TONS OF SNOW AT WHITETAIL
by Paul Maraschiello

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This winter, we were hit by two giant snowstorms that dumped over 36 inches of snow on the streets. As a result, there is still plenty of snow at Whitetail, just over an hour's drive north of Washington, DC. With all that snow, skiers and riders flocked to Whitetail, just over ah hour from both Washington, DC, Baltimore and Northern Virginia. There was a long line for tickets but the staff at Whitetail made sure that it moved as quickly as possible.

The sun was out and I was in the mood for some excellent skiing. Whitetail did not let me down. Riders and skiers from Washington, Baltimore, Southern Pennsylvania, and Virginia all were there to enjoy all the snow. Don't hang up your skis and boards, head to Whitetail for fun on the slopes. Local skiers often gage the snow depth at neighboring ski areas by the snow depth on their front lawn, so they mobbed this ski area after our big snowfall. As I was skiing alone, I found that the singles line on the high-speed quad had me up on the hill in no time at all.

I headed over to the back side and really enjoyed the steep slope that leads to the best expert terrain at Whitetail. Exhibition was bumped up and I had a lot of fun challenging myself in the moguls under the chairlift. Bold Decision was in really great shape. It is the steepest trail at Whitetail and I spent most of the day skiing that slope run after run. I took a run down Farside but went back to Bold Decision. It is my kind of slope and had a really great morning skiing on the hill.

For lunch, I had a burger on the deck. It was filling and tasted great after a morning on skis. After eating my fill, I was back in the singles line for a lot more skiing.

I spent most of the afternoon on the Expert's Choice Quad, which again I accessed by a short steep trail called Drop In, which comes off the left side of Angledrop. This chairlift brings you to the "Black Diamond" terrain at Whitetail, providing almost a 1/2 mile of the most challenging terrain within an hour of the beltway. The expert trails are called Bold Decision, Exhibition and Farside. These expert slopes will provide enough steep terrain and bumps to gratify any advanced skier. The lift line is usually the short and the skiing thrill factor long.

The expert trails at Whitetail may not be as long as those at Aspen, Colorado or Killington, Vermont but they will allow you to perfect your skills on steep terrain so that you will be able to hold your own on the "Black Diamond" trails at any ski area. When they let the moguls really build up on Bold Decision, you get a small taste of what it is like to ski a challenging mogul run. It is every bit as challenging as the steepest, man-eating moguls any ski area has to offer, it is just not as long.

Whitetail has enjoyed a ski season longer than most local skiers realize. The season usually starts just before Christmas and this year should run long after St. Patrick's Day. When others are dusting off their golf clubs, Washington area skiers and snowboarders can enjoy excellent ski conditions. Whitetail has almost 1,000 vertical feet of skiing, and keeps me in shape for the really big ski areas.

Snowboarders are delighted by the half pipe and Snowboard Park, known as the Phat Zone. The Snowboard Park has been relocated to the intermediate Stalker Trail and now has its own chair lift, which takes a lot of the pressure off the rest of the slopes. The Snowboard Park features a number of snow-made components like tabletops, spines and quarter pipes, mailbox slides and other stationary objects where the "gnarly" can take a really "hard hit". They have obstacles formed from snow, to vary the terrain of the park to provide a riders an awesome time. If you're looking for some "hard hits" and "rad air," the new improvements at Whitetail will really turn you on. Boogie down the half pipe, take a "hard hit" off the tabletop, or cruse down the slopes at Whitetail.

Novices access Whitetail's beginner trails by using the U-Me double chairlift which allows them to ski Velvet and Almost Home. The Lift-Off Quad was really crowded this day and brings beginners to Northern Lights and Fist Track. All of these trails are gentle and wide, a perfect place to learn to ski or board. The Easy-Rider Quad also had a big crowd but Whitetail Express Quad whisked me to the intermediate trails that I use to access the back side. The trails off the Express Quad were in really good shape but I preferred to ski on the back side where the lines were shorter and trails more challenging.

The Express Quad has three intermediate trails. The trails this chairlift accesses, offers over 2/3 of a mile of slopes with a very consistent pitch. Limelight is an intermediate slope that runs right under the chairlift and it was in good shape, as were all the trails. Fanciful, off to the left, offered a mixture of small moguls and groomed intermediate terrain. Snow Dancer is between Fanciful and Limelight and was groomed smooth, as was Angledrop and Home Run.

There is a NASTAR course on Angledrop for those that enjoy racing. The intermediate terrain serviced by the Express Quad is an excellent place to improve your skiing skills, or just have fun cruising the mountain.

The excellent skiing found in the Washington, D.C. area from Christmas until April is a well-kept secret. On most days, the long lift lines are gone, high-speed chairlifts whisk skiers and snowboarders up the mountain for days of fun on the snow without the bone-chilling cold our neighbors to the north must endure.

The skiing can be excellent at this beautiful ski resort, nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania, just a few miles from Hagerstown, Maryland.

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