Whitetail Ski Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whitetail Ski Resort |
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Location | Montgomery Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States |
Nearest city | Clear Spring, Maryland |
Coordinates | 39°44′30″N 77°55′58″W / 39.74167°N 77.93278°W |
Vertical | 935 feet (285 m) |
Top elevation | 1,800 feet (550 m) |
Base elevation | 865 feet (264 m) |
Skiable area | 109 acres (0.44 km2) |
Runs | 25 total![]() ![]() ![]() |
Longest run | "Limelight" ~ 4,900 feet (1494 m) |
Lift system | 9 total (1 high-speed quad chairs, 3 quad chair, 2 double chairs, 2 surface) |
Lift capacity | 12,200 skiers/hr. |
Terrain parks | 3 |
Website | http://www.skiwhitetail.com |
Whitetail Mountain Resort is a popular place for fun all year round! It is located on Two Top Mountain in the Bear Pond Mountains of Pennsylvania. Whitetail opened for skiing in 1991.
A few years later, a company called Snow Time, Inc. bought Whitetail. This company also managed Liberty Mountain Resort and Ski Roundtop. In 2018, all three resorts (Whitetail, Liberty, and Roundtop) were bought by Peak Resorts.
Whitetail is found between Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and Clear Spring, Maryland. It is a great spot for people living in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. It's about 89 miles (143 km) from Washington, D.C. and 92 miles (148 km) from Baltimore, Maryland. This makes Whitetail one of the closest ski resorts to these big cities.
Besides skiing, Whitetail also has a fun snow tubing park. When there's no snow, you can enjoy other activities. Whitetail offers fly fishing and a large 72-par golf course.
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Designing the Mountain for Skiers
The ski trails at Whitetail Resort were planned very carefully. They were designed to keep skiers of different skill levels separate. This helps everyone have a safe and fun time.
There are special areas for first-time skiers, easy trails, medium trails, and very difficult trails. These areas are lined up across the mountain. Each area has its own ski lift. Trails also connect these different areas. Whitetail's trails are known for being straight and having a steady, continuous slope.
The design of the resort has won awards! Snow Country Magazine gave Whitetail its 1992 Best Overall Resort Design Award. Skiing Magazine also praised the resort for its great environmental design.
Ski Trails for Every Skill Level
Whitetail has many slopes with different levels of difficulty. This means there's a trail for everyone, whether you're just starting or you're an expert skier!
Here are the names of the trails:
- Easier Trails: Almost Home, Launching Pad, Ledgewood, Northern Lights, Sidewinder, Snowpark, Velvet
- More Difficult Trails: Upper Angel Drop, Lower Angel Drop, Bob Small's Traverse, Drop Out, Fallmount, Fanciful, Home Run, Limelight, Ridge Runner, Snow Dancer, Stalker
- Most Difficult Trails: Bold Decision, Drop In, Exhibition, Farside
- Terrain Parks: Half Pipe, Jib Junction, Park Place 101
Whitetail Mountain Facts
Here are some interesting facts and numbers about Whitetail Mountain Resort:
- Base Elevation: 865 feet (264 meters)
- Summit (Top) Elevation: 1,800 feet (549 meters)
- Vertical Rise: This is the difference between the top and bottom, which is 935 feet (285 meters).
- Average Yearly Snowfall: About 40 inches (1 meter) of snow each year.
- Number of Trails: 25 trails in total, including 2 terrain parks and a half pipe.
- Slope Difficulty Breakdown:
- 28% are for beginners.
- 44% are for intermediate skiers.
- 16% are for advanced skiers.
- 12% are terrain parks.
- Longest Run: The "Limelight" trail is about 4,900 feet (1,494 meters) long!
- Snowmaking: 100% of the trails can make snow, so there's always enough.
- Night Skiing: You can ski on 100% of the trails at night.
- Skiing Season: Usually from December to mid-March, depending on the weather.
Ski Season Length
Whitetail Resort usually has a ski season that lasts a medium amount of time. This is because of where it is located. The weather here changes between a Humid subtropical climate and a Temperate zone climate.
The ski season usually lasts between 80 to 100 days. Some years it might be shorter, and some years it might be longer. Whitetail often gets very busy on weekends and holidays. Weekdays are usually less crowded.
The snow conditions are usually excellent until early March. After that, the Sun starts to melt the snow during the day, and it freezes at night. The winter of 2017-2018 was very good for snow! This helped Whitetail sell more tickets and kept the ski season going until late March. That year, Whitetail had 108 days in its ski season, which was longer than the year before.