"Call it nostalgia or loyalty, but after three decades of skiing, there's still something special about the mountain where I grew up honing my technique. A former Olympic race site, Whiteface Mountain is 4,867 feet of nature at its rawest. It rises in the northeast of the Adirondack Park, the largest protected piece of land in the continental U.S. The ski area is about a 15-minute drive through twisting, riverside roads from Lake Placid,"
"As I cruised down to my favorite drop-in, they called out to do some reconnaissance: "Have you been down this yet? How is it?" "Fantastic!" I shouted back over the roaring wind. " So fun-incredibly steep!" "But...how are the conditions?" Clearly, they were hoping I'd give them a reason not to take that gut-churning descent. "Oh, yeah, it's a bit icy," I conceded with a grin before taking off."
Two teenage skiers hesitate at the summit edge, weighing whether to descend one of the East Coast's most unforgiving ski runs. A recon exchange leads to a warning that conditions are icy before a skier launches down. Skyward, Whiteface's highest in-bound trail, is a relentless, nearly mile-long run beginning with a dive-like drop and exposed to frigid east winds, offering expansive views of the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain, and Green Mountains. Hardpack conditions test edges and technique. Whiteface rises to 4,867 feet within the Adirondack Park and sits about a 15-minute drive from Lake Placid, a former Olympic town.
Read at Travel + Leisure
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