Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:21 pm
This was my 1st Visit to WTG so left the house here in Hickory @5am Monday morning and headed up that way. First thing I noticed when I arrived that it was layed out a little bit different than any ski resort I've been to in the past. Couldn't see much off the ski slopes from the parking lots and wasn't any clear signage of where you are suppose to park. I was looking for the ski lodge cause they parking lot is usally around there most places ,isn't it? All the little parking lots I seen had the lift gate type things in front of them. They were all open but I was just kinda afraid that if I park there I needed a parking permit and that the gate may be closed when I try to leave. I couldn't find anything else though without a gate so I pulled into one that was close to a big building and walked inside to make sure it was ok. Got inside and seen the ticket window and people lined up to buy tickets so that told me that I was where I needed to be.
I went back out to the car and got dressed there at the car because that seemed to be what everybody else was doing and then I walked back in, Bought my lift ticket and hit the slopes. Kinda reminded me of Snowshoe & Silvercreek a little bit cause when you start out, you don't ski right over and get on a lift. You seem to already be at the top of the mountain so you go ahead and ski down to the bottom and ride the lift back up. I took off and started heading down and skied through a little tunnel that goes under a road and I thought that was pretty cool, skied to the bottom and got on an "unnamed" lift back up. (it was a 4 sitter and was they only one not a high speed I think) Rode up with a guy who worked there who had a yellow jacket on that said "Slope Safety" on the back of it. I don't think they're the same as Ski Patrol cause the very few ski patrol people I saw the whole day was wearing the typical red coat with the white cross on the back. I think that's universal everywhere. Anyway, once I got to the top there, I went right there and found my way over to the far otherside of the mountain where I jumped on the Highlands lift that went way up to I'm thinking is the highest point of the mountain and it serves all the black runs. It was very windy up there but I was well layered so I didn't really get cold all day. The wind really did blow around the powder it made the slopes icy though so I'm not gonna say the conditions where great but it wasn't too bad. None of the runs where really that steep but they where icy so you had to be really careful. On a good powder day ,would have been awesome!
Anyway, skied a few runs over there in highlands and decided to venture around the whole mountain and was able to ski everything in about an hour so it wasn't crowded day. Those lift chairs are huge! I think they seat 6 people but most times I either had one to myself on 1 or 2 others would jump in with me. Later in the day I had 2 guys jump in a chair with me and noticed one of them was DavidSki from here on the message board. I remembered him from the summit so it was pretty cool to meet somebody from the board that far from home cause I don't even meet people when I'm at a local resort! All in all it was a good day but it wasn't any fast skiing day cause of the wind. Felt really weird likes I was floating on some runs cuase the wind would blow you back up hill like so there was alot of resistance going down.
I feel like I'm just rambling though so I'm don't have much else to say other than it was a long day. Got back home around 10pm but I hope to go again one day when the conditions are perfect and no wind.
I went back out to the car and got dressed there at the car because that seemed to be what everybody else was doing and then I walked back in, Bought my lift ticket and hit the slopes. Kinda reminded me of Snowshoe & Silvercreek a little bit cause when you start out, you don't ski right over and get on a lift. You seem to already be at the top of the mountain so you go ahead and ski down to the bottom and ride the lift back up. I took off and started heading down and skied through a little tunnel that goes under a road and I thought that was pretty cool, skied to the bottom and got on an "unnamed" lift back up. (it was a 4 sitter and was they only one not a high speed I think) Rode up with a guy who worked there who had a yellow jacket on that said "Slope Safety" on the back of it. I don't think they're the same as Ski Patrol cause the very few ski patrol people I saw the whole day was wearing the typical red coat with the white cross on the back. I think that's universal everywhere. Anyway, once I got to the top there, I went right there and found my way over to the far otherside of the mountain where I jumped on the Highlands lift that went way up to I'm thinking is the highest point of the mountain and it serves all the black runs. It was very windy up there but I was well layered so I didn't really get cold all day. The wind really did blow around the powder it made the slopes icy though so I'm not gonna say the conditions where great but it wasn't too bad. None of the runs where really that steep but they where icy so you had to be really careful. On a good powder day ,would have been awesome!
Anyway, skied a few runs over there in highlands and decided to venture around the whole mountain and was able to ski everything in about an hour so it wasn't crowded day. Those lift chairs are huge! I think they seat 6 people but most times I either had one to myself on 1 or 2 others would jump in with me. Later in the day I had 2 guys jump in a chair with me and noticed one of them was DavidSki from here on the message board. I remembered him from the summit so it was pretty cool to meet somebody from the board that far from home cause I don't even meet people when I'm at a local resort! All in all it was a good day but it wasn't any fast skiing day cause of the wind. Felt really weird likes I was floating on some runs cuase the wind would blow you back up hill like so there was alot of resistance going down.
I feel like I'm just rambling though so I'm don't have much else to say other than it was a long day. Got back home around 10pm but I hope to go again one day when the conditions are perfect and no wind.