Killington Peak up the K1 Gondola Line

Killington Peak up the K1 Gondola Line

Today was again on the cool side, but nothing like yesterday. Temperatures were in the single digits. There was a light up slope wind. Since this placed the breeze on your back on most chair lifts, they were quite manageable today. When you add in beautiful blue-violet skies with some high clouds and lots of sunshine, it was a pretty good morning to be out on the hill.

The word for the day on most skiable slopes was corduroy. With the exception of Highline, Cascade, Upper Wildfire and Needles Eye, everything we skied today took on the look and feel of a nicely groomed cruiser. Because there were few people on the hill, sweeping side to side GS turns at speed was the predominate ski style of the day. It was just a nice day to let the skis run.

The trails that weren't quite there, were interesting. Snowmaking operations were ongoing at Highline. Upper and Middle Cascade were great. Lower Cascade required an oral exam to count your fillings at the bottom. It had been groomed during the night, but the groom was very "lumpy" resulting in a huge amount of chatter and vibration as you skied down the lower portion of the trail.

We did not do Needles Eye as we could see from the Skye Ship that it had not been groomed overnight. According to several friends I spoke with, it was very slick and frozen. it was a good trail to bypass.

Wildfire on the other hand was interesting. Snowmaking operations had taken place recently on Upper Wildfire. The surface had not been groomed out. It was a combination of silky smooth surfaces punctuated by windblown sections. While being quiet skiable, it kept you on your toes versus some of the other cruising trails. Lower Wildfire on the other hand was generally magnificent. Nice snow on skiers left all the way to the bottom. It was one of the trails that qualified as a do-over today.

All in all a very nice early February day to ski.