Killington Peak on Presidents Weekend. 

Happy Presidents Day. A belated Happy Valentines Day. You get the idea.....

I did not start out to not write the blog these last few days, but sometimes life just catches up with you. After writing about our nice day on the mountain last Tuesday, I had planned on interrupting my writing for a day to meet the ever present demands of the IRS. Being the middle of February, if we want to get our taxes done without several extensions, we need to get a package of about 100 pages of information to our accountant in Rutland. Sometimes we make it, sometimes we don't. But this year we were determined to try, so Wednesday was set aside for that purpose. Of course, Wednesday blended into Thursday, but by lunch time we had everything annotated, indexed, duplicated, and collated into a neat little 4 pound bundle of paper.

After a short lunch break, Mary headed to the Rutland and the accountants office, while I went back to my computer to process some snow stake pictures.

Flash....Bang....Poof....Cough Cough!!!!

When I hit the mouse on my Mac to wake up the system, my main monitor (I run 2 monitors on my system) decided it was a good day to die. A wonderful, acrid, burning plastic smelling smoke filled my office over our restaurant. After an emergency computer shut down, a quick game of toss the monitor in the snow bank, and opening all of the windows to ventilate the area, the rest of the day was spent on Thursday trying to pick up the pieces.

The monitor itself was 13 years old, which is like 90 in computer terms, so it did not owe us anything. After reconfiguring the computer system, and testing it thoroughly to make sure the monitor did not take anything out with it, I was able to score a new "Green" LED Flat Panel display on Amazon with overnight delivery. So much for Thursday....

Friday we had the good fortune to be able to get out and ski with some friends in the morning. It was a glorious, blue-bird kind of day. Our warm up run was down Superstar, which was groomed flat and fast. Just perfect to air out early morning legs.

By Friday noon, Fedex had delivered the new computer screen. By the time I got back from Rutland with some cables (the ones that came with the screen were 2 feet too short...Murphy's law strikes again!), we were headed into the combined madness that happens when Presidents Weekend and Valentines Day overlap.

It has been a very nice, and busy, weekend at Killington. We were blessed every night with a fully occupied inn and a sold out restaurant; both filled with guests happy to be at Killington. And that's why Mary and I love being innkeepers...It's not the mind bending administrivia, or the Mr Fixit routines that running our own business entails... It about meeting people and having them smile...

......let it snow!

Killington Peak resplendent in bright winter sun. 

As I write this blog, we are watching the radar screen from the National Weather Service and scratching our heads trying to figure out how we are missing another snow storm. The forecasts from all of the competing weather channels are split on whether or not Killington will see any significant snowfall from the latest storm to transit to our south. With some luck we might get 3 or more inches. But then again, others are saying nada.... We will know tomorrow.

In the mean time, today was just a delightful day to be on the mountain. Brilliant sunshine bathed the resort most of the day. Temperatures were in the mid 20's with a light breeze. As I sit here typing todays post, I have the feeling that I should have put on some sun screen.

Mary and I skied together today; starting around 10:00 after breakfast service was finished at the inn. Terrain conditions across the resort were mixed, depending upon the amount of sunshine a particular trail may have been receiving.

Bear Claw, Lower Wild Fire, Lower Skye Burst, and Lower Dream Maker had all softened up nicely in the morning sun. Upper Wild Fire was firm with snow on the edges. The ice flow between Upper Wild Fire and Bear Claw is starting to poke it's ugly head out of the snow again, but in the light mid week crowds it was easily navigable. Upper Skye Burst was granular with some golf ball sized chunks. Upper Dream Maker was hardback, but clearly visible in the bright sun.

Lower Cruise Control on the tree lines was offering some nice snow. Racing was taking place on Needles Eye. From the Skye Ship it looked flat and fast, but we could not ski it as the trail was closed to the public. Skye Lark was really nice top to bottom with good snow coverage across the trail. Super Star, especially the middle section, was also skiing well. The upper and lower headwalls of Super Star still had a number of large features left over from last weeks snow making. Most had fairly hard back sides, resulting in a little skidding if the skis were not pointed down hill.

On the Killington Peak side of the resort, Cascade and East Fall and Double Dipper were generally firm, the result of colder air and less sunshine on the trails northern exposures. Bunny Buster, Mouse Trap and Chute skied well. The Fan Gun on Mouse Trap has made so much snow that the pitch of the trail has been changed. High Line in the sun was just glorious. Once again I took the fence line down skiers right and found some really nice snow. High Line with it's southern exposure is just nice on bright sunny days.

To all of our friends in Southern New England and the Mid Atlantic states, good luck over the next couple of days with the new storm. With some luck, the storm will hook a little to the left and we at Killington can share in the fun......let it snow!

Killington Peak covered in a snow squall 

Today was one of those days which helps separate the men from the boys. Although the sky was showing hints of sunshine, single digit temperatures with a 20 MPH wind at the peaks made for chilly time on the mountain.

My time at the mountain this morning was cut short as I had a meeting to attend at 10:30. But I did get 6 good runs in during the hour or so that I was at the resort.

My loop today took me from Killington Peak down Blue Heaven to Bear Trax to Bear Claw and lower Wild Fire. After a quick lift up the Skye Peak Quad, I took a trip through the Stash. That was followed by a run down Dream Maker; then Upper Skye Burst to Cruise Control; followed with a run down Skye Lark. I finished my quick excursion with a top to bottom run down Super Star.

All of the terrain today could be qualified as "flat and fast". There were a few areas where there were some deposits of wind blown powder, but for the most part all of the trails were firm in the well below freezing temperatures.

Snow coverage on the mountain today was excellent. The snow making of the last 2 weeks combined with the light snow flurries, which seem to be constantly falling, have left the resort with a great base for the rest of the ski season.

......let it snow!

Riding a whale on Superstar 

With temperatures in the mid 20's, sunshine peaking in and out of puffy clouds, and an occasional snow flurry, Killington was set up nicely for skiing and riding today. While we are not receiving the heavy snows that are expected in the Mid Atlantic region, continuous snow making combined with an ever present snow flurry have left parts of the resort nicely covered in fluff.

We started with the usual haunts today over at Bear Mountain. Conditions have maintained themselves quite well at Bear this week. There is a NorAm competition on Outer Limits today and Saturday. While the bottom 2/3rds of OL was relatively soft, the top third this morning was getting scraped off by competitors side slipping to get to the competition course. I would expect more of the same through out the weekend.

Wild Fire, Bear Claw, Bear Trap, Skye Burst, the Stash and Dream Maker were all good. Expect some scratchiness on the upper sections of Wild Fire and Dream Maker, but there is plenty of snow to make some turns on.

Cruise Control was beautiful. I skied both the left and right tree lines in the zone 2-3 feet off the trees. Both sides had a nice soft fluffy coating. Not powder skiing, but nice just the same.

Snow making was taking place on Needles Eye. The moveable snow guns were a little wet this morning, leaving you with a candy coating. The Pole mounted guns were much drier and offered some nice new snow to ski and ride on.

Super Star was interesting this morning. It is covered in classic snow whales left over from many days of constant snow making. The Upper Headwall was as treacherous as it gets. Huge mounds of snow have solidified on the upper headwall, leaving a surface that is both slippery and grabby at the same time. A grooming machine will knock these mounds down at some point, but in the mean time use some caution entering the upper reaches of Super Star.

Classic snow whales on Super Star. Click to enlarge.

Middle Super Star was covered in gigantic snow whales. The ones with the steepest back sides had been marked by the resort with bamboo poles; much like giant harpoons on the back of a whale. Some nice snow was to be found if you traversed down the spine of the whales. This contrasted sharply with a collection of bumps which were hiding down on the right side of the whales, the result of skier traffic chopping up the soft snow while the snow guns were blasting.

From Super Star we took the K1 Gondola to Killington Peak for a run down Cascade. Nice soft fluff was still present down skiers right at 11:00 this morning. The lower headwall had a scraped spot or two down the center, but soft snow was on both right and left sides allowing sweeping turns.

We drifted over to the Snowdon Quad, thinking we would take a peek at North Star, Vagabond, and the shallow tree runs in the area. North Star was roped off, so we turned around and headed down Bunny Buster to Mouse Trap. At this point, around 11:45 AM, myself and the 2 guys I was skiing with were the only people in sight. For some reason we had the whole trail top to bottom to ourselves.

For the final run of the morning, we did Highline, entering it via a nice traverse down MTS. On Highline, I hugged skiers right along the guard fence put up to protect errant racers. There was a 4 to 5 foot strip of nice 6 inch powder. The tight turns required to keep in this zone led to a quick trip down Highline. In the late morning sun it was a lot of fun.

......let it snow!

Superstar covered with soft bumps. Billy B. in the foreground. Ray about 20 feet down slope. 

While the Mid Atlantic states prepare for another large snow storm, snow also keeps falling on Killington Peak. It is not much. But it is keeping everything nice and white.

On the mountain, snow conditions have continued to improve the last few days. The firm surfaces from the deluge 10 days ago are being replaced with soft, granular surfaces mixed with a combination of natural and man made snow. On the trails which have not received continuous snow making, there is a 3-4 inch covering of loose granular over the base. Just right to set an edge and carve some turns. Some trails have seen ongoing snow making for several days. On those you will find a soft powder surface measured in feet to play on (or in, depending upon your perspective).

Killington today was generally cloud covered with light snow falling randomly around the resort. While there were no extremes in light conditions (like from bright sunshine to dark shadows), overall you needed to pay attention as the light was a little dim.

The usual routes down Skye Burst and Bear Claw were nice. I think Upper Skye Burst was deep tilled by grooming machines overnight, as there were more than a few golf ball sized pieces to contend with. Another grooming cycle, combined with natural snow falling from the sky, will probably create a consistent surface for the weekend.

Wild Fire was superb. From top to bottom it was nicely groomed with a fresh snow cover of a couple of inches. The resort had worked the ice flow I found on Monday on the lower third of Upper Wild Fire. Sometimes due to the compound fall line, Upper Wild Fire can be a little "funky"; but today all 6 people in our group really liked it.

Outer Limits had a nice soft cover. The mogul course set up last weekend is still in place to support a NorAM competition this coming weekend. The resort has widened the grooming outside the mogul course to accommodate heavier skier traffic. It was more than wide enough to make some decent carving turns this morning.

I did have a "Sonny Bono" type of moment today. We were skiing down Great Eastern to the Skye Ship base for a morning coffee break. I noticed the sign for "Home Stretch" and got it into my head that we should try that the next time we head down to Route 4. Without thinking, a dangerous thing to do on skis, the next time I saw a sign to "Home Stretch" I took a sharp left turn to head towards it, right in front of one of the guys I was skiing with. He wound up skiing right over the tails of my skis; I did a classic 360; and we kept going. No harm, no fowl...but I should have been paying attention. Proving once again that daydreaming on skis can get you in trouble. We laughed about it over coffee...but it could have been painful.

Skye Burst top to bottom was nicely groomed. Upper Skye Burst was a mixed granular surface over a firm base. Lower Skye Burst was much softer, the result of snow making last week which was blanketing the trail.

Needles Eye, Bitter Sweet, and Skye Lark were all nicely manicured. Cruise Control varied based upon location. The lower stretch, running to the Skye Ship stage 2 was similar to Wild Fire with a nicely groomed surface covered with a couple inches of fresh snow. I skied the tree line on skiers right, which was sweet. Others in the group found similar conditions down the center and on the left tree line.

The Great Eastern segment of Cruise Control below the Needles Eye Quad was under the snow guns. It seemed like there was 2 to 3 feet of new snow over the base of the trail, but given the bumps developing with skier traffic it is hard to tell. Suffice to say the bumps were nice and soft.

Snow making operations were being closed down on Super Star when we were leaving this afternoon. 4 solid days of snow making have left the trail covered with 15 foot tall (or more) whales. They are not yet over the lift towers in height, but they are definitely over chair height on most of the trail. When we skied it today we found it covered with a combination of small soft bumps climbing up the front of the snow whales, followed by a rather sharp fall off down the back side. (some of them seemed like falling off a cliff they were so big). In a day or two I am sure that the groomers will probably knock them down to spread the snow around, but today, they were a lot of fun.

......let it snow!

Snow making in full swing on Superstar 

It's not mariachi bands and umbrella drinks. Nor is it a fur clad buxom bartender at an ice bar with a bottle of vodka. This is Killington after all. And that means hot chocolate with extra marshmallows if you were on the hill this morning.

After a little light snow overnight, a dome of high pressure settled over Killington this morning providing the area with bright blue skies and chilly temperatures. The sunshine was a welcomed companion to skiers and riders at the resort today. The chilly temperatures...not so much. But even then, an extra layer this morning was all it took to ward of the chill.

Because of the sunshine, we started our day skiing at Killington Peak. Highline was resplendent in the early morning sun, and as there was no race training taking place, we hopped on that first thing. The traverse down Great Northern was unusually choppy, as it appeared that a bunch of snow mobiles had been on the trail prior to the resort opening for skiing. But once through that, Highline was groomed in great shape.

Cascade was next up. Upper Cascade was medium firm corduroy. With the morning sun it was set up nicely for a little cruising. Lower Cascade was firm but soft enough to set an edge. Skiers right was tighter than the middle and skiers left. (Gravity was clearly causing the chopped up snow to flow down the compound fall line.) Overall it was in good shape, but not good enough to elicit a do over.

Traversing across to Bear Mountain, we hit Bear Claw and Lower Wild Fire. Upper Bear Claw was relatively soft. Lower Wildfire was firm with a granular coating.

Outer Limits was groomed flat, with the manufactured bumps course starting about a third of the way down the trail. Some in our group did it a couple of times, although there were a few comments about the pinch point at the top of the bumps course.

Todays motley crew at the top of Highline. Click to enlarge.

Upper Wildfire is best left with the term "interesting" It was groomed flat with a lot of firm spots covered with a fine snow dust. The lower third at the Bear Claw junction could only be described as ice. The only choice on that section of the trail was to point the skis downhill and hope that a) you did not meet anyone coming down Bear Claw and b) that you could find enough snow on Bear Claw to check your speed and stop. In all fairness to the resort, this was the only spot on the mountain where we encountered any ice. While there were a few places where we discovered wind blown hard pack, we did not encounter any other icy bits on our morning excursion around the resort.

Skye Burst top to bottom was nicely groomed. Upper Skye Burst was a mixed granular surface over a firm base. Lower Skye Burst was much softer, the result of snow making last week which was blanketing the trail.

Dream Maker, Cruise Control, Needles Eye, Bitter Sweet, and High Road were all in excellent shape. We did several passes off the Skye Ship in the Needles area, taking advantage of the Skye Ships enclosed cabins to warm up a little.

Once again I finished my morning on Superstar. Snow guns have been making snow on Superstar for the last 3 days. The surface was a combination of deep man made powder on top of large snow whales with a fair amount of skier created bumps thrown in for good measure. With the snow guns kicking out a huge amount of snow, and the bright sunshine over head, Superstar took on a yellowish hue as one picked your way through the bumps. With the exception of one snow gun, every gun on Superstar was cranking out beautifully light powder. The rogue in the mix was putting out ice pellets, the temperature was in the single digits after all, which left you skiing with a candy coating. All in all, Superstar under the guns turned the morning into an aerobic work out. And that was a nice way to end the morning at the resort.

......let it snow!

Rut's Skis - Hell freezes over! 

Lots to talk about in no particular order. The short version...Today was chilly at Killington. Conditions were firm, flat and fast. And Ruts was on skis so we know hell has frozen over.....

Today was atypical for this ski season, but fairly normal for a late January day in Killington. Temperatures are in the single digits. The mountain is being bathed in bright sunshine. Moderate winds are creating wind chills well below zero. But, carefully timed runs on the Skye Ship and the K1 Gondola, combined with a hot chocolate stop, made for an enjoyable morning on the mountain.

Since I last skied on Wednesday, the resort has continued their grooming and snow making operations. Every surface we skied on this morning was groomed flat, with the exception of where snow making was taking place.

At Bear Mountain, Skye Burst, Bear Claw, and Wild Fire all skied very nice, with the exception of lower Skye Burst. The resort was making snow on Lower Skye Burst. Combined with yesterdays snow squalls, and a strange wind, the surface on Lower Skye Burst was very mottled and sticky. A run through with a grooming machine will make it all nice for the weekend.

Snow making looked like it was going strong in the Stash, so we decided to take a pass. Outer Limits has a bumps course set up on the bottom 2/3rds of the trail. The course created a pretty tight pinch point. While the trail was groomed, and looked nice, we also bypassed it in deference to others.

On Skye Peak, upper Dream Maker was beautiful. The icy bumps of the last couple of days have been groomed. Snow making was taking place on Middle and Lower Dream Maker. Cruise Control and Needles Eye were set up perfectly for edge to edge high speed cruising, as was Bitter Sweet and Skye Lark.

Our run of the day once again was Superstar. From the upper headwall to the run out to the quad, Superstar was covered with corduroy complimented with some loose granular and fine snow. Even though the Superstar Quad was a little cold in the wind, trail conditions demanded a do over in the mid morning sunshine.

Todays picture shows an unusual sight. Many regular readers and friends will recognize "The Bagel" and Ruts in the picture. But if you ignore the Bagels circa 1980 one piece disco suit (it was cold today after all and one piece suits tend to be warm) you will notice that Ruts is not on his trademark snow board. All season, Ruts has been threatening to get on a pair of skis, and today was the day. It has been almost 20 years since Ruts went to the dark side. Since he had fun today, it will be interesting to see which way he goes the next time he is on the hill.

.....let it snow!