Got Snow!
Killink between top of Snowdon Triple
and Great Northern
March 17, 2006, 12:30 PM

Got Snow!
Killink between top of Snowdon Triple
and Great Northern
March 17, 2006, 12:30 PM

Great ski day on the mountain!

Kudos to Allen Wilson, President of the Killington Resort, and the team of Operations people responsible for making and grooming snow on the mountain. During a week which saw much of the mountain wash down the Roaring Brook with an unseasonably warm rain; the same week that the American Ski Company, parent of the Killington Resort, announced that they had lost $11.3 Million in the 2nd quarter of their fiscal year(which is not as bad as it seems because they lost $22.1 Million in the same period last year), it would have been easy to just give up and close shop for the season. But the management team at Killington has stood by their marketing claims to have the most extensive snow making system in the Eastern United States, and they have fired it up to the great benefit of all those who enjoy skiing and riding at Killington. I personally saw what seemed like several hundred snow guns firing away all over the mountain. And it was clear from conditions that the snow making system has been operating continuously for the last couple of days and nights. Great Job!

We started our day promptly at 9:00 AM, as we were meeting friends from Boston who took the day off to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We boosted over the top of Skye Peak to Bear Mountain. Upper Wild Fire was groomed flat. A touch scratchy at the top, as the surface was somewhat granular, but by the time we hit the middle, we were on velvet which could only have come from snow guns laying down a fresh surface. Snow guns were going on Bear Trap and all along Skye Burst. After last Tuesday, we entered the park on Lower Wild Fire somewhat cautiously. But surfaces in the park had also been completely repaired and resurfaced. Both Outer Limits and the Super Pipe on Lower Dream Maker were closed. Groomers were busy working on both to get them ready for next weeks Sprint US Freestyle competition.

Being a Friday, the Needles Eye quad was running, so we did some laps over there. Cruise Control, Needles Eye, Bitter Sweet, and High Road were all firm but had nice surfaces for carving turns. Some of the low spots on these trails where water had pooled from the r@#n had iced over, but they were small, visible, and easily avoided. We then headed over to Killington peak to ski in the canyons.

The Ki Gondola was very crowded (remember from prior posts - Canadian week), so we went down to the Snowdon Quad. Killington had clearly blown snow on Chute, but skiers right was still in rough shape. It looked and felt like snow making was also done on Mouse Trap, as the surface was very consistent. The trifecta of East Falls, Double Dipper, and Cascades were all in good shape. Surfaces were machine groomed granular over a hard base. Lots of snow was flying around when carving turns, as the top inch or two of the surfaces was pretty loose. All three trails were set up pretty well for cruising.

I finished up the day with a couple of laps on Superstar. From the Canyons, I took Great Eastern to Launch Pad. Killington had blown a fair amount of snow on these cross over trails, but they were still slick in a number of spots. In the sunshine of this morning, Superstar was nice. Again, the surface had been worked over revealing an inch or 2 of granular snow over a hard base. No problem anywhere on Superstar setting edges and just letting it rip.

As I have said earlier, the resort has done a fantastic job rebuilding the mountain once again this weird winter. If you plan on visiting the area over the weekend, unless the temperatures rise substantially, be prepared for firm mid-winter conditions. There are not a lot of bumps out there, if that is your thing; but if you like cruising, you will have a great time.