New York, Usa
Whiteface
300 acres, 89 runs at Lake Placid. East's greatest vertical drop, 1980 Olympic venue, ORDA-operated.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
28 Nov 2025
Closes
19 Apr 2026
Days open
142
Annual snow
13ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Whiteface Mountain's summit reaches 4,649 feet, dropping 3,430 vertical feet to a base at 1,220 feet across 89 runs spread over 300 acres near Lake Placid, New York. Terrain splits 44 per cent intermediate, 25 per cent advanced, 24 per cent beginner and 7 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 150 inches. Eleven lifts, including five quad chairs and a gondola, serve the mountain alongside three double chairs, one triple chair and two surface lifts.
Whiteface Mountain holds the distinction of offering the greatest vertical drop of any ski area east of the Rocky Mountains, a defining feature that has anchored its reputation since the mountain's Olympic era. Its Lake Placid setting, steeped in Winter Olympics history, gives Whiteface a genuine international profile among American ski resorts.
Construction of a new, larger ski destination began in 1957, and Whiteface Mountain Ski Center officially opened on 25 January 1958, relocating skiing from the original 1948 Marble Mountain site. A first major expansion in 1966 brought the mountain's vertical drop to over 3,200 feet, and a second expansion costing 14.5 million US dollars further prepared Whiteface to host the alpine skiing events, downhill, giant slalom and slalom, at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
In 1981, New York State placed responsibility for maintaining, managing and promoting the Lake Placid Olympic venues under a single organisation, the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Under ORDA management, more than 26 million US dollars was invested in expansion and improvements between 1998 and 2008. Adult daily tickets run from 79 to 109 US dollars.
3,428ft
Vertical
89
Runs
300 acres
Skiable
13ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
89 runs across 300 acres skiable
Whiteface spreads 89 runs across 300 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 44%, with 21 beginner runs to find your feet and 28 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
89
runs
89 runs across 4 grades
Beginner21 runs · 24%
Intermediate39 runs · 44%
Advanced22 runs · 25%
Expert6 runs · 7%
Time it right
When to visit Whiteface
The 2025-26 season at Whiteface Mountain ran from 28 November 2025 to 19 April 2026, a roughly twenty-week season, among the longest in the Northeast, supported by average annual snowfall of around 150 inches. This substantial season length and snowfall total reflect the mountain's considerable elevation and Adirondack setting.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to the mountain's varied terrain across its full 3,430-foot vertical drop. Whiteface's Olympic heritage and Lake Placid setting draw a genuinely international visitor base alongside strong regional Northeast visitation, supported by the SKI3 season pass shared with fellow ORDA-operated Gore Mountain and Belleayre.
As one of three state-run ski centres under the Olympic Regional Development Authority, Whiteface benefits from coordinated investment and marketing alongside its sister mountains. School holiday periods and the broader Lake Placid tourism calendar bring substantial visitation throughout the season, supported by the village's extensive Olympic-era visitor infrastructure.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and Whiteface's Olympic legacy is not confirmed in available resort information. Since ORDA assumed management in 1981 following the 1980 Winter Olympics, the mountain has continued to build on this international sporting heritage each season. Whiteface's status as the East's greatest vertical drop remains its defining seasonal draw.
Season 2025 - 2026
28 Nov 2025
Opens
19 Apr 2026
Closes
142
Days open
13 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Whiteface, and where to stay
Whiteface Mountain sits near Lake Placid, New York, in the Adirondack High Peaks region, with a base elevation of 1,220 feet and a summit at 4,649 feet across a 3,430-foot vertical drop over 300 acres. This setting places the resort within one of the most storied Winter Olympics venues in American history.
Lake Placid, host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, provides extensive lodging, dining and Olympic-heritage attractions within a short drive of the mountain, giving Whiteface a uniquely rich base-area visitor experience. The broader Adirondack High Peaks region surrounds the resort with extensive additional outdoor recreation.
New York State Route 86 provides direct access to the resort from Lake Placid village. Winter driving conditions in this high-elevation Adirondack setting can include substantial snow and ice, and the route is well maintained given its role connecting Lake Placid's Olympic venues. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain itself, though Lake Placid offers local transit options.
Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear, and the more distant Albany International Airport, serve the broader region, with Whiteface's Lake Placid setting drawing visitors willing to travel for its combination of Olympic history and the East's greatest vertical drop.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Whiteface, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
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31 Aug 2026
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Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
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26 Aug 2026
Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert
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26 Aug 2026
Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business
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25 Aug 2026
Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed
I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.
23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
23 Aug 2026
Whiteface Lift System
Whiteface Mountain runs eleven lifts: three double chairs, five quad chairs, one triple chair, one gondola and two surface lifts, serving 89 runs across 300 acres near Lake Placid. This network supports the mountain's considerable 3,430-foot vertical drop, the greatest of any ski area east of the Rocky Mountains.
The lift infrastructure has developed substantially since Whiteface Mountain Ski Center's January 1958 opening, through a first major expansion in 1966 that pushed the mountain's vertical drop past 3,200 feet. A second, 14.5 million US dollar expansion prepared the mountain's lift and trail network specifically to host the alpine skiing events at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Since the Olympic Regional Development Authority assumed management responsibility in 1981, more than 26 million US dollars was invested in expansion and improvements between 1998 and 2008 alone, supporting the current gondola and quad-chair-dominated network that carries skiers efficiently up the mountain's considerable vertical.
The five quad chairs and gondola distribute the bulk of skier traffic across Whiteface's intermediate-and-advanced-weighted terrain, while the double chairs, triple chair and surface lifts serve additional beginner and lower-mountain terrain. Specific further planned lift projects beyond the ORDA-era improvements are not confirmed in available resort information. Whiteface's lift network remains built specifically to serve the East's most dramatic vertical relief.
12lifts across 5 types
1
Gondola
5
Quad Chairs
1
Triple Chair
3
Double Chairs
2
Surface Lifts
Whiteface lift system
Whiteface is served by 12 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Whiteface intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.