More Slides Please

[asland]

I've skied these slides and love them.

Whiteface has to dig deep down to find a way to open the slides more this year.

I backcountry ski stuff that have way worse conditions than the slides and have a safe and great time. Colden, gothics, and Marcy gets hiked and skied all the time in worse conditions. The slides sit closed.

Our next door neighbors -Stowe, Sugarbush, and Jay - turn a blind eye to people hiking or skiing into their side-country in often far worse conditions than the slides are. The slides sit closed.

Snowbird and Alta allow skiers out into massively steep rock strewn on Mount Baldy most winter days in conditions rivaling the slides. The slides sit closed.

With a new mountain manager it is a perfect time to revisit the rules of the slides. Whiteface must relax their rules regarding the opening of the slides this year. It's in my best interest, your best interest and frankly in the best interest of Whiteface.

Open the Slides, please!


asland

 

[Baldtodabone]

If you ski back country why are you worried about the slides. If they open them more its only a chance for people that have no business skiing them to be in there. I've almost killed myself avoiding tourists doing snowplows in the slides, I'm not even exaggerating. If you know where to go and when to go in the back country do it. The bottom line is that Whiteface has to plan for the worst skier out there. It's no easy task to get an injured person out of the slides. Yes I think it would be great if conditions permitted and they could open them more. But there's a lot of factors that we don't even know about that contribute to opening the slides. It doesn't really come down to the Mtn management, its up to the ski patrol and what they think is safe.

 

[asland]

If you ski back country why are you worried about the slides.

Because the slides are great trails. You know when you ride Chair 6 - summit chair - you look over there and say to yourself, I wish I was over there!"

If they open them more its only a chance for people that have no business skiing them to be in there. I've almost killed myself avoiding tourists doing snowplows in the slides, I'm not even exaggerating. If you know where to go and when to go in the back country do it. The bottom line is that Whiteface has to plan for the worst skier out there. It's no easy task to get an injured person out of the slides. Yes I think it would be great if conditions permitted and they could open them more. But there's a lot of factors that we don't even know about that contribute to opening the slides.

I agree that whiteface needs to plan to keep there skiers safe but using your criteria " The bottom line is that Whiteface has to plan for the worst skier out there." whiteface would have to close all the advanced trails and all the intermediate trails just to keep the beginner safe. That does not make sense. Those are unreasonable standards. Those standards are far out of whack with what other ski areas in our region use.

It doesn't really come down to the Mtn management, its up to the ski patrol and what they think is safe.

I agree with you that whiteface ski patrol makes the day to day decisions on whether to open a trail but the management sets up the basic rules and tone that they implement. I want to see both management and ski patrol take another look at the criteria they use to open the slides and loosen it to come inline with criteria used to open trails all over the northeast.

asland

 

[Xtremeskiier]

I agree 100%. and if someone cant read the giant orange warning signs, they deserve to tumble down the slides. It would be nice for management to open them, they are nice and they are supposed to be difficult (that's why its a double black)

 

[mattchuck2]

If you ski back country why are you worried about the slides. If they open them more its only a chance for people that have no business skiing them to be in there. I've almost killed myself avoiding tourists doing snowplows in the slides, I'm not even exaggerating. If you know where to go and when to go in the back country do it. The bottom line is that Whiteface has to plan for the worst skier out there. It's no easy task to get an injured person out of the slides. Yes I think it would be great if conditions permitted and they could open them more. But there's a lot of factors that we don't even know about that contribute to opening the slides. It doesn't really come down to the Mtn management, its up to the ski patrol and what they think is safe.

+1. I think they run it well. This means, of course, that I've never skied them (some days that they were open, you needed a beacon and shovel, some days they looked skiable but weren't open), but I recognize that the mountain has to run it like that to keep the riff raff out.

 

[tjf67]

If you ski back country why are you worried about the slides. If they open them more its only a chance for people that have no business skiing them to be in there. I've almost killed myself avoiding tourists doing snowplows in the slides, I'm not even exaggerating. If you know where to go and when to go in the back country do it. The bottom line is that Whiteface has to plan for the worst skier out there. It's no easy task to get an injured person out of the slides. Yes I think it would be great if conditions permitted and they could open them more. But there's a lot of factors that we don't even know about that contribute to opening the slides. It doesn't really come down to the Mtn management, its up to the ski patrol and what they think is safe.

If you almost injured yourself avoiding people doing the snow plow then you were the one out of control. I do the snow plow all the time if you cant check your speed behind me then you are at fault not me. I have ben skiing them for year and I dont notice vey many people in there that dont belong. Yeah some are better than others but people have to learn somehow.

 

[mattchuck2]

If you almost injured yourself avoiding people doing the snow plow then you were the one out of control. I do the snow plow all the time if you cant check your speed behind me then you are at fault not me. I have ben skiing them for year and I dont notice vey many people in there that dont belong. Yeah some are better than others but people have to learn somehow.

They should learn on some other trail, and then take what they've learned to the slides. I have no problem avoiding bad skiers (I do it all the time at Whiteface :lol, but I'd much rather that they weren't on the slides when I finally get my chance to rip em up.

 

[whipple]

One think we forget is the Litigious Society we live in. I remember when we could ski just about anywhere with out repercussions. It comes down to lawyers and insurance company's :evil:

 

[asland]

One think we forget is the Litigious Society we live in. I remember when we could ski just about anywhere with out repercussions. It comes down to lawyers and insurance company's :evil:

Come on! New York State's Lawyers for Whiteface are just as good as the lawyers that figured out how to make this work for Jay, Smuggler's Notch, Sugarbush, Stowe... Again the rules that whiteface has imposed do not make sense. They are unreasonable. Those standards are far out of whack with what other ski areas in our region use.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

One think we forget is the Litigious Society we live in. I remember when we could ski just about anywhere with out repercussions. It comes down to lawyers and insurance company's :evil:

Come on! New York State's Lawyers for Whiteface are just as good as the lawyers that figured out how to make this work for Jay, Smuggler's Notch, Sugarbush, Stowe... Again the rules that whiteface has imposed do not make sense. They are unreasonable. Those standards are far out of whack with what other ski areas in our region use.

I don't know this for a fact, but I was told that the laws are more strict in NY for ski areas then they are in VT. For instance, you can't legally allow boundry to boundry skiing at a NY ski area.

 

[tjf67]

If you almost injured yourself avoiding people doing the snow plow then you were the one out of control. I do the snow plow all the time if you cant check your speed behind me then you are at fault not me. I have ben skiing them for year and I dont notice vey many people in there that dont belong. Yeah some are better than others but people have to learn somehow.

They should learn on some other trail, and then take what they've learned to the slides. I have no problem avoiding bad skiers (I do it all the time at Whiteface :lol, but I'd much rather that they weren't on the slides when I finally get my chance to rip em up.

So if someone is good enough to get down the slides but dont look as "cool" as you they shouldn't be in there. Thats BS.

 

[tjf67]

One think we forget is the Litigious Society we live in. I remember when we could ski just about anywhere with out repercussions. It comes down to lawyers and insurance company's :evil:

Come on! New York State's Lawyers for Whiteface are just as good as the lawyers that figured out how to make this work for Jay, Smuggler's Notch, Sugarbush, Stowe... Again the rules that whiteface has imposed do not make sense. They are unreasonable. Those standards are far out of whack with what other ski areas in our region use.

I don't know this for a fact, but I was told that the laws are more strict in NY for ski areas then they are in VT. For instance, you can't legally allow boundry to boundry skiing at a NY ski area.

In Vermont someone can't sue for lets say you are bald. In ny warrented or not they can. I forget what the legal terms are for it but it is BS

 

[I:)skiing]

Only been to WF 6 times in winter season. Slides have not been opened, so I have not skied them, but looked at them in a wishing kind of way.

Set up a becon access gate---to cull out "non-prepared" skiers. I know that anyone can get a becon at any time and snow plow, but as a general statement, this would not happen. When conditions are perfect----open the gate to anyone as it is now.

With this idea...maybe they could open the slides 10 or more days, more often per yr.


All this said....Mtn mgmt points to ski patrol who Must take the conservative approach. I would never blame Ski Patrol....

If the guidelines were loosed by mtn mgmt "in writing" then Ski Patrol could be more liberal with opening.

 

[mattchuck2]

So if someone is good enough to get down the slides but dont look as "cool" as you they shouldn't be in there. Thats BS.

I didn't say that . . . we were talking about a hypothetical skier doing snowplows on the Slides . . . That guy should definitely not be in there.

 

[mattchuck2]

I don't know this for a fact, but I was told that the laws are more strict in NY for ski areas then they are in VT. For instance, you can't legally allow boundry to boundry skiing at a NY ski area.

I heard that too (probably the same kind of place you heard it - "mountain management"). But in the New York State Law Concerning Ski Area Safety, the only thing I can find that would prohibit boundary to boundary skiing is this little nugget:

Inspect each open ski slope or trail that is open to the public within the ski area at least twice a day, and enter the results of such inspection in a log which shall be available for examination by the commissioner. The log shall note:

(1) the general surface conditions of such trail at the time of inspection (powder, packed powder, frozen granular, icy patches or icy surface, bare spots or other surface conditions);

(2) the time of inspection and the name of the inspector; and

(3) the existence of any obstacles or hazards other than those which may arise from:

(i) skier use;

(ii) weather variations, including freezing and thawing; or

(iii) mechanical failure of snow grooming or emergency equipment which may position such equipment within the borders of a slope or trail.

i.e. by law, Patrollers have to inspect every open area twice a day and write a report on it. It would require an awful lot of manpower (or an awful small mountain) to keep a boundary to boundary policy in NYS.

 

[Lbtchnlgs]

It's a tough debate. You can't push opening when there is moderate avy danger, if someone gets caught the isn't really worth it. Rescues take lost of trained professionals, money, and negative publicity. Look at what happened out West this past winter. People were afraid to ski in-bounds due to avy dangers.

Unfortunately you can't bomb in the adks or I'm sure they'd be open 70% of the time. It would be a MASSIVE draw and good for business, but it's just not possible.

 

[asland]

It's a tough debate. You can't push opening when there is moderate avy danger, if someone gets caught the isn't really worth it. Rescues take lost of trained professionals, money, and negative publicity. Look at what happened out West this past winter. People were afraid to ski in-bounds due to avy dangers.

Unfortunately you can't bomb in the adks or I'm sure they'd be open 70% of the time. It would be a MASSIVE draw and good for business, but it's just not possible.

How many days a winter is there significant avy danger at whiteface? Wouldn't this same avy danger close skyward, cloudspin...

Although avalanches are possible - maybe a few days per year.- anything is possible- and precautions should be taken - Significant avalanches are just not that big of an issue at whiteface.

Avalanche danger may close the slides a few days but the slides were closed every day last year.

 

[whitefaceman]

It's a tough debate. You can't push opening when there is moderate avy danger, if someone gets caught the isn't really worth it. Rescues take lost of trained professionals, money, and negative publicity. Look at what happened out West this past winter. People were afraid to ski in-bounds due to avy dangers.

Unfortunately you can't bomb in the adks or I'm sure they'd be open 70% of the time. It would be a MASSIVE draw and good for business, but it's just not possible.

How many days a winter is there significant avy danger at whiteface? Wouldn't this same avy danger close skyward, cloudspin...

Although avalanches are possible - maybe a few days per year.- anything is possible- and precautions should be taken - Significant avalanches are just not that big of an issue at whiteface.

Avalanche danger may close the slides a few days but the slides were closed every day last year.

didnt they even have a small avvy on upper skyward midway through last season?...yet it was still open for most of the second half

 

[NPN]

It's a tough debate. You can't push opening when there is moderate avy danger, if someone gets caught the isn't really worth it. Rescues take lost of trained professionals, money, and negative publicity. Look at what happened out West this past winter. People were afraid to ski in-bounds due to avy dangers.

Unfortunately you can't bomb in the adks or I'm sure they'd be open 70% of the time. It would be a MASSIVE draw and good for business, but it's just not possible.

How many days a winter is there significant avy danger at whiteface? Wouldn't this same avy danger close skyward, cloudspin...

Although avalanches are possible - maybe a few days per year.- anything is possible- and precautions should be taken - Significant avalanches are just not that big of an issue at whiteface.

Avalanche danger may close the slides a few days but the slides were closed every day last year.

didnt they even have a small avvy on upper skyward midway through last season?...yet it was still open for most of the second half

Yes.

It happened early a.m., before the lift was open to the public.

 

[SNOWHERE]

It is depressing how little the're open.I have a feeling the SV glades will be the same.But it's not just Whiteface,I'd like to know how many days the front four at Stowe were open.I'll bet not many,considering 300 inches ayear.