In a quest to double my ski days for this winter (going from one to, uh… two), I hopped in my car and headed to Pennsylvania’s Whitetail Resort on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
Just a few days prior, I had received over a foot of snow at my house in the mountains north of Frederick, Md. I’m just a mountain range over from Whitetail, about 25 miles away as the crow flies. So I assumed that Whitetail had likely also received a heaping of snow from the storm.
As I neared Whitetail, it suddenly dawned on me: there was no snow on the ground! It was actually a bit odd seeing bare ground as I haven’t seen anything but snow and ice over the past month at my house. It’s amazing how much difference a few miles (and a few feet of elevation) can make.
While my dreams of carving through a foot of fresh powder might have been squashed, I knew Whitetail would still have plenty of snow on its slopes, given how cold this winter has been. Arriving at the resort, I was surprised to see just how empty the parking lot was. Sure, it was right in the middle of midweek — the best time to go if you don’t like crowds — but it still seemed eerily empty for February.
As I began walking towards the base area, a man exiting paused and said “It’s not good.”
“What? The conditions?” I asked, glancing up at the snow-covered slopes.
“Yeah, it just seems like a lot of work to ski on,” he said.
“Good,” of course, is subjective, and I smiled, fully expecting conditions to be a bit springlike (it was late February after all, and the temperature was in the mid-40s). And I don’t mind springlike conditions late in the season.
Climbing up the steps, I was greeted by a friendly employee who scanned my Epic Pass. This is something a bit unusual that Whitetail began doing in recent years: they scan your pass immediately upon arriving at the base area. This could be a problem if you have a multi-day pass and don’t plan on skiing that day and don’t want one of your days potentially “used,” but it does allow the resort to help you resolve any problems with your pass when you’re mere steps away from the Guest Services office instead of all geared up and standing in a lift line. And it also gives you a chance to ask any questions you might have.
If the parking lot seemed empty, the base area seemed even emptier. I clicked into my skis and headed for the Whitetail Express lift, where I was scanned by a very friendly lift attendant. That became a common theme this visit: every single lift attendant was extremely friendly and courteous.
Although the high-speed quad - definitely a senior citizen in “chairlift years” - had experienced some mechanical difficulties earlier in the season, it was running smoothly on this day, and I still consider it one of the best assets of Whitetail. The quick ride up Whitetail’s 935-foot vertical is always appreciated.
I paused at the top to take in the great views of the rolling valleys below. And I took in just how quiet it was. It was peaceful and serene, and impossible not to smile a bit. Skiing is made for moments like that.
And then I headed down Fanciful, the intermediate to the far right off the high-speed quad.
I should note that two trails at Whitetail never made it to the “open trail” count this season: intermediate Snow Dancer, and black diamond Far Side. This might seem odd, given how cold temperatures were earlier in the season. But while cold is often the limiting factor for snowmaking, this year the culprit was drought.
The Mid-Atlantic region has endured an unusually persistent dry spell through 2024 and into 2025, with summer heat and well-below-normal rainfall leaving soils parched, streamflows low, and groundwater levels depressed.
Whitetail’s state-of-the-art snowmaking system is fed by a small water reservoir just north of the resort, and guests have reported seeing the water level quite low for most of the season. This limited how much snow Whitetail could make, but they managed to keep every slope covered except for Snow Dancer and Far Side. Hopefully, drought conditions will start to ease during 2026.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first run down Fanciful. Yes, the snow was a bit soft and slightly sticky in spots, but really not bad at all, even on my skis that haven’t been waxed or tuned in.. well, probably since pre-COVID. (I’m like a dentist who doesn’t floss: I will tell you, dear readers, to wax and tune your skis each year, but I apparently won’t follow my own advice.)
My next run was down intermediate Limelight, which is one of my favorite runs at the resort.
Limelight has always held a special place in my heart, because it was my first “real” intermediate slope. Back in the late 1990s, when Whitetail was still brand new, I was learning to ski, and had mastered the greens. There was a pretty big transition from beginner Snow Park to the intermediates clustered at the top of the high-speed quad, but I eventually got the nerve to ride the high-speed quad (which felt like a race car the first time I rode it) and found myself inching towards the lip at the top of Limelight. To my beginner eyes, it looked like it went straight down at the top. I probably stood there 10 minutes trying to get the nerve to head down it. While I might have fallen once (or ten times), I eventually made it to the bottom, and looked up at the trail I had just skied, beaming, as if I had unlocked a new level in a video game. Suddenly a whole new world of ski slopes (and super fast high-speed lifts) was available to me.
I think we’ve all experienced that plateau-smashing feeling skiing. But every time I head over the lip of Limelight, I’m taken back to that day.
Of course, now it doesn’t seem steep to me at all.
Another ride to the top, and I was heading down Angel Drop, which was completely empty - as opposed to the normal human freeway it becomes on busier days. I then cut left on Drop In to head to the expert terrain.
With Far Side unfortunately closed, there were two options on the backside: double-black diamond Bold Decision, and Exhibition.
Exhibition was seriously bumped out with moguls, and on the lift ride up, I enjoyed watching the amusing contrast between the two skiers on it. One skier bounced down the moguls with great skill and grace, while another stood staring at him go by, tilting his head, before carefully and awkwardly sideslipping down from one mogul to the next, clearing regretting his life choices that day.
Arriving at the top, I considered heading down Exhibition.
“Let’s do this!” I thought.
“Let’s not!” my knees responded back.
And the knees won out. So instead, I headed to Bold Decision.
Eventually I headed back to the intermediates to put in a few more runs before calling it a day.
Whitetail still has plenty of snow, so the season isn’t over yet. With temperatures forecast to rise late next week (possibly even hitting the low 70s next weekend), now is a good time to lock in some runs while the snow is still good and plentiful.
M. Scott Smith is the founder and Editor of DCSki. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer.
Sounds like a quiet and pleasant midweek day of skiing at Whitetail, Scott! Limelight has been a favorite run of mine there, too, but for a reason different from yours. I like the "rolly-ness" of Limelight, probably created by the deeper snow required to ski over the water drainage bars.
Your photos of the bare runs Far Side and Snowdancer dramatize the impacts of the prolonged drought since 2024. I wonder if there is any consideration of enlarging the snowmaking reservoir. Blue Knob recently sent out a notice to those of us on its mailing list, explaining that drought conditions had limited their snowmaking options this seasons as well.
Thanks for your trip report.
Woody
