White Pine to open Thanksgiving Day
Ski Pinedale! Downhill skiing and snowboarding just 10 miles from Pinedale
by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
November 22, 2006
White Pine Ski Resort is projected to open on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, for the 2006-2007 winter season.
"It is early season conditions," said Stuart Thompson of White Pine. "It won't be 'Fast and Wild Skiing' due to the thin snow cover. But it will be a great weekend to get your legs back under you for the season. It will be a great day to ski for the kids. Parents can ski with them a bit, then sit on the deck of the lodge with a beer and watch the kids ski on Little Spirit. Opening day will be a good day to relax and not go aggressively after the skiing," he said.
White Pine is currently making snow and watching the weather and the prediction of 40% chance of snow on Thanksgiving Day. The National Weather Service is advising that a strong storm system will move into Wyoming on Thanksgiving, bringing more snow to the mountains.
"Big air and high speed won't be the word of the day," Thompson said about Thursday's opening. All of the Wyoming ski areas are taking conditions on a day-by-day basis for opening. "But it will still be a great weekend in the mountains, so come on up."
Conditions are best on the groomed trails where they've supplemented snowpack with man-made snow. "Stay on the groomed trails and don't go into the trees," Thompson said. Both lifts will be running. From Great Spirit Lift, Bonneville, Wind River and Lower Fremont will be best. All of Little Spirit will be open.
Approximately 30% of the terrain will be available on opening day. Currently, there are 16 inches of snow total depth, and there are limited runs open. As snow depth increases with new storms, more runs will be opened. The Ski & Sport Shop, cabins, restaurant and bar will all be open daily through the winter season.
Lift hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm daily. A full-day lift ticket is only $32.00. Half day passes for all lifts $22.00. A pass for the Little Spirit lift is $13.00. The Ski and Sport Shop is open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Ski and snowboard rental equipment is available, as well as a complete line of equipment in their retail shop.
Lunch is available daily. A supper menu is available for sandwiches Monday through Thursdays. Dinner is available Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Reservations are appreciated, but not required. A call even an hour in advance for dinner is a big help to the staff plan for dinner guests.
White Pine has two, state-of-the-art, triple chair lifts. The resort has more than 25 trails and a vertical drop of 1,100 feet. Elevation at the top is 9,500 feet. The base is at 8,400 feet. 30% of the trails are advanced, 45% are intermediate, and 25% are rated beginner. The resort is a family-oriented ski area, offering downhill skiing and snowboarding. Free Nordic ski trails are accessible right from the lodge. Ski and snowboard lessons are available.
New for the 2007 winter season are luxury duplex log cabins located near the lodge. These three-story cabins are furnished and have a kitchen, loft and fireplace. One and two-bedroom cabins are available. Call the business office at 307-367-6606 for more information, current rates and to make reservations.
Catering services are also available at White Pine. Make reservations as soon as possible for Christmas parties. (If you are planning a summer wedding and want to reserve the lodge, it is not too early to contact them to make those plans as well since they book up far in advance.)
White Pine has two webcams that show current conditions. One cam is on the base lodge and shows the view of the lifts and runs. The other is located on the Ski Patrol hut near the Great Spirit Lift and shows conditions at the top of the runs. These cams photos are on the White Pine website and here on Pinedale Online.
White Pine posts a daily snow condition report on their website giving temperature, snow depth, weather forecast, daily road condition update and any upcoming news or events. This report also goes out to area radio and news media, TV stations and snow-sport related websites.
For current conditions and more information about the ski area, call the 24-hour White Pine SnoPhone at 307-367-6606, or go online to www.whitepineski.com.
"Come up Thursday and get warmed up, and then go home and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and not be sore and worn out," Thompson said.
Related Links:
Opening Day at White Pine (13 photos)
Getting Ready for Opening Day (5 photos)
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