Snowmaking continues on Killington peak on a grey twig season day. 

The Killington Resort Team is trying really hard to open the resort for limited skiing and riding this weekend. That is the impression I got this morning when I visited the Killington Base Lodge to view the activities taking place to ready the resort to open. That being said, the team is fighting an up hill battle. (no pun intended) Mother Nature is making it difficult at best, and may still put the kibosh on the whole thing.

Snow Guns in front of K1 Base Lodge. Click to enlarge.

The resort posted on their website this morning that they will make the decision to open for skiing and riding for the weekend on Friday morning at 10:00 AM. The hesitancy in the web statement is well placed. They have gotten into a proverbial dammed if you do...dammed if you don't situation. The Killington Resort Team wants to put out a high quality product for their customers. And there is is the rub. If they don't open, they don't have any customers...a rather simple business paradigm. But if they do open, will the product quality be there given the desire for top to bottom skiing and riding? The Resort has pulled out all the stops and they are going for it. So it will be interesting to see how the call comes down tomorrow.

Fan Gun pointed toward the K1 Gondola. Click to enlarge.

I walked around the K1 Base Lodge this morning around 10:30 AM. Snow guns, both the normal air pressure guns and the new fan guns, were surrounding K1 in a blizzard of snow. I ran into one of the senior managers. He told me that they had been making snow continuously thru the night at K1. But the conditions were marginal at best. About 2 inches of wet snow were on the ground in front of the Killington Ski Club. The temperature in my car where I parked was 34 degrees. On the mountain side of the K1 Base Lodge it was noticeably cooler; the water evaporation from the snow guns was creating their own microclimate.

"Snow guns leading down from Lower Bunny Buster near the K1 Triple Chair. Click to enlarge.

Around the building, towards the K1 Gondola, a moveable fan gun is set up to blow snow towards the lift area. If the resort opens, skiing right to the lift probably is out of the cards, as the ground is not frozen. But the resort is trying to set it up so people can get close.

Snow guns were clearly visible all along Great Northern down to the K1 Base. Snow Flurries are in the air, but for how long remains to be seen. The microclimate that snow making operations are creating is probably worth a couple of degrees in temperature near the snow guns. But that effect was in the process of being swamped out as the temperature in the overall Killington Basin area is heading into the mid 30's this afternoon.

Snow guns coating Lower Bunny Buster. Click to enlarge.

At this point, all we can do is watch and wait. The resort team is really trying to get the job done, and they deserve credit for that. They should be able to keep the snow guns running at the top of the mountain all day, which will provide a nice product in the North Ridge area to kick the season off. However, it remains to be seen if they can make enough snow on the lower parts of the mountain to offer top to bottom skiing and riding this weekend.

By this time tomorrow we will know........let it snow!

Snowmaking resumes on Killington Peak 

The Killington Resort resumed snow making operations last evening. Temperatures on Killington Peak fell enough to allow the resort to turn on their compressors, pump some water, and make some snow.

To put the day in perspective however, you would have only needed to have followed me around to see what the resort is up against. When I got to the front of the inn this morning around 8:30 the ground around the inn was mottled with a light snow that had fallen over night. To me that was a good sign, but the temperature was already approaching 40 and it was melting fast. I took a picture of the snow stake just for giggles... although there was really nothing to measure.

New Fan Gun on Mouse Trap in action. Click to enlarge.

After checking on a few things around the inn, I headed out to the mountain to see what was happening on the hill. The top of Killington Peak was lit up with snow guns. The whole peak was shrouded in a man-made blizzard. Snow guns were not visible at lower elevations, other than the Fan Gun running on Snowdon and a strange fog over the K1 Base Lodge. Temperatures in the Upper Snowshed Parking lot at 9:30, according to my Subaru, were at 34...Pretty marginal for snow making, I would guess, but I will leave that to the experts.

Upon driving up to the K1 Base to see what the "fog" was, I discovered that the resort was attempting to run another fan gun. This one was on wheels clearly meant to be moved around. I can't really tell how good a job it was doing, as I did not walk up to the deck on the K1 Base Lodge to find out. But while I was there, I saw it being shut down. The Subaru was saying it was 35 outside...and the day was only due to get warmer

Moveable fan gun at K1 operating at around 9:30 AM. Click to enlarge.

When I returned to the inn, the temperature was now in the mid 40's. I spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon working outside. By lunch, the thermometer was touching 50. Although there was a crispness in the air, the overall warm temperatures (by the normal standards of Killington in early November) just told me that this was a day to be outside. No heavy coat or gloves required. With any luck, we won't get many more like this until next May.

The Resort is now saying that they are on a day to day footing about deciding to open this weekend. The weather forecasts are still all over the map in terms of the length and depth of cold air capping the region. I have no doubt from speaking with senior management, and workers on the hill, that the resort wants to pull the trigger and get open. Everything is set up to make that happen. Except the variable the resort can't control....cold.

So we will keep our fingers crossed, and shop for the best weather forecast, while we wait for the ski season to begin.......let it snow!

Rogues night out. 

The the winter season at Killington unofficially kicked off Saturday night with the 46th annual Wobbly Barn Halloween party. The Wobbly Barn was filled to capacity with revelers listening to Joey Leone and the Chop Shop belt out an eclectic mix of favorites from the last 40 years of rock and roll.

While the winter season has unofficially started, we are still waiting for winter to make an extended appearance so the ski season at Killington can begin. The cold weather that signaled the end of the fall season gave way to some warmer weather this last week. While temperatures were a far cry lower than a full fledged Indian Summer, they were not suitable for the resort to make the snow that they desperately need to offer top to bottom skiing. Of course the warm weather has made it easier to complete outside tasks...but the time is now to "get this party started".

Weather forecasts for the coming week are a shoppers paradise. Pick your favorite weather report and run with it. Todays forecasts from Accuweather and Weather.com paint a bleak picture for snow making conditions thru this week. If you were to rely on these forecasts, we may see some snow making during some of the nights, but it will be problematical during many of the days this week. Next week looks decidedly better...but can you believe a forecast out 10 days when tomorrow is usually a question mark?

A little known weather site that I like to follow, snow-forecast.com, is much more optimistic about weather possibilities for the coming week. Their current forecast models for Killington show below freezing conditions on much of the mountain starting early Tuesday morning. If you decide to buy into this forecast, get your equipment ready, because the start of the season is later this week.

And finally, in homage to U.S. Taxpayers, there is the National Weather Service. Their current forecast, as of this afternoon, basically split the difference between the vox populi of Accuweather/Weather Channel and the obscurity of Snow-Forecast.com. The fact that the National Weather Service is splitting the difference gives me a sense of optimism. With the caveat that I own a small business which makes me an optimist by nature.

At the end of the day, forecasting the weather at Killington during the change of the seasons is as much a black art as it is science. It is easy to say it is going to be cold the last 2 weeks of January, or warm during the month of July (well usually anyway). But the cusps of the seasons, where it is hard to tell the difference between Fall or Winter keep us all looking out the window, reading our thermometers, shopping weather forecasts on the internet, and generally chafing at the bit to be able to "Point em down hill".

The winter season unofficially kicked of with a great party at Killington last night. Mother Nature if you are listening...it is time to make it official!.....Let it snow!

Kittens
Click to enlarge. 

This is a good story...and good stories always begin with...

"Once upon a time"..last Sunday night around 10:30 PM to be specific, a couple of nice inn guests returned from a night out. They came into the "Great Room" and told me that there were hearing a strange noise outside the inn. They thought it might be a bird or something. So I went outside to investigate. It was pouring cats and dogs out with the storm that was passing through the area. Little did I know, as I walked out the front door of the inn, that it was literally r@!ning cats!

Off in the distance, in the area near the Snowstake, I hear a loud cry. I recognized that sound immediately. When you live near the forest, the cry of a baby animal is quite distinctive. I knew right away that it was a kitten of some kind....I was thinking raccoon...but that is not what I found.

Through the r@!n, I aimed a strong flash light at the sound. It was coming from some bushes near one of Mary's gardens. Because of the downpour, a mountain stream had encircled the bush on 3 sides, forming a peninsula surrounded by a torrent. As I walked closer, I could see some bright blue eyes staring back at my flash light, coming our from a tiger striped animal. From about 15 feet away, I still could not make out what type of animal it was in the dark downpour.

As I got closer, the animal did not move. It just kept crying out. When I got about 2 feet from it, I noticed it was not a raccoon, but a tiny kitten all of about 10 inches long. It was soaking wet and shivering in the cold. Obviously very afraid and separated from its mother.

I got one of Mary's garden buckets and picked the kitten up. I brought it to our shed and got a towel to try to dry it off. The inn guests told me that when they went out for the evening, they had seen a cat with a small kitten at the bottom of Butler Road. With some help from Mary (she had retired to bed early as she usually does but she got up with the commotion) we dried the kitten off, gave it a saucer of milk, and put it in a box in the shed for the night. Feeling safe, I presume, the cat stopped crying, curled up into a ball, and went to sleep.

On Monday morning, we looked for the mother cat. She was no where in sight. Since we are not cat people (I am very allergic) Mary called our friend, Pat Linnemayr. Patty and her husband, Walter, have had cats for years. Walter came right up, saw the kitten, and knew just what to do.

Monday night into Tuesday, between shifts of feeding the kitten with an eye dropper, Patty came back to the inn to walk the grounds looking for momma cat. No where to be found. About 5:30 PM on Tuesday, during one of the walk abouts, there was a feeble response to Patty's cat call coming from near the Inn's Covered Carriageway. About half way down the Carriageway Patty discovered another kitten, half frozen and barely moving on the asphalt. Patty instinctively scooped the kitten up and put it under her jacket to try to warm it up. It was clear that this kitten was from the same litter as the first I had found.

What happened to the momma cat is anyones guess. We have been keeping vigil around the inn all week. Patty has set a "Have a heart" trap with some cat food in an attempt to lure it out, if it has not become lunch for some other creature of the forest. We have also continued to walk the grounds; making cat calls on the chance that the mother is down some where, or there may be another kitten in the bushes.

I stopped down at Pat and Walter's house this afternoon to see how the kittens were doing. Both are now eating thru the eye dropper. Patty figures that they are about 5 weeks old. One is probably a male; one probably a female. They are both active and inquisitive, as kittens usually are. Patty is talking to some friends about trying to find them a good home. She figures that they should stay together, as they are obviously related...So they may live happily ever after........Let it snow!

Maple tree in front of the Birch Ridge Inn attempting to defy the season.
Click to enlarge. 

Yesterdays cold monsoon was replaced with beautiful sunshine. Thank you... thank you.... thank you...

Mountain brooks and streams are bursting at their banks with all of the r@!n we received the last couple of days. Mary and I got a chance to get out and do some more work around the yard to get ready for winter. Mary has just about finished taking all of the gardens down. I had my chain saw out thinning trees along the Killington Road. It was a nice day to be outside.

Around the inn, the majority of the trees have gone full tiwg. But there is this one maple tree along the Killington Road that is holding on. This afternoon, in the late day sun, it was showing a beautiful orange red hue. Just a small reminder of the fall season past. .....Let it snow!

New tower mounted fan gun on lower Mouse Trap. Other snow guns circled for highlight.
Click to enlarge. 

There is not other way to describe it....it is just a nasty twig season day in Killington. What by all rights according to the calendar should be a rip snorting snow storm is just a cold, driving, r@!n. The good news in this is the wind and r@!n are knocking the final leaf hold outs down to the ground. The bad news is that the leaves that are now sitting on the ground are a soaking wet mess. Yuck....

On the bright side, the Killington Resort seems undeterred in their quest to get the resort ready for skiing and riding. The new fan gun is installed at the base of Mousetrap and it is a monster. Even thru the torrential rains and other moisture in the air, it is clearly visible from the base of the mountain. The arc of its tower looks like it goes half way across Chute towards Great Northern. When it gets cold enough to fire it up, I am sure it will be an impressive sight to behold. And its placement on the mountain assures that every visitor to Killington will see it in action if the resort runs the fan gun during the day.

The other interesting thing about the picture of the junction of Mouse Trap, Chute, Great Northern and Lower Bunny Buster is that the resort has now stationed snow guns along the lower sections of the mountain. (I added circles around the guns in photoshop to help point them out.) Up until this point, the Killington Resort has only attempted to make snow on the upper elevations. Unfortunately the weather halted that earlier this week. But the base of snow that they made up top was still visible today thru the r@!n. It now looks like they are getting ready to make snow on the lower elevations when Mother Nature gives us all a break.

When the weather will turn cold again is anyones guess....but I hope it is soon! .....Let it snow!

Winch Cat stabilizing Back Hoe on Mousetrap at Killington.
Click to enlarge. 

It is a beautiful sunny day in Killington. Temperatures, which have been unusually cool the last month, are in the mid 60's. Just what a ski resort want's to see in late October (not!).

But the beautiful weather is making it pleasant to work outside to get ready for winter, which we all know will come soon enough. Heavy machinery is out and about all over the area. The Killington Road around the Rams Head Base Lodge was seeing a lot o work maintaining the drainage channels at the side of the road. New rip rap was being installed to hold the banks.

On the mountain there was some interesting work taking place leading to the new fan gun mount on Mousetrap. A Winch Cat, normally used to hold grooming machines steady on steep trails, was tethering a crawling Back Hoe. A ditch was being dug down Mousetrap leading to the new Fan Gun Mount. What ever they were doing, it looks like a few more days before the new toy is installed and tested for the season.

Snow making at Killington Peak has of course been suspended due to the weather. Snow cover on upper trails is clearly visible. Sharp lines form a demarcation point between snowmaking and natural terrain. Any natural snow that fell the last couple of weeks has melted away. The Beast could use a little help from Mother Nature to get this party started!.....Let it snow!