The Bear Den Lodge is seen on Friday, Jan. 31.

WILMINGTON — This week’s Visiting Lake Placid column needs no introduction.

Boasting 3,430 vertical feet — the largest of any ski area in the East — 94 trails and 12 lifts spread over three peaks, the Whiteface Mountain ski resort is the pinnacle of many winter trips to the Olympic Region.

Located just 10 miles from downtown Lake Placid, the ski resort is not just something to do while you’re visiting — it is the driving factor of many such trips. The mountain, while known by many skiers for its steep vertical drops, has terrain for all skiing and snowboarding abilities. For non-skiers and riders, the mountain offers scenic gondola rides.

To the mountain

Whiteface is hard to miss. From Lake Placid, take state Route 86 east toward Wilmington. Briefly temper your excitement to hit the slopes, as the road is quite windy, with several sharp turns that demand caution as the highway twists its way through the Wilmington Notch, paralleling the West Branch AuSable River. Shortly after passing the Wilmington Notch Campground on your left, you will reach the entrance to the ski resort, also on your left.

News Photo — Chris Gaige Riding The Notch from the Bear Den area to the main mountain area on Friday, Jan. 32. Whiteface’s summit can be seen in the background on the right.

For those without a vehicle, there is a free shuttle service that runs between Lake Placid, Whiteface and Wilmington. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/hrt7u9zt.

The parking situation varies based on crowds, with attendants around to point you to the nearest available spot. In the event that you will need to use one of the outer lots on a busy day, there are gear drop-off areas closer to the lodges, which help to minimize lugging bulky gear back and forth.

Before dropping gear off, one has to make the decision which lodge they want to start their day off at, as each has different parking areas.

There are two to choose from: the Base Lodge and the Bear Den Lodge. The Base Lodge is the mountain’s primary lodge, providing direct access to the Cloudsplitter Gondola, Facelift and the Warhorse chairlifts — the latter of which is named in honor of a two-time alpine skiing Olympic medalist and Lake Placid native Andrew Weibrecht.

The Bear Den Lodge houses most of the mountain’s beginner terrain, and is a good spot to go for those with young children or are new to the sport. Importantly for those meeting up with an instructor, all lessons, both private and group, begin and end at the Bear Den Lodge. For more information on lessons and other tips for beginners, visit tinyurl.com/4a4famhr.

Riding the Summit Quad over the Lower Skyward trail to the top of the ski area on Friday, Jan. 31. The lift unloads skiers and riders at 4,386 feet, with Whiteface’s true summit at 4,867 feet seen above. The Slides — a set of expert-only natural trails open only during rare stretches when conditions allow — are seen on the right.

To head to the Bar Den Lodge, head down the main driveway from state Route 86, cross the bridge over the AuSable River and bear right at the intersection immediately after the bridge. Continue up that driveway for about half of a mile.

To the slopes from

Bear Den

Which run first? The answer to one of the most common questions heard around the mountain when the lifts start spinning obviously should take into account the skier or snowboarders’ ability level, terrain conditions and — in my opinion — crowd size.

For true beginners who have never been on skis or a snowboard before, starting off with the Cub Carpet or Coyote Cruiser is a compelling choice. The two short surface lifts — think conveyor belts that you slide up the hill on — bring you to very gentle, almost flat, wide trails that give you a forgiving path to start out on.

News photos — Chris Gaige Looking down a stretch of The Wilmington Trail on Friday, Jan. 31. The intermediate-ability level trail that boasts plenty of scenic overlooks on a clear day. Portions of the Sentinel Range can be seen in the background. At 2.1 miles, The Wilmington Trail is the longest ski trail at Whiteface.

Once you have mastered the magic carpets, the next level up is the Falcon Flyer, a three-person chairlift to the left of the Coyote Cruiser. The lift will bring you to longer and slightly more pitched but wide, groomed and generally — compared to the rest of the mountain — easier trails than the rest of the mountain.

Taking it up one level further, the Notch is a recently-installed high-speed four-person chairlift that loads in between the Coyote Cruiser and Cub Carpet. The lift connects the Bear Den area to the main mountain.

Previously, the only way to get to the mountain’s main area was to traverse along a connecting trail that, at times, felt more like Nordic skiing than alpine. Fortunately, this new lift makes for a much more comfortable commute. The lift has a mid-station, which allows beginners to unload and avoid a — compared to anything else at the Bear Den area — steep hill. Stay right when skiing down to return to Bear Den after unloading at the Notch’s mid-station. Staying left will take you to the main base area.

On busy days, the Notch can be a crafty approach for intermediate and advanced skiers to avoid some of the crowds. The Bear Den parking is often less busy than the main area. Parking there and riding the Notch directly to the main mountain can save time and guarantees an easy last run — when sore knees can be at their worst — to round out the day.

For those looking to take up the difficulty level one more notch, continue riding the Notch to its upper terminal. There, you have a variety of trails to choose from and can also take a break in the Legacy Lodge, another recent improvement at the mountain. Completed in 2021, the lodge replaced a former mid-mountain lodge that had burned down in 2019. The Legacy Lodge — along with the two lower elevation lodges — offers a variety of food and drinks, along with restroom facilities, an outdoor deck and plenty of seating inside, with decor that pays homage to the mountain’s history.

To the slopes from the main base

The three lifts from the base offer access to a variety of terrain. Facelift takes skiers to easy and intermediate terrain, as well as lifts that provide access to intermediate, advanced and expert trails.

The Cloudsplitter Gondola takes skiers and snowboarders to the summit of Little Whiteface, with intermediate and advanced trails. Note that there is no beginner terrain directly accessible from the gondola.

Warhorse serves most of the mountain’s terrain parks for those looking to hit the jumps, rails and other park features. The lift also takes people to the Andrew Weibrecht Finish Arena, where most of the races held at the mountain finish at, as well as the Freeway double chair, which serves the trails typically used for racing and race training.

For intermediate and advanced skiers, Excelsior to Upper Valley to Lower Valley from the Gondola often makes for a bread-and-butter first run of the day. Excelsior, an intermediate blue square trail, is also the easiest way down from Little Whiteface. Victoria, while also a blue square, is wide but considerably steeper than Excelsior and Lower Northway.

For advanced skiers looking for the steeps, Approach, as the name suggests, provides access to a variety of black diamonds that run down Little Whiteface, as well as fantastic views to the east on a clear day. Upper Northway, Empire, McKenzie Wilderness, Mountain Run, Upper Thruway and Upper Parkway are all iconic black diamonds in this area of the mountain, with each having its own distinct flavor.

Pay attention to the day’s conditions report to see which of these trails are groomed. That can be found at tinyurl.com/22uk8vfr.

To the top

One of Whiteface’s biggest points of pride is the sheer amount of vertical drop the ski area offers — the most in the East. For skiers and riders wanting to make the most out of that, their day would not be complete without a trip to Whiteface’s summit area.

The summit is served by one lift, aptly bearing the name “Summit Quad.” There are several ways to get to it. From the base area, the most direct route is to ride Facelift, which unloads right behind where the Summit Quad begins, allowing skiers to hop from lift to lift in under a minute if there is no line.

Skiers and riders can also take the Gondola from the base or Little Whiteface Double from the Legacy Lodge area, where The Notch unloads. From the top of Little Whiteface — where both the Gondola and double chairlift unload — there are several ways to get to the Summit Quad: Excelsior, Essex, Upper to Lower Northway, Victoria and any of the smaller connecting trails in between.

The ride up gives skiers and riders a chance to catch their breath, converse and rest up. On a clear day, the views are nothing short of spectacular. As the lift climbs higher, views of the Sentinel Range and High Peaks to the south become increasingly dramatic. To the slight right, the observation tower at the mountain’s true summit, along with the Slides beneath it, can be seen.

The Slides carry a legendary status amongst backcountry expert skiers. Comprising several chutes to the right of the Summit Quad, the double-black diamond is only open to rare occasions when deemed safe by the Ski Patrol. The trails are reliant on cooperative natural conditions, as there is no snowmaking on them. With an avalanche risk, sometimes shovels and beacons are a requirement — enforced by the Ski Patrol posted at the entrance to The Slides — while during times of safer snow conditions, only a helmet and being in a group of at least two satisfy admissions criteria.

Fortunately, the summit area offers a range of terrain, with more forgiving options than the slides. While there is no beginner terrain, as noted at the base of the Summit Quad, intermediate skiers have two blue squares to choose from: Paron’s Run and The Follies. Paron’s is a wider and straighter trail that takes on a slightly steeper pitch, while The Follies skirts to its right. The trails eventually merge together and rendezvous with Excelsior slightly beneath Little Whiteface’s summit.

Advanced terrain from Whiteface’s summit includes Skyward and Cloudspin. Skyward is closest to the lift, and is usually groomed. Its wide and steep pitch exemplifies Whiteface’s vertical reputation and is an iconic delight for advanced skiers and riders. The trail forks with Lower Skyward on skier’s left and Niagara on skier’s right. Lap Skyward to check both options out.

For skiers and riders mastering intermediate trails but not yet sure if they are ready for the diamonds, Skyward can offer more forgiving conditions on a mild spring day — provided that one is comfortable skiing moguls — when the snow is softer.

Cloudspin is more reliant on natural snow conditions and, as a result, is not open as often as Skyward. Those considering it should be prepared for the possibility of scraping up against a loose rock or prodding tree sapling. If the snow is abundant, the trail is Heaven on Earth.

Skyward and Cloudspin both eventually end up back at the Summit Quad’s base, providing another opportunity to do it all over again. For those looking to change it up, the Lookout Mountain Triple just beneath and to skiers’ left of the Summit Quad offers access to the Whiteface Ski Resort’s newest peak.

Lookout Mountain

Opened in 2008, Lookout Mountain boasts the longest trail — at 2.1 miles — that Whiteface has to offer: The Wilmington Trail. The run is an intermediate trail that starts off gentle before picking up the pitch in spots as it winds its way down. Hoyts High, accessed from the top of Lookout Mountain, and Lookout Below, accessed off of the Wilmington Trail approximately halfway down the run, offer steeper terrain for advanced skiers and riders.

Of the two black diamond trails on Lookout Mountain, Lookout Below is considerably narrower and is among the more challenging of the diamonds at Whiteface. Lookout Mountain also offers several double-black diamond expert-only glades for skiers and riders who enjoy dancing their way through the woods to consider, provided that the natural snow conditions allow Ski Patrol to drop the ropes.

Hoyts High, Lookout Below and Rand’s Last Stand — one of the glades accessible off of Hoyt’s High — all finish at the base of the Lookout Mountain Triple, allowing for another lap. The Wilmington Trail and the glades accessed on skiers’ left off of the Wilmington Trail finish lower on the mountain, with skiers and riders needing to start the journey up again from either the Bear Den or Main Base area or, perhaps, take the opportunity to head inside for a bit and reward themselves with a hot chocolate.

For more information on the Whiteface Mountain ski area, visit whiteface.com.