WILMINGTON, N.Y. — A full six days ahead of schedule, Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington, N.Y., opened for the 2012-’13 skiing and riding season, Saturday, Nov. 17. Bright sunshine, mild temperatures and variable conditions made for a great first day as hundreds of skiers and riders rode the Facelift quad chair to the Upper Valley, Lower Valley and Fox trails.

“There were a lot of smiling faces today, plenty of people excited to see the mountain open,” said New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) president/CEO Ted Blazer. “The crew and staff at the mountain did an outstanding job getting it ready for today. This is day number one for what should be an exciting season ahead.”

Blazer noted that the recent weather and temperatures have been ideal for making snow. He went on to say that this allowed the mountain to open earlier than anticipated. Saturday marked the earliest opening for Whiteface since 2003-’04 when the season began on Nov. 16.

“We read about the mountain opening in the paper today,” added Ryan Cross, of Essex, N.Y. “My wife and I thought that it would be fun to see what the skiing would be like. I’m glad that we did, the snow’s great and the temperatures are perfect.”
Skiing and riding continues tomorrow, Sunday. Lift tickets are $25 and that money can be used towards the purchase of your 2012-’13 season pass.

The season pass deadline has been extended through tomorrow, for both Whiteface and Gore. The adult non-holiday pass is available for just $699, while the adult full-season pass is just $869. The young adult and college season pass can be purchased for $385 and the junior pass is only $299.

After this weekend, Whiteface will close and re-open Friday, Nov. 23, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. ORDA’s two other ski resorts, Gore Mountain, in North Creek, N.Y., and Belleayre Ski Resort, in Highmount, N.Y., are also slated to open during the holiday period, conditions permitting. Gore’s opening day is Friday, while Belleayre is scheduled to open on Saturday.

For conditions report at Whiteface this weekend, log on to www.whiteface.com.

— ORDA —
Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speedskating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.