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Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) Resort Reviews

Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) Forecasts
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Visitor reviews for Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) Ski Resort

Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) Ratings

Overall: 3.9. Based on 11 votes and 5 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.7

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.3

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 2.7

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.3

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.4

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid).

Public Transport: 3.0

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.1

(1) No places to stay in/near Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 4.1

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.7

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid).

Ski in/Ski out: 2.4

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.6

(1) There are no child care facilities at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.9

(1) Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.0

(1) There are no snow groomers at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.4

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 1.8

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.9

(1) Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 3.7

(1) The staff at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.9

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.4

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.2

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 3.6

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 3.8

(1) No intermediate terrain at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.4

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.9

(1) Not even a kicker at Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 5.0

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid), (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 5.0

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.6

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.7

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.4

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.6

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 4.3

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 4.4

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.2

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.1

(1) Overall, Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.5

(1) Overall, Whiteface Mountain (Lake Placid) is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

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February 19, 2015
Mike from Ski Canada Canada
My family has been going to Whiteface annually for 4 years and started bringing other families along two years ago. Everybody we brought along loves Whiteface. We have skied other places in New York, Ontario, Quebec and New England and Whiteface is the best. In our opinion, it's the only true "mountain" in the east. It might get cold but just dress right and it's no problem. The runs are varied so there is something for everyone. Lake Placid is a great ski town and provides lots of other activities for apres-ski or a day off in between ski days (bobsled, luge, cross country, skating, tubing, back-country hiking/skiing, dogsledding, snowshoeing, shopping, Olympic museum etc..). Great restaurants and a variety of accommodations. Even with the Canadian dollar dropping against the U.S. dollar Lake Placid/Whiteface is still more affordable than skiing in Ontario or Quebec and on top of it there is nothing in Eastern Canada that can match the height of Whiteface. The best way to describe Whiteface is, as one commentator on another site put it, its a place for real skiers not posers. You don't feel out of place here if you don't have the latest in ski fashion or if you don't drive a BMW or Porsche. There is something for every budget, low cost to ultra luxurious.
January 19, 2014
Peter from Ski United States United States
Unlike all the other East Coast mountains..... Whiteface is in the Adirondack Mountains, which are not part of the Appalachians. The Adirondacks are part of the Canadian Shield which runs across Eastern Canada to far Western Ontario, including Northern Michigan. This is an entirely different geological formation. The Adirondacks are some of the oldest mountains in the world, similar to the Urals, perhaps 3 billion years old.
December 17, 2012
William from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Whiteface is home to the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies so undoubtley is one of the best if not the best ski resort in the Appalacians. When I went there last year there was plenty of snow (didn't stop snowing for 3 days!) and cold weather. The skiing mountain itself doesn't have any accommodation at the bottom (correct me if I'm wrong) but the nearby Olympic host Lake Placid town is a perfect base. The skiing is VERY good for the eastern seaboard as there is a massive variety and very good count of pistes for such an unknown resort. My favorite of which is the new Wilmington trail down the east of the mountain which is the newest trail coming up as it was only put up with a fast quad serving it and along with new trails such as 'look out below' (even for an experienced skiier was almost impossible with moguls the size of houses). Alll in all, Whiteface cannot be overlooked as a brilliant resort!
January 11, 2012
Whinery from Ski United States United States
Whiteface is our family favorite, the mountain has something for everyone regardless of your skill level. We make an annual trip from Florida every year. You simply cannot find a more family friendly ski location. We have come to think of Lake Placid as our second home and we look forward to seeing the same smiling faces on the mountain year after year.
December 25, 2005
Tom Travis from Ski United States United States
Whiteface is easily my favorite ski area in New York and one of my five favorites in the northeast. It has the highest vertical drop in the northeast, at 3216, and this vertical drops steadily and truely from the top of the Summit Quad to the base of the ski station. Its second vertical from Little Whiteface Peak is also huge, at 2432 feet. Whiteface has a variety of challenging and interesting trails from its two peaks that can hold one's interest for days. The wonderful views from Little Whiteface peak encompass the high Adirondack peak range. The snow conditions at Whiteface may not be as good as those at the major New england resorts because it can miss some of the coastal storms and does not have as abundant snow-making. However, when I skied there, the conditions were pefect. One can stay a short distance away at Lake Placid which has a large number of good hotels and restaurants.

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