Memories Made at Whiteface and Lake Placid
On my last vacation I was lucky enough to get the chance to go skiing with my friends at Whiteface. My friend’s family rented a cabin on the edge of Mirror Lake, which is where we stayed for the three days we were in Lake Placid. The three days spent in the High Peaks were some of the best I've had recently and I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone to Ski the Face.
Skiing Whiteface for the First Time
Peter, Erin, and I arrived at the cabin just in time for dinner on Sunday night. We were greeted by a warm fire and delicious food. After settling in, we planned our day of skiing at Whiteface. It was my first time skiing at this well-known mountain and I was overly excited. It was also both my friend’s first time and they were just as anxious to hit the slopes. The next morning we rose before the sun, gathered our bags and headed toward the mountain. Driving around Mirror Lake and past Main Street, the weather foreshadowed what would be a fantastic day of skiing. The sun rose and cast a crisp gold over the snow-covered trees. A deep blue sky dominated the few clouds and the temperature was more than bearable.
After we got our lift tickets, we grabbed a table and quickly dressed in warm skiing attire. Luckily, we bought our tickets ahead of time online to beat the lines so we could get out faster. We headed for the gondola and in no time we were headed to Little Whiteface Peak. When we got to the summit, my friends and I could not help but to take in the beautiful view from the lookout. We were fortunate enough to be able to take in the view of a good majority of the High Peaks and Mirror Lake. We got to see the view from (almost) the top without having to do all of the hiking.
Without being able to wait any longer, we clipped into our skis and took off down the mountain. One-by-one we flew past each other, enjoying the freshly made snow and beautiful scenery. We shot down Excelsior, cut into Lower Northway then bypassed into Upper Valley which eventually took us into Fox where we met back up with the gondola. Our day continued like this: hopping on the gondola, skiing down blue squares, black diamonds and green circles and then repeating. After many hours of carving up the slopes we headed back to the cabin. After dinner, we went out and walked into town.
Out and About in Lake Placid
Lake Placid is a warm place at night. The locals and store owners are friendly, the food great, and the memories made there last a life time. My friends and I decided to go skating at the historic Olympic Speed Skating Oval. For a nominal fee you can choose to hit the ice during one of their two-hour public skating blocks, plus you can rent a pair of skates right on sight. We were went from 7 - 9 p.m. We skated until they had to take us off the ice and realized we had worked up a hunger for something sweet.
After leaving the Oval, we headed onto Main Street and window shopped — I lit up like a little kid when I first saw the sign for the candy store, a Pinch or a Pound.
The colorful display of a plethora of candy caught my eye and I couldn’t control my feet as they seemed to move on their own into the store. Personally, I have a special tooth saved for only the sweetest of sweets. It yelped with happiness as I tossed free samples of candy taken out of the jars behind the counter: Red Hots, Toxic Waste Smogballs, Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears…I couldn’t get enough. I settled with a bag of Lego Candy and a wide variety of Sour Belts, and left the store with only happy thoughts. My friends shared my happiness, and we took off back to the cabin with smiles on our faces after a night of skating and successful window shopping.
Another Perfect Day
The next day, we started just as early as the day before and we were lucky enough to have the same weather conditions, too. We set into the same skiing routine and had non-stop fun on the Face. This time, on one of our first runs, we took advantage of the Face Lift. At the tippy-top we met a wonderful view of the High Peaks basking in the morning sunlight. It surely was a sight to see. Actually, you can see it for yourself — it's the main image for this blog at top of page!
When are we coming back?
After another wonderful day of skiing with fantastic conditions, it was time to head home. Packing my bags back at the cabin and collecting my things, I realized I was exhausted. However, it wasn’t the “bad” tired where you just want to fall down and go to sleep. My body was physically tired from the two days of skiing and having a fun time with my best friends. I left Lake Placid with sleepy eyes, a bag of candy, and the sensation in my legs that I was still skiing. I was a very happy and exhausted guy with memories made in Lake Placid and Whiteface to last a lifetime.
Dreaming of your Lake Placid ski vacation? Check out all the cool packages and places to stay and then browse through the events page — there's always something going on in the Adirondacks.
