Mary on the upper headwall of Superstar 

Spring has finally decided to make an appearance at Killington.

I had planned on skiing this morning. Unfortunately, melting snow and ice found their way into a tear on one of the inns rubber roofs requiring my attention. A hour of snow and ice removal followed by 3 tubes of roof sealing compound appears to have corrected the problem... Of course, until it r@!ns it is anyones guess. So it goes.

We did have the great forture to venture out on the slopes 3 days this week. Conditions steadily improved from mid-winter to early spring with the passing of each day.

Conditions earlier in the week resembled mid-February with firm surfaces throughout the resort. By Thursday, after several afternoons in the mid-40's, conditions had shifted to soft, spring snow. It's about time!

Trails over at Bear Mountain are starting to take on their typical sandy appearance. Early morning skiers and riders break up the groomed surfaces, resulting in round snow pellets which do not adhere to each other. Ankle deep snow sand starts to develop, especially in areas where lots of turns are required at the bottom of the trails. After several hours of sunshine, the sand starts to melt slightly with the surface taking on a creamy texture. Thats when things start to get fun.

Killington Peak to Superstar from the junction of Killink and Royal Flush.

Killngton Peak from the top of Highline.

Steep trails are skiing beautifully. OL is taking on the normal spring softness that has made it into the premier bumps trail in the east. Superstar, whose headwalls are still in shadows for long stretches of the day is taking on a nice medium texture. It is not too soft, yet surfaces are soft enough that turns are easy to execute with minimal side slipping taking place. I have skied all sides of the lower headwall on Superstar. I still really like skiers left under the lift. But when I had the chance to be by myself on the lower headwall, the middle was also a lot of fun. The surface was very compliant, encouraging wide sweeping turns; something you can do on Superstar only when you are alone with the trail.

Continuing on Skye Peak, Vertigo was good. The upper headwall is a one or two turn event with minimal bumps. The middle section softens nicely as the day wears on. The lower section is still somewhat firm, being mostly shaded. As temperatures rise, I would expect the lower section to also soften up considerably.

Back on the basin side, Ovation is still flat and fast. Cascades is starting to soften. The lower portion which joins into Double Dipper is still slick in spots. Downdraft has been closed most of the week when I was on the mountain. Early morning slickness has probably caused the ski patrol to rope it to prevent unnecessary rescues. East Fall is ok. Highline is prime. In full sunshine most of the day, the surface is becoming one creamy piece of goodness.

The weather forecast for Easter Weekend in Killington is definitely New England weather. It looks like we are supposed to get a mixture of everything, including some new snow overnight on Friday. Next week is calling for more of the same, with snow showers in the forecast most days. Just what we need to keep refreshing the slopes of Killington to allow many more weeks of skiing and riding.

A friend of mine remanded me for continiously ending by blog with "Let it snow"! After the winter the northeast has had, I totally understand. So in homage to the sunshine, it's time for a change....

Unless you are working on a serious goggle tan..."Don't forget your sunscreen."

Glorious sunshine, warm temperatures, soft snow.... 

It is time to officially say that spring skiing and riding season has arrived at Killington. For the 3rd day in a row, temperatures have been slightly above freezing allowing snow surfaces through out the resort to soften up nicely.

Yesterday was my first day on the mountain without a coat since last season. Just my normal shell pants, a turtleneck, a vest, and some light gloves were all that I required to spend almost 4 hours on the snow. And yes, the goggle tan is just beginning to appear.

South facing trails were the softest at Killington. Bear Mountain trails including Skyburst, Lower Dream Maker, Lower Wildfire, and Outer Limits were soft and creamy. The temperatures were warm enough to eliminate any vestiges of sandy snow, resulting in a very smooth, forgiving surface.

Outer Limits was nice and soft with little bumps developing. It was so user friendly, that Mary decided it was her day to take Killington's signature spring skiing trail for a run.

Mary on Killington's signature trail of spring...Outer Limits.

At the Basin side of the resort, conditions were beginning to soften on most of the trails. East Falls, Bunny Buster and Mouse Run were delicious. Cascade, Downdraft and Double Dipper were still showing some winter firmness, but even on these trails the surfaces were softening up to the point that setting edges to carve sweeping turns was never a problem.

Off Skye Peak, Needles Eye was a delight. The bumps on skiers right were still icy firm at noon time. It might take several more days for them to release. Bittersweet, High Road, Sky Lark, Superstar and Upper Ovation were all superb. The crunchy ground up snow cookie effect on Superstar has beginning to relax with the warmer temperatures. But the overall surface still had a mid-winter feel to it.

All in all... just a beautiful spring day on the slopes of Killington.

Last night we saw mixed precipitation traverse the area. At the inn, it was mostly a light wet snow which coated all surfaces. Nothing significant, but better than r@!n. This afternoon, the forecast is calling for showers changing to snow followed by a cold front (temps in the high 20's to mid 30's) descending across the area. It should be a great weekend to visit Killington to ski and ride.

Let it snow!

At the base of the Superstar headwall 

It's starting. The last 3 outings on the mountain required one less under layer and no neck gaiter.

Now it's quite possible that my body is refusing to acknowledge that the temperatures are still within a range of 5 to 15 degrees. It is also possible that the winter has been cold for so long that my body has now fully acclimated to it. But, in the spirit of Occam's Razor.... I choose to believe that spring is in the air at Killington.

On our Tuesday excusion around the resort, ski surfaces were still very flat and fast. With the exception of some snow sand developing at the bottom of Wildfire and Skyeburst, brought on by the afternoon sun and continious grooming cycles, the primary surface on all of the trails at Killington is packed (tight) powder. While many inexperienced skiers and riders would call the surface ice, upon closer examination it is really not. While surfaces are hard, the graciously accept groomers laying down perfect early morning corduroy. There are also no "blue slip and slide" areas. There is also no fish under the surfaces. (One of Mary's favorite phrases is that "it is not ice if there are no fish under it". While this makes sense for defining ice on a ski slope, ponder for a minute the cube in your evening cocktail....but I digress.)

Temperatures today when we started were sub 10. Bright sunshine and no wind moderated the morning chill quite nicely. All of the trails we hit today were skiing beautifully, if not a bit fast. Crowds were so light however we were able to mitigate the speed by taking edge to edge radius turns on much of the terrain.

It is hard to pick a ROTD. I am partial to Superstar which is skiing beautifully on skiers left from the top of the lift down to the speed fence at the bottom. Cascade was probably marginally nicer as a result of less skier traffic. The feeling of making wide carving turns down Cascades compound fall line is exhilarating. At the same time the false confidence generated by the ability to make sweeping turns combined with the adreniline kick of reaching pseudo terminal velocity on the way down make Cascade a hard trail to beat on a quiet Tuesday. And then there is Highline. Even though it was in full sunshine, the cold temperatures kept Highline firm. Basically it was solid corduroy. But the sunshine is glorious. Goggle tans are important afterall.

The near term weather forecast for Killington is indicating that temperatures will rise into into the 30's over the next few days. Some light showers may soften ski surfaces on Thursday with some light weekend snow re-whitening them to make everything look nice. Spring might finally be making an appearance at Killington.

Let it snow!

Whispy clouds, warm temps... a bluebird day in Killington 

The vernal equinox is still 8 days away, but thoughts in Killington are turning towards spring.

Warm temperatures over the last couple of days have soften up surfaces and sent locals into their closets to find lighter clothes to wear. Heavy ski jackets and multiple layers are being shed for spring shells. While it is way too early to put the cold weather gear away here in the Green Mountains, Mother Nature is certainly teasing us with lots of sunshine.

With the resort amply covered in feet of snow, the softening surfaces are causing skiers and riders to rejoice. The warm sunshine is also causing ice covered roofs all over town to release. Several roads have started to experience early mud season as well.

But what Mother Nature gives us, she can also take away. The next 10 days in Killington are calling for some nice spring skiing and riding weather with temperatures in the upper 20's to low 30's during the day, falling into the teens at night. Snow is predicted for Saturday and Sunday just to but a little frosting on winters cake. It is important to keep everything bright white of course.

Where ever you may be, enjoy the first glimpses of spring...but don't put your skiis and boards away yet. There is plenty of snow covering the mountains of Killington just waiting for you to play on.

Let it snow!

Datingadvice.com names Killington a Sexy Destination 

This was something fun which crossed my desk llate yesterday afternoon. The website DatingAdvice.com has chosen Killington to be one of their Sexiest destinations in America to celebrate spring break.

All of the destinations chosen on the list were put there based upon popularity with college students, various online surveys, and interesting activities to do. Of note is that the only ski resort in America listed is Killington.

And, of course, the Birch Ridge Inn is listed as one of the sexiest places to stay in Killington. But as a blog reader.. you already knew that!

It's all in great fun of course. Which is what a visit to Killington is all about.

The complete list of sexy destinations for spring break can be found on DatingAdvice.com

Let it snow!

Layers of snow on the roof of the front portico at the Birch Ridge Inn, Killington 

Killington has had its fair share of "Nor'inchers" this winter. While shovelling snow around the inn, or on the roof, the layers of snow created by each storm are fairly obvious. But no where is it more obvious than on the portico covering the front entrance to the inn.

The portico is un-heated and east facing. The snow on its roof is untouched by human hands and free of any mechanical manipulation. The only force acting on the snow on the portico, other than atmospheric conditions, is gravity which causes the snow to gradually compress as air is being foreced out of each layer.

Each storm is represented by a unique layer in the snow. Just like tree rings, each layer represents a unique event. By definition, some of the layers are thicker than others, the result of more snow accumulating during an individual snow event.

Counting the snow layers, it looks like there have been on the order of 30 significant snow events this far this year. With any luck, we will have a few more before the ski season is over.

The front portico of the Birch Ridge Inn with layers of snow in it's roof.

Let it snow!

Fresh Baked Frizzie Rolls at back! 

And just so you are not confused, we are not talking about Johnny Moseley in todays blog.

Operating a small, high quality, restaurant is a tough job. Our dinner guests reap tons of advantages. Because we buy in small quantities, everything is always fresh. Everything is cooked a la minute (ie to order). That composed dish that you see on your plate when it is presented by our servers was cooked just for you... and only you, based upon what you ordered.

On the flip side, as a small restaurant operator, we are fighting battles every day to put out a high quality product. Because we DO NOT purhase tractor trailer loads of of food each week from our suppliers, we are constantly vying for their attention to get the best product. We work with a lot of little suppliers to acquire special ingredients. Acquiring product to turn into finished meals to present to our guests is a veritable ballet that needs to be choreographed every day.

Then there is staffing. Owning a small restaurant means managing a small staff. Each staff member plays an important role. The loss of any one staff member can throw the whole rhythm of the restaurant out of wack and negatively impact product quality.

And unfortunately, that is exactly what happened just before Christmas when we lost our chef for the past 9 years and our dear friend, "Frizzy" Stephen Byrne, resulting in the restaurant at Birch Ridge being closed for 6 weeks while we regrouped.

But the restaurant is now back. Somehow Mary and I, with our core front of the house restaurant staff of Merisa and Aja, were able to keep together during the dark time. With some selective hiring, most notably our new chef, Leo Scotti, we were able to pull off a nearly impossible feat... doing a restaurant start up in Killington during the month of February.

Our dear friend, Frizzy, is sorely missed. One of his enduring legacies was his passion for making dinner rolls for the restaurant. For almost his full time working as our chef, he made dinner rolls every day to serve to our dinner guests. If you look at some of our restaurant reviews, you will see many guests comments about them. Most are very positive. Some are down right comical talking about problems getting a second (or third) serving of rolls. But "Frizzy Rolls" became synonymous with the dinner experience at Birch Ridge. So the search for a new roll to serve our guests became an urgent task these last couple of months.

We have tried a lot of rolls from many different bakers. Some have been good; some have been downright dreadfull. But nothing was right. Then we got lucky.

One of our dinner guests knew a little french baker. (And yes, the dinner rolls were that important to some of our dinner guests that they participated in the search for weeks as well!)

We contacted the baker and gave him our recipe for "Frizzy Rolls". We went through a trial run to see if they could be made to the standards created by Chef Frizzy. Working with our new baker, we tweeked it a little. This week, the first batch to be served to dinner guests arrived.

Nothing, of course, will be exactly the same as what was made by Frizzy. But the new rolls we are proud to serve, in his honor, are a big step to declaring that the restaurant at the Birch Ridge Inn is truely back!

To all of our great guests and friends, thank you for the support and love you have shown all of us these last few weeks as we worked to re-open the restaurant at the Birch Ridge Inn. It really makes a difference.

Let it snow!