I had been seeing reports of a good amount of snow on Whiteface, and multiple people saying that snowshoes were necessary, so I figured that it would be a good choice for a "winter" hike. With a few days of sun in the forecast, I settled on the 20th to get out there. I started from the ASRC, and there were snowshoe tracks starting right at the parking area, although plenty of non-snowshoe tracks as well. I opted for spikes in the beginning as the trail had a mix of snow, exposed rocks, and some good ice flows on the steep sections going up Marble Mountain. Towards the top of Marble, the snow was deeper with less rocks and ice, so I switched to snowshoes at the junction with the reservoir trail. Snowshoes were fine from here, although there were some short sections with more rocks than snow. My plan had been to go to Esther first, but from what I could see through the trees, I decided to go to Whiteface first for the morning views.
My first view was when the trail crosses the north side of the Lookout Loop ski trail. Looking to the east, Lake Champlain was covered with a layer of clouds, and Vermont's peaks were rising on the other side. A few moments latter where the trail crosses the south side of Lookout Loop, I walked over to the chairlift to check the High Peaks view.
The snow got deeper with elevation, but the trail was nicely packed. Once I was above treeline, the surface was crusty and windswept, but snowshoes were fine for that surface as well. The wind picked up above treeline, but the views to the east and over the ski area continued. The wind was a little lighter on the summit, and I wandered around for a bit to get some pictures.
The descent was uneventful, and I was soon on the herd path to Esther. As I got near the summit, I ran into HighOnLife, who was descending. We chatted for a few minutes, and went our separate ways.
Just below the summit, there was a path off the side of the trail with a nice view of Whiteface. There was another hiker on the summit of Esther when I got there. I talked with him for a bit and then made my way out. The hike from Esther back to the ASRC was smooth. With the sun, it was a little warmer than a true "winter" hike, but it was nice to see the good early season snowpack.