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 Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business
Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.
25 Aug 2026
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23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
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23 Aug 2026
Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire
The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.
22 Aug 2026
Selwyn Snow Resort Closes Early as Rain Ends Its 2026 Season
Selwyn Snow Resort has called an early end to its 2026 season, a day after Victoria's Mount Baw Baw did the same. Rain on Thursday stripped what was left of the snowpack, and the cold nights needed to rebuild it through snowmaking never arrived. It's a rough result for a resort that only just found its footing again after being burned to the ground in the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and a multi-year rebuild. Here's how the season fell apart, and where Selwyn's been since the fire.
22 Aug 2026
Mt Baw Baw Becomes First Australian Resort to Close for 2026
Mt Baw Baw is calling time on its 2026 season this Sunday at 5pm, becoming the first Australian resort to close for the year after warm spells and rain wore through its snowpack. Lifts stop, but the resort stays open, entry fees get waived, and there's one last Bollywood Weekend before the lights go out. Fifty-seven days after opening, here's how the season ended and what it means for the rest of Australia's struggling snowpack.
21 Aug 2026
Arosa to Replace 40-Year-Old Hörnli Lifts With New Gondola and Chair
Arosa's Hörnli sector is getting its biggest overhaul in decades. The 1986 gondola and 1994 chairlift linking toward Lenzerheide are both being replaced, with capacity up, tower count down and a new base station lower on the hill. At roughly CHF 67 million, it is the largest single investment Arosa Bergbahnen has ever made - and the target opening has already slipped a year, to December 2028. Here is what is changing, and why the timeline moved.
20 Aug 2026
Sundance Mountain Resort Is Getting a New High-Speed Quad and More Back Mountain Terrain This Winter
Sundance Mountain Resort's back mountain is finally getting a proper lift. The Electric Horseman Express opens for 2026-27, unlocking a new bowl next to Bishop's Bowl and three expert gladed chutes across roughly 105 fresh acres - on top of the Storyteller ridge run that debuted in preview form last season. It's Sundance's biggest expansion since 1985, and it turns a three-lift slog into a single six-minute ride to Bearclaw Summit.
19 Aug 2026
Current conditions
Snow Report
Updated 25 Aug 2026
4,649ft
summit
+0in
new snow · last 24 hours
Partly Cloudy47°F / 58°F · W 12mph
Snowfall
24 hours
0in
48 hours
0in
7 days
0in
Base depth
0in
Season total
0in
Total lifts12
Live open status isn’t available right now.
28 Nov 2025 - 19 Apr 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 40 hours· Updated Aug 25, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
4,649 ftUpdated Aug 25, 2026 at 4:02 PMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.0"
Days 8–14
0.0"
Wed, Aug 26
Drizzle
Temp58° / 47°°F
Snow0.0"(3%)
Wind12 mph W
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Whiteface snow report
Get the latest Whiteface snow report — real-time snowfall, snow depth, and mountain weather for this New York resort, spanning 372m to 1417m in elevation.
Snow measurements
Base depth, summit depth, and recent snowfall are the core numbers to watch. At Whiteface, summit conditions (1417m) can differ noticeably from the base, so we break both out separately rather than showing a single average.
Weather conditions
Snow quality tracks closely with temperature and wind. We surface both alongside the snowfall data so you can judge whether conditions at Whiteface are holding up or starting to soften.
Data sources
We pull Whiteface's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 12 lifts, including 5 quad chairlifts and a gondola.
When to check
Snow reports are typically updated early morning and late afternoon. For the most current conditions, check back regularly, especially if a winter storm is approaching.