Bumps on skiers left on Superstar from K1 Base Lodge

Bumps on skiers left on Superstar from K1 Base Lodge

For the second day in a row, the weather at Killington has been ideal to enjoy early spring skiing and riding. While temperatures overnight dipped well below freezing, by 9:00 AM this morning the temperature at the K1 base lodge was in the mid 30's, with higher temperatures on the way. For the second day in a row, I hit the mountain for a couple of hours without my normal winter kit, choosing to ski in just my bib with a turtleneck and vest. After a dark winter in Vermont, the spring sun is just glorious. And no, we have not forgotten our sunscreen.

Todays journey saw laps on Bear Mountain, Sky Peak, and Snowdon. Bear Mountain at 9:00 AM was already softening up. Snow coverage in the warm temperatures is holding up very well. There will be plenty of snow at Bear Mountain for snoe.down and the Mogul Challenge the weekend after next.

As we traveled back across the resort to the northern trails, surface conditions became a little firmer. Early morning sunshine and skier traffic had softened up the tops of Skye Lark, Bitter Sweet and Superstar. The lower sections still had a little crunch around 10. The resort went so far as to put "Caution" signs on lower Skye Lark. I went down it at speed with no problem...but then again I have a lot of time on my ski legs this year and well tuned equipment. Others might have had a different experience. But that is the nature of winter sports.

Areas at Snowdon were firm in spots as well, especially the southern sides of trails against the tree line hidden from the sun. Chute was a good example...soft and buttery in spots under the lift line, firm and crunchy on skiers right near the trees.

My ski day got cut short this morning as I had to go to a meeting on this years Killington Wine Festival. Once again I am acting as the project manager for the event for the Killington Chamber of Commerce. For those of you who want to mark it on your calendars, this years festival is scheduled to take place from July 16 thru 18th. I will have a lot more details on the wine festival in coming weeks, as the planning efforts for the event move forward. In the meantime, we have a ski season to finish. If you like spring skiing, now is the time to head to the mountains.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! ......let it snow!