Snowmaking underway on Skye Peak at Killington 

Even though the sky is a beautiful shade of blue, a man-made blizzard is taking shape on many of the trails at Killington.

In addition to continuing to make snow on trails on both the Killington Peak and Snowdon sections of Killington, snow making operations look like they are going full bore on the Killington basin side of Skye Peak. The top of Super Star, Upper Sky Lark, portions of High Road, and Lower Bitter Sweet are all receiving heavy snow. Assuming the weather holds, it should make for great early season skiing and riding at Killington all week.

Let it snow!

Killington, November 17, 2007, 10:30 AM 

Light snow continued to fall in the area overnight. Snow accumulations were not significant (around 1 inch at the inn). However, white ground is a stark contrast from last weeks r@*n soaked hibernating grass. It does give one the feeling, at least momentarily, that winter has arrived at Killington.

Being a Saturday, I did not ski this morning. It's that work thing...However, I did go up to the mountain to look around briefly around 10:30.

From my visit, I was left with 2 impressions... First, the number of people on the mountain seemed lighter than prior years. There are a lot of possible reasons for this. The KBL parking lot was nearly full. The positive explanation, remember I am an optimist, it that there is so much open terrain at Killington that the crowds were spread out around the mountain and not visible from the base lodge area. There are a lot of other possible explanations as well including the fact that other ski areas are also open in Vermont (why would anyone want to ski someplace other than Killington???) which would dilute the crowd. And then of course there are the darker reasons for less people ranging from resort changes to concerns about the economy. But I am an optimist so that is enough of that.

The second impression my visit to the mountain this morning left me with was that snow guns seemed to be going everywhere. Guns were running along East Falls including the run out back to KBL. Guns were also running along Bittersweet and Skye Lark. A portable fan gun was running at the Superstar chair. A terrain expansion push to open more expert and intermediate terrain is underway for the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. It should be fun to ski on it all next week as the trails open.

Let it snow!

On skis again! 

Mary and I left the inn this morning around 8:15 to head to the Killington Base Lodge (now called the K1 base lodge). Light snow had fallen at the inn overnight. Not enough to accumulate on the roads, but the grass was covered. When we arrived at Ki around 8:20, we were parking about middle of the parking lot, a couple of hundred people were already there waiting for the mountain to open.

Inside the base lodge, we saw a lot of people we have not seen since last ski season. However, the base lodge was not crowded by any means. Just a nice group of skiers getting ready for what for many would be the first runs of the 2007-2008 season. By 8:35 we were outside in the queue at the Ki gondola, waiting in line with about 300 people for the lift to turn and get us up the hill. Just before 9:00 the resort started loading the gondola. By 9:10 we were at the peak getting ready for the first run of the season.

Killington had 4 lifts running today including the K1, Snowdon Triple, North Ridge Triple and Snowdon Poma. Snow surfaces at 9:00 started out firm but not slick. The mountain had put down a lot of snow, but the warm weather and r@*n of the last couple of days (shall we be polite) froze the mountain solid. There were no real problems with the surface the first few runs because of the grooming job done by the resort. On the upper mountain, it snowed all morning so the surface stayed pretty nice. Lower Bunny Buster, aka the "Ribbon of Death" in early season skiing, was rock hard and very slick by 10:00 AM

For a look at the trails...Great Northern was open. By noon the surface was becoming windblown at the peak at the junction with Cascade. The hook at Killink was also "interesting". The rest of the trail was in nice shape for an easy path down the mountain.

Snow blowing operations were going on Upper Double Dipper. The surface was crusty with deep snow from the guns. In March the legs would probably eat it up, but it seemed like wet cement on the first day out.

Reason had a terrain park set up. We did not venture in as a lot of first day boarders were partaking of the ramps, etc.

Upper East Fall was well covered with big whales of man-made snow. The sides were scratchy by noon, but there was no problems setting an edge. They were a lot of fun.

Rime was in great shape with excellent coverage. Above Great Northern the conditions were generally soft with enough bumps setting up that turns were a good thing. Below Great Northern, Rime was firm as it usually gets after a snow-r@*n cycle. Given the number of skiers on it today, I though it's condition held up pretty well.

Lower West Glade, (now part of Great Northern) was fairly soft. At 10:00 it seemed a little slick, but by 11:00 natural snow had accumulated on it enough to soften it up. Again, little bumps held speed down somewhat on this trail, along with early season ski legs.

On Snowdon, Bunny Buster (upper) was in really good shape. Snow making was taking place but the snow was coming our fairly dry. We did several laps on Bunny Buster from top to bottom by way of the Snowdon Triple (resting our legs with the ride uphill). Very nice given the weather we had the last couple of days.

Also on Snowdon, Upper Mouse Run was in nice shape. Again fairly soft snow with snow guns blowing all over the place.

We did not do Mouse Trap. Coverage looked a little sketchy. Snow guns were blowing new cover on it, but we decided to pass.

As far as visible changes to the mountain, the biggest change was the queue system at the K1 gondola. The queue system is tightly packed with ropes between 4 by 4's. At 9:00 the new queue held a lot of people. By 12:00, the ropes had basically been removed with no queue to get to the lift. Maintenance in the Killington Base Lodge was pretty evident. Everything at KBL when we arrived was nice and clean and arranged in an orderly fashion. It had a very familiar look and feel after being off skis for 6 months.

On the crowds, there were a decent amount of people, but once the initial rush to get to the peak subsided there was really no waiting in lift lines. Unlike years gone by, however, basically everyone we saw was a "skier". The resort had warned people that no beginner terrain would be open (not exactly true) which I think may have scared some people away (probably a good thing). Other than a couple of out of control teenagers (who wasn't out of control when they were teenagers) and a couple of small children, everyone else on the slopes seemed like they skied or boarded technically pretty well. I never once felt in danger when passing or being passed by other people on the trails. It made for a very nice, pleasant, day on the hill.

I stayed out on the slopes for a little more than 3 hours. Not bad for the first day of the season. Although, in fairness, I did take a couple of Excedrin after a hot shower. No need for the legs to tighten up later on tonight while I am working. (Don't tell Mary that I said I actually work!)

The ski season has started at Killington.... Let it snow!

Clouds hanging over the K1 gondola station 

5:00 PM Update Temperatures in the Killington area have continued to drop over the course of the day. I received reports from people working on the mountain that the precipitation changed to snow at the peak around 1:30 PM. By around 3:30 PM, light snow was falling at the K1 Base Lodge. Temperatures are expected to fall in the area through out the evening with snow showers expected straight through to Friday afternoon. Local weather forecasters are calling for it to be fairly breezy in the morning. With temperatures predicted for the the upper 20's and low 30's, if you are going out on the mountain tomorrow dress accordingly. End of 5:00 PM Update

1 day to go.

Ugly!

There is no polite way to say it. All of the baudy analogies come to mind, but being polite I can't write them for public viewing across the internet. Let's just leave it at ugly!

The weather at Killington last night took a turn for the worst from a skiing perspective. Yesterday was a beautiful day at the resort to work outside. I hung some christmas lights, got out the snow shovels, and changed the oil on the snow blower while Mary did some late season leaf raking. But in the early evening at Killington, with the temperatures in the 50's, it started to r@*n. Not the light "r@8ndrops keep falling on my head" type but a soaking downpour.

This morning, the mountain is bathed in a combination of fog and clouds. It is impossible to tell from the base lodge what is going on up at the peak. At the base, in addition to a steady stream of delivery trucks, there were large piles of snow still in evidence. The resort clearly was waiting before spreading the fruits of their snowmaking efforts around. I am not sure when the groomers will be dispatched, but they have a lot of work to do ahead of them.

If there is one bright side to this gloomy day in Killington it is that the back side of the storm is forecasted to bring some significant snow to the area. This morning at 8:00 AM the temperature at the inn was 48 degrees. At 10:30 AM the temp is 40 degrees. The weather service is predicting 5-9 inches of snow in the Green Mountains at elevations of 1000 feet and higher. Snow is supposed to start by late afternoon and continue through the night. I will post a blog update later in the day assuming the snow starts to fall. We can only hope.

1 more day and counting.... Let it snow!

Whales of snow on Mousetrap waiting to be groomed. 

2 more days to go.

I drove up to the mountain early this morning. A beautiful blue sky with nice, crisp, clean air bathed the mountain in a surreal glow. Huge whales of snow blown by Killington's snowmaking system were casting shadows across the mountain, waiting to be spread out on the trails. It's time.

Last night, temperatures at the inn were surprisingly below freezing. Today's forecast for the area is for warm weather followed by a prolonged cooling trend. Light snow is predicted for late tonight carrying through on Thursday and Friday. (We can only hope.) It looks like it should be a nice opening day at Killington. If you have it in your head to break out into a snow dance...now would be a good time.

2 more days and counting.... Let it snow!

Run out to K1 Base Lodge
on Lower Bunny Buster
after last's nights precipitation. 

Non-crystaline precipitation (NCP - aka r@*n) fell briefly overnight bringing an end to Killington's aggressive snowmaking efforts. With 3 days and counting till the opening of ski season at Killington, competing resorts in New England are probably grinning like cheshire cats that the snow guns of Killington have been silenced. Much has been written in the media and the blogosphere about Killington not being the first ski resort in the east to open this year, but it is a long season. Cold weather is predicted to return to the area on Wednesday evening with light snow in the forecast on Thursday. It will be an interesting run up to Friday morning when the first lifts are scheduled to turn at Killington.

Personal commentary as we head into the new ski season: As I have written in the past, as a business owner in Killington, I am by nature an optimist. With new owners of the resort, and climate change lapping at the mountain tops, there is plenty of reason for high anxiety as we near the planned start of the Killington ski season. But ponder this for a moment...Killington has an altitude advantage over competing resorts with some of the highest lift serviced skiing in the Northeast. Killington has the largest snow making system in skiing. The new owners have spent the summer, and millions of dollars, repairing it to allow it to operate effectively this winter. But owning the largest snow making system in skiing does not mean much if it is not turned on. The new owners did just that, with a vengeance, over the last 10 days. But the resort is not yet open, and 10 days of snow blowing is not a season.

It is clear from my conversations with the new Killington owners and members of the resort management team over the last couple of weeks that they are committed to elevate the quality of the skiing product at Killington, to recover the reputation that Killington is a "Skiers Mountain". The new team definitely seemed a little "gun shy" about opening this past weekend, because they wanted the season opening day to be memorable. Whether or not this was a tactical error in promoting the resort, given the high variability in the weather at Killington in November, remains to be seen. Assuming the quality of the skiing product delivered by the Killington Resort lives up to the whisper line being delivered to the locals at Killington, then many start up hiccups will fade quickly from view. Although it has gotten shorter the last couple of years, it really still is a long ski season in the mountains here in Killington.

I, myself, am looking forward to skiing later this week; to be on the mountain enjoying the reason Mary and I gave up corporate jobs down south and moved to the state of Vermont full time 10 years ago. A lot of people are lucky enough to ski or ride a few weekends each season at Killington. Many call Killington their "home mountain"; they have seasons passes and real estate in the community. A few of us are really fortunate. We live here in the majesty of the Green Mountains. Skiing transcend being a hobby or a passion, it becomes a way of life. It's time!

3 more days and counting.... Let it snow!

Run out to K1 Base Lodge on Lower Bunny Buster 

Snow making continued overnight at Killington. Temperatures at the inn (elevation 1870') dropped into the high teens. Presumably, unless there was some freak temperature inversion, the mountain was very cold last night as well.

This morning, snow making was going full blast down Chute to the Snowdon Quad. Snowmaking had ceased on lower Bunny Buster. Huge piles of snow were in evidence at the base of Bunny Buster, and near the K1 and Snowdon Triple lift areas.

All kinds of activity was going on near the K1 base. There was a large mix of delivery vehicles bringing supplies to the base lodge, and various pieces of construction equipment. Construction machines have re-graded the area where the queue forms to get on the K1 Gondola. A drilling machine was next to K1. Yesterday while walking near the Superstar Chair, new 4 by 4's had been installed to create a new maze system for Superstar. Perhaps the same thing will be set up at K1.

4 more days and counting.... Let it snow!