Wispy clouds top Killington Peak 

With the exception of an hour here, and hour there, it has been almost 3 weeks since Mary and I have been able to get on the slopes for some serious skiing at Killington. Today was the day.

Our expectations were fairly low given the inordinate amount of wet weather we have had the last few weeks. In some ways those expectations were correct, but there were a few surprises along the way.

The light fluff that has fallen the last 30 or so hours served as camouflage for generally very firm surfaces under foot. Trails that were groomed were skiable. If they were groomed only once, hold on because turning was more like aiming. If there had been groomed a couple of times, the surfaces were much more stable and softer. Trails that had been groomed a couple of times and were in the sun were nicer still.

Other than the firmness of the base, what was most unexpected was the overall snow depth. At the Killington Peak, the warming hut just to the right of the Gondola Station is virtually buried in snow. Only it's roof is sticking out. If you want to go inside, you must climb down a snow bank. I saw similar instances where the depth of the base was more than I had expected, given the weather we have experienced at the inn. Of course, the top of the mountain is 2000 feet higher than the inn, so it stands to reason that on a few of the storms we had when the inn was getting liquid, the top of the mountain was getting something solid. It should bode well for some nice spring skiing over the next few weeks.

Let it snow.

Hearty souls on the Snowdon Quad in the snow. 

Yesterdays dreary weather moved out of the area with a roar last night. R@*n and sleet gave way to heavy snow showers and high winds as temperatures plunged from the mid 30's to the mid teens around midnight.

At noon time today, the Killington Resort was open with limited lifts. The fixed grip lifts of the Snowshed Double, Snowdon Triple and the Snowdon Quad were operating, as well as the detachable chair, the Ramshead Quad. Heavy icing from the rapid temperature drop, combined with high winds resulted in the limited operations. Inn guests who ventured on the mountain today reported that the open terrain was in good shape, but the high winds and continuous snow fall resulted in a very cold day on the slopes. So it goes.

Let it snow.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost 

It is a wet, dreary, day at Killington. The weather has been the usual spring mix of r@*n, sleet, and snow. Not the best of days to be on the mountain.

Snow surfaces look like they are still holding up. I was actually surprised when I saw the net gain on the snow stake overnight. The storm did start yesterday with several inches of snow early in the evening. Since then, it has been primarily wet, although it is supposed to finish off with snow this evening. We can hope.

Let it snow.

Mary and I are still sidelined from skiing due to the after effects of last weeks flu. We are on the mend, but have a lot of catching up to do.

Our Chef, "Frizzie", who came in 1st runner up in last weekends Jack Daniel's Cook Off, did venture out onto Pico this morning. According to Frizzie, the word for the day is "Loud". Conditions at Pico were very firm. Groomed surfaces were skiable with a lot of noise. Un-groomed surfaces not so good. Frizzie thought that conditions would continue to soften up as the afternoon sun had a chance to work on the terrain. I have not had a chance to speak with our guests who went to Killington this morning. I would guess that they will be enjoying spring like conditions in the afternoon sunshine.

Let it snow.

Long time Killington Town Manager, Dave Lewis, being recognized for his service to Killington at Town Meeting. 

In a ceremony fit for a skit out of Saturday Night Live, two town constables were called to approach the podium at Town Meeting before the discussion of Town Meeting Article 8 began. In quick succession, Town Moderator MB Neisner stepped down from the podium and was quickly wrapped in a flak jacket by the constables. Regaining his composure, MB implored to the huge, and now laughing, town meeting crowd: "No Head Shots Please".

So goes town meeting day at Killington. For the Civics students, it is always a direct lesson in participatory democracy. For many, it's a classic Greek drama..a little comedy, a little tragedy. For everyone it is a chance to express how they want the town of Killington to be governed for the following year.

This year the most contentious item was Article 8 placed on the ballot by the Selectboard to raise a 1% local options tax on meals, rooms, alcohol, and retail sales. The funds, which will start being collected October 1, are destined to fund an office of Economic Development within town government.

Debate on the article was vigorous, both for and against. Chris Nyberg, President of the Killington Resort, and who is not a Killington citizen, was granted special permission to address the crowd. Chris presented an alternative to Article 8 that Powdr was recommending to local voters. Bill Bauer, who along with Chris Karr, leads the Killington Economic Growth Initiative gave an impassioned speech near the end of public discussion imploring town citizens to reject Powdr's alternative and vote yes on Article 8. After almost 90 minutes of floor debate, the article was voted 167 in favor, 87 against. Killington will have a local option tax in October. So it goes.

The rest of town meeting had little contention. The only other segment with any drama was for the one position up for re-election this year on the select board. In a rare challenge, Jim Haff challenged incumbent selectman Mike Miller for the position. The vote was split almost 60/40 in favor af Mr. Miller who retained his seat on the selectboard.

Dave Lewis, retiring town manager, was honored with a standing ovation during the meeting. A fete for Dave to be held June 8th at the Summit Lodge was announced today during the ceremonies. And Dave Gouchberg was honored by the recreation department as the Kenneth Kranz Volunteer of the Year.

Let it snow.

Taking picture of the snow stake after last nights snowfall. 

As I sit here at my desk, still suffering from the effects of the flu, I look outside my window in amazement at the amount of snow that is piled high around the inn. In the last week alone, the snow stake has recorded a solid 10 inches of additional snow, moving the total from 24 1/2 inches to 34 1/2 inches in the last seven days. And the snowiest part of the year is still to come. Hopefully later next week I will have a chance to go out and play in it.. so it goes..

Let it snow!

PS... I have caught up on all my reading. Between Scientific American, the Atlantic, Information Week, Conde Nast Traveler, DR Dobbs Journal, and Ski Magazine, I have been keeping the brain engaged. Of course, I have found myself switching to the History Channel on TV to get away from the incessant Obama/Hillary confabulation occurring on all of the news channels. But thats for another day.

 

The Vermont Council on Rural Development Killington Community Meeting jointly sponsored by the Killington Select Board and the Killington Economic Growth Initiative is scheduled to take place this evening starting at 6:30PM in the Sherburne Elementary School on Schoolhouse Road in Killington. This meeting, which was rescheduled from Tuesday the 26th due to the snow storm Killington experienced, is a follow up meeting from the community meeting held in late January.

Let it snow!