Ruts and the Bagel return to Killington for the winter season. 

All is right with the ski world again. Ruts and The Bagel have returned to Killington for the 2014-2015 ski season.

Ruts and The Bagel were founding members of the now defunct 80's ski club, "Suck You Inn" formerly located on West Hill Road in Killington. Ruts and The Bagel have been regular skiers at Killington for 30 or so years. (Rut's did turn to the dark side and shredded the slopes for about 10 years.. but we do not hold that against him.)

Our ski excursion today could be characterized as crisp. Conditions were very mid-winter with 9:00 AM starting gun temperatures in the low 20s. After a few obligatory turns in the North Ridge area so Ruts and The Bagel could regain their ski legs, we dove right into it with a pass straight down East Falls on our way to Superstar.

Solitary snow maker adjusting the snow guns on Lower Superstar.

Conditions in the North Ridge area were primarily packed powder surfaces that were firm yet snow covered. The contidions in North Ridge look like the resort is resufacing the terrain (ie making fresh snow) regularily to improve the base. East Falls was your basic GS glacier. While ice was not visible from a litteral sense, the absense of sunshine and the smooth flat surface brought home the fact that on some ski trails gravity is really in charge. A friend who has since passed into the beyond used to say "Point em downhill you chicken sh!t". They were words to live by on East Falls as the surface was firm enough that turning did not make much of a difference.

After an uneventful run out from the borrom of East Falls, we did a few laps on the Superstar Quad. The Resort was busy at work making snow on the lower reaches of Superstar. A lone snow maker was going from snow gun to snow gun makeing adjustments to fine tune the final end product. It will require a few more sessions before Lower Superstar will see skier and rider traffic (unless, of course, Mother Nature intervenes with a snow storm).

From the Superstar Quad, the resort was skiing Upper and Middle Superstar, top to bottom Bittersweet, and top to bottom Sky Lark. Conditions were very different depending upon which trail you decided to pick.

The Superstar Headwall was interesting. There is probably barely enough snow covering the headwall, given the severity of the angles involved in skiing down it. What is usually a consistent, yet steep, pitch in mid winter had several spots where the slope seemed to go vertical. The Superstar headwall snow was relatively soft and carveable, so after a few quick turns, you were down the bottom, facing a series of choices.

Middle Superstar was the obvious choice. It was a solid carpet of golf ball sized ice chunks, most likely the remnants of several attempts to groom the candy coating which blanketed the Killington region on Tuesday and Wednesday. With nods to both my dentist and orthopedist, the fillings in my teeth and my left knee held together on the ride down to the Sky Lark cutoff. A thrill ride perhaps. Fun... well so it goes...

Sky Lark was a tale of 2 trails. Upper Sky Lark appears to have seen recent snow making. Surfaces were relatively flat and fast, but there was a great amount of soft, pliable, snow to be found, especially once your ventured outside of the straight middle of the trail. Lower Sky Lark had many of the same qualities as Middle Superstar, however, once again it seemed like there was some additional snow mixed in as the vibrations were no where near a severe as those experienced elsewhere.

BitterSweet was you basic flat and fast. Skier and Rider traffic had broken up any vestigal remnants of grooming leaving a granular covered surface on a solid base. Like Sky Lark, there were plenty of opportunities to make nice carving turns. Skier traffic was somewhat heavier on Bittersweet as it is percieved to be "easier" than Sky Lark. But we are still talking early season so comments about skier traffic are somewhat laughable.

Overall, today was a good excursion on the mountain, testing my new skis on varied terrain with varied mid-winter conditions. Killington sent out their Drift newsletter today talking about terrain expansion... I'm ready... let's make it happen!

Let it snow!

Deck the halls with.... 

Thanksgiving's L-Trytophan haze has finally broken. The last of the turkey leftovers that were not frozen for later personal use have been consumed. On to Christmas!

The seasonal shift from Thanksgiving's turkey decorations to Christmas cheer is well underway at the inn. The Christmas tree went up on schedule on Christmas Tree Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving). This years edition stands 14 Feet 9 inches tall in the Great Room. This year it will be decorated in traditional fashion with colored lights, ornaments, and tinsel.

The rest of the inn is also takeing shape as we head into the holiday season. Today was carpet cleaning day, so we have been moving a lot of furniture. Our restaurant re-opens tonight (Thursday-Friday_Saturday this week), so Chef Frizzie is in the kitchen preparing for dinner service. He is also working on our Christmas Holiday and New Years Eve menus, which will be posted online as soon as he is done.

Outside, the Killington region is back to white after some unseasonably warm wet weather late last weekend. The storms that we have been having have been on the nusance side, with just a little "shmutz" falling from the sky. But it has turned the whole area white with an inch thick candy coating covering everything.

Before raising the tree on Monday, we were out on the mountain taking in some early season skiing. The mountain had held up quite well during the warm period. The resort has been making snow when ever they could over the last couple of days(which basically means all the time). We plan on taking a break from decorating to go skiing tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see the progress the resort has made as they prepare for the holidays.

The next week in Killington looks relatively benign from a weather forecast standpoint. Cold with snow showers seems to be the standard for the next few days. That is a good thing, as everything in the area looks just right when there is a covering of snow.

Where ever you may be, keep warm, think thoughts of skiing/riding, and let it snow!

2 turkeys on Thanksgiving means great sandwiches all weekend! 

To all our friends, we hope you celebrated a nice Thanksgiving. We got our wish of a full table of friends to share the holiday with, combined with an early winter snow storm to lift everyones spirits. In a ski resort, thats about as good as it gets for Thanksgiving.

Speaking of snow, the storm on Wednesday covered the region in about a foot of moderately wet snow. There was some altitude variation. (We about 10 inches at the inn). But overall, the area looks fantastic in a blanket of white.

With everyone pushed back from their Thanksgiving tables, skier and riders who chose to avoid Black Friday are starting to come into the resort. They will be treated to a winter wonderland with packed powder snow surfaces and seasonably cool temperatures. The perfect start to winter.

The Birch Ridge Inn covered in the first significant snow of the 2014 season.

Skiers and riders who could not make the trek to Vermont this weekend, are also responding to the snow by booking thier winter ski trips to Killington. We are enjoying hearing from past guests as they call in, or email, to share Thanksgiving greetings and book their trips to Killington for the winter season. Thank you for your continued faith in us as innkeepers!

Where ever you may be, may the ski lifts be fast, the snow be copious, and if you are not skiing or riding but are out braving Black Friday crowds by shopping, may you find the perfect gift for the one you love.

Let it snow!

Killington Peak waiting for Thanksgiving Snow Storm 

While the last few days have not been forgiving for the natural snow that had fallen around Killington this last week, the value of snow making to the ski industry is on full display. In the aftermath of two days of abnormally high temperatures for this time of year, including a day where it r@!ned, the areas of the Killington resort where snow making operations took place these last few weeks are still bright white against the gray mountain.

Work around the inn is progressing as we get ready for the winter season. The annual fall maintenance activities are basically complete. The warm temperatures the last few days allowed the last bit of work outside to be completed in comfortable temperatures.

Now we wait.

Around town anticipation is running high. All eyes are looking at the sky, or the weather channel. All ears are hanging on every weather forecast. Will we get dumped on, or will the storm just graze the area. No matter what happens, it looks like cold weather will return to allow Killington to refire their snow making system. But, if the weather forecasters are to be believed, 6 to 12 inches of new snow provided by Mother Nature would also be a great Thanksgiving gift to ski country.

Twig season making a brief return to the Green Mountains of Vermont.

But never matter. Mary and I have a lot to be thankful for as we enter into the Thanksgiving weekend. If we get snow, that's great. If not, the Thanksgiving Turkeys are still going into the ovens on Thursday as we celebrate the holiday with family and friends.

Where ever you may be, have safe travels as you prepare to give thanks.

Let it snow!

Mary making here season debut on the snow. 

The Nile is a river in Egypt, but there is no denial possible in Killington. Winter is here!

Around the inn, the ground is now solidly covered white. While we are not talking snow that needs to be plowed quite yet, it was necessary to break out the snow shovel to clean up the walkways around the inn when we returned from skiing this morning.

On the mountain, there were other signs of winter. Mary made her first outing of the season. Chuckles, Howie, and a whole host of characters also journeyed out into the snow. Only the Bagel and Ruts were missing from the normal Friday ski group. But they will be skiing soon enough.

At the resort, conditions ranged from soft moguls to 3 inches of natural powder over a man-made base. The resort was skiing top to bottom today. From Killington Peak you could go play in the North Ridge Area, take East Falls back to the K1 Base Lodge, or play on Snowden. Elsewhere at the resort, it looks like ropes will be dropping this weekend(?) on Sky Lark and Bittersweet off Superstar, down Lower Chute to the Snowden Quad, on Rams Head from Rams Head Base and on the learning trail at Snowshed. The combination of cold weather over the last week, combined with some natural provided by Mother Nature is setting the resort up nicely for a great November ski weekend.

At the inn, we reopen our restaurant for the Winter Season this weekend with dinner on Friday and Saturday evening. We will have the same schedule next weekend over the Thanksgiving holidays, before we expand our dinner schedule as we head into December.

Where ever you may be this weekend .. dig our your ski clothes and come on up to Killington for some great early season skiing and riding.

Let it snow!

Snow guns cranking out manpow at Killington. 

Brrr.. Low 20's all day....

Yesterdays mess with snow, sleet, and r@!n was followed up by a blustery cold front. If it was not frozen before the sun went down last night, it will be rock solid as the sun goes down tonight. Winter has overtaken the Killington region. Where are my hat and gloves again???

The resort is taking advantage of the cold weather to pump out some man made powder across the resort. While yesterdays storm left them with some trail resurfacing to accomplish, by this afternoon the resort was making snow on Killington Peak, Snowdon, and Rams Head. The near term focus seems to be focused on getting some novice and intermediate terrain open as we head into the Thanksgiving period. With cold weather firmly entrenched in the area until late in the weekend, the Resort should be seeing some good snow production leading to more open terrain in the next few days.

Around the inn we have wrapped up winter preparations. The yard work is done. Anything left can be done in the spring. The ongoing task of minor building repairs continues. (The inn is a very large building after all). The first ski packages have been ordered for this coming weekend for guests from Killington. I visited with my mother down on Cape Cod last week. Mary is off doing shopping with her mom this week. And Chef Frizzie is back to work as the restaurant re-opens for the winter season this coming Friday November 21st.

Here is the latest video installment of our ongoing search for the perfect..... It is a little too early to use that word yet. Let's pay homage to the Pilgrims and celebrate Thanksgiving first.

Where ever you may be...Stay Warm. And Let it snow!

First bump run of the season! 

Well..... it has to happen some time.

With Killington being open for the season for 9 days, and a ski pass in my possession for 7, it was about time that I ventured out on the mountain... Finally

With the hordes of other's skiing and riding on Veterans Day, I dug out my equipment (a task in itself) and rode the K1 Gondola to the peak. Killington has a couple of legitimate trails open (Rime and Reason with their lower cousins).

Killington has a couple of legitimate trails open (Rime and Reason with their lower cousins). My first run, fittingly, was in the bumps on Upper East Fall. Nice soft moguls in the sun. The best that spring skiing conditions could offer for New Zealand. But this is November and Killington and skiing in such warm temperatures was a little stange at best.

2 runs, 2 25 minute lift lines, and a hike out. Done... 1st day under the belt with hopefully a lot more waiting for me this winter.

Of course, as we head into winter, we have some other things up our collective sleeves as well. Stay tuned....

Let it snow!