Whiteface Mountain

Whiteface Mountain is located in the town of Wilmington, in Essex County, New York, in the Wilmington Wild Forest of the New York Forest Preserve. It is the fifth-highest mountain in New York, with an elevation of . Except for nearby Esther Mountain, the mountain is over from the other Adirondack High Peaks. This isolation offers impressive views in all directions from the summit, which attracts many tourists. On clear days, Lake Placid and the other High Peaks can be seen to the south and west, Lake Champlain and Vermont can be seen to the east, and Montreal can be seen to the north. The top of the mountain are above the treeline. Like the surrounding Adirondack region, Whiteface Mountain was covered by large glaciers during the most recent ice ages, which left prominent features on the mountain's slopes. The north, west, and east faces of the mountain are covered with prominent cirques separated by arêtes. One arête is now occupied by the hiking trail from the end of the Veterans Memorial Highway to the summit, while another is used by the Wilmington Trail. A long rock slide on the Southern face of the mountain, known as the Lake Placid slide, was used as an early trail to the summit. Climate Due to its bare summit and isolation from other mountains, Whiteface is exposed to westerly winds, which makes it an ideal location for meteorological studies. Weather observations have been recorded at the peak since 1937, when New York University and RPI established a meteorological station. Since 1957, data has been collected by the University at Albany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC). During the 1970s and 1980s, the ASRC analyzed cloud chemistry and acid rain over Whiteface. Whiteface Mountain has a Humid Continental (or hemiboreal) Climate (Dfb) according to the Köppen climate classification, with severely cold, snowy winters and cool to mild wet summers. The average snowfall at Whiteface Mountain is 190 inches per year, and the mountain trails are serviced by additional snowmaking. During the 2016–2017 season Whiteface boasted a record-setting 281 inches of natural snowfall. During an unprecedented arctic blast on February 4, 2023, the temperature fell to a record low of and a record wind speed of was recorded. }} == Whiteface Mountain Field Station ==

The Atmospheric Sciences Research Center at the University at Albany, in cooperation with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, conducts atmospheric monitoring and atmospheric research at the Whiteface Mountain (WFM) Field Station, which includes two fixed locations on WFM: The base site at 2016 ft elevation, and the summit site above tree line at 4867 ft elevation. Many of the same measurements are obtained at both the base and summit sites, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, methane and black carbon measurements. Measurements captured only at the WFM summit include: cloud water chemistry and ulftrafine particles, while measurements captured only at the WFM base include volatile organic compounds, PM2.5 mass and chemical composition, and precipitation chemistry. Weather monitoring is also conducted at WFM, including a NYS Mesonet station at the WFM base. The WFM summit sits within clouds ~30-60% of the time during the summer months (June through September)) to address other emerging trends, including the increasing abundance of organic compounds and growing influence of wildfire smoke on air quality and cloud chemistry. == Whiteface Mountain Ski Area ==

Whiteface ski area, opened in 1960, is run by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. It was a venue of the 1980 Winter Olympics, hosting all six of the alpine ski events. It was also used as a venue for the 2000 Goodwill Winter Games and for alpine skiing at the 2023 Winter World University Games. Whiteface's ski area contains 94 trails stretching over on of land. The Slides also provide an additional of skiable area on off-piste double-black diamond terrain. The longest run available is the Wilmington Trail at . Trails are accessible by one gondola, nine chairlifts, and two conveyor lifts. 99% of the trails have snowmaking coverage. ==History==

The earliest recorded ascent of Whiteface was made by surveyor John Richards in 1814. It was the first mountain in the Adirondacks to attract attention from tourists, due to its proximity to Lake Placid, and by 1859 there was a trail to the summit from nearby Wilmington. In July 1909, a fire lookout was established on the mountain. The original lookout was a pole frame structure with a canvas tent stretched over it. The shelter was later improved to a stone hut. In 1919, a steel Aermotor tower was built on the mountain. In the 1920s, the New York state government purchased of land on Whiteface Mountain from the Pardee family of Philadelphia and the J. J. Rogers Co. of Ausable Forks to add to the Forest Preserve. The Pardees gifted at the summit in 1929. Construction of the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway and Whiteface Castle was conceived and initiated prior to the Great Depression and was funded entirely by the state of New York, though the timing of the projects led to a widespread belief that they were Depression-era public works projects arising from the New Deal. A necessary constitutional amendment to fund a toll road was passed in 1927, and construction began in 1929 under then-New York State Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, eventually costing 1.25 million dollars and was dedicated to veterans of the Great War in a ceremony featuring Roosevelt, by then President, on September 14 of that year. Due to increased use of aerial fire detection, the fire tower was closed at the end of the 1970 fire lookout season. On May 23, 1972, the tower was removed by New York State Forest Rangers and Operations personnel, one of the first of many towers to be removed from Adirondack Mountains. The tower's historical sign remained on the mountain for an additional year. The sign was then removed and donated along with the tower to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. ==Ascent routes==

The Veterans Memorial Highway runs for up the slope of the mountain, terminating below the summit. Whiteface Castle, a cut stone and concrete structure built into the mountain, is at the end of the highway. From the adjacent parking lot there are two routes to the summit proper. The first route is the Stairway Ridge Trail, a footpath with handrails and intermittent concrete and stone steps approximately long. The second is a long tunnel into the core of the mountain. At the end of the tunnel is an elevator which rises to the summit. Two hiking trails reach the summit, one from Wilmington and the other from Lake Placid and Connery Pond. The trail from Connery Pond begins at a parking lot on New York State Route 86 and proceeds to the summit, for an elevation gain of . An alternative approach on this trail can be made by crossing Lake Placid by boat to Whiteface Landing, which intersects with the trail from the trailhead, and hiking the remaining to the summit. The Wilmington Trail begins on the Veterans Memorial Highway and is to the summit, for an elevation gain of . This trail intersects with an unmarked path to the summit of nearby Esther Mountain from the trailhead, and also passes by ski trails and lifts. The Wilmington Trail can also be reached from the Marble Mountain Trail, which begins at another parking lot on New York State Route 86. The two trails intersect from the Marble Mountain trailhead and from the Wilmington trailhead, adding to the total length of the route to Whiteface. ==Gallery==