Neatly stacked wood pile at the Birch Ridge Inn

Neatly stacked wood pile at the Birch Ridge Inn

Last weekend there was a palpable excitement to Killington. The election was imminent, with all the controversy and passion that it generated in the local establishments. The resort opened early, providing a nice diversion for many of the local residents, myself included. The economy was clearly in the tank, but who cared...we were skiing and riding again!

This weekend, unfortunately, we are back to twig season. If you want to buy a Chevy, you might be able to negotiate a good deal. The messages of fear and hope that we were inundated with on the television and radio for months have been replaced by Cha Cha Chia! (oh dear...talk about going cold turkey!) The spring temperatures we basked in during the week have melted most of the lower terrain snow the mountain hand crafted with care, resulting in a temporary suspension of the 2008/2009 ski season...so it goes!

But all is not lost in this the most transitional of seasons at Killington.

I did ski 2 days this week. One was longer than the other, but hey, I was on the mountain on skis! Mary tried out her new ski boots. She brought them down for some adjustments. She is ready again to give them another shot. The warm weather allowed us to finish most of our pre-winter outside work. Most of the leaves are all raked up. (I don't think you can ever get all the leaves raked in Vermont!). The white lights which frame the inn were installed this week for the winter season. The wood pile was moved from its' summer habitat to the front of the Great Room and a fresh cord was delivered. And after a week of warm weather, it's starting to get cold again.

The weather forecast for the week indicates that more seasonable temperatures will return. It looks like it will be cold enough for the resort to start making snow again. And with the promise of snow, the buzz will resurface in anticipation of resuming the ski season. Excitement for the coming winter will return!

Winter is coming! Twig season is doomed! Let it snow!