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Family Ski Areas :: New York Ski Resort Reviews :: Skiing Whiteface / Lake Placid, NY |
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Family ski vacations at Whiteface / Lake Placid, New York
Who’ll love a family ski vacation at Whiteface / Lake Placid:- Families that want a lot of activities off the mountain
- Families skiing with younger kids
- Families looking for short lift lines during vacation weeks
- Families that like to ski a lot of vertical
- Families that like ski towns with a soul
- Olympic fans
Who’ll be disappointed with a family ski vacation at Whiteface / Lake Placid: - People who prefer to roll out of bed and walk to the ski slopes
- People who need a base village with glitz and glamour
- People who need thousands of acres of skiing terrain
Three reasons for loving family ski vacations at Whiteface / Lake Placid:
#1) Lake Placid:
Since Whiteface is in a six-million acre wilderness preserve, there’s not much left at Whiteface after the slopes close, other than the base lodge bar. But nine miles down the road is Lake Placid, a magical town that has hosted the Winter Olympic games twice.
That means that there’s a very cool outdoor ice skating oval where Eric Heiden won five gold medals — and an old Zamboni prepares it for speed skating and public skating every evening. That also means that you can ride bobsleds, take an elevator to the top of the 120 meter ski jump, and see the Herb Brooks Arena where the underdog American hockey team somehow toppled the unbeatable Russians in the most stunning sports event in modern history.
Beyond being an Olympic site, Lake Placid is an authentic ski town with a soul, with one of the best little bakeries anywhere and truly knowledgeable and friendly help at the local EMS store.
Even the mid-range and low-end hotels and motels have stunning views of the mountains or the lake. When dining out, it’s not inconceivable that your table might be next to a former Olympian, and you might be served by someone who aspires to be in the Olympics.
#2) Kids Kampus:
If Whiteface had a blank sheet of paper to design the best possible situation for kids learning to ski, they couldn’t have done much better than the Kids Kampus.
The Kids Kampus base area is separated from the main base area (although still connected to the rest of the mountain for families that will be navigating both). Why does that matter? First, you don’t have to worry about reckless speedsters running over your kids. Second, the lift operators are rather attentive to the needs of beginners and young children. Third, it fosters a nice little community focused your kids, getting the full attention of the staff and even the rest of the families using the Kids Kampus.
The Kids Kampus terrain itself is spectacular for young children or anyone learning to ski. There’s a long carpet for beginners, and a lift for novices that leads to a choice of long, well-groomed novice runs.
The nursery is large, bright and cheery. Parents with kids in the nursery or ski school receive a beeper in case your children need attention. It’s a great system that helps parents worry less about whether or not their children are doing OK.
The parking situation at the Kids Kampus is rather convenient for families lugging a lot of equipment. There’s an easy drop-off area at the base, and the parking is easy.
The one expectation-setting issue about the Kids Kampus is that the base lodge is vintage 1960, which is kind of kitchy and charming for those who don’t need to see automatic-sensor toilets. And the one potential issue is that you might have some navigational challenges if you have a child 12 or under in ski school and someone else 13 or over in the ski school over at the main base area. If those two things don’t bother you, you can’t do much better than the Kids Kampus.
#3) Wicked good skiing:
Whiteface isn’t all about the Kids Kampus. It also has the biggest vertical drop east of the Rockies. The steeps are worthy of Olympians. Yet intermediates still get variety with big views, cruisers or twisting terrain. One of the minor gaps is that novice skiers have limited options in between the bunny slopes and the blue slopes, but there’s plenty enough there to keep a smile on their face and sharpen their skills for succeeding on the blue slopes. But the variety at Whiteface makes it a great place for young kids, the family’s all-star skier, and everyone in between.
Getting to Whiteface and Lake Placid:
Whiteface and Lake Placid are less than 30 miles off the interstate, which makes getting there easier than most other destination resorts. But once off the interstate, a daytime drive might be easier for first-time visitors than a nighttime drive, as is the case with a lot of mountain resorts. And as should be the case whenever snow is on the road, be sure to drive with care as we saw a few cars traveling much too fast around a corner and spin off the road unnecessarily during a snow squall.
Communications at Whiteface and Lake Placid:
Verizon and Cingular coverage is pretty solid.
Dealing with Whiteface:
Whiteface has a reputation of being a cold mountain. While that may or not be true compared to other ski resorts, one of our days certainly qualified. I typically don’t like to ski when it’s in the single digits, yet my five-year-old bundled up and didn’t have any issues with the cold (see clothing tips for children). And I was surprised that I didn’t mind the temperature either because the enclosed gondola led to some really nice snow!
Bottom line for your family ski vacation at Whiteface / Lake Placid:
If you find the positives compelling, and aren’t bothered with the potential negatives discussed above, it’s a safe bet that Whiteface and Lake Placid will be a very special place for your family too. Even though we can ski pretty much anywhere we want, there’s no question that we’re heading back to Lake Placid.
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