Whiteface and Gore: 03/25 and 03/26/2016

Looking to get a few more days on our passes before the season's over, the kids and I headed up to Whiteface on Friday and Gore on Saturday.

Gray skies and a socked-in summit up at Whiteface made Friday a lousy day for taking pictures, but we enjoyed mild temperatures and hero snow anyway. Getting one more chance to ski favorites like Mountain Run and Skyward in the final few days of the season somehow brings at least a measure of redemption to a disappointing season.

Mountain Run at Whiteface on Friday

Skyward. Limited visibility but good snow

Perhaps as a reward for enduring Friday’s dampness, the weatherman delivered a perfect forecast for Saturday: bright sun, a cloudless sky and temperatures in the 40s. Judging by Gore’s parking lot most skiers have given up on the season and moved on to spring activities, but those who turned out were treated to perfect spring conditions.

Frosting on the trees Saturday morning

New friends: Ray and his family skiing Lies

No spring day at Gore can be considered complete without at least a few runs through the bumps on Rumor. As fun as Rumor was though, Lies was our pick of the day. Lies seems to have that just-right exposure to the sun for spring skiing at its best.

Sylvie skiing Rumor

I swear we must have known half the skiers on the mountain. We skied every run with friends both old and new. Most skiers seemed to have other plans for Easter Sunday, so Saturday was a day filled with smiles and high-fives, the last hurrah for many. As we usually do at this time of year, we stayed up top enjoying our favorite runs – Rumor, Lies, Hawkeye, Chatiemac – until the late afternoon shadows overtook the trails.

Old friends: Martha skiing with Sylvie on Lies

There’s no doubt the end is near. Gore is now closed but may re-open for the weekend, conditions allowing. Whiteface has remained open with no word yet on a closing date. Enjoy these last days, next winter's a long way off.