Killington cloud lingering on Killington Peak 

The leaves are starting to fall off the trees at Killington. Preparations at the resort and at businesses around town are moving to a winter footing. Lawns are getting their final cut of the season. Brush is being mowed down. Outside building maintenance has taken on a sense of urgency. The weather is predicted to be cold at Killington all week. Snow is even mentioned in passing in the weather forecasts. Winter will soon follow in the mountains of Vermont.

The big question on the minds of East Coast skiers and riders is when will the 2009-2010 ski season kick off? The Killington Resorts return to the "Beast of the East" brand is but the first salvo of the season. All marketing slogans aside, however, the rubber does not hit the road, or in this case the skis don't hit the slopes, until there is a nice white carpet of snow covering the ski trails at Killington.

In the local community, all eyes in town are looking at the Resort to determine if the "Beast of the East" brand was resurrected as a marketing mantra, or as a business operating model. And in the near term, that means only one thing...when will the Killington Resort turn on the worlds largest snow making system and signal the true start of the ski season in Vermont?

Of course the buzz is building. Any marketing person worth their salt knows that to create interest, you need some buzz. The resort has been very visible in trimming all of the trails to make them receptive to the first snow of the season, be it natural or from a snow gun. They have been very aggressively public in stationing compressors around the mountain to pressure test the snow making system to fix any problems, and prove that it is ready to operate. The resort has stimulated a competition with snow making equipment vendors by installing different fan guns at different places around the mountain for "field trials". And finally, the resort has made it known to every fall foliage hiker and gondola rider going to the peak that snow making guns are set up and ready to rock on Rime, traditionally the first trail to see snowmaking each year.

Last week, we saw cool and damp weather around the area. Very unfavorable conditions to attempt to make snow. This week, cold is the order of the day. Temperatures last night were in the 20's. All week, similar conditions are forecasted. And you need cold to make snow.

In the days of Pres Smith, before ASC, snow making often started on Killington Peak at the end of September. In general, the activity was a canard, designed to capture the first video's of skiers inaugurating the ski season at the easts largest ski resort. Everyone knew what was happening. But it still was great fun. Hundreds of television stations around the United States picked up the video feed. It got the juices flowing in the eastern ski community. It created buzz. It made people want to travel to Killington to ski. Nothing more, nothing less.

In more recent times, business operating models have delayed the start of snow making till late October, when snow making conditions were more favorable. If you think about it, it is hard from a business operations standpoint to burn megawatts of electricity to pump water up hill to turn it into snow...then have it melt back into the Roaring Brook, and various resort water retention ponds. Of course the fallacy of that approach is that while it may appear to be good for the bottom line, it does nothing for the "buzz". In many instances a slow start to the ski season is no start to the ski season. As the weather turns cold in the population centers of the Northeast, the absence of a strong skiing message creates a void which is all too often filled by other pursuits. Out of sight truly is out of mind.

Which of course begs the question....If the Beast of the East is back...when will it roar? When will the Killington Resort turn on its snowmaking system and begin the visible effort required to recapture the glory that the mantra the "Beast of the East" represents?

With the change of the season, and the arrival of cold weather to Killington this week, it will be interesting to watch.....Let it snow!

Fall color at base of cloud covered Killington Peak 

Even though the day started off with a dreary start, Killington visitors are out and about enjoying the fall colors around the area.

Mountain biking and golf are experiencing the last gasp of the season. When I visited the K1 Base Lodge, bikers were out in number enjoying the trails around the mountain.

In addition to taking a gondola ride to Killington Peak, many of our guests are also traveling to Rutland this afternoon to participate in 'Art in the Park"... a celebration of the arts community in Central Vermont.

Tommorrow at Killington, many will also head down to the Killington Tag Sale at the base of the Killington Road. Tents were being set up to hold this event which was originally started by the Sherburne Women's Club.

With the weather due to clear this afternoon, it should be a great day to be out and about in Killington.

Killington Ski Swap at Snowshed Base Lodge 

Columbus Day Weekend in Killington is one of those unique times of the year where everything "converges", in a good way.

Fall foliage season is in full swing. Visitors from all around the world converge on Vermont to see the annual changing of the seasons. Killington, being almost in the center of Vermont, sees its fair share of fall foliage guests.

Columbus Day Weekend also signals the pre-emptive start of the winter ski season. While skiing and riding are not yet happening, second home owners and some seasonal renters converge on Killington to get there houses in order for the winter season. When winter will strike is any ones guess, but we usually see snow in the mountains before the calendar turns to November, creating a sense of urgency in preparing for its arrival.

The convergence of "leaf peepers" and "winter regulars" to Killington also creates an interesting dynamic in the community. Because more people are in town this weekend than any other weekend since the close of the last ski season, most of the shops and restaurants which have been closed for the summer will be opening their doors again. Delivery trucks carrying food to stock the restaurants, and new ski wear to stock the ski shops, have been converging on the area for several days to prepare for this weekend.

One of the big events of the weekend is the Annual Killington Ski Club Ski Swap. The swap, held at the Snowshed Base Lodge, runs Friday Evening from 5 to 9PM, Saturday from 9 to 5, and Sunday from 9 to 4. If you need equipment to support your skiing and riding activities for the coming season, this is the event to attend. In addition to ski trades going on between private citizens, virtually all of the local ski shops are represented. And they usually price their wares to move...

Last, but not least, the Killington Hay Festival is ongoing. Hay sculptures are scattered through out Killington. We have had dozens of guests tell us in the evening the fun they have had getting pictures of all of the hay creatures in Killington.

Have a good weekend...

New Killington Resort Marketing Campaign 

I thought it was weird when I saw a stainless steel DeLorean materialize in the K1 parking lot.....It is amazing how life imitates art.

Today Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners, AKA the Killington Resort, announced their new marketing strategy to move the resort into the 21st century. Taking a page from the resort founder, Preston Leete Smith, the resort has gone back to the brand image skiers the world over have associated with Killington for decades: "The Beast of the East".

New Killington Logo. Click to enlarge.

The Killington resort, much to the chagrin of loyal Killington skiers, has misguidedly fought this brand image for the last dozen years. When the resort was purchased by the American Skiing Company in 1997, the resort attempted to rebrand itself to a softer image, mistakenly thinking that they could find salvation by turning their backs on 40 years of history.

When Powdr and SPLand II purchased the resort from ASC 2 1/2 years ago, they held pat with the marketing image while trying to get a grip on the resort. They quickly discovered that the largest ski resort in the Eastern United States is truly a "Beast". It has the most terrain, the most skiable acres, the worlds largest snow making system, beaucoup amounts of advanced intermediate and expert terrain, and a die hard following of really good skiers and riders who enjoy being on the mountain. Not to mention a very active local community tied at the hip with the resort.

As the ski season approaches, the resort will be rolling out its' new marketing campaign and new website to move the brand of Killington back to its' proper home. The "Beast of the East" stood for skiing excellence. Mary and I, like many in the northeast, were lucky to be able to visit the resort every weekend for years, then finally move to the area. Many of our guests visit the area multiple times a year and enjoy the terrain and all that the resort offers. And some of our guests "make the pilgrimage" to Killington "because they needed to ski a great mountains" at least once in their skiing life.

No matter what kind of skier or rider you are, if the Killington Resort lives up to the expectations created by going back to the future with the branding "The Beast of the East", all will benefit.

Long live the "Beast of the East".....let it snow!

The Covered Carriageway at the Birch Ridge Inn at Killington 

It was a very strange morning at Killington. At the inn we have had heavy downpours, hail, thunder and lightning, moderate wind gusts, and blue skies. Wait a minute weather characteristic of New England is the order of the day.

The weather has had some impact on the local foliage color. The maple trees, which were looking for an excuse to shed their leaves, are starting to turn to twig. Most will get through the weekend and then that will be it. As the maples go, the warm red tones of fall are being slowly replaced by the burnt orange color of the oaks scattered through the forests. Oak trees are usually very resilient. They should hold their color for a few more weeks before they are done.

Given the current trend, Columbus Day weekend should offer pretty scenes through out the Killington region. After that, we will all be watching the sky for the first signs of winter.

Speaking of winter, Killington's pre-season discount lift ticket program, called K50, is set to expire next week. October 15th to be exact. The program allows individuals to purchase up to 4 lift tickets valid during the 2009/2010 ski season, with some restrictions, for $50 per ticket. If you are thinking of coming up to Killington for a few days during the ski season, and you have not bought a seasons pass, the K50 program is a good opportunity to save some money, over purchasing individual lift tickets at the ticket window during the season. Info on the K50 program can be found on the Killington Resort website.

The Heights at Killington 

The Heights at Killington will host the October Killington Chamber of Commerce Mixer tonight at "The Heights" condominium development at 210 Killington Road (At the base of the Killington Road near the junction with Route 4).

Kevin DellaBianca, the principal developer, and Robin Becker, Sales Manager for the Heights, will be hosting the event in a model condominium at the complex. The mixer starts at 5 PM. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

The Killington Chamber of Commerce organizes mixers on the first Tuesday of each month. The mixers are hosted by member businesses of the chamber, on a rotating basis. If your business is interested in hosting a mixer, contact the Killington Chamber of Commerce for more details.

Killington color peaking. October 5, 12:27 PM.
Click to enlarge. 

Fall Foliage colors appear to have peaked at Killington today. Virtually all of the trees are engaged in the annual rite of autumn. The maple trees are bright red and just starting to shed their leaves. The oaks are showing decent orange. The birch and popular trees are showing yellow interspersed with mottled green.

Bright colors on Ramshed and Snowdon Peaks. Click to enlarge.

Colors at Killington Peak are in a band starting at about 3500 feet. (Above that, most of the trees are not deciduous, so there are no leaves to change colors.) The most brilliant color is in a band from Little Pico across Rams Head and Snowdon into the K1 base area.

Color highlights the walkway from the Killington Grand Hotel to Snowshed. Click to enlarge.

Color is not limited to Killington Peak. The hills surrounding the area are also showing well. Shagback Mountain and Fosters Peak are both very colorful. They are creating numerous photo opportunities at the bridge across the pond at the Grand Hotel.

Inn guests arriving this afternoon are reporting that color is starting to show to the south of the inn along Routes 91, 100, and 87. Guests heading to Killington along Route 4 from the east are also reporting nice color through the Woodstock area, although it will probably be a few more days before they see peak color.