Skier exiting Bear Mountain on Skye Peak Quad. Bear Chair at Outer Limits down due to wind.

Skier exiting Bear Mountain on Skye Peak Quad. Bear Chair at Outer Limits down due to wind.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get out on the mountain this week. This morning, even though I had a business meeting I needed to attend at 11:00 AM, I was bound and determined to take a few runs. Dutifully I arrived at the K1 Base Lodge just before 9:00AM to suit up for some skiing. Once again the wind was howling, but the temperature was at least a balmy 28 degrees so it was relatively warm.

The K1 Gondola was not operating, so the group I was with headed to the Superstar Quad and Bear Mountain. Bear Claw, Bear Trap, and Wild Fire were all in nice shape. Outer Limits was groomed basically from edge to edge. While a little "chunky" from the hard pack being ground up, it was a solid do over. The only problem, however, was the 40 MPH wind at the top of the Bear Chair on Outer Limits. Every time you got to the top, you were literally blasted with ice pellets kicked up by the group getting off the chair immediately ahead of you. It was not pleasant.

Mother nature, and Killington management concern for skier saftey being what they are, the problem was immediately corrected after our 2nd loop down Outer Limits....the Bear Quad was closed. That was not too bad, as I was not looking forward to another ice facial at the top of the chair. Needless to say, a mad dash to the Skye Peak quad ensued. So it goes!

From the top of Skye Peak, I took a run down Skye Burst to Cruise Control. Surfaces were ok with some of the same chunkiness seen on Outer Limits. Another night of grooming will make the trails pretty nice. The Needles Eye Quad was running, so a hop up that, a run down Bittersweet, and I was done for the morning. 5 runs, fighting the wind, in about 70 minutes, then off to my meeting. Not to bad, but I left wanting to do some more; which is how I guess it is supposed to be.

Let it snow!