Winter is right around the corner, and we are full throttle on improvement projects at Whiteface. The new quad has been taking shape with tower pours starting from the top and at the base drilling and blasting to drop the load height and accommodate a better grade from the base lodge. No more laboring uphill to get to the Bear chair. Starting this winter, you will be able to stroll out our front doors, snap on your boards, and slide right over to a shiny new SkyTrac quad. That will shuttle you to our cross course, the Bear, Wolf, and Fox trails, plus it lands right at the Alpine finish area and Freeway lift if you’re here for a race. Freeway is also getting an infrastructure upgrade with new bull wheel bearings on the top and bottom bull wheels, electrical upgrades, and a new primary feed. These improvements will facilitate a more efficient uphill access and alternative route for getting to the face.
Over the summer, we have added several substantial improvement projects to our completed list, included the completed full renovation of our Cloudsplitter Gondola. This update included a full refurbish with new gondola cabins, drive motors, lines, and a low voltage system. We also finished a similar update to the Face Lift this summer that included a new motor and an upgrade to Doppelmayr’s latest software for a safe, smooth, efficient ride. Both lifts have been DOT load tested and are ready to glide you uphill to enjoy winter days of sliding downhill.
Lifts aren’t the only thing we are hard at work on for 2022! Snowmaking is currently our most significant improvement project. This year we are in phase II of a three-phase snowmaking improvement project. Phase II brings us new motors and drives in our pump houses and almost 30,000 feet of replacement snowmaking pipe. Most of our existing line is from the 1980 Olympics. The new pipe will allow us to use the higher pressure from the new motors and drives to move more water up the mountain. We are also in the home stretch of the two-phase Legacy Lodge project. The kitchen equipment is in, and we are working on final tie-ins and finishes. The lower-level heated patio is poured and ready to host you for some mid-mountain respite.
Also on the improvements docket is a tremendous amount of infrastructure upgrades. The power lines on Whiteface were primarily installed before the 1980 Winter Olympics. Northline Utilities is replacing the cables. These updates provide us with more reliable power for our snowmaking system and lifts. Last but certainly not least, we’ve been working on the highway over the past four years. We have replaced the elevator we paved the road, and right now, we have a contractor replacing the copper roof on the Roundhouse. It’s been an exceptional construction season for us. At Whiteface, it’s all about the experience. We have been working hard to make sure the legacy of Whiteface is represented through our commitment to improvements and brings you winter memories to last a lifetime. We can’t wait to see you on the slopes!