MERCERSBURG, Pa. — A social media advertisement for “cheap” afternoon lift tickets ($49) and affordable rentals ($12) prompted my first trip to Whitetail resort since 2019.
Lift tickets and rentals
I had been looking for a deal to take my two kids skiing somewhere, (excitable boys, 11 and 17) throughout the season, so this caught my attention. It didn’t dawn on my that it overlapped with the Super Bowl but I’d rather do something than watch something.
Since I was able to fill out the paperwork in advance, online, the process went fairly well. At one point, I was prompted for photos of all users, but never got around to it. Just as well, I don’t need us in any other databases that will ultimately be hacked.
Skiing, part 1
We got on the slopes around 3:30 while the sun was still out. Since it’s about 11’s fourth time skiing, we found our way to the First Class magic carpet. I was pleased he made it down ●Northern Lights cleanly several times. Satisfied with progress off the magic carpet success, we took the U-Me Double further up and lapped Northern Lights from the top few times. His older brother had already made it over to ●Sidewinder.
We next moved to ●Velvet for a couple of runs. It was time for 11 to make take step – so it was over to the Easy Rider Quad and Sidewinder.
The first time down, 11 fell twice while 17 blew by us. A couple of subsequent trips followed and both sons made it down cleanly.
Cafeteria
Since it was very cold out, we took a break inside and warmed up. I ordered fries, while 17 had a chocolate muffin as well as chicken tenders and fries ($16+). From what I could tell, it was the same chicken tenders basket every ski area does. My feet even warmed up.
Skiing part 2
It was getting dark and I wanted to get in some runs from the top of the mountain. My boys broke off for Sidewinder, while I jumped on the Whitetail Express quad.
I tried getting on a chair with other skiers/boarders, but there wasn’t a line, so I was not able to get some intel on the slopes. I think they would have said the same – icy.
My first run was ■Angel Drop and it full of hard pack and emerging moguls. That’s not my specialty, especially in the dark. I made it down without incident but didn’t pick up much speed until most of ■Lower Angel Drop was finished. That was a lot work.
I got on the quad again and went to ■Snow Dancer. It was mostly more of the same – maybe not as bumpy. In short, it was a lot of work and the temperature was probably at or below 20°. I had enough of snowcrete, in parlance of our times. My legs weren’t as strong as I though they would be – do more wall-sits and lateral exercises! So, I went back to Sidewinder and rejoined my sons.
That was more fun. I was pleased to learn neither had tumbled in my absence. My older son was happy because he could go all out with me back while the younger was pleased to show off his success.
Sidewinder is one of my favorite slopes in the Mid-Atlantic. It’s reasonably long cruiser with a nice curve in the top half, a steady pitch and a great view. It’s the ideal green circle slope that can be enjoyed by most ability levels. The snow is always good; the snowmakers take great care of it. It’s just a great confidence booster for newer skiers.
On our penultimate run of the night, 17 and I went head to head. I took a little easy at the top, while went full send. In short, he dusted me. I look forward to a rematch, but next time, we’re going up a level and I’m not holding back.
We took one more run before calling it a night. It was cold, very cold and we had places to be Monday morning. We skied over to the rental building, dropped off our equipment and headed for home.
Rating and final thoughts
ADHSki has the Shred Score, while I have the ● to ♦ scale.
This trip gets a ■.
Historically, I was of the mind that Whitetail was one of the best run ski areas in the Mid-Atlantic. I was also impressed with what Snowtime, the long-time owners, was able to get out of the hill. It’s not quite 1,700 feet of elevation at the summit, yet they get 935 feet of vertical drop. That’s better than Camelback or Seven Springs. It also faces east, if not east-southeast. Somehow, they made it work.
This was my first trip to Whitetail since 2019. It’s reputation has suffered in the years since Vail purchased it. I figured for $62 a head, it was worth a shot. It was apparently much more fun than the Super Bowl, though that would always be the case. It’s better to do something than watch something.
This season has seen lift problems and there has been speculation that the snowmaking pond has been low this season too (dcski.com forums). It was not really on my radar until I saw the ad. Massanutten, my ski area of choice of late, stopped half-day lift tickets too. That had become my go-to in recent years, even though it’s farther away and south.
The cold that we’ve been dealing with inside the Beltway was naturally much worse on the other side of the Mason Dixon line. I wish I had better socks than the Burton ones I just picked up. My Hot Hands toe warmers were not as helpful as I remembered either. I think I’ll need to get some of those $150 or more gloves I saw at Sea & Ski this week if I’m going to ski in cold like that again.
I want to highlight that the rental process online was easy and the rental shop was solid. It’s a far cry from filling out carbons in a warehouse like setting with no heat.
Getting there
Whitetail is located just across the Mason Dixon Line in Mercersburg, Pa. It’s about an hour and half from the Capital Beltway.
Previous Whitetail coverage
Mid-Atlantic skiing day trips from D.C.
A commuter skier’s guide to ski areas close enough to do in a day from the Washington, D.C. area. Over a decade’s worth of profiles and rankings
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