WILMINGTON - One of the biggest changes this season at Whiteface Mountain Ski Center is that its rental ski shop will feature about 700 new pairs of Rossignol rocker skis, as the mountain tries to stay up to date with the latest ski technology.
Rocker skis are light and feature a reverse camber that makes the tip and tails of the skis rise off the surface of the snow. Whiteface showed them off as it hosted about a dozen members of the media Wednesday.
Whiteface's director of training, Tom Amoroso, said this style of ski is easier for beginners and would satisfy most experts, too. He believes they are the next step in ski technology, replacing some of the heavier, shaped skis.
"How would I compare it to shaped skis?" Amoroso said while fielding questions from a half-dozen journalists who had just tried them out. "I think it makes it easier. ... It is softer, so it doesn't take as much effort, and then as the tip and tail come off the snow, it gets lighter. Because of the bumps, let's face it, you want to ski with a soft tip."
One journalist questioned Amoroso about whether the skis would hold an edge on the firmer snow at Whiteface. He responded by carving a turn toward the bottom of Lower Valley, putting that question to rest.
At lunchtime, several Whiteface staff members gave presentations about the mountain's various initiatives. One of those was Liz Mezzetti, resort services marketing coordinator.
Mezzetti talked about how the marketing staff has been targeting Montreal this fall because of the city's close proximity to Whiteface (it's a two-hour drive away) and a stronger Canadian dollar.
She said the marketing strategy has been to go away from traditional forms of media and rely on both social media and face-to-face advertising. Staff members worked the streets of Montreal, interacting with potential skiers.
One of the initiatives was to use chalk to paint the Olympic flame on 250 places in the city, including sidewalk corners. They also projected Whiteface-related images on the sides of buildings using mobile projectors.
"The response has been overwhelming strong," Mezzetti said. "We're really trying to create a buzz up there."
She said one of the ways they've been able to measure the interest generated up north is through hits to their websites from users in that area. She said the numbers are definitely up.
Of course, the best way to attract skiers to the mountain is to have a cold, snowy winter. So far, Mother Nature hasn't cooperated. Mild temperatures have prevented snowmaking on many days, and there has been very little natural snowfall this winter. As of Wednesday, only about a dozen trails were open, far behind what's normal for this time of year. Skier visits are down, too.
"We definitely have less terrain open than last year at this time," Whiteface Mountain Manager Bruce McCulley said.
The trails that are open are on Little Whiteface Mountain. Warmer temperatures have prevented the top from being opened yet and Lookout Mountain and Wilmington Trail are still closed.
But on Wednesday, the trails that were open were in good shape and provided good skiing. The open trails were completely covered with manmade snow, which was soft due to temperatures in the 40s. (Some of that snowcover has reportedly thinned due to rain Thursday.)
"Skiing is good," McCulley said. "It's been a bit of challenge weather-wise but the guys are ready, and I'm sure the guys will be bouncing back pretty quick."
