Mary, Chuckles, Gary and the Bagel on Upper Dream Maker in the snow. 

Go Speed Racer.....Go Speed Racer....Go Speed Racer Goooooooo.

For some reason I could not get that cartoon song out of my head this morning. In plus or minus 2 hours and 30 minutes we did 15 top to bottom runs; comfortably landing in the K1 base lodge before noon to call it a day on the hill. We did more skiing this morning than we did on whole weekends in the early 1990's, courtesy of all the high speed lifts the resort now operates (even though we think some of them are sloow).

At Bear Mountain we did runs through the Stash, Outer Limits (a do over with 2 very quick laps) Bear Claw, Wild Fire and Sky Burst. At Sky Peak our excursion took us down Dream Maker (another do over), Cruise Control, Needles Eye, Vertigo, Bitter Sweet, Sky Lark and Super Star. We finished up on Killington Peak on Cascade, Double Dipper, East Fall, Rime, Reason, Ridge Run, Great Northern, and High Line.

Conditions today were faaaaaaasssssstttt. Most trails featured a 2-3 inch layer of machine groomed loose granular over a firm base. With light crowds, the mountain was totally set up for speed.

Hard to pick a run of the day. Outer Limits and Upper Dream Maker and Super Star were very good. All allowed edge to edge carving turns, with few hints of skidding or ice.

Vertigo was the most technical run. It has not been groomed in several days. The surface was developing nice 12-18 inch bumps. With light snow falling all morning, any slick spots on Vertigo were covered up, yielding a trail where if you paid attention to your lines you were rewarded with an exhilarating run.

The worst run of the day was Cascade. At 10:30 AM the trail was basically dark with very poor visibility due to low clouds and light snow. Compounded with a rock hard surface full of skids down the lower compound fall line...well suffice to say we did not do that over again. It was interesting, as Double Dipper and East Fall also in the Canyon area of Killington Peak were both very good... But Cascade...not so much.

The weather forecast for Killington this weekend is calling for unseasonably cool temperatures (20's) with on and off snow flurries. If you plan on winter conditions, the beast will reward you with a great weekend of skiing or riding....Let it snow!

News Flash: While we were out skiing this morning, the inn received a call from the Resort notifying us that the resort plans to continue operating for Skiing and Riding through Sunday May 1st, assuming weather conditions permit. Based upon this weeks observations, and the amount of snow pack on the mountain, unless something abnormal takes place, weather conditions should permit another full month of skiing and riding at Killington. Enjoy!

Mary on East Fall (taken 3/23) 

Mid winter conditions persist at the Killington Resort. Bright sunshine today is giving the appearance of spring, but the storm that went south of the area, blanketing New York with snow, has also dragged down some cool air from the north keeping temperatures in check.

Today was a work day around the inn (I know...it happens). Yesterday we did have a chance to get out around the resort. With light skier volume, and most lifts operating on their normal Wednesday schedule, it was a delightful day to be out on the snow. Everything at the resort was set up flat and fast, with a nice coating of machine groomed granular over most trails. Employees coming into work this afternoon are reporting that conditions were the same today; which one would expect given that todays cool temperatures are minimizing snow melt.

It should be a great weekend at Killington. On Saturday afternoon, the band moe. and special guest Ryan Montbeau Band will perform on the Swany Stage outdoors at the base of the resorts Bear Mountain lodge as part of Snoe.Down. moe will also be performing at the Spartan Arena in Rutland on Friday and Saturday night.

On Sunday, the New Haven, CT based funk rock band, Frank Viele and the Manahattan Project, will perform at the K-1 base lodge rounding out musical performances put on by the resort this weekend.

Spring is here at Killington....Don't forget your sun screen!

Mary on headwall of Vertigo. 

Cold temperatures and light snow continue to rule Killington as winter tries to keep a grip on the region. A couple of inches of moderately dense snow fell late in the day on Monday and overnight on Tuesday, providing a nice refresh to Killingtons' ample snow base.

Except for the Killington cloud hanging over Killington Peak, today was a very nice ski day at the resort. Snow surfaces were nicely soft. Combined with light crowds, it was a nice day for some cruising.

Because of the Killington cloud, we split our ski day between Bear Mountain and Sky Peak. Being slightly lower in elevation, both mountains were below the clouds, providing decent visibility.

The run of the day was definitely Vertigo. The upper headwall was groomed, providing a steep pitch suitable for sweeping, carving, turns. The mid section was covered with a couple if inches of new snow; building some small bumps with skier traffic. The lower section was pinched by the freestyle training course, providing some terrain where tight turns through small bumps was required. It was so exhilarating that it rated a strong "do-over", even for Mary.

Birch Ridge Inn - still looks like winter. Click to enlarge..

Winter is still maintaining its grip on Killington. Todays temperatures just barely touched the freezing mark. Skiers and riders did well with an extra layer of clothes on. There was no residual sun heating on lifts, and minimal opportunities for goggle tans, as the sky was basically cloud covered most of the day.

The forecast is calling for light snow in the area the next couple of days. It should help keep conditions nice as we head into spring skiing season......Let it snow!

Killington Resort bathed in bright late winter sunshine! 

Chalk one up to our intrepid weather service again. With showers forecasted for today around Killington, many visitors who were here enjoying great ski conditions all week decided to pack up and leave this morning, instead of enjoying a last vacation day on the slopes. Oh Well...so it goes...

Once again, as so often happens in New England, the weather forecast was horribly wrong. What was supposed to be a warm, shower filled day has turned bright and sunny. Temperatures are in the mid 50's with a brisk breeze. We have had some strong wind gusts around the inn. At the resort, some wind holds are being reported on some of the operating lifts. But overall, it should be a great day to be on the slopes.

It looks like it will get a little cooler over the weekend... then again can you believe the forecast?

....Don't forget your sun screen!

Superstar (left) and Ovation (right) with full snow coverage 

The luck of the irish must be upon us. For the second "r@!ny" day in a row, Killington has been blessed with warm temperatures and bright sunshine.

I had a chance to get out on the mountain today after a brief hiatus manning the breakfast shift (and the night bar shift) at the inn while Mary was visiting family outside of Boston. Ski conditions were great with a mix of soft snow in the sunshine, little bumps, and early morning hard pack on ungroomed terrain with minimal skier traffic.

Most of the terrain on the mountain has been groomed at various times during the week to support crowds visiting Killington on Canadian School Break week. Seeded bumps courses could be found in the usual spots. Small, natural, bumps were forming on most trails due to the soft snow and skier traffic.

In my brief time on the mountain I visited many of my regular haunts. On Bear Mountain, the Stash, Wild Fire, Sky Burst, and Dream Maker were all firm in the shadows complimented by soft and creamy in the sunshine.

On Sky Peak, middle Superstar and Middle Sky Lark were firm. (Lower Sky Lark, and both Superstar Headwalls were closed in the early morning to give the trails time to soften up from last nights freeze.) Skier and Rider traffic had softened up Bittersweet from top to bottom. Because of high skier traffic, I also bypassed lower Bittersweet a couple of times, choosing to loop on a firm Low Road versus facing unguided missiles masquerading as school kids on break on lower Bitter.

The Killington Peak side of the resort was still firm in the shadows. South facing trails were softening up, but before noon the sun still had some magic to work in the Killington Basin area.

Spring skiing and riding has definitely arrived in Killington. I ignored my heavy mittens and ski jacket this morning for light cross country gloves and a ski vest. With so much snow on the trails, it should be a long and sweet spring to ski Killington.

....Let it snow! (but start thinking petunia...and I had a conversation about golf with a guest this week...)

Snowstake at Birch Ridge Inn before and after the storm. Relatively unchanged! 

To listen to the weather channel, you would think that animals should be lining up two by two. While our hearts do go out to our friends suffering from spring flooding to our south, Killington seems to have faired quite well from this latest pre-spring storm.

The latest storm to move across the area started the day yesterday with heavy wet snow. Snow continued to fall around the inn until well past midnight last night, before turning over to a light to moderate r@!n. The snow that fell during the day yesterday was of sufficient depth that I took the snow blower out to clean off the walks around the inn before the start of evening dinner service.

Showers continued in the Killington area this morning, with the majority of the precipitation taking place well before noon. R@!nfall has saturated the snow surface, but because of the amount of snow that fell yesterday, the net change in base depths thus far should be minimal.

The current forecast is calling for near freezing temperatures overnight and into tomorrow. If the forecast is correct, and what forecast is, surface water should have a chance to drain from parts of the snow pack, before below freezing temperatures lock it in place. As the water drains, I would anticipate that the measurements at the inn's snow stake will show some further compression. But all in all, the snow pack remains intact around the inn, and on the mountain as well.

....Let it snow! (but start thinking petunia!)

Yours truly flanked by my brother Peter and his wife Joan at the top of Upper Royal Flush. 

After 3 spectacular days on the mountain, today is a ski day of rest for me. Monday's deep snow, followed by great cruising days on Tuesday and Wednesday with my brother and sister in law are just hard to beat. (Not to mention the work piling up on my desk needs some attention...so it goes..)

This morning we woke up to a couple of inches of wet snow on the walkways around the inn. While not registering on the snow stake, because the snow from earlier in the week is still compressing, it is just another indicator that winter will not go quietly into the night in the mountains around Killington.

The snow is part of a front that is advancing over the area today. The local forecast is calling for snow today, with temperatures rising overnight as the front approaches. While it looks like our friends in New Jersey are going to get a soaker out of this storm, the National Weather Service is still calling for a Winter Weather Advisory with 3 to 5 inches of wet snow in the mountains today, changing to non-crystaline precipitation tomorrow before changing back to snow Friday night.

Of course, the snow stake at the inn will tell the story. With just over 30 inches of natural snow in the woods behind the inn, no matter what happens with the weather the next couple of days there will be plenty of snow to enjoy great skiing and riding at Killington.

....Let it snow! (but start thinking petunia!)