The outside world seen from my car this morning. 

The picture I posted for today is not some tricked out photoshop manipulation. The outside world this morning was draped in ice, the result of an ice storm which struck the area overnight. The good news is that it was not a lot of ice...just a half inch or so. The bad news is that it slowed the Killington Resort to a crawl this morning.

When I saw the scene outside the inn this morning, I rolled over and went back to bed. Our Chef made the trek to the K1 base lodge this morning to discover only the Snowdon Quad running. Grooming machines were lined up in a neat row on Snowdon, awaiting drivers to head out to regroom the slopes. Steve took a run from the Snowdon Quad over to the North Ridge Triple. The Triple was closed. East Fall was roped off. So he skated back to Great Northern and out...

Oh Well... there is always tomorrow....Let it snow! (Editors note: As I write this the resort is reporting that lifts are beginning to spin and trails are being opened. Our inn guests have departed the inn to give it a go this afternoon. So it goes!)

Last hurrah for the Birch Ridge Inn 2008 Christmas Tree 

Today feels like a Frank Sinatra song....."and now..the end is near...and so I face..the final curtain..."

After a good 2 week run, Christmas/New Years holiday guests are departing Killington for home. With any luck, most will be heading off to work on Monday morning with a brace of crisp air to remind them of their holiday in the mountains.

Of course, at Killington, work begins anew to greet winter visitors coming to the mountains. All over town this week Christmas decorations will be coming down, being replaced by winter finery. Mary already has the tasks laid out to take down the inn's Christmas tree. By Tuesday or Wednesday it will be just a memory, captured in digital images stored on computers at the inn and with guests around the world.

I, like many local residents, am looking forward to catching up on some sleep and going out on the mountain for a few runs. With a little luck, I will be out on the hill on Monday. I could have skied over the holidays, Doctors orders not withstanding, but we were very fortunate to be busy over the holiday weeks. Sometimes I give up sleep for skiing, but I can't do that over a full 2 week stretch.

To all of our guests who visited Mary and I at Birch Ridge these last two weeks - thank you! We look forward to seeing you again the next time you return to Killington. Good luck, safe journey, and happy New Year!

...Let it snow!

Snow guns in operation on Superstar 

As 2008 fades into memory, and 2009 comes into view, I have been thinking about how life is changing at Killington. Living in a town that is dominated by one large business brings its challenges. When that town also happens to be a resort, "the locals" also find their lives influenced by outside events over which they have little or no control. 2008 of course, like most years, was filled with many surprises.

In random order, here is my short list of pluses and minuses for 2008 and some hopes for 2009:

2008 Minuses :
- The overall economy: I don't need to write too much on this as we are all experiencing this collectively. The bright spot I take on this is that the economy runs in cycles. This too shall pass.
- The hang over effect from the demise of the American Skiing Company (ASC). 2008 was the first full operating year for new owners at Killington after ASC went belly up. Operating procedures at the mountain changed, as they should have. The new owners, Killington Pico Ski Resort Partner, funded in part by Powdr Corp, made some tough calls when they took the resort over. Some of their decisions have turned out well. Others turned out to be mistakes, many of which they are working to correct in the 2009 season.
- Continued delay in beginning work on a village at the base of Killington. "Work" here of course means filing permits, putting in infrastructure, building buldings, etc. Much background work to construct a village at Killington did take place in 2008. But at some point, beautiful computer renderings need to transition to earth moving equipment digging some holes in the ground.

2008 Pluses :
- The resort is being run as a business. During the last years of operation of the resort by ASC, the information we received from the resort on their policies and procedures was not always accurate. Our experience with the new owners is very different. So far their communications have been direct, accurate, and they have stood by them. As a small business owner, this gives me confidence going forward. I may not like everything that I am told, but I will be able to communicate to my guests with confidence.
- The new lift at Sky Peak. For the first time in 10 years the Killington Resort has installed a new lift. A high speed detachable quad was installed during the summer and fall, replacing a slow fixed grip quad. Lift time have gone from 13 minutes to 5 with the new lift. Trails from the lift have been redesigned as well to modify traffic patterns. While it is too early to tell if the trail redesign will accomplish everything it intended, the new lift is a home run!
- The Killington community coming together with the Vermont Council on Rural Development. In early 2008 a series of community wide meetings were held to help the citizens identify a future direction for the town of Killington. The activities were coordinated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development(VCRD). While I do not, like most citizens, agree with every finding from the process, I was pleased at the outpouring of citizen interest in the future of Killington.

Hopes for 2009:
Certainly a wish list not based on any insider knowledge...but here it goes:
- A positive change in the economy. The administration in Washington has not done much in the last several years to stimulate optimism for the vast majority of people. The inauguration of Barack Obama in a couple of weeks has the potential to lift spirits and mobilize people to think positively about the future. Of course there will be pluses and minuses here. But the good old days turned out to be bankrupt. There must be a better way.
- Permits filed to begin construction of a village at Killington. Permits are just the formal beginning. But they would be a strong signal concerning the vitality of the resort and the community.
- A new lift on the Killington Peak side of the resort replacing either the Snowdon Quad or Snowdon Triple. This of course is dependent upon the resort having a successful 2009 winter season to generate enough cash to pay for a new lift.
- A short, cogent, plan from the new Killington Economic Development and Tourism Commission on how the town plans to move the community forward. (The commission was founded as an outgrowth of the VCRD process. The commission has been in existence for a short time. I know all of the volunteers on the committee and I know they are working hard to pull a plan together.)
- Resolution of the "Lifetime pass" controversy. Mary and I don't have any skin in this game, but settling this dispute between the new (now 2 years) owners of the Killington resort and bond holders from the former owner would be one more positive step moving the resort forward. I have heard snippets of arguments from all sides on this. It seems like the adults in the room need to settle this issue left over from the demise of ASC. A Pyrrhic victory by one side or the other will just pour salt in the wounds of the vanquished, causing unnecessary pain for years to come.

My list is somewhat short. Mary and I enjoy living in Killington, interacting with the Killington Community and greeting guests who visit the area. And continuing to do that is what we want most for 2009.

...Let it snow!

Cold and wind blown Killington Peak on New Years Day 2009 

Mary and I wish you a very Happy New Year.

The holiday weeks are always a very busy time for us at Killington. These last 2 weeks have been no exception. When I am writing the blog from a stream of consciousness style into my computer screen, it is sometimes hard to comprehend how many people take the time to read about our experiences at Killington. But every day these last two weeks we have greeted new friends who are visiting Killington for the holidays who stopped by our inn to say hello. It is all very gratifying and we thank you.

Killington today is very cold and blustery. Temperatures have fought to reach the low single digits. A brisk breeze is blowing the light snow that fell yesterday back up into the air creating a light haze over the landscape. Inn guests today were pretty evenly divided between snuggling in for New Year's Day and heading out for a few runs. From what I can tell, both camps have been equally satisfied with their decisions, although the snugglers have been decidedly warmer all day.

From a brief visit to the mountain this afternoon, the resort is continuing to make snow over many sections of the mountain. The wind seems to be playing with both the snowmaking and some of the lifts, but thats the nature of the game. Bright, sunny skies have helped somewhat moderate the personal impact of the wind. Our guests who went to the mountain, while cold, all appeared to have had a good day on the slopes.

Where ever you may be have a very Happy New Year!.......Let it snow!

Light snow fell overnight at the Birch Ridge Inn, Killington VT. 

The return of cold temperatures yesterday spawned some brisk snow flurries overnight, coating the Killington Resort and the surrounding town with a blanket of white.

Overnight we saw about 2 inches of light snow accumulate around the inn. Today the snow is being blown around by moderate winds. For guests skiing and riding on the mountain today, the good news is that the chill brought on by the wind is being offset by bright sunshine and beautiful blue skies.

Snow flurries and more moderate snow are predicted for tonight and tomorrow. That would be a nice gift from Mother Nature to skiers and riders as we head into the new year.......Let it snow!

Snow making operations resume on Killington Peak. 

Finally....its cold again!

Normal cold temperatures returned to Killington overnight. Temperatures overnight fell into the mid 20's. Today they are hovering right at the freezing point.

The Killington Resort is taking advantage of the change in weather to resume snow making operations across the mountain. At 1:00 PM this afternoon, snow making was visible on Killington Peak across Great Northern and down Cascades. Snowmaking was also visible on Chute under the Snowdon Quad at the junction of Great Northern. From the base area, I could not determine if snow making was taking place along all of upper Chute, or only at the junction area.

Inn guests returning from skiing and riding this morning reported firm conditions on the Killington Peak side of the resort. Conditions at Bear Mountain were reported as being softer. It sounded like there may have been some snow making at Bear Mountain overnight, based upon guests descriptions, but I cannot confirm that this was the case.

Snow making also appears to be taking place at the top of Pico, based upon what is visible from Killington.

The local weather forecast is calling for below freezing temperatures for the rest of the week with intermittent light snow. It sounds like perfect weather to allow the resort to use the worlds largest snow making system to replenish some of the snow cover melted away by the warm temperatures of the last few days. It should result in nice conditions for skiing and riding over the New Years holiday later this week.

......Let it snow!

Storm clouds hang over Killington 

Ugly...that is all one can say about 55 degrees and a hot wind on December 28th in the mountains of Vermont. Natural snow is rapidly melting all through the mountains, causing local streams to fill up as the water heads down hill to points south. With any luck, we are experiencing the infamous January Thaw a little early this year.

Inn guests returning to the inn this afternoon are reporting that ski conditions on the mountain are holding up fairly well. The Killington Resort made and incredible amount of snow on the trails in early December when temperatures were unseasonably cold. It is serving them well now that we have unseasonably warm temperatures in the region. Snow conditions are being reported as soft and spring like, which is understandable given the thermometer was reading 57 degrees at the inn at noon today. The only problem at the mountain was a wind hold on the Superstar Quad. High winds have been buffeting the area all afternoon. Evidently the resort needed to close the Superstar Quad because of the gusts.

Cold weather is due to overspread the area later tonight. I am sure that the resort will resume snow making to resurface terrain damaged by the last couple of days high temperatures. It would be nice if we got a little natural snow to help. We can hope.......Let it snow!