So we hit 2 of the 3 this weekend. Saturday was at Roundtop and Sunday at Whitetail. I heard from someone that Liberty had good conditions but little open. The only run off the top was Dispsy Doodle. Here's my reviews of the others....
******************** WHITETAIL ***************
Opening day was Sunday. Weather was great. Got a little warm and slushy by 2 pm (about 38-39 degrees).
All 5 lifts in the front including the magic carpet were running.
Trails:
Beginner area: Northern Lights, Velvet, Almost Home all open. These runs are very flat except bottom of Northern Lights and great for learning to ski.
EZ Rider Quad: only Sidewinder was open. This is the best green run between Liberty / Whitetail / Roundtop IMO. Snow was good and it wasn’t too crowded in the afternoon.
Whitetail Express Quad: I didn’t get over there today with the youngest, but looked like all that was open was Angel Drop into Homerun or Jib Junction. The line for the quad was longest about 11 am and was probably 5-7 minutes.
Staff were great: masks all worn properly. They handed out a piece of paper when driving in that discussed the social distancing and mask protocols and we were told to make sure to change at the car. Staff were asking people to mask if not compliant. They were scanning for passes as you walked up to the lodge area and asked if you had a reservation when you arrived.
Skier mask compliance: I didn’t really see any people not wearing masks in line or the base area. Well done all!
****************************** ROUNDTOP *********************
Got to Roundtop on Saturday about 9:45 and the lower lot was already full. The most crowded part of the day was from then until 12. Lift lines were at most 5-6 minutes.
Snow conditions were decent. A little crusty when we first arrived and slightly icy towards 4 but overall not bad.
4 lifts open
Beginner area: Fife and Drum, Fanny Hill, Dummer Boy, Powderhorn all open. This is a really good beginner area. None of the runs are too flat or too steep.
Mid mountain: Minuteman, Lafayette’s Leap and Susquehanna all open and not real crowded. Snow was decent.
A number of people who tried to bring bags of gear to change into. There were staff who turned people around and sent them back to the car, but it would have been better to let people know when they entered the parking area like Whitetail was doing.
LOT of sloppy mask wearing including exposed noses or not earing them at all. Some staff politely asked people to mask up but people took their masks back down after passing through the scanners. Also there were no indicators where to stand in the lift line for social distancing. Often people were right in top of us.
Afternoon that was less of an issue as crowds thinned. My daughter and I started turning laps and finished with 22 runs and over 6000 vertical feet in just under 5 hours of skiing! 👍
Did Roundtop or Liberty used to have webcams on their websites?
Looking at the Whitetail webcams this afternoon, didn't look too crowded. Can see lift lines. Saw snowmaking happening on the trails off the Expert lift.
marzNC wrote:
Did Roundtop or Liberty used to have webcams on their websites?
Looking at the Whitetail webcams this afternoon, didn't look too crowded. Can see lift lines. Saw snowmaking happening on the trails off the Expert lift.
They did. But the pages they were located at (here and here) both say "mountain cameras are currently unavailable." Hopefully they become available soon as they're an important tool for gauging conditions at the slopes.
Vail has been scootchy about webcams since the virus started.
At one point shortly after everything was shut down in March, someone climbed the mountain at Beaver Creek and posted a sign with disparaging comments about Vail where it could be seen from the snow stake cam at BC.
Shortly thereafter, webcams at all Vail properties became inoperative.
Updates:
12/29 - afternoon / early evening at Liberty - lift lines were about 10 minutes, staff doing a good job asking people to mask, conditions were icy and bare and then they blew snow and it was slushy on the ice. Got hit by someone of control on Dipsy.
12/31 - Whitetail - snowpark and Fanciful have opened but cover on Homerun has gotten very thin. Exhibition is also open but the expert choice quad shut down. They need to get a new park. Supposedly it will open by 1/2, maybe 1/1. Conditions were good for the runs that were open except the bare spots. Much of snow on lift on and off ramps is very thin. They need a storm of a series of cold days and nights.
1/1 - Roundtop - just a quick day there before the rain. More of RT is open than Liberty or WT including all the greens, Lafayette’s Leap (crusty / icy moguls in the Upper), Minuteman (bare on top), Recruit, Susquehanna, Exhibition and Ramrod. Gunbarrel & Ramrod triple not open.
dukegrad96 wrote:
Lift lines and rental lines have been long. Epic is no longer doing old fashioned lift tickets, they are doing RFID cards. So when they have a lot of people there for the first time or who didn’t keep their RFID cards, the ticket line gets crazy.Keep your RFID cards because you can then load them for future visits online.
Do you know if the former Snowtime locations are now in EpicMix?
Monday 1/11 you should not have any issues with long waits in a ticket line or a rental line. The key to avoiding the lines at Whitetail on the weekend is to get to the mountain early. It is amazing how fast the rental line goes from 5-10 people in the queue at 9:30ish to 100+ at 10:30ish.
SereneOrchid wrote:
My husband went to Whitetail last week and encountered the 2+ hr to get his lift ticket. I'm taking my kids solo on Monday 1/11 -- do you think the lines will still be as bad? Does anyone know if that was a holiday week issue or is it like that all the time now? I wonder if I could go drive during the weekend and get my lift tickets in person ahead of time.
On New Year’s Day, there was one person ahead of me to get my RFID card at Whitetail. Process took me a couple of minutes (which would add up with 20-30 person queues).
For you, a non-holiday Monday will be quiet. I doubt you and your kids will have to deal with any lines at all, have fun.
If you can, check out their mountain cams to get an idea of the weekday crowds in the morning. That will alleviate any concerns of 2 hour lines :)
Good luck! Mine are at the age where they can manage their own gear but we have certainly had some adventures in the past trying to get out the door on time!
SereneOrchid wrote:
Thanks wgo and powday! I will try my best to get my kids out of the door as early as possible.
LOL! I dream of the day I will no longer be a pack mule! The 11 year old carries his own stuff, but I have a 5 and 9 year olds too. Still, every season I am getting slightly closer.
wgo wrote:
Good luck! Mine are at the age where they can manage their own gear but we have certainly had some adventures in the past trying to get out the door on time!
SereneOrchid wrote:
Thanks wgo and powday! I will try my best to get my kids out of the door as early as possible.
RodneyBD wrote:
Not a Whitetail issue, it's a Vail Resorts issue. I was at Mt Snow New Year's day, had to check on one of our passes at the window, thank god I was in line before 10am, they had one window open and 25 people in line. When I left the line had grown to 50+ plus, many of whom we're picking up their epic cards, or had problems with their pass, etc etc. And the Vail CEO has already sent out an "apology" email to epic pass holders about the hours long waiting times for the 800 customer service line.
Perhaps a bit of both for Whitetail. It's the first season that an Epic pass is the only option for a "season pass" for the former Snowtime locations.
People not getting Epic cards in the mail was definitely an issue during early season as well as during the holidays for people who started their season then. That applied to all regions.
My 8 yo carries her own gear and my 6 yo can walk anywhere in his boots and carry his skis
the straps for skis and poles for kids make carrying equipment much easier
Keep at it! 👍
SereneOrchid wrote:
LOL! I dream of the day I will no longer be a pack mule! The 11 year old carries his own stuff, but I have a 5 and 9 year olds too. Still, every season I am getting slightly closer.
wgo wrote:
Good luck! Mine are at the age where they can manage their own gear but we have certainly had some adventures in the past trying to get out the door on time!
SereneOrchid wrote:
Thanks wgo and powday! I will try my best to get my kids out of the door as early as possible.
itdoesntmatter wrote:
Whitetail still doesn't have Farside or Bold Decision open yet...I haven't been there yet this season. I don't want to spend $64 on a night ticket unless more is open. Are they blowing snow on those slopes?
On Sunday bold decision and limelight both had a decent start on them, farside was grass.
It's not just around here. I'm hearing similar complaints about their places in NH such as Wildcat and Attitash. Crazy thought, could they actually be trying to throttle the number of visitors to reduce the risk of an outbreak??
RodneyBD wrote:
Super disappointing upper Strata/Ultra/Eastwind not open at Liberty. I'd be pretty steamed if I had an Epic pass. Welcome to the world of Vail Bean Counting. FACT: Snow Time would have had all three runs open by now.
JimK wrote:
It's not just around here. I'm hearing similar complaints about their places in NH such as Wildcat and Attitash. Crazy thought, could they actually be trying to throttle the number of visitors to reduce the risk of an outbreak??
RodneyBD wrote:
Super disappointing upper Strata/Ultra/Eastwind not open at Liberty. I'd be pretty steamed if I had an Epic pass. Welcome to the world of Vail Bean Counting. FACT: Snow Time would have had all three runs open by now.
Have also seen comments that Mt. Brighton near Detroit has been last to open compared to the other three ski areas that are day trip distance. VR bought Mt. Brighton and Afton Alps in 2012.
Total guess, but I wonder if staffing for snowmaking is also an issue.
Bold decision is open at whitetail this morning.
They are definitely throttling guest, whether by design or not. There are several sold out weekend days I’ve had reservations and shown up at 3 or 4 in the afternoon and by that time things have been mostly empty. Saying reservations aren’t needed after 3 probably would have worked for the east coast resorts.
I will say I don’t think they are overly throttling snow making though, one of the last years snow time owned them they didn’t even open until January 7th due to weather. Although it hasn’t been overly warm, there has been very little day time chances to make snow. I think New England has also had some nasty rain.
edit: bold decision is not open... guess I read that before coffee
It's been above 32 even at night
it's supposed to be cooler this week and next weekend, hope they can make some snow
Bdw611 wrote:
Does anyone else feel like there should be more tails open at Whitetail this time of the year given the opportunities for snowmaking? Maybe it is just me.
Liberty has few blues runs open but good coverage on what is open. Snow is variable but generally good, but gets sugary as the day goes on. Lots of skiers on partially open mountain making interesting skiing late in the day.
Only way off the top of the backside is Heavenly, to Whitney's or Lower Ultra. Lower Heavenly open but had thin cover signs out today down the middle. All of the front is open.
Mongo wrote:
In theory, if you go to SL in PA from the DC area, you have to have had a COVID test within 72 hours or do a 2 week quarantine. I’m guessing that’s being ignored and not enforced by SL?
SL?
Sorry, I don't recognize the abbr.
Woody
bousquet19 wrote:
Mongo wrote:
In theory, if you go to SL in PA from the DC area, you have to have had a COVID test within 72 hours or do a 2 week quarantine. I’m guessing that’s being ignored and not enforced by SL?SL?
Sorry, I don't recognize the abbr.
Woody
SL = Ski Liberty
Mongo wrote:
bousquet19 wrote:
Mongo wrote:
In theory, if you go to SL in PA from the DC area, you have to have had a COVID test within 72 hours or do a 2 week quarantine. I’m guessing that’s being ignored and not enforced by SL?SL?
Sorry, I don't recognize the abbr.
Woody
SL = Ski Liberty
OK! Got it. Tnx.
Woody
SereneOrchid wrote:
Yes, in theory PA is asking people to quarantine, but in reality the lots at Whitetail were 100% cars with plates from VA and MD, and no one cared. The police could set up there and catch everyone, but I doubt they want to decimate Whitetail/Liberty/Roundtop’s business.
The reason I cancelled a ski trip to NM to meet up with friends at Taos was because one impact of NM travel restrictions was that the people who didn't care about violating them also seemed to not care about mask usage or any other precautions to stem the spread of COVID-19. That was based on first-hand reports from friends who live in Albuquerque and ski Taos regularly.
Those who follow PA travel restrictions are probably less likely to be infectious for COVID-19. I would rather ski somewhere else than with people who don't know the travel restrictions exist or have decided that there is no reason to change their plans for skiing during a pandemic.
Thank you, marzNC. Well said:
marzNC wrote:
SereneOrchid wrote:
Yes, in theory PA is asking people to quarantine, but in reality the lots at Whitetail were 100% cars with plates from VA and MD, and no one cared. The police could set up there and catch everyone, but I doubt they want to decimate Whitetail/Liberty/Roundtop’s business.The reason I cancelled a ski trip to NM to meet up with friends at Taos was because one impact of NM travel restrictions was that the people who didn't care about violating them also seemed to not care about mask usage or any other precautions to stem the spread of COVID-19. That was based on first-hand reports from friends who live in Albuquerque and ski Taos regularly.
Those who follow PA travel restrictions are probably less likely to be infectious for COVID-19. I would rather ski somewhere else than with people who don't know the travel restrictions exist or have decided that there is no reason to change their plans for skiing during a pandemic.
I was at Whitetail today and noticed the following:
1. The following trails are now open: Bold Decision, Limelight.
2. Blowing snow on: Far Side, Stalker, Snow Dancer. I would think both will be open by next weekend.
3. Tails that do not look like they are going to open: Park Place, Ledgewood. On a side note they have pulled the permanent guns (Techno Alpine) off Ledgewood and put them on Snow Park. Makes sense, but Park Place does not have coverage on full width of trail.
Far Side and Snow Dancer open today - amazing the amount of snow they put down over the last snowmaking window.
I would guess they will move the portable guns onto Park Place 101 and Ledgewood for the next snowmaking window. Ledgewood is the lowest priority since it was cut for the planned development on that side of the mountain that never happened.
Bdw611 wrote:
I was at Whitetail today and noticed the following:
1. The following trails are now open: Bold Decision, Limelight.
2. Blowing snow on: Far Side, Stalker, Snow Dancer. I would think both will be open by next weekend.
3. Tails that do not look like they are going to open: Park Place, Ledgewood. On a side note they have pulled the permanent guns (Techno Alpine) off Ledgewood and put them on Snow Park. Makes sense, but Park Place does not have coverage on full width of trail.
By the weekend more- Liberty is behind RT and whitetail Good snowmaking window coming up
90% RT 78% Whitetail 66% Liberty.
Update on Friday 1/29
Whitetail is 100% open!
I skied solo (no kids today) from 3-7:15. In just over 4 hours I got 26 runs in.
When I arrived, the line for the main quad was slightly longer than the lift chute. Fortunately I walked right into one that was moving and walked right onto the lift in like 3 minutes and immediately skied to the Experts Choice Quad. The first few runs had like a 3 minute line but after that I was turning laps every 8-10 minutes. About 5:15 I headed back to the front. The lines were like 3-5 minutes and it took 9-12 minutes per lap. At 6:15 I headed to the back again for 3 more runs down Exhibition and then 2 more on limelight. The snow was mostly great although Angel Drop and the middle of Exhibition got skied off a bit. The most consistent bumps were on Exhibition and lower part of Far Side. Far Side also had some tree skiing. Their coverage over the 10 days has really improved. They have been making a lot of snow.
Awesome conditions when it gets sustained cold. 100% Whitetail and ROundtop. Liberty 72% finally opened lower Eastwind.
The snow forecast today is 7 to 14 inches total by Tues am.
Sidewinder is a must to get open. not sure why Eastwind strata upper not open yet?
temps 7 days look good for snowmaking. Usually takes 72 hours to blow, cure, groom a run.
At least an A- to A+ rating no matter where you go.
add an extra layer :o)
Zardog
I skied WT on Friday, 2/19, with my 6 y/o. The good and the bad:
Good:
- Minimal ice, and generally great conditions, including in the trees. I can’t think of many times I’ve done much tree skiing at WT.
- Crowds weren’t bad. We got good parking at 10:30am, line to get an RDID card was nil, and lift lines were never more than 3-4 minutes.
Bad:
-Mask enforcement was non-existent. While compliance was generally good (95%), the 5% that didn’t wear masks were completely ignored. In fact, they didn’t even have anyone running the lift line for WT Express until 3pm or so. I’m kind of amazed that state and local government isn’t inspecting this stuff.
-Staffing is poor. The mountain feels like it is being run by a skeleton crew. That is a very different feel than Snowshoe, where there are plenty of employees everywhere.
- Obstacle marking and padding was poor. Lots of unmarked pits, hoses everywhere, etc.
- They seem to be giving up on getting full coverage across their open trails, and on Limelight, are actually letting trees grow on one side to narrow the trail. They could be blowing more to get wider trail coverage, which WT sorely needs to avoid crowding issues and make the trails safer.
Mepps3 wrote:
Yeah, I'm not sure why limelight doesn't get setup wider anymore. I know in the past during better snow years they would open it up all the way. I guess they are saving this money this way with lower crowds, etc. Hopefully next year they make more snow and widen things up to better handle the crowds.
For several years, Whitetail has reduced the width of snow coverage on Limelight to exclude the area under the lift towers and to skier's right beyond that. That area was planted with evergreens (probably white pine and Virginia pine) about 4-5 years ago. Each season I've snapped pics of those new trees from the lift. Despite the rocky, steep, exposed soil, most of those pines have survived and grown.
I haven't skied Whitetail this season because of the crowds and the COVID restrictions. In years past, it seems that all of the other runs have been covered with snow to their full width.
Woody
I’ve only been to Roundtop once but great place and vibe. Likewise I was greeted by tiialgaters cooking breakfast at 7am in the parking lot. It is a great local hill that does not seem to have as much traffic from DC weekend crowd like WT or Liberty. A lot of good skiers there as well.
Tailgating is very common in NC, even during mid-season when there is a warm spell. Although I don't think that many people bothered to cook a hot breakfast.
In late season, certainly very common at ABasin. But that's usually not until April or even in May. A section of the base area is called The Beach. Can sign up for a spot to set up a tent, chairs, table, grill, etc.
