The 2015-16 Adirondack skiing and snowboarding season will kick-off on Thanksgiving morning at Whiteface Mountain. The season is beginning on schedule at state facilities with extensive snow-making operations, despite a warmer than normal autumn.

Temperatures in Lake Placid are forecast to be near 50 on Thursday and Friday. Gore Mountain in North Creek will open on Friday – no other ski facilities are expected to be open this weekend.

You can learn more about downhill facility improvements and plans for the upcoming season in Jeff Farbaniec’s 2015-16 Ski Season Preview.

Six trails are expected to be open at Whiteface, which has received about two inches of snow over the last week, and about nine inches so far this season. The Cloudsplitter Gondola will take skiers and riders to the summit of Little Whiteface to reach intermediate trails Excelsior, Summit Express, and Upper and Lower Valley. Fox and Mixing Bowl, beginners trails, will also be open on the lower mountain. Parallel from the Start and Learn to Snowboard beginner programs and lessons will also be operating.  The mountain’s Face Lift quad chair is expected to be open Friday. Lift tickets are $64 for adults and $42 for juniors and seniors.

Gore Mountain plans to open late Friday morning with the Showcase trail serviced by Adirondack Express II, the resort’s newest and most luxurious lift.  Showcase is for intermediates and experts and descends 1,500’ vertical. Snowguns are also at work on the Sunway, 2B, Lower Sleighride and Arena trails, where snowmakers hope to expand terrain as quickly as temperatures allow.  Opening weekend ticket prices (when guests donate a non-perishable food item at the window) are $38 for adults, $29 for teens, and $20 for juniors.

Trails and lifts are likely to change by this weekend. Visitors to Gore and Whiteface should visit www.whiteface.com and www.goremountain.com for the latest conditions this holiday weekend. Throughout the winter, Adirondack Almanack reports downhill, cross-country, and backcountry conditions each Thursday afternoon here.

The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York in 1982 to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA now operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas.

According to state officials, New York State has more ski resorts than anywhere else in the United State – 51 – which contribute $1 billion to the state’s economy.  New York State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) last year is estimated at $1.405 trillion.

Photo of Whiteface’s Fox Trail on Tuesday provided by Whiteface/ORDA.