Killington-Pico Rotary Ice Out Hut
(photo supplied by Killington/Pico Rotary Club) 

With the holidays fading quickly into long term memory, it's good to remember that life goes on at Killington all year round. One of the interesting items which has crossed my desk is the announcement by the Killington-Pico Rotary Club of their Ice-Out contest.

The Killington-Pico Rotary Club each year engages in several fundraising projects, such as a golf tournament, pancake breakfast, ski chairs, football raffle tickets, Christmas tree sale, etc. The proceeds from such events help to support various local, national and international charities.

This winter, one of the Rotary Club's fundraising efforts is an Ice-Out Contest on the Grist Mill Pond. The object of the contest is for the ticket purchaser to guess the month, day, hour, minute and second that the ice will "go out" on the pond. The moment of Ice-Out is determined when a 72-pound concrete block drops through the ice. A timing device will determine the exact moment of Ice-Out. The Killington-Pico Rotary Club Ice-Out Hut will be visible for all to monitor the ice-out process on the Grist Mill pond.

This "Ice-Out" contest is a 50/50 event meaning that half of the proceeds (up to $20,000, as limited by Vermont State Law) will be awarded to the winning "Ice-Out" entry. The other half will go toward the Rotary club's projects and charities. Ice-Out tickets are $1.00 per entry and can be printed from your computer at www.KillingtonPicoRotary.org.

In terms of skiing and riding at Killington today, Chef Frizzie was out this morning. He reported that conditions were similar to what we encountered on Tuesday, with the addition of several inches of new fluff on top of the machine groomed granular surface. Temperatures seemed a bit cooler at the peak, as the wind was blowing and drifting the newly fallen snow. (But being a ski resort in winter, new snow is a wonderful thing.)

The forecast calls for snow showers all week, which should continue to do nice things for Killington base depths. Overnight at the inn we received just over an inch of new snow, with more expected each day this week.

....Let it snow!

Snow making operations at Bear Mountain 

It's great to be back out on the mountain again!

Between a brief illness and the holidays, it has been 2 long weeks without a chance to ski Killington. That's too long!

Today we started out at the crack of 10 from the car in the Vale parking lot. A quick trip down to the Rams Head lift saw us traversing over Caper to the Snowdon Quad. A run down Bunny Buster, with a trip down Mouse Trap in the middle, brought us down to the K1 Gondola to boost us over the mountain. On the Rams Head, Snowdon side of the mountain, conditions were loose machine groomed granular. Ice Flows from the recent thaw/freeze were visible on skiers right down both Header (on Rams Head) and Chute (on Snowdon). Natural terrain, like Great Bear, was closed with ropes due to thin cover. Any trail with snow making was generally in good shape, although being college week there were more than a few inexperienced skiers and snow boarders careening down Snowdon.

From our boost on the K1 Gondola, we traversed over Blue Heaven to Bear Trax to Bear Claw. Skiers right on Upper Bear Claw was a little thin, but if you paid attention, it was not a problem. Lower down on Bear Mountain, snow guns were pounding Skyeburst. Preparations are clearly underway to make sure that Bear Mountain is weather proof for the Dew Tour, scheduled for the weekend of January 22/23 in Killington.

We took runs down Bear Claw, Wild Fire, Skyeburst, and through the Stash. All of the trails that had snow making were nice soft powder. Trails where snow making was not ongoing were mixed machine groomed granular.

We finished the morning with runs down Great Eastern to Cruise Control, to get a view of the Vista Deck. It was snowing too hard to stop and enjoy a beverage, but it looks like a great spot for future reference.

The great news about todays conditions is that it has been snowing hard at Killington most of the day. By dinner time tonight, it looks like 2 to 3 inches of light snow has fallen around the inn, judging by the amount I shoveled from the front walk. Snow is in the forecast for the rest of the week, so ski condition should dramatically improve heading into the coming weekend.

....Let it snow!

Bubbles to celebrate the new year! 

Happy New Year to one an all.

Today was a day to catch up at the inn after 2 very busy holiday weeks at Killington. Thank you to all of the nice guests who stayed with us over the holidays. We appreciate your business, and we look forward to meeting you on your next trip to Killington.

Tomorrow Mary and I are looking to get back out on the mountain to ski for a few hours after a long hiatus. I will post a full report in the afternoon.

....Let it snow!

The Skiing Moose 

The latest cute Christmas gift we received now graces the front walk of the inn (assuming a wind gust has not sent it sailing across the parking lot). A Skiing Moose is rocking on a stand in a snow bank by the front door. How long it stays there is anyones guess. (At least it won't get chewed up by the snowblower that is being sent for repair.)

Guests are reporting great skiing on the mountain today. Skies are a crystal clear blue. Temperatures are in the mid teens. A gusty wind is making it feel colder than it really is on occasion. All in all, a great day to be on the slopes of Killington.

Let it snow!

Snow covers the Birch Ridge Inn 

Sometimes Mother Nature giveth!

Last night and early this morning, in the first significant storm of the 2010/2011 winter season, the Killington area was blanked with 10 plus inches of snow. Driven by 30 MPH wind gusts, the snow drifted in places to 3 feet deep.

Guests returning from the mountain late this afternoon are all smiles, as they caught a nice day of freshies on the mountain. Being the Christmas Holidays, Mary and I spent the day at the inn tending to guests. As luck would have it, my snow blower worked mostly in cleaning up the area. It died with about 20% of the job left to finish. Of course we take it in stride.... things can not break if they are not being used. And using a snow blower in a ski resort is a GREAT thing. I only wish we could have used it seriously about 45 days ago.....

The new snow should put a nice cap on all of the efforts the resort completed to get the mountain ready for the holidays. It should be a great week of skiing and riding at Killington..... Let it snow!

Weather bands skimming the top of Killington's Peaks. 

In a belated Christmas gift, Mother Nature is preparing to blanket the area with snow. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Killington and surrounding communities. 7 to 15 inches of snow are expected in the area Sunday night into Monday.

I only have 3 comments to make!
1. Mother Nature : Bring it on! Killington is ready!
2. Guests traveling to Killington - get here for the Christmas Ski Vacation of your dreams!. Be safe on your travels. If the storm pans out as expected...you will be rewarded with a great time on the mountain!

and finally... 3. Let it snow!

We wish you a Merry Christmas 

We hope that all of you are having a joyous holiday season. Merry Christmas from Killington Vermont!.... Let it snow!