{"id":22978,"date":"2013-12-18T12:58:40","date_gmt":"2013-12-18T17:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yurasko.net\/wfy\/?p=22978"},"modified":"2013-12-18T12:58:40","modified_gmt":"2013-12-18T17:58:40","slug":"december-16-2013-whitetail-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2013\/12\/december-16-2013-whitetail-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"December 16, 2013 Whitetail recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Snowdancer\"<\/a>
\nMERCERSBURG, Pa. \u2014<\/strong> The cold late November and December has given ski areas across the Mid-Atlantic a head start on their seasons. That and a combination of use-it-or-lose-it vacation time led me to Whitetail for my first ever December skiing.<\/p>\n

\"\"Difficult traffic getting out of Northern Virginia delayed my arrival until 11 a.m. I was surprised to see about 100 cars in the parking lot. There was no line to get lift ticket and rental throughout the process. I went with some 170s instead of my usual 160s to see how I would do.<\/p>\n

\"empty<\/a><\/p>\n

I started on the green slopes serviced by the EZ Rider Quad<\/strong> lift. A run down Snow Park<\/strong> or Stalker<\/strong> confirmed that I had not yet done enough wall-sits, but I would be okay. It got a little sticky at the bottom though which was an omen for the day.<\/p>\n

Having limited time and eager to challenge myself more, I headed over to the Whitetail Express Quad<\/strong> and started skiing on the trails on the middle of the mountain. Fanciful<\/strong> was in pretty good shape on the top 2\/3s, but slowed me up at the bottom with its fresh, ungroomed machine made snow. Getting back to the lift was work. It was a good run though and probably had the most consistent conditions of the day. After a few runs on Fanciful, I headed over to Snow Dancer<\/strong> which mostly more of the same, but a little uneven snow-wise. After a run or two, I was able to find better paths to keep my momentum going close to the lift. Next, I head to the right of WEQ and skied down Homerun<\/strong> which was satisfying. Limelight was closed and several days from being ready, even with continuous snow-making in progress.<\/p>\n

I next took Angel Drop into the Drop, but made the mistake of heading onto Fallmount<\/strong> instead of over to the black diamonds. Fallmount might as well be cross country skiing because it nearly completely flat. I gave up and picked up the skis, dropped $9.84 on chicken tenders & fries basket and a Pepsi at the cafeteria.<\/p>\n

\"Exhibition<\/a><\/p>\n

For the second half of the day, it was another couple of runs down Homerun<\/strong> and Angel Drop<\/strong> and then over to the Experts Choice Quad. Exhibition<\/strong> and Bold Decision<\/strong> were the only two open. I took a few runs down Exhibition, then moved over to Ridgeline<\/strong> to head back onto Angel Drop. Following that, I head over to Bold Decision which was deserted, ungroomed and sticky. It was the toughest run of the day and not in a fun way. Going down it felt like a chore and I took a minor tumble. I hope the groomers got it for skiers later in the week.<\/p>\n

Running out of time, I skied Ridgeline back to the middle of the mountain and completed the day with a trip down Homerun.<\/p>\n

OTHER NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lift ticket and rentals cost me $105 and included a lesson that I did not use.<\/p>\n

\"snowmaking\"<\/a>
\nSnow guns were in use throughout the day, despite periods of bright sunshine. Getting a little blast from them was no big deal.<\/p>\n

The lodge reminds me of a college dining hall more than a ski lodge, but the lack of alpine ambiance is no big deal because the features are above average for mid-Atlantic resorts, though it is worth mentioning Whitetail is dry.<\/p>\n

Some of the trails had only about 60% of the surface area available for skiing since it is early in the season.<\/p>\n

Grading on a curve because it was mid-December, I award Whitetail a on a scale of green circle being the lowest and black diamond being the highest. More grooming was needed and Bold Decision probably should not have been open. Overall, I was pretty happy to knock another month skied in off my list. Also, with 935 feet of vertical drop, Whitetail is the best option for a quick trip from the DC area. I may be back to teach my son how to ski if the weather cooperates.<\/p>\n

GETTING THERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whitetail is about 75 miles from the Capital Beltway (I-495) via I-270, I-70, MD 68 and Blair Valley Road (watch your speed).<\/p>\n