramp-ons will be necessary or will snowshoes be fine? And an estimate of how long it takes to hike it on average in the winter. I will most likely be coming in from the Connery pond entrance but knowing this is the longer way is the other trail from The whiteface Mt. Memorial Highway a first in and back hike? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Marc

 

[Tom Rankin]

I ... will be either skiing or hiking whiteface mountain. If the weather isn't great to ski I will hike and haven't done the mountain yet and need it as part of my 46ers pursuit.
Has anyone has been up there lately? Any trip reports as far as weather, conditions…? I am taking a couple novice hikers as well and was wondering if cramp-ons will be necessary or will snowshoes be fine? And an estimate of how long it takes to hike it on average in the winter. I will most likely be coming in from the Connery pond entrance but knowing this is the longer way is the other trail from The whiteface Mt. Memorial Highway a first in and back hike? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I was there in late December, and everything was covered in ice (See avatar). Since then, we have had a thaw and the a cold snap, and then a thaw, and then a cold snap, and then ... , well, you get the idea.

If you just do Whiteface, it's about 10 miles from the ARC. It took us about 8 hours to do Whiteface and Esther. The road is plowed up to the gate, so you can start at either the reservoir, the ARC, or the gate from that side. I never needed crampons for either of my winter ascents of Whiteface. That does not mean they would never be needed, but they would only be needed for short periods if you took the trails. The road could very well be a sheet of ice!

As for forecasts, Wilmington is the closest town, and about 3000' lower than the summit, so subtract 10-15 degrees for estimates of the temps, and assume it will be windy above tree line, which is minimal.

Good luck!

 

[coldfeet]

Perfect timing Marc, I had a question about Whiteface and maybe Tom can help me....the scouts might go skiing there in early March and I was going to ask about hiking around there...

Tom...can I start my hike near the ski trails?....if we go the bus will be dropping us off right there..

They haven't decided yet where we're going but that was one of the choices....

Have fun Marc

 

[beverly]

I am taking a couple novice hikers as well and was wondering if cramp-ons will be necessary or will snowshoes be fine? And an estimate of how long it takes to hike it on average in the winter. I will most likely be coming in from the Connery pond entrance but knowing this is the longer way is the other trail from The whiteface Mt. Memorial Highway a first in and back hike? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Marc

If you are approaching from Connery pond - this approach is longer and likely doesn't get nearly as much winter traffic (past Whiteface Landing) - plus you may have to park at Rte. 86, rather than the parking area 1/2 mile in. So probably a 13 mile round trip - maybe not the best approach for novice hikers. Better to go from the Atmospheric Center when hiking, or the road when XC skiing.

 

[Tom Rankin]

... the scouts might go skiing there in early March and I was going to ask about hiking around there...

Tom...can I start my hike near the ski trails?....if we go the bus will be dropping us off right there..

The ski trails that you take the lifts up are on one side of the mountain, and the hiking is usually on the other side. If you hike up the ski trail side (if you are allowed?), you will have to bushwhack the last stage. I have no information on that. Others may know more...

If you want to hike from the ARC or XC ski the toll road, then you will have a VERY LONG walk from the ski resort to the trailhead!

Another option is to hike in to the boat landing on Lake Placid and ascend the trail that starts there. But again, you can't walk there from the ski resort.

It's a BIG mountain!

 

[Miss Margaret]

Whiteface

Please see the "Trail Conditions" section of this website - I was there last Sunday and posted our observations.

Yes, you need crampons. If you take the trail, you will hit bare rock which is hard to navigate in snowshoes.

Coming from the Wilmington side, if you could take the road, not the trail, once you hit treeline, you might be ok in snowshoes.

You will also need full face coverage- masks, balaclavas, hats, etc. Wind can be fierce - in spite of my efforts with goggles, neoprene face mask, neck gaiter, windproof ear band, and wool hat.... the end of my nose still froze (mask wasn't snug enough to my face, I guess).

 

[Miss Margaret]

Trail Conditions

Hmm.... one can paste a link!

http://www.vftt.org/trail/ny/4104.html

 

[Pete Hogan]

Lake Placid Ski Conditions

Forts........

If you try

http://www.lakeplacid.com/flash/whattodo/z-xcountry.htm

and click on XC ski conditions you will have a current (and at this time disappointing) assessment of Lake Placid XC ski conditions. After the opening paragraph (generaL weather conditions) you can scroll down to "backcountry ski conditions" where the Whiteface Road is usually listed. I did not find it included this time (-- not sure if that is promising or not), but there is a local phone number that can be called at the end of the page that might help.

Having been to the summit over all but the slide routes, I concur with Beverly regarding the distance and remoteness of the Connery Pond approach (my favorite). IMO, if the road is not skiable and you prefer hiking, your best bet (especially with inexperienced members of your group) is to start from the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center parking ascending the former Marble Mountain lift line before connecting with the Wilmington Trail from the reservoir.

BTW, it would be very wise to include a minimum of 10-point crampons for the upper reaches of this route or the stairs from The Castle (if you go this way). The road and summit are highly exposed to brutally cold winds with severe wind chills (often blowing the snow completely off the the road at several turns). Face protection and multiple layers may also be necessary.

Finally, as Tom states "it is a BIG mountain" and it is also a GREAT mountain -- especially in winter when you don't have to deal with the crowds.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

the scouts might go skiing there in early March and I was going to ask about hiking around there

Coldfeet. There is no uphill travel allowed during operating hours. I went up last March before the ski lifts opened... none of the groomers gave us grief. You can take the summit quad to the top of Upper Cloudspin. Almost directly behind the quad machine house, there is an ORDA trail that goes to the summit, very steeply. Don't get this trail confused with the side run out to the backcountry slides. If you don't go straight up, you're not on the right trail. We had to break trail up to the steep slopes through 3+ feet of unconsolidated snow. It was VERY tiring.

 

[Forts]

Thanks

Thanks All I will make sure that my group has crampons, and will go from there. If not I may take them to something a little eastier(porter/cascade, phelps...) Just I have done many of the easy 46ers and was hoping to get in another one while taking some novice hikiers with me. ANyway I hope you all have a great weekend whatever you are doing.

THanks again
forts

 

[MichaelJ]

If it helps at all, starting here are pictures from our ski up Whiteface toll road two years ago, to give you an idea of what the route looks like.

In particular, take a good look at that route up the portion between the castle and the summit. If ever you wanted some kind of traction control, that's where.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Finally, as Tom states "it is a BIG mountain" and it is also a GREAT mountain -- especially in winter when you don't have to deal with the crowds.

Hey Pete! Long time!

Yeah, been there 3 times and the 2 in the winter were fabulous because:

1. Awesome views

2. Just us!

 

[Pete Hogan]

Hey Pete! Long time!

Yeah, been there 3 times and the 2 in the winter were fabulous because:

1. Awesome views

2. Just us!

Hi Tom.......yeah....you got that right! Only two things better than soloing a peak.......(1) awesome views and (2) soloing with your best friend!