Mary with the Christmas tree donated
by the Birch Ridge Inn
to the Vermont Holiday Festival.
The theme of the tree is 'Just Heavenly". 

So much to do... so little time....

This coming weekend at Killington will offer a wide range of activities for visitors to the area. At the Killington Grand Hotel, the Killington Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 4th annual Vermont Holiday Festival. The centerpiece of this event is the "Festival of Trees". This year, 115 trees were decorated by local businesses and residents of Killington. The trees are on display in the Grand Ballroom of the Killington Grand Hotel all weekend. Further information can be found at vermontholidayfestival.com.

And then of course, there is the skiing and riding. The mountain today was once again in great shape. Intermediate and Advanced skiing and riding was being offered off both Killington and Skye Peaks.

Howie on Cascade. Not bad for his second day out! (Click to enlarge.)

Snow surfaces are all machine groomed packed powder with a continuous fluff falling from the sky keeping everything white. it is hard to pick a "run of the day". Superstar was very nice. Cascade had some nice small mounds (not big enough to call bumps) at the top. Highline was groomed to perfection. For an advanced skier, it was all good!.

If you make it to Killington this weekend, stop by the inn and say hello. We are serving dinner Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from 6:00. and I am sure we will have a roaring fire going in the fireplace to keep everything nice and toasty.

Let it snow!

The ropes were down on the back of the mountain, so I had to follow the trails to see where they would lead. There are times when Killington will challenge your body. There are other times when it gets into your soul. Enjoy!

Rogues gallery at Killington Peak.
(l-r) Billy B., Ray, Mary 

Without a doubt, skiers and riders at Killington are experiencing the best early season in years. Depending upon altitude, the resort is reporting total snow fall of between 12 and 24 inches. And the new snow has made a huge difference in the look and feel of the mountain. The resort has been blowing snow on the upper elevation trails for weeks to build up the base. The storm earlier this week is great "frosting on the cake".

Where do we begin... This morning it was all good. North Ridge including Rime, Reason, East Fall and Double Dipper were all generally soft and edge-able. Great Northern, Mousetrap and Chute all had excellent coverage. Although we did not ski it, from the Snowdon Quad Great Bear looked in nice shape all draped in natural snow.

On the other side of the mountain, the Superstar Headwall and middle Superstar were great groomed cruisers. Lower Superstar had huge snowmaking and windblown bumps on it. They did not look particularly fun, so we avoided it. Aggressive snow making was taking place on middle Ovation. The resort appeared to be using the new Low Energy guns, as in addition to a lot of snow, they were also blanketing middle Superstar in a low, cold, fog like cloud. But it did not matter as middle Superstar was groomed flat. If you could link a turn, you could have cruised down it today.

Later in the day, I took a run down Blue Heaven. Blue Heaven brings you out to South Ridge. None of the South Ridge trails were open when I was there, but Blue Heaven also connects into Launch Pad which bring one back to Skye Peak, Ovation and Superstar. Tons of snow on the ridge between Kpeak and Sky Peak. Definitely mid winter conditions. Not to shabby for early December.

All in all, a very nice morning and early afternoon to ski....Let it snow!

10 Inches of snow at the snow stake at Birch Ridge 

The first major winter storm of the 2007/2008 season has just about cleared out of Killington this morning. Snow showers are expected for most of the day with minimal additional accumulation expected.

On the ground at the Birch Ridge Inn, 10 inches of new snow have been recorded at the snow stake (elevation ~1870 feet). I would expect higher accumulations to have been recorded on Killington peak.

Snow flurries are predicted by local weather services for the remainder of the week.They should keep snow surfaces nice and fresh as we head into Mid December and the 'Official" start of winter.

Let it snow!

Killington Peak obscured by heavy snow at the K1 Base Lodge 

As predicted, the Killington region is experiencing a heavy snow storm today. New snow on the mountain at 9:00 AM was in the 6 to 9 inch category with heavy snow falling. The snow is not champagne powder, but it is also not east coast cement. It should be great snow to provide base coverage on unopened terrain, and also build depth in the woods around Killington.

When I got to the mountain just before 9:00 AM, there was a large line queued at the K1 gondola. I decided to bypass that and skied right onto the Superstar Chair. The first 3 runs I took were all solid "freshies" down Skyelark, Superstar, and Bittersweet. Conditions were really nice, although my old man legs were telling me that I did not walk enough this past summer. I don't believe that the resort had groomed these trails overnight, as every so often I hit a very solid bump as I was skiing down the trail. I seemed to manage them OK, but I did see a few spectacular launches which turned into yard sale cart wheels by several other skiers and riders on the slopes.

Heavy snow was falling up on Killington Peak. The standard trails by this time were all cut up down the middle, but the usual spots along the trail edges still offered some untracked snow. I finished the morning with a run down Highline. It was pretty scraped off down the middle, but skiers right along the tree line was respectable. It was good to end the ski morning with a run with a nice rhythm to it.

Empty Superstar Chair on a snow day??? (Click to enlarge.)

Looking down to the junction of Skyelark and Bittersweet. A lone boarder in front of me. (Click to enlarge.)

Superstar Headwall. Snowing a lot harder than the picture looks. (click to enlarge.)

Snow covered trees at Killington Peak. A little art shot to remind people of the beauty of the mountains. (Click to enlarge.)

A boarder linking turns on Rime. (Click to enlarge.)

K1 parking lot at 10:30 from Snowdon quad. 2/3rds full. (Click to enlarge.)

Instructor with class on Bunny Buster. There were some people on the slopes this morning. (Click to enlarge.)

Getting ready for the last run of the day down Highline. (Click to enlarge.)

Snow is forecasted to continue overnight. Thank you for your snow dances. Happy birthday Jay and Mom! Let it snow!

Snow Fall Total Map
from accuweather.com 

Forget about this past weekend. (The skiing was great according to inn guests. The resort is making snow all over the place!)

Forget about the nightlife. Virtually all of the night clubs and restaurants at the resort were open this weekend for the season. (Everyone has begun their ramp towards their full winter operating schedules)

Forget about the cold. It was only 5 degrees for most of the day yesterday. But you have to have cold if you want snow....and it's all about the snow. And it looks like a big one is coming!

All of the major weather forecasting services are predicting heavy snow across the Green Mountains starting later this evening through at least Tuesday. Forecasts are calling for 12 inches of snow at Killington. (I would expect a little less at the inn given our lower elevation.)

Ski conditions on basically 100% man made snow have been great this last week based upon personal experiences and guest comments. A foot of snow from Mother Nature will only make it better!

A little dancing music please (snow dance that is!) Let it snow!

Birch Ridge Inn Christmas Tree 2007 

Presenting the Birch Ridge Inn Christmas Tree for 2007. Standing at 13 feet 6 inches, the Fraiser Fir is located in the Great Room of the inn. This years decorating motif is the "White" tree. In addition to 1500 white lights (it is a very big tree), all of the ornaments are either crystal, or clear glass with white or silver accents.

The tree was completely decorated by my partner Mary. She has been working on it all week to get it ready for public display this weekend. The Christmas tree will be on display through the new year.

At the resort, it looks like winter will be arriving a few weeks before the calendar officially calls it. Temperatures this weekend are predicted to be around 0 (F) during the evening hours, allowing the resort to continue their impressive snow making operations. In addition, the weathermen are starting to talk about a winter storm in the area early next week. Please help them out by performing your favorite snow dance.

Have a great weekend. Let it snow!