Fall colors greet Spartans at Killington on Sunday 

The march of the seasons is underway. Fall colors are invading the area as the seasons make their annual change.

Killington peak is starting to show good color at the base areas. Treetops are showing deep colors with maroon red being the favorite thus far. Orange hues are not far behind. As the days get shorter as we enter the march towards winter, the colors will become much more pronounced over the next few weeks.

Colors around the inn and in the Killington Basin are following the lead of the mountain and beginning to pop. While the last several nights have been warmer, we had a spell of cold weather last week which helped to set the color change in motion. We have not yet seen a frost on the mountain, but low lying areas around town appeared to have experienced one last week, according to reports from some local gardeners.

The area around Killington Peak is beginning to show color. Taken September 17, 2017

Elsewhere around town, colors are starting to get vibrant along both the Route 100 and Route 4 corridors. Along Route 100, colors are showing quite nicely in the hills surrounding the Green Mountain National Golf Course. On Route 4, the Sherburne Pass near Pico is becoming also quite colorful. The Sherburne Flats of Route 4 are showing some color, especially highlighted by early morning or late afternoon sun.

It is a beautiful time to visit Central Vermont and the Killington region. For the next 30 or so days, the area will be beautiful with fall colors. After that, it is on to winter with the World Cup on tap for Thanksgiving Weekend.

If your travels bring you to Killington...stop in and see us. Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway and keep using your sun screen.

New "Casa Casella" beside the Carriageway at Birch Ridge Inn 

As they say... "Mi casa es su casa" or "my house is your house"

Well the bears of Killington took that a little too literally with "Casa Casella" at the inn this summer. For those not in on the joke, Casella is our waste hauler. "Casa Casella" is what we call the enclosure beside the carriageway shielding our dumpsters from public view.

On the evening of our wine dinner for the Killington Wine Festival in July, a family of bears decided that the scraps left over from the dinner were just too irrestible to ignore. "Casa Casella" being exposed to the elements for 20 years (yes we have been at this for 20 years now) was no match for momma bear and her large cubs. They succeeded in ripping the doors of and damaging the other wood work.

We had planned on replacing "Casa Casella" in the fall to add an additional "Recycling" dumpseter into the enclosure to comply with VT State Law. We have been taking our recycling to the local transfer station all summer. During the summer months when our deliveries to the inn are smaller, going to the transfer station was a sustainable activity. As we ramp into the fall and winter, things get more serious so we needed to add an additional dumpster exclusively for recyclables.

But the Birch Ridge Bears had other ideas on our timing. As a result, over the last 2 weeks we have spent time completing the demolition of the old enclosure that the bears had started and rebulding a new one in its place. The old enclosure was approximately 9 by 9. The new enclosure is 12 by 12. Undoubtedly the construction effort costed us a few rounds of August golf. Hopefully we get those back in the fall when we had originally planned the construction efforts.

Speaking of fall, there are clear signs around Killington that the annual fall foliage progresssion of the leaf canopy has started. The early "signal trees" have started to show some brilliant color. Whaile not many have changed, they are harbingers of things to come.

It is hard to predict how the color will be this year. However, if past history is a guide, it should be beautiful this year. The leaf canopy of the forest is fully developed and not stressed. We have had more than adequate rainfall this summer, combined with very mild temperatures. As a result, the trees have gone wild with leaf production.

Usually this will signal a long, vibrant, fall season. But is it too early to know for sure.

You can keep track of the fall colors around the inn with our annual "Fall Foliage" gallery. Each day a new picture of the inn will be posted showing the forest behind the inn. In the pictures of the last 2 days, you can see a signal tree I have mentioned behind the Great Room A-Frame (left) that has already changed.

While your mileage may vary, you can also compare the progress of this years fall colors with fall foliage from the last 10 seasons. While not a perfect indicator, the historical record can help you plan your trip to Killington to see optimal color in the region over the fall.

Mother nature always puts on a great show in the Green Mountains of Vermont each fall. Don't be a spectator. Get our and enjoy it!

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, and savor the last days of summer.

New bathroom treatment for Room 2, Antique Lace Room 

When you own a very large building that is open 365 days a year to the public, your tool kit is always nearby. Sometimes the projects are very minor like changing a light bulb or (yck) plunging a toilet. Other times, the projects take on more life. You have to figure out how something was built so you can put it back together again. Or, you just destroy everything and build it over again. it's all in a days work with you run an inn.

Some time around 1970, in the history of the building that is now our home and the Birch Ridge Inn, what is now Room 2 (the Antique Lace Room) Room 3 (the Shaker Room) and Room 4 (the Colonial Maple Room) were built. Lovely avocado green tile, which was de rigueur at the time, was chosen for the design. Contrasted with built in formica counter tops, and rustic stained pine trim, and these bathrooms were all the boss in 1971.

Fast foward 50 years. The formica is scratching. The avocado tile....well it's avocado tile.... (thank god we did not have orange shag carpets to go with it!). A change was needed. Our spring projects this year were pretty clear!

The overall design concept was very straightforward.....rip out the green tile! In addition, delicately removing the old countertops to preserve the vanities was key to the project. We knew we could modernize the vanities by sealing them and painting them with a black enamel. But they needed to be intact to allow that to happen.

The bathrooms in Room 3 and 4 were partially rebuilt when we did the original construction of the inn. The effort in Room 3 was mostly cosmetic, with the old wallpaper being removed in favor of a custom paint job. Room 4 was a little more complicated. 2 walls of green tile were removed and replaced with new sheetrock. The vanity and the frame around the 6ft mirror were totally refinished. New light treatments above the vanity were installed. New moulding was added to finish the entire room. And then, of course, multiple new coats of paint.

Room 2 was a bigger effort. The bathroom was brought down to studs, as well as the old popcorn ceiling in the room itself. The old tile was very well installed, as there was minimal repair needed, other then rebuilding the shower wet wall. I installed a new shower tub, new concrete board as an underlayment for new tile, and new sheetrock through out. A new sink, toilet (comfort height of course) and new light treatments were also added. With the help of our plumbing contractor, and our tile guy, the overall project lasted about 8 weeks.

Old avocado tile bathroom in Room 2

New vanity, light treatment, and carrara marble style tile in Room 2

Avocado, avocado, avocade.. Old shower seat in Room 2

New shower seat and tile in rebuilt Room 2 bathroom

Room 2 proper also saw some changes. The old popcorn ceiling was replace. New ceiling trim was installed to liven up the room. New window treatments were installed to compliment the new paint job. We are ordering a new loveseat for the room to complete the total make over.

It's been a busy spring. With the sheet rock dust out of our hair, we have now moved outside the inn. Mary is busy working on her gardens. Her dahlia's are just relishing the moist weather we have had early this summer in the green mountains. I have been busy battleing bears attacking our dumpster. "Casa Casella" is the next project on the list. As i see it, if you are not on the golf course, you might as well be using a power tool!

Where ever you may be, have a great summer. Keep it in the fairway. And don't forget your sun screen.

Killington Wine Festival 

If it's the middle of July....it's time to drink wine in Killington.

The Killington Wine Festival returns this weekend to Killington with events of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Formal events run by the Killington Pico Area Association include an Estate Tasting of fine wines on Killington Peak on Friday evening and the Grand Tasting at Killington's K1 Base Lodge during the afternoon on Saturday. Sanctioned KPAA events run by local businesses include the Killington Wine Trail on Friday evening, several wine dinners on Saturday evening, and "Wine And Nine" at the Green Mountain National Golf course on Sunday afternoon.

At the inn, we are getting ready to hold 2 different wine events at the inn over the weekend.

Wines from J. Lohr featured at the Birch Ridge Inn during the Killington Wine Trail

On Friday evening, as part of the Killington Wine Trail, we will be hosting J. Lohr Vineyards. During the Wine Trail, we will be featuring 2 different small plates paired with appropriate wines. Chef Colin will be paring a J. Lohr Flume Crossing Sauvignon Blanc with an Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl. He also will be pairing J. Lohr South Ridge Syrah with Duck Wellington. The Wine Trail is always a great "hang out" event at the bar in the Great Room. Just a perfect "starter" to get the palate reved up for the overall wine weekend.

Wines from Wente Vineyards featured at the Birch Ridge Inn during the inn's annual Killington Wine Festival dinner

On Saturday night, Birch Ridge will feature our annual Killington Wine Festival Dinner. (Our 17th and counting). This year we will be featuring 6 different wines from Wente Vineyards paired with some beautiful dishes Chef Collin has been crafting since before we took our spring hiatus in May. To get you thinking about the dinner, the final entree for the evening is an incredible champagne butter poached lobster paired with a Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay. The full menu for the wine dinner is available on our website .

While the Wine Trail on Friday evening is a drop in no reservations event, the Wine Dinner on Saturday is a different story. Seating is limited. If you would like a reservation for our wine dinner you can make it online or give us a call at the inn at 800.435.8566 or 802.422.4293.

In addition to the Friday and Saturday restaurant events, we are also offering full lodging packages with tickets to the Killington Wine Festival and reservations for our Wine Dinner on Saturday.

Whether you decide to make a weekend out of it, or just stop in for the Wine Trail on Friday night, we hope to see you this weekend at the Killington Wine Festival.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, and don't for get your sun screen.

Full parking lot on great Easter Friday ski day at Killington. 

What a fantastic Easter Friday for skiing and riding at Killington. With many schools and businesses closed for the Easter weekend, the slopes of Killington were crowded with families taking advantage of prime spring skiing conditions under full sunshine.

While the resort is starting to shrink as the snow melts, conditions overall were beautiful. If you love spring skiing on soft bumps, there were found in abundance everywhere you turned at the resort. And with a weather forecast calling for good weather all weekend, this is a great time to slip away and visit Killington one last time before putting the skis together for the season.

Herb crusted Rack of Lamb from the restaurant at the Birch Ridge Inn.

Speaking of the change in seasons, the restaurant at the Birch Ridge Inn will be going on "Spring Break" after this weekend. The last evening for dinner service for the 2016-2017 season will be Saturday April 15th. After a brief hiatus, the restaurant will re-open for regular dinner service on Friday June 30th. The inn will remain open for lodging during most of the period, with the exception of a few days when we have some projects to complete.

Thank you to all the inn and restaurant guests who have made the 2016-2017 season a success. With the restaurant on hiatus for a few weeks, we are looking forward to continuing to enjoy the mountain for lots of spring skiing.

The snow season has not ended here in Killington. So...Let It Snow! is still an appropriate salutation. But with golf season gearing up down south (and at some local courses), I won't fault you if your pursuit changes from snow balls to golf balls over the next few weeks. What ever you pleasure, please do not forget your sunscreen.

Mary after a run down East Fall at Killington 

The windows are wide open in the office. I went, unsuccessfully, hunting for a pair of shorts earlier this afternoon. Spring has arrived at Killington.

When we departed the inn this morning, at 8:50 AM, the temperature under sunny skys had already reached 58 degrees. Even with just a vest, a turtle neck, and a shell for pants, I knew it was going to be a warm morning on the mountain. And it was glorious!

Consistently soft snow, bumps of all sizes for all ability levels, bright sunshine, a nice warm breeze, and lots of friendly people.... Mid winter powder storms are great, but as the season winds down there are special places for warm spring skiing days as well.

We spent our few hours on the slope staying over in the Killington Basin side of the resort running the K1, Canyons, and Snowshed quad lifts. While the box at K1 was efficiently in moved us from the K1 base lodge to the peak of Killington, sitting in the sunshine on the quad lifts was much more satisfying.

With temperatures approaching 60, ski surface conditions were uniformily soft. Some trails which had substaintial skier traffic like Double Dipper and East Fall were puckered up with bumps. Others where traffic was non existent, like Chute under the Snowshed quad, were beautiful soft cruisers. There can be no complaints on a day like today.

While todays warm temperatures will cause surfaces to melt, the Killington Resort is covered in feet of snow on the major trails, the result of a season long snow making campaign. Mother Natures warm spell this week might take out some of the tree runs around the resort, but there is a lot of skiing and riding to still be had on the slopes of Killington.

The snow season has not ended here in Killington. So...Let It Snow! is still an appropriate salutation. But with the Masters golf championship at Augusta already in the can, I won't fault you if your pursuit changes from snow balls to golf balls over the next few weeks. What ever you pleasure, please do not forget your sunscreen.

Skiing at Killington before yesterdays announcements. 

No matter what the outcome, history was made yesterday at Killington.

Before a gathering of several hundred people from the Killington community, the management team of the Killington Resort completed the exorcism of past questionable management practices and announced a series of bold and far reaching steps to return Killington to its rightful place as one of the top ski resorts in the United States. While success is far from certain in the ever evolving ski industry, Killingtons management team laid down a bunch of not so subtle markers indicating that they are in the game to win it, not just to survive. It's about time!

Breaking down yesterdays announcements, there are layers of texture not seen in almost 20 years at Killington. While the infamous and much delayed "Killington Village" development was barely mentioned, except for pointing out that the developer has received an Act 250 permit from the State of Vermont, it was readily apparrent that the Killington management team is determined to move the resort forward...village or not. Specifically:

Killington on the world stage!
While this was the last announcement of the day, it was also the most profound from a Killington perspective. Mike Solimano, President and General Manager of Killington, announced to the Killington community that the resort and POWDR (the parent company of the Killington Resort) had inked a deal with the International Ski Federation (FIS) to hold the Audi FIS Ski World Cup at Killington the next two years over the Thanksgiving weekend. Herwig Demshar, VP of International Business Development for POWDR was at yesterdays community meeting to support the announcement.

Beyond the raw excitement of the event, which was on full display last Thanksgiving at Killington, there are 2 very important takeaways which are highlighted by this announcement. The first is that POWDR is very serious about promoting the Killington Resort on the world stage. The Beast of the East deserves international recognition, and committing to hold a highly visible World Cup event in late November in Vermont, when ski conditions can be notoriously difficult, is a throwdown to every other resort in the world that Killington is a place for their patrons to come and visit.

The second takeaway is much more subtle, but equally profound. POWDR, and the Killington's Management Team purposefully announced the signing of the World Cup races at a community meeting first, before issuing public press releases. Contemplate that for a moment. The company whose initial mantra 10 years ago likened the community to "the friendly birds that live on the back of an elephant and pick the bugs off" has come full circle viewing the Killington community as a respected partner. It would have been easy for the PR machine of Killington to have fired off a press release about the World Cup before yesterdays meeting. But they didn't. They chose to share the announcement with the community...then tell the world.

The return of the South Ridge Chair Lift and the Snowshed Crossover
Oops....Pres Smith really knew what he was doing when he designed the Killington Resort.

While I jest with some tongue and cheek commentary, without admiting it, this is exactly what the Killington management team did yesterday. Beyond the World Cup, seasoned Killington skiers and riders will mostly likely be impacted directly (positively) by the return of the South Ridge chair lift, and the Snow Shed Crossover.

First... the South Ridge Triple.... In 2011, Killington removed what the then management felt was a dysfunctional and underutilized triple chair lift on the back side (South Ridge) of the Killington resort. Without question, the South Ridge Triple was a distinctive chair lift, with it's sharp left hand turn midway up the southern reaches of the resort. Initially installed in 1977, it quickly became a insiders chair lift for those who skied at Killington during the crowed Baby Boomer times of the late 80's and early 90's. In addition to providing access to some interesting terrain on the back side of the resort, the South Ridge Triple offered an efficient way to traverse from the south side to the north side of the resort, without going through the congested Killington Base Lodge area. With skier days moving up again, the Killington Management team appears to have convinced POWDR that increased congestion at the Ki Base Lodge is not necessarily a good thing.... hence, South Ridge will be back....this time as a straight line fixed grip quad traversing the original return path of the removed South Ridge Triple. Work on the lift will commence in the summer of 2018.

The Snowshed Crossover is another Pres Smith creation that Powdr initially rejected. During the 70's and 80's as Mr. Smith was expanding the Killington Resort to cover 6 different mountain, he wanted to make sure that skiers of all ability levels could enjoy each peak. In particular, he made concerted efforts to install "Green" trails off of each peak to allow beginners to get the full Killington Experience. Great Northern from Killington Peak is one such trail. Another was the Snowshed Crossover which connected Skye Peak to Bear Mountain back to Snowshed. POWDR, rightfully so, was aware that these crossover trails had unintended consequences. In addition to exposing beginners to Black Diamond terrain if they took a wrong turn, they also created numerous opportunities for skier collisions on intersecting trails to occur. When POWDR took over the resort, in addition to redesigning Great Eastern, making some minor changes to Great Northern, they closed the Snowshed Crossover. This had several unintended consequences. In addition to making it more difficult for beginner skiers to enjoy the full Killington resort, with the elimination of the South Ridge Triple, exiting Bear Mountain on busy skier days was bottle necked to the Skye Peak Express Quad. And if the quad broke down.... the horror.....

This season, if you were paying attention on certain days, the Snowshed Crossover was open again. I am not sure if it was by accident, or design, but we took it several days out of Bear Mountain without geting stopped by the distinctive orange netting that had been used to close off the trail to skiers and riders. Yesterday, the resort announced that the Snowshed Crossover will return after construction in the summer of 2018. It will be re-imagined with the use of new bridges and tunnels to eliminate collisions at trail crossovers. Many at Killington will welcome its return.

Killington does not need a village to build Ski On / Ski Off accommodations
SP Land was conspicuous in its absence yesterday. But that does not mean that nothing exciting is being built for housing at Killington. Bear Mountain is going to see some major development. In addition to the previously mentioned South Ridge Chair and Snowshed Crossover project, the Bear Mountain lodge is going to receive a major facelift and a new condominium project, called the Basecamp at Bear Mountain will be built starting in 2018. The total investment between Killington and its partner, Vermont-based Ottauquechee Realty Advisors, LLC led by Steve Malone, is estimated to be between $60 and $70 million dollars. In addition to the on slope improvements, several multi-family buildings will be constructed at the base of Bear Mountain. Once that work is completed, the next phase of the project includes 18 duplex buildings near the foot of the Devil's Fiddle ski trail.

More Summer
Killington does not survive on winter alone. During summer months, mountain biking and events take center stage. The resort announced continued investments in developing it's mountain biking assets across the resort. Work will continue this year to build out more trails on Rams Head mountain. On the event side of the docket, the resort in conjunction with the town has events scheduled for basically every weekend during the summer of 2017. From the Vermont Bike and Brew to the 16th Annual Wine Festival, Cooler In the Mountains concert series, Dirty Girl mud run, and the Spartan Race, there are events for everyone at Killington this summer.

But Killington is still a business. Climate change is a concern.
And the first shall come last.... While the 2015-2016 ski season can only best be described as yesterdays news, the Killington Resort has rebounded during this season. Snow fall at the resort during the season has returned to normal levels (239 inches as of yesterday). Skier visits are rebounding to around 750,000 this year. But all is not golden in paradise.

Even though this year has seen a return to more snow, the average temperatures the resort is experiencing is continuing to climb. Climate change was openly discussed and is impacting the resort. The resort is dealing with it using a two pronged approach. Obviously they are continuing to heavily invest in their snowmaking infrastructure. But they are also heavily investing in renewable energy resources. Solar panels will be sprouting up all over the resort to cover some of the resorts energy needs. By 2020, the resort hopes to cover 33% of the electricity it uses with renewable sources. And they exhorted the Killington community to follow their lead and invest in renewables. In simple terms, the resort can make up for lack of natural snow.. but they need cold weather to do it. Pursuing renewable energy sources, and encouraging others to follow suit, is an attempt by the resort to keep winters cold and the mountains snow covered.

There were many other items covered in yesterdays presentation. One of the audience members did publish the complete presentation on Youtube if you are interested in watching it in all its glory.

Next up at Killington is the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge this coming Saturday and Sunday. And remember...Let It Snow!