Killington Peak - bright sun - cold temperatures.

Killington Peak - bright sun - cold temperatures.

The calendar reads March 28th. The thermometer reads January 28th. So it goes....

The combination of a low pressure system in the gulf of St Lawrence and a high pressure system to the west of the Laurentians is streaming arctic air down the Green Mountains of Vermont putting Killington into a relative deep freeze for late March. Temperatures are struggling to get into the mid 20's in the face of a brisk 20-30 mph northwest wind. The beautiful sunshine of this morning thru a sucker punch at those who were not paying attention and did not dress in the proper armor for the cold temperatures.

Once again the mountain was set up flat and fast. Most trails started this morning with groomed corduroy, giving way to several inches of machine groomed loose granular as skier traffic broke up the surface.

With so many trails set up as groomed cruisers, it is hard to pick the run of the day. I would give the edge to Outer Limits with the caution that it is not the Outer Limits of old. The constant grooming has left a beautifully flat surface, which purists who want OL to be the premier bump trail in all of skiing would find abhorrent. But when all you have to choose from is groomed cruisers, OL when it is groomed flat can be very good indeed, and today it rated multiple do overs. But bumpers take note: the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge is this coming weekend so the bumps on OL by definition need to return, or somebody at the resort will have a lot of explaining to do!

Once again Vertigo was the most technical run of the loop we pursued today. It was not groomed. The upper headwall was the proverbial slide for life which was to be avoided at all costs, unless out of control down hill rocket rides are your thing. Middle and lower Vertigo were very firm with irregular residual little bumplets (not really bumps but hard piles of snow) left over from weekend skier traffic. I enjoyed it as it was a distinct change from the high speed runs on the groomed cruisers, but then again some people might think I am crazy as well.

With the inevitable decline in midweek skiers and riders brought on by the arrival of the cherry blossoms down south, the resort has started it's spring contraction. Today both Rams Head and Sky Ship Stage 1 to Route 4 were closed, along with the trails that they service. It begins a long process which happens every spring, as the mountain starts to change gears. But there is so much terrain with feet of snow cover open around the resort, that few, if any, of the skiers and riders on the mountain today really noticed.

As we head into spring, don't forget your sunscreen.