Snowmaking in progress on Killington Peak 

Much has been made in the last several days in the blogosphere about Killington readopting the "Beast of the East" mantra as their new/old marketing slogan. While being generally well received by Killington afficianados, most question if the resort is readopting the slogan just for marketing, or if the resort is going all in and adopting the "Beast" slogan as an operating philosophy. For any readers who may not be familiar with the meaning of the "Beast of the East" there are various interpretations out there. The simplest is the "First to Open, Last to Close" philosophy which translates from marketing jargon into the longest ski season in the eastern United States.

"First to Open" has become a highly charged debate, subject to loose interpretation and wanton hype by ski resort marketing departments all across the continent. Some resorts will claim they are "open" by blowing snow on a short trail near a base lodge, maybe with a freestyle hit or two, and allowing skiers and riders to hike up to get to the snow. Others will rush to blow snow on a higher elevation trail and truck skiers and riders to it. (Killington in the bad old days used this strategy for several years.) Many will rush to open a trail with several inches of man made snow, knowing full well they will be open for several hours before it melts away and they have to close. It is all great fun, of course. It generates "buzz" for the snow sports industry. It gets people talking about their favorite and not so favorite resorts.

Killington has reinterpreted the "First to Open" slogan in recent years as meaning the "First to Stay Open with top to bottom Lift Serviced skiing". "Stay Open" and "Lift Serviced" are the operating principles here, which coincidently drives some of the debate. Under past regimes, Killington would "Open" and "Close" at will in the early season. As I mentioned earlier, they would also truck skiers up to and down from higher elevation trails to get the season going. Many dyed in the wool skiers and riders don't mind the open/close cycles or truck rides...they just want to be on the snow. From a business standpoint, however, it creates some very interesting tradeoffs. The Killington Resort clearly is pushing to have a consistent product available to a broad audience of customers with their "Stay Open" and "Lift Serviced" definition of "First to Open".

The possibility of being the "First to Open" with the ability to "Stay Open" and have "Lift Serviced" skiing and riding is not mutually exclusive. However, it takes a strong assist from Mother Nature and Mother does not always cooperate.

The Killington Resort is continuing to push forward to open for the season. Their stated goal is "Early November" which we have to take at face value. They are continuing to make snow on higher elevation trails, which is clearly visible in todays main picture. They are also moving forward with installing new fan guns at high traffic areas on the mountain.

Last weekend, I hiked up to Mouse Trap to see the progress they were making with a new gun installation. A week or so ago they installed a massive concrete footing at the junction of Mouse Trap and Great Northern to support a new fan gun. Concrete takes time to cure, so it was exposed to the elements.

Fan gun footing at Mouse Trap Click to enlarge.

This junction is in a very high traffic area. To open the resort (remember "First Open") this area is usually covered with man made snow to support "Top to Bottom" skiing.

With that in mind, I focused one of my cameras with a high optical zoom onto the area while I was out taking pictures this morning. If the resort is going to open any time soon, there was a big hole in the mountain that needed to be filled. From what I could tell, the resort has backfilled the fan gun base; something that they would need to do before anything else in the area. (Think mounting the fan gun and blowing snow.)

Fan gun footing at Mouse Trap now backfilled Click to enlarge.

The fan gun itself is sitting in the K1 parking lot waiting to be hauled up the mountain to be installed. When that will happen, only the resort knows. I am sure we will hear of it at the time. But it is one of the subtle signs that will be an indicator pointing to the resort opening for the winter.

.....let it snow!

Snow making visible on Rime from K1 Base Lodge 

Cold temperatures and snow flurries continued at Killington last night, signaling that the change in seasons is at hand. Fall colors on many of the trees in the area are starting to thin. We are entering what Mary and I affectionally call "Twig Season" here at Killington.

Even though there has been an almost constant snow flurry in the air, temperatures at lower elevations are not yet cold enough to support standing snow. This morning, cold surfaces around the inn were snow covered, but grassy surfaces and roadways were just wet.

The Killington cloud had lifted, at least temporarily, this morning to reveal snow making operations on Killington Peak. The Resort has reported that they began making snow on the upper trails of Killington Peak yesterday morning at 1:00 AM. With the lifting of the clouds this morning, snow making operations are clearly visible for all to see.

From what I could tell from looking at the mountain, snowmaking is confined to the Northridge area. There are no signs of snowmaking visible from the base areas on Great Northern on Bunny Buster. In years gone by, to create top to bottom skiing and riding, Great Northern and Bunny Buster saw significant snow making activities to get the resort open.

When Killington will open for skiing and riding is anyones guess. The cat will be out of the bag as soon as snowmaking operations are visible on lower elevations. If you have not started your snow sports conditioning routines yet, now would be a good time.......Let it snow!

Killington peak covered in clouds with snow on lower elevations. 

---7:00 PM Update---- The Killington resort is reporting that snowmaking operations are continuing this evening. Tonight they expect to have more than 100 snow guns in operation along Rime, Reason, and Great Northern in the Northridge area. The resort has not changed it's planned opening date as yet. Their plan of record is early November, "as soon as it is possible to provide a quality top-to-bottom skiing and riding experience". Of course, the operative words in that last quote are "quality top-to-bottom". Where the Killington Resort is reclaiming the "Beast of the East" mantra as their brand, it will be interesting to watch opening day predictions play out, especially if favorable weather conditions (ie cold and snowy) persist.

The Killington Resort has posted the following video on Youtube - "Killington Begins Snowmaking". Enjoy.

---end 7:00 PM Update-----

----10:45 AM Update----The Killington Resort has officially reported that they have started making snow for the 2009-2010 ski season. The snow making system was turned on last night making snow on the upper elevations of Killington Peak. Snowmaking is progressing on Rime. Based on the current weather forecast, the Killington Resort is reporting that weather conditions should support snowmaking for at least the next 4 to 6 days. ---end 10:45 AM Update-----

Measurable snowfall blanketed Killington Vermont overnight. Around the Birch Ridge Inn, cold surfaces accumulated about 2 inches of heavy, wet snow. Grassy surfaces are covered, but because the ground is not frozen, rapid melting is taking place. Parking lots and roads are just wet as any snow falling on them is melting on contact.

Snow fell on Killington Peak overnight. While the peak was totally covered in clouds (at 9:00 AM), snow was visible on ski trails at lower elevations of the ski resort. Because of the cloud cover, it was impossible to tell from the K1 Base Lodge if the resort had begun snowmaking operations on the upper elevations of the mountain at night. We will have to wait for an official announcement from the resort to determine if they fired up the snow guns for the season.

Clearly not enough snow fell on the mountain to support skiing and riding, so don't plan on visiting Killington today for the first turns of the season. However, it is nice to see the area change from fall colors to a patina of white. While the snow cover will probably be fleeting, as ground temperatures are too warm as yet to support snow, it is a clear reminder that winter is on the way. Let it snow!

Killington peak stands majestic waiting for snow. 

With the end of the Columbus Day weekend, fall foliage activities at Killington are winding to a close. While there is still some nice color in the surrounding mountains, the color in the area has passed peak. We had a killing frost last night, causing the last of Mary's flowers to bite the dust for the season. With light snow in the forecast for this evening, work around the inn is going ahead full speed to prepare for the imminent arrival of early winter weather.

Our Fall Foliage guests over the weekend scattered far and wide around the state of Vermont in search of "Peak Color". Based upon our conversations with them, here is what they said:

North on Route 100 towards Waitsfield and Stowe is showing diminished color. Higher elevations are basically bare. Lower elevations are showing yellows and golds, but most of the red from the maples is gone. Fall colors are quickly passing, but views are still very pretty for those not used to seeing fall in New England.

South on Route 100 towards Ludlow and Weston is showing good color. Upper elevations around Ludlow are going bare. Lower elevations still had a good mix of color, although peak seems to have passed. Peak is in the eye of the beholder with some guests giving the color high marks, while others were reporting better color elsewhere.

Route 7 south of Rutland towards Manchester was going bare. Many of the trees on the western side of the Green Mountains south of Rutland looked like they were stripped of their leaves by wind earlier in the week.

Route 7 north of Rutland towards Brandon and Middlebury was showing good color, especially on the western slopes of the Green Mountains. Color was more pronounced the closer you got to the mountains, versus the plain of the Champlain Valley. Higher elevations were showing nice color, even though the tops of some of the mountain peaks are bare.

Color in the Lake Boomoseen area along Route 30 was also at or near peak. Several guests reported excellent color between Lake Boomoseen and Lake Champlain towards Route 73 and Mount Independence.

Fall is a beautiful time in Vermont. If you want to see the colors this year, act soon because there are only a few days left......Let it snow!

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...