Snow stake comparison - Tuesday 12/10 versus Monday 12/9 

Your milage may vary....

Heavy snow late in the day and overnight on Monday December 9th dumped 15 inches at the Birch Ridge Inn at Killington according to before and after readings of the inn's snow stake. Situated in a protected area about 40 feet behind the inn, the snow stake is set up to measure actual snow fall without the influence of surrounding buildings or curious onlookers.

Last night's snowfall is very dense with a high water content. Given that it is early December, it should be the perfect snow cover to allow the Killington Resort to rapidly expand the open trail count across the resort, assuming that any follow on precipitation from the early December storm continues to be of the frozen variety.

At 10 AM as I write this, snow has currently stopped falling. According to various weather forecasters and the Weather Service, snow is to resume falling in the next several hours. If you do forecast shopping, you will hear various forecasters say that the Killington region could receive up to an additional foot of new snow today and tonight on top of the snow that which has fallen in the last 24 hours.

Bring your snorkle.

Let it snow!

Snow stake comparison early into the storm 

A pre-winter Nor-Easter spinning in the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of New England is dumping heavy snow in Killington.

While snow started earlier at the peak of Killington, at the Birch Ridge Inn at an altitude of 1850 FT the snow started just after noon.

Based upon a comparison of snow stake readings, approximately 2 1/4 inches of snow has fallen in the last 3 hours at Killington. (The reading at 3:34 PM ws 5 1/8 inches. The initial reading this morning at 8:47 AM was 2 7/8 inches for a net running total at 3:34 of 2 1/4 inches.)

Current local weather forecasters are creating a shopping situation. Believe the one you want! The overall concensus is that Killington will see about 5 inches of new snow through the early evening hours, with up to 10 inches of new snow total by Wednesday mid morning, when the storm looks like it will cut off for a few hours.

The National Weather Service is calling for accumulations to 2 feet by Thursday evening, with more snow anticipated on Friday.

It is going to be an interesting 72 hours.

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

Mary putting the finishing touches on the 2014 Birch Ridge Inn Christmas Tree 

One of the beautiful things about living in New England is the proverbial phrase "If you don't like the weather....wait a minute". And wait we shall.

While the weather channel and local weather forecasters develop frothy tones of possible future storms, those of us who call Killington our home know that patience is a virture. Mother Nature will bring us cold temperatures and lots of snow in winter. It may not always come at the most opportune moments; it may not come predictably; but come it shall. It is only a matter of time.

Of course... it is not winter yet. Technically, it is still autumn. Winter officially starts at the Winter Solstice on December 21st. It may look like winter..... it may feel like winter.... the ground is covered with snow like winter.... the resort is expanding skiable terrain every day like it is winter.... but technically at least it is still fall.

While we think winter has actually begun, in reality there is still lots and lots of calendar time for major snowstorms to pay homage to the mountains of Killington... and bring joy to the faces of skiers and riders who partake of the slopes.

Killington Resort taking full advantage of cold temperatures to make large amounts of snow.

Around the inn our winter preparations are just about done. Carpets all over the inn were cleaned last week. The heating system has been tuned up. A new primary tank is being installed in the hot water system today(who does not like a hot shower after a day of skiing or riding?). Mary has finished her work decorating the inns Christmas tree. I have been working with our purveyors to identify which new wines to bring into the cellar for the start of the winter season.(I know... it's a tough job by somebody has to do it.) Chef Frizzie is working to build the Christmas and New Years menus, calling his specialty suppliers all over the country to see what treats they can provide us. Merisa has been working her deliciousness testing out new concoctions at the bar to please guests. All of us have been doing training of new staff members who have joined the team to work at the inn this winter. And of course, most of us have been hitting the trails of Killington as often as we can to get our quads in shape for the heavy winter snows we all know will be coming any day now to the mountains for us to enjoy.

It's a surprisingly full time job getting ready for winter. We are ready... are you?

Let it snow!

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!