Upper Superstar Headwall...yes the glacier is that tall. 

I have done my best to maintain a positive attitude in the face of this fickle El Nino winter. But today even surprised me.... And that is a great thing for people visiting Killington this weekend.

We have been out a couple of times this week. Early in the week the resort was the typical flat and fast conditions we have gotten accustomed to this winter. I am a firm believer in the expression "It ain't ice if there are no fish underneath it". Let it be said for the record... on Monday and Tuesday on the mountain there was a lot of ice.

But just like a caterpillars chrysalis opening up to reveal a beautiful butterfly, the mountain has been transformed over the last several days into a delightful ski experience.

Yes... there was still some ice to be found. Ice is a byproduct of the weather we have had this winter. But the majority of the mountain was a firm surface covered with a several inch deep soft layer of snow. While skiing was decidely low energy, as the base depths were not large enough to bump up, it was also quite fun. With the exception of a couple of interesting trails, you could generally relax and just ski. This is in sharp contrast to the beginning of the week where each lip could turn into a ice field of immiment doom.

I spent my morning skiing off of Sky Peak. We did several laps on the Outer Limits chair to access the terrain. Starting in the stash, we skied Bear Claw, Sky Burst and Lower Wildfire. Upper Wildfire was closed. Several in our group skied the newly groomed Outer Limits. I am still nursing my left knee so I passed on OL. Conditions on all of the aformentioned trails was very consistent. The initial runs were on well groomed packed powder corduroy. After several runs, the corduroy broke up to reveal a couple of inches of packed snow on top of a very firm base. In both cases, the trails were skiing much easier than their ratings although the boys mentioned that Outer Limits lived up to its reputation a being one of the steepest in the east.

Off the Sky Burst quad we headed towards Needles Eye. Bittersweet to High Road were in good shape. Stay away from the well marked right side of Lower Highroad as it is nothing but ice coated thin cover. Panic Button and Needles Eye were fantastic (for this season). A soft, powdery, top layer covered a firm base. The trail was very receptive to wide sweeping carving turns. Again be cautions on skiers right, as the cover beyond the reach of the snow guns is thin.

Sky Lark and Bittersweet were quite nice. Lower Sky Lark was ice covered down skiers right and in the middle of the trail. Soft snow had been pushed down skiers left, which made the Sky Lark mush easier to manage.

Superstar....hmmmm....interesting. The Upper Superstar Headwall was heinous. This purpously built ice covered mess is designed to withstand weeks long warm spells over the next few weeks, allowing the resort to keep Superstar open well into the spring. As the days get warmer, and the suface gets softer, it will be a fun place to be. But today it could only be characterized as a slide for life...and that is being generous.

Middle Superstar has towering mounds of manmade snow dominating skiers left. Easily 20 feet deep in places, this snow has been allowed to freeze solid for its own self preservation, instead of being groomed across the trail. it was fun riding up and down the snow whales, but unlike the other well groomed trails at Killington you had to pay attention otherwise the snow snakes would rise up and bite you in the you know where. Of course the icy whales of Superstar today will become the soft bumps of the spring. So it is nice to see the amount of effort the resort has taken to create them.

All told... a nice day to ski. If you can get to Killington this weekend, you won't be disappointed.

Where ever you may be.... think snow!

Building the glazier on Superstar 

It has been a few weeks since Mary and I had a chance to get out and ski in sunshine. For much of the winter, except those really cold days, the top of Killington Peak is covered in the Killington cloud. Not so today. It was sunny, bright, and beautiful!

The resort has done a fantastic job coping with Mother Natures temper tantrums this winter. Overall, ski surfaces were firm, flat and fast. Areas with recent snow making, with the exception of Superstar, had some small surface features. I would not call them bumps, but the trails with recent snow making were also not totally flat. Superstar is another story.

Major snow making efforts are being made to grow the Superstar Glacier to support late season skiing and riding. Huge snow whales are developing under the snow guns. On the sides of the whales, soft snow is rapidly accumulating. Clearly the snow makers are trying to position some of the towers to build snow whales that are both tall in stature and wide in girth.

Blue skies, wide groomers, and snow making dominated Killington today. Click again to resume rotation.

Across the mountain, trails off Snowdon were generally soft and consistent. Snow making was taking place down most of Great Northern. The Snowdon Quad was not running today, so we did not get a look at Chute. But Mouse Run, Mouse Trap and Bunny Buster skied well.

Across the top of the resort, the traverse down Bear Trax to Bear Claw was well groomed and consistent. Bear Claw was showing a few icy patches. Sky Burst was flat and fast with some beach sand developing along the lower stretches.

Cruise Control and Needles Eye were in excellent shape. Beware of skiers right as the areas farthest from snow making are shoiwng some thin cover. Panic Button into Needles Eye was chunky in spots but had no issues setting an edge. The ROTD for us was Sky Lark. Skier traffic had pulverised any grooming artifacts into a reasonably soft consistent surface. It turned into one of the days few do-overs.

The resort is continuing their efforts to assure us all a long ski season in Killington. Now if Mother Nature would give us a little help, we would all be grateful.

Let it snow.

Even in an El Nino year, Killington Peak is covered in snow. 

We have been associated with Killington for almost 30 years now. Either in a ski club, as second home owners, and for almost the last 20 years a business owners in Killington. Over that time, it is hard to comprehend the changes that have taken place in the local climate. Without getting all political, and without assigning cause and effect, the local climate in Killington has undergone some dramitic changes in the last 30 years that all but the most ostrich like of individuals should be able to easily recognize.

Since humans have graced the face of the earth, the question has never been "Will the climate change?" The real questions are "When will the climate change?"; "How will the climate change"; and "Will we be able to adapt to the changes in climate taking place?". The answer to the first two questions is obvious. The climate is undergoing change right now, and the climate in general is getting warmer. I have great faith overall that humanity will be able to adapt to the changes. That is not the domaine of this blog (at least on most days). But I am happy to say that the Killington Resort, the Town of Killington, and the people of Killington are adapting to climate change with many different approaches.

During the winter season, the Killington Resort has doubled down on their snow making efforts. With the agreement years ago to access the winter drawdown water from the Woodward Reservoir to feed Killington's snow making system, Killington's winter visitors have witnessed an awesome display of local climate engineering. Even in this, the worst of El Nino years, when we have had the least amount of natural snow in Vermont since records have been kept, the sight of the peaks of the Killington Resort covered in snow stand testament to man's ability to take control of their local situation.

Killington Resort covered in snow. February 19, 2016.

One can not help but be very positive about the snow surfaces produced by Killington's snow making and grooming teams. For weeks I have been telling guests to our inn that Killington has been providing comerically viable skiing and riding to guests all winter. And even that is an understatement. While most guests profess their desire to ski in fresh powder, the truth is that most are intimidated by a 6 inch snow fall. When guests return to the inn from a day on the slopes, with the exception of the few brutally cold days we have had this season, and the few outright r@!ny days, they are generally grinning from ear to ear after skiing and riding on the groomed corduroy that blankets the Killington Resort. The same groomed curduroy that is the result of all of the resorts efforts to plan, build and operate a huge snowmaking system and a fleet of complex and expensive grooming machines. It is all truly a marvel of engineering with the penultimate goal to make people happy. (The ultimate goal, for you those english majors in the audience, is of course to run a profitable business in the ski industry.)

Superstar Glacier underconstruction; February 19, 2016.

The Killington resort, and the Town of Killington, are also taking other, less visible, steps to counteract the impacts of climate change on the area. It should not be lost to the casual observer that the resort is making a concentrated effort to improve the activities it offers to its guest during the "Non-Ski Season". The addition of the Mountain Coaster, Ropes Course, and Flying Eagle Zip Line and retooling of the resorts mountain biking programs are visible attempts to entice people to enjoy the Green Mountains of Vermont all through the year, even when the mountains are not covered in beautiful white snow.

The Town of Killington is also contributing to the effort to "expand the season" when visitors journey to the area. For the last several years the town has produced the "Cooler in the Mountains" concert series on Saturday afternoons in the summer. Under active consideration is an expansion of Mountain Biking programs through out the town, interconnecting the resort to other town resources. The goal is of course to continue to have guests smile, no matter what season they visit us here in Killington.

So the next time you hear a weather forecast lamenting the lack of snow in the Northeastern United States as a result of this years El Nino, don't toss your hands up in the air in frustration. Grab your ski's, your snow board, your mountain bike, your golf clubs, and/or your hiking boots and come visit Killington. The view from Killingon Peak will make it all better.

If your travels bring you to Killington...stop in and see us. Think Snow!

Snow guns building the glacier on Superstar 

I'm sorry. I could not help myself.

While voting may be taking place in New Hampshire, it was pretty clear in Killington today that the resort was also casting a ballot. In this case it is not for president of the United States, but for as long a ski season at Killington as possible in this wierd "El Nino" year.

Overnight temperatures plummeted across the region. In addition, the area received a coating of a couple of inches of new snow. The new snow made skiing and riding at Killington today quite enjoyable. Adding a little sugar coating on top of the machine groomed hard pack surface was just what the doctor ordered to spruce up the resort. But the cold called on the resort to show their hand. And show it they have...

Across the resort, random snow guns are operating adding base depth in advance of the upcoming Presidents Weekend. But on Superstar, the resort is making a statement.

Snow guns were clearly operating most of yesterday and all night on the trail imortalized by the "King of Spring". Large snow whales are developing along middle Superstar, the product of low energy tower guns. The upper and lower headwalls were being covered by the traditional ground based snow guns, which were blasting away today to build up Superstar's base. With cold weather due to settle across the area for at least the next week, it will be interesting to watch the progress of the resort in building the glacier.

Where ever you may be.... think snow!

Walter at the top of Highline 

What a great week to ski at Killington. Comfortable temperatures. Firm, flat, well groomed ego snow. Perfect for easy cruising, or airing it out and flying low to the ground fast and loose.

Killington has done a magnificent job laying down tons of snow on miles of trails across the resort. We even got a little bonus help from Mother Nature this week. If you want a relaxing ski week in the mountains, Killington comfortably checks that one off your bucket list.

In the last 10 days Killington has continued aggressive terrain expansion. Skye Peak and Bear Mountain are now in full service. Bear Claw, Skye Burst, Cruise Control, Needles Eye, Bittersweet, Sky Lark and Superstar are all beautifully groomed. We spent hours making loops off of the Skye Peak, Needles Eye, and Superstar high speed quads. Lots of terrain with good elevation to cover. And it is all wall to wall snow.

For those who enjoy a change from the flat and fast, the Stash is now online with features galore. The features are well sculpted and sharp. The jumps nicely set up for a little air. Lots of fun. (I got spoken too by Mary for taking one of the jumps in the Stash. My knee is still a little busted up... But I could not help myself...)

Snow making started this week on Outer Limits. The resort is aiming to bring OL into service this coming weekend. OL is the ultimate Killington double black diamond. Getting it into operation is a welcomed addition to Killingtons expert terrain portfolio. With temperatures falling through the afternoon today (Friday), they should be getting some good production out of the snow guns arrayed the lenght of OL. it will be a trail to watch in the next couple of days.

Killington has also gotten Great Eastern open from the top of Killington Peak to the Skyeship base on Route 4. Beginner skiers always enjoy the excursion Great Eastern provides through the forests of Killington. The bonus of stopping at the Skyeship base for a Hot Chocolate is always a nice touch as well..

Flat, Fast, groomed ego snow made it a great week to ski or ride at Killington. Click again to resume rotation.

Back in the basin area of the resort, the resort is finishing up bringing the trails in the Canyon area online. Cascades and East Falls ae skiing nicely. Snow Guns are now doing their magic on Double Dipper. Like Outer Limits, the resort has committed to get the expert terrain of Double Dipper in operation for this weekend. If you want to ski some steeps in the Northeast, Killington has committed to make it happen. You just need to get here.

Snowden was skiing really nice as well. Chute, Bunny Buster, and Mouse Trap were all offering nicely carveable surfaces for beginers and intermediates to use to practice their turns. Highline was resplendent in the afternoon sun most days this week. Highline presented itself as a steep groomed cruiser with soft snow glistening in the low sunshine of late January. Just great for a first run warm up or an easy but challenging last run of the day.

The Killington Resort is really set up nicely heading into February. With cold temperatures in the forecast for the next few days to allow further snow makeing, and some light snow in the forecast, it should be a great weekend to ski Killington.

Let it snow.

On the way to Bear Mountain. Ruts and Chuckles on Gateway 

It just keeps gettting better and better...

It has been a great week to ski and ride Killington. Crisp bluebird days and wall to wall snow coverage have offered skiers and riders at Killington the most terrain available in the East.

All of the mountains of Killington are now open with a combination of man made and natural snow. A 6 inch powder storm early in the week helped Killingtons snowmakers advance the cause, resulting in rapid terrain expansion across the resort.

All week long we have been skiing on packed powder surfaces. Most of the terrain is reasonably soft for January. There are a few wind blown sections which are scoured down to the hardpack, but they are both few and far between, and in predictable locations.

Off of Killington Peak, the North Ridge area is in good shape. Cascades and East Falls are flat and fast. This time of year they are also dark as the sun does not rise above the Peak on the north side of the resort. Highline looks beautiful. It has been closed for racing most of the week so I did not have a chance to ski it. Of note, the Snowdon Triple chair was being load tested today. A sign that it will be put into service soon.

Off of Skye Peak; Superstar, Bitter Sweet and Sky Lark were all skiing great. The upper Superstar headwall was wind scoured, but very edgeable. Middle and lower Superstar are machine groomed granular. The sun shadow comes into play again on the lower part of Superstar, so be careful as your eyes adjust to the darkness.

Needles Eye and Cruise Control were excellent. Small bumps are developing on skiers right on Needles. I am nursing a bum knee so I did not venture into them, but they did look tempting.

Skye Burst, lower Wildfire, and Bear Claw all were superb. Upper Wildfire was not groomed resulting in a wind blown hard pack mess. A couple of passes with the groomers will get it in shape for the weekend.

The resort was still making snow in the Stash. Visible mountains of snow at that. I would expect the Stash to open any day now.

Unfortunately, the winter storm that it hitting the Mid-Atlantic looks like it will miss us. A strong, cold, Canadian high pressure ridge is over Killington right now, giving us crisp temperatures and blue sky. We will probably see some increased cloud cover this weekend from the southern storm, but not much more based upon the local forecast.

Where ever you may be, have a great weekend.... Think Snow!

Ruts and Rick on the Superstar Quad 

After being sidelined for over a week with an inflamed knee, this morning I went to the mountain to catch a few runs. With the exception of a heavy overcast due to an approaching storm, ski conditions were "glorious".

While most of those in attendance early this morning departed immediately for Bear Mountain, which was opened this morning for the first time this season, we exited stage left off of the Superstar quad and worked our way over to Needles Eye. We were rewarded for our efforts with 3 beautiful runs all by ourselves down Needles Eye, Cruise Control, and Bittersweet to High Road; all serviced quite quickly by the Needles Eye express quad.

Snow surfaces at Needles Eye were machine groomed packed powder. On Needles Eye itself, the surface was noticably deeper on skiers left, under the trails snow guns. However, this came at a price. On the first run, when we were by ourselves, the surface on the left was moderately soft and creamy. Several hours later, after much skier traffic, it was broken up and chunky. Skier right, on the other hand, maintained a nice smooth patina over the intervening hours. This was probably because it gave the appearance of thin cover, resulting in many fewer skiers and riders along the right side of Needles Ere. More for us to enjoy.

Once people discovered the Needles Eye pod was empty, we made the obligatory journey over to Bear Mountain. Today the resort was featuring Sky Burst for advanced skiing and riding, and Bearly for novices. Access to Sky Burst was limited to the top of Sky Peak, as Bear Trax was not opened today. Snow piles were clearly in evidence on Bear Trax waiting for a groomer to move them around. From the looks of it, it appears likely that Bear Trax would be open some time over the weekend.

Sky Burst had a groomed packed powder surface. Some marbeling was taking place in areas where skier traffic had broken the surface. Snow guns were opperating at the very top of Sky Burst, and also in the Viper Pit area. Snow guns were also seen operating on Bear Claw and parts of Wild Fire; most likely in anticipation of those trails opening some time over the weekend as well.

Before leaving the Sky Peak area, we did progressive runs down Bittersweet, Sky Lark and Superstar from top to bottom. All three were beautifully covered with the exception of some slight scratchiness on Bittersweet just below the Needles Eye quad (and I am really splitting hairs here...)Sky Lark was really nice from top to bottom. Superstar was just delightful. As we had been skiing most of the morning before hitting Superstar, we were able to basically cruise it directly from top to bottom knowing that the surface was going to be very reliable the whole way.

To close out the morning, we did 4 runs off of the Snowdon Quad. These included multiple runs down Chute, Upper Royal Flush and Mouse Run. Chute skied very nicely on skiers right near the trees. Upper Royal Flush was a little boney. Being a natural trail, we were skiing in the windblown snow against the trees on skiers right. Because skiers left was showing grass, very few had ventured down Upper Royal Flush. Ruts and I held a tight line down skiiers right, which was a lot of fun as it was a decided change from the packed powder groomers we had been on all morning.

The mountain is contining to expand terrain. Looking at the snow making assets they have deployed, I would expect the trail count to increase dramatically over the weekend. While we won't see Outer Limits, I would expect the rest of Bear Mountain to open shortly. In addition, on the Killington Peak side of the resort, work continues on Cascade, which should brought into the trail mix as well.

This weekend will see skiiers and riders descend upon the area. If you are out on the slopes, remember to be polite in the lift corrals, and respect the down hill skier or rider. Ski safe.

No matter where you may be spending this Martin Luther King Weekend however..... Think Snow!