Whiteface - The Olympic Mountain

World-class Skiing in the Adirondacks

When you get to the top of Whiteface Mountain, you'll be at the top of Northeast skiing. No ski mountain in the east reaches higher than ours. Around you, dozens of Adirondack peaks jut into the horizon. The fresh air filling your lungs has just blown over a protected park larger than Yellowstone and Yosemite, combined. And below you lie trails that have led Olympic athletes to glory. American Phil Mahre won silver here in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Andrew Weibrecht, a Lake Placid local who grew up skiing at Whiteface, competed in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and brought home the bronze medal in the Super G. It's your turn.

Activities for All Seasons

Whiteface opened in 1958 and has earned its place in the annals of big-mountain skiing. It has the greatest vertical drop in the east, which means if pointing the boards downhill is your thing, you'll have plenty of opportunities. We regularly stage major national and international skiing events, yet welcome first-time skiers and riders every day. We have 86 trails (a third of which are rated for expert skiers), 11 lifts including a gondola, terrain parks, adrenaline-pumping glades skiing, and six Whiteface restaurants. Whiteface is the Olympic Mountain, which means not only can you carve the same turns as the world's best racers, you can visit the other Olympic facilities, like the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex and the Olympic Sports Complex, just down the road in Lake Placid.  This is a place that has brought the best out of world-class athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, all-mountain skiers and riders and beginners for years. It's your turn.

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Mailing Address: PO Box 1980, Wilmington, NY 12997  |  Physical Address: 5021 Route 86, Wilmington, NY 12997  |  Phone: 518.946.2223

  • Seasonal Information
  • Summer
  • Winter

Winter Operating Schedule

  • Opening Date: November 23rd  2012
  • Tentative Closing Date: April 14, 2013
  • Whiteface may extend season pending snow conditions.
  • Whiteface will be open Christmas day December 25, 2012

Whiteface Mountain Elevation

  • Base Elevation: 1,220'
  • Little Whiteface Elevation: 3,676'
  • Lookout Mountain Elevation: 4,000'
  • Highest Lift Terminus: 4,386'
  • Highest Skiable Terrain: The Slides at 4,650'
  • Peak Elevation: 4,867'

Whiteface Mountain Vertical Drop

  • 3,430 feet — The greatest vertical drop in the east
  • 3,166 feet — Lift serviced vertical drop

Whiteface Number of Trails

86

Longest Run on Whiteface

Wilmington Trail at 2.1 miles (total skiing and riding over 22 miles)

Whiteface Mountain Skiable Acres

  • 283 acres
  • 35 acres of in-bounds, off-piste double-black diamond wilderness terrain skiing on The Slides (conditions permitting)
  • 53 acres of glades skiing

Whiteface Terrain

  • 37% Expert
  • 43% Intermediate
  • 20% Beginner

Snowmaking at Whiteface

98% coverage using 235 guns and 40 miles of pipe (excluding The Glades and The Slides)

Whiteface Mountain Lifts

  • 1 eight-passenger gondola
  • 1 high-speed detachable quad
  • 1 fixed quad
  • 2 triples
  • 5 doubles
  • 1 conveyor lift

Tickets may be purchased at Whiteface after 3:00 p.m. for the next day or at the ORDA Store Main Street Lake Placid.

Lower Lifts Open: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Upper Lifts Open: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Cloudsplitter Gondola: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Foot passengers last ride up at 3:15 p.m.)
Ticket Booths: 8:00am – 3:30 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. on weekends and holidays.

Whiteface Nursery Hours

8:15 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Whiteface Rental Shop

8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. weekends and holidays 

Annual Snowfall
2011-12129
2010-11247
2009-10172
2008-09185
2007-08255
2006-07263
2005-06202 
2004-05143 
2003-04193 
2002-03162 
Ten Year Average195

Summer at Whiteface

Whiteface may have made its name in winter, it has the highest vertical drop in the east, after all but it does summer pretty well too.  Standing on its summit, you'll gaze out at the six million acre Adirondack Park.  That's more than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined, thick with white pines and glistening with crystalline lakes and meandering trout streams.  Around you stand New York's tallest peaks. To the east, Lake Champlain and Vermont's Green Mountains, and below, the towns of Wilmington and Lake Placid, the Olympic Village.

The warmer months make Whiteface a natural setting for outdoor enthusiasts of all levels and ages, whether you're looking for an adrenaline rush or just an afternoon of beautiful views with your family. Take a hike along the Stag Brook Falls trail or Bear Den Mountain, play a round of Disc Golf and check out the area's most exhilarating, challenging Mountain Biking terrain. Or gather the family for an afternoon of taking it all in with a Scenic Cloudsplitter Gondola Ride to the summit of Little Whiteface. Drive the Whiteface Veteran's Memorial Highway to the summit, and lean into the Adirondack breeze as you marvel at the world below you.