Pico Peak draped in sunshine!

Pico Peak draped in sunshine!

Today was "Wacky Winter Games" day presented by the Killington Chamber of Commerce. It was a great excuse to ski Pico Mountain, not that anyone needs an excuse!

Today was just one of those beautiful late winter days to ski. 100 percent sunshine in the morning. Very soft packed powder conditions from the storms over the weekend. And a different mountain to explore to break up the routine.

Killington Peak from Pico Click image to enlarge

Mary and I get over to Pico 5 or 6 times a year. I usually ski it with the boys on powder days; Mary tends to go there when the girls decide to take a break from Killington. So, it is actually pretty rare when we both go over to Pico for a day of pure recreational skiing.

Today was just a beautiful day. The morning started with almost not a cloud in the sky. A quick trip up the Golden Express quad to the Summit Express Quad and a whole new world opened up. On a sunny day, the views from the top of Pico are stunning. Killington Peak was all lit up to the west, itself bathed in the glow of bright sun. To the north east, there was a spectacular view of Chittenden Reservoir, frozen in time with the Green Mountains as a backdrop. We just did loops off the top, mostly on KA and Forty Niner. Snow conditions were fantastic. And on most trails there was a nice soft bump line to play in down at least one side.

Chittenden Reservoir from Pico Click image to enlarge

Of course with the snow, and the views, and the sunshine, we almost wanted to forget why we were a Pico. But we did the right thing, skied a few more loops, then reported to the slalom course. We each took our runs down without event. Mary was a little excited at the beginning. She missed triggering the timing system so we had to call her back to start over. But with that exception, we all completed the course in respectable fashion. Of course, it is not a serious race. Half way down the course, you needed to stop and throw at snow ball at a target (all of us missed) so who knows how bad our times really are!

Mary in the starting gate Click image to enlarge

After the slalom course, we all reported for the snow shoe race. The Killington Chamber of Commerce had an obstacle course set up for racing on snow shoes. The course was a loop with little games set up every 50 yards or so. You had to take a swing with a hockey stick, throw horseshoes, hit a jump shot, take a tennis swing, and swing a baseball bat at a tee ball. It was all great fun, and you would not believe how your heart gets pumping running around on snow shoes.

Bill B. on snow shoes Click image to enlarge

The chamber is throwing a little party tonight at the Sante Fe Steakhouse to award prizes. In years gone bye we have typically been the team to beat in the race for last place, although one year our perfect record was spoiled by coming in second to last. It is all in good fun, and or course, it was a great day to ski Pico. Now if we can get another 4 or 5 inches of fluff tonight! Let it Snow!