Whiteface is in Wilmington, in New York’s Adirondacks near Lake Placid. The base is 1,220 feet. The highest lift reaches 4,386 feet, the Slides top out at 4,650 feet and the peak is 4,867 feet. That gives 3,430 feet of vertical, 3,166 of it lift-served, which the resort calls the greatest vertical in the East. There are 299 skiable acres and 97 trails, more than 24 miles in all, and the longest run, the Wilmington Trail, is 2.1 miles. Eleven lifts include an eight-passenger gondola and two high-speed quads. Snowmaking covers 99% of the trails outside the glades and the Slides, and the 10-year average snowfall is about 195 inches.
Whiteface hosted all six alpine events at the 1980 Winter Olympics, and New York’s Olympic Regional Development Authority runs it. The Slides are 35 acres of steep, narrow chutes off the Summit Quad, open only when ski patrol says they’re safe.
Summit shows the top of the mountain. Legacy Lodge is the mid-mountain lodge at 2,100 feet, and Bear Den covers the Bear Den Lodge and the beginner area. With more than 3,000 feet of vertical, the summit can have very different wind and visibility from the lower cams, so check it before planning a day on the upper lifts.
Whiteface is on Route 86 in Wilmington. From New York City and the south, take I-87 to exit 30, Route 9 north for 2 miles, then Route 73 for 28 miles to Lake Placid. From Montreal, take I-87 south to exit 34, then Route 9N and Route 86 to Wilmington. The resort puts New York City and Boston about 5 hours away, Albany 2.5 hours and Montreal 2 hours. Lake Placid’s tourism board puts Adirondack Regional Airport (SLK) in Saranac Lake about 20 minutes from Lake Placid, Plattsburgh (PBG) about an hour, and Albany, Burlington and Montreal about 2 hours.
The New York DMV advises fitting good snow tires before the first storm, and allows studded tires only from October 16 to April 30. 511NY shows road conditions.
Whiteface isn’t on the Epic, Ikon or Indy Pass. It’s on the Mountain Collective, with 2 days, no blackout dates and half off extra days.