WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN toll road ski

 

Mar 1, 2004 - WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN xc ski via Memorial Hwy. Spent the night in a leanto among red & white pines overlooking Heart Lake at Adirondak Loj campground - overnight temp a bit below freezing - beautiful cloudfree morning - good day to get up in elevation for views. Varied snow depths with couple of windswept bare spots on the uplowed paved road (had to take skis off once); bit icy near start & at top but mostly packed powder. Warm (upper 40s) & sunny - super views along the way & from summit. Most views are to the W & N til the 4,000' point when view opens to S & Lake Placid & many high peaks are seen. At the final turn, views are to the E over the Whiteface Ski Area. Left skis at the Castle at end of road then bare-booted up the rest of the way on man-made steps - railings help here - mostly open rock around the weather observatory at the summit. Trees get smaller as one goes up in elevation & near the summit red spruce & balsam fir are a couple of feet & bearberry willows are but a few inches tall! 2,500' elevation gain.....& loss.....wheeeeee! Fast but not too technical intermediate. 10+ miles, 5.7 hrs (3.5 hrs. up; 50 min. down). Karhu Pyxis skis with plastic Garmont Excursion boots - the plastic boots help power these skis better than yesterday's leather boots.

Feb 2, 2003 - WHITEFACE MT MEMORIAL HWY xc ski. Packed powder with inch or two of fresh snow. Novice/Intermediate skiing - potentially harsh alpine conditions up high. At times, visibility was down to 10'. Last 3.5 miles from Lake Placid Turn to tollbooth in 20 min. (& I held back a little). 8.5 miles, 2,100' elevation change, 3.5 hrs. to the Wilmington Turn (windblown down to the road & a bit icy) & back. Between Lake Placid & Wilmington turns you are on an arete, a ridge between 2 glacial cirques. Best to do this trip on a calm, sunny day for superb views. What are hairpin turns for vehicles are gentle turns for skiers. Fischer Outbound skis . Super Telemark 3-pin binding with leather boots.

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