By PAUL POST

It’s hosted the Winter Olympics, boasts the greatest vertical drop in the East and was recently ranked among the top four ski resorts in North America.

If that’s not enough, the Olympic mountain is celebrating its 50th anniversary this winter with a wide variety of events and promotions sure to satisfy every visitor’s whim and fancy.

The main attraction, however, is this center’s outstanding ski and snowboarding terrain that covers 225 acres with 76 trails. For the truly adventuresome, Whiteface has 35 acres of “out-of-bounds” skiing on The Slides (conditions permitting) and more than 28 acres of tree skiing.

The Slides can only be accessed by making a 15-minute hike from the top of the Summit Quad.

At 4,867 feet, Whiteface is the state’s fifth-highest peak and rewards skiers with the same outstanding views that attracts thousands of hikers each year. The highest lift terminus is at 4,386 feet, still high enough to enjoy 360-degree panoramas stretching from the Adirondacks to Vermont and Canada.

Whiteface is one of three state-owned ski resorts in New York (Gore and Belleayre are the others). Like Gore, it’s run by the Olympic Regional Development Authority.

The world’s greatest athletes gathered here for the 1980 Winter Olympics and today’s visitors, 28 years later, still get a strong sense of the mountain’s international appeal. Whiteface hosts races for all levels of competition each year.

This year’s schedule includes World Cup moguls (Jan. 18), Empire State Games (Feb. 22-24) and the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup/VISA U.S. Snowboarding Cup (Feb. 29-Mar.3), followed by the NorAm Alpine Finals (March 12-16).

Throughout the winter, Lake Placid hosts numerous events for visitors to enjoy following a day on the slopes. The 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Championships are slated for March 22-23 at the Olympic Center, where the U.S. men’s team stunned the world by defeating a highly-favored Soviet team. People can take a bobsled ride at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, tour the 1932 & 1980 Olympic Museum or watch freestyle skiers perform breathtaking aerial stunts at the Olympic ski jump site.

Whiteface will mark its official 50th anniversary on Friday, Jan. 25 with reduced lift ticket prices. Coca-Cola has a season-long promotion, too. Except Feb. 20, visitors can get $35 lift tickets each Wednesday throughout the winter. Just bring in an empty Coca-Cola product.

Also, Whiteface will package a lift ticket during the World Cup snowboarding, so people can see the competitions.

In February, special dates have been set aside to honor the first four decades in mountain history. They are:

• Feb. 2 — Celebrating the Sixties
• Feb. 9 — Celebrating the Seventies (Beach party with Reggae Land Shark)
• Feb. 16 — Celebrating the Eighties
• Feb. 23 — Celebrating the Nineties

While luring many of the best skiers on the planet, Whiteface is also a family-friendly resort that caters to snowboarders with a 13-acre terrain park featuring ramps, rails and pipes. There is a separate beginner’s area called Kids Kampus and some of the mountain’s longest trails are intermediate.

Best of all, 98 percent of the trails are covered by snowmaking, not counting the The Slides and glades. Trails are serviced by a gondola, eight chairlifts and one conveyor lift.

In its December issue, Conde Nast Traveler ranked Whiteface No. 4 on its list of North America’s Top 20 ski resorts. Only Whistler (British Columbia), Aspen (Colorado) and Deer Valley (Utah) placed higher among the more than 2,300 readers surveyed.

Centers were rated on terrain and conditions, lifts and lines, town ambience, dining, hotels and après-ski activities. The score was enhanced by the fact that Lake Placid has of three of Conde Nast’s Top 50 North American hotels – Whiteface Lodge (No. 15), Mirror Lake Inn (No. 23) and Lake Placid Lodge (No. 36).

The village itself is a great place to browse and window shop or take a dogsled ride across Mirror Lake’s frozen surface.

For skiers and boarders, however, Whiteface is the highlight of any trip and a day on its slopes is sure to reward visitors regardless of their ability level. The mountain is expected to remain open till April 20, so there’s plenty of great winter fun still to come.

Whiteface highlights
Whiteface has the greatest vertical drop (3,166 feet) of any ski resort east of the Rockies.

There are many ways to experience it depending on a person’s mood, ambition and ability level. Following are a few suggestions.

First, ride the Face Lift high-speed quad from the base lodge to the Summit Quad and ride it to the top.

• Expert route — Take Skyward to Niagara and Lower Cloudspin to Easy Street and Boreen (both novice). Or, take Skyward to Niagara and then Lower Cloudspin (all expert) and pick up Upper Valley and Lower Valley (both intermediate).
• Intermediate route — From the top of the Summit Quad, there’s a 3.5-mile intermediate run to the base. Take Follies or Paron’s Run to Excelsior, Upper Valley and Lower Valley.

For more information see the Web site: www.whiteface.com.