Welcome to "The Stash" 

"The Woods are the Goods"..... or at least so says the Burton Snowboard site thestash.com. From their "Love" collection of 70's Playboy pictorial snowboards, to their cooperative ventures with resorts around the world named after that special hiding place we all had when we were growing up, Burton seems intent on trying to educate the Millenials on some of the finer points of the Boomer generation.

Looking downslope at the lower section of The Stash (Click to enlarge.)

The Killington Resort, ever cognizant of a good cross branding - cross generational strategy, has teamed with Burton this year to bring "The Stash" to Killington. With this in mind, Mary and I aimed our hike directly into "The Stash" to find out what it is all about. What we found was quite revealing about how the new owners of Killington plan on merging the retail brand of "boulevard" skiing common at many ski resorts, with more radical terrain features and some downright gnarly woods.

Killington's incarnation of "The Stash" is actually an amalgamation of several underutilized trails on Bear Mountain, combined with new sections cut right into the woods leading off of Sky Peak. It is clearly designed to allow groups of riders (and skiers) of different levels to have fun together. Riders with different abilities will be able to share the experience, in particular the "organic" freestyle riding features found on the "boulevard" sections of the Stash. To access the Stash, freestylers will need to break out of the base level parks. If Killington is successful with this, freestylers will start to discover that Killington as a lot to offer. There is a whole mountain out there to enjoy!

Looking upslope from the trail formerly known as "Great Eastern" into The Stash (Click to enlarge.)

During our hike, we entered "The Stash" near the bottom on what in 2008 was called "Great Eastern". Looking down slope, the boulevard formerly named Upper Bear Claw now forms the lower third of "The Stash". The first thing you see is a big log, thrust like a giant spear into the side of the mountain. Further down the trail, 2 large ramps have been built on riders right and a large earthen mound is visible on riders left. Just below the ramps, a new building with a hexagonal roof has been installed.

For at least the last 5 years, the top of Upper Bear Claw had been closed off to skiers and riders to minimize collisions on Great Eastern. As Great Eastern is being re-routed, the formerly closed section of Upper Bear Claw has been drastically cleaned out, and widened to align with Lower Stash. Several very large features have been installed including an impressive ramp and a large box/table top type of structure (which happened to be the only feature we saw that was blatantly not "natural").

Mary beside on of the ramps on Lower Stash (Click to enlarge.)

Box/table top midway on "The Stash" (Click to enlarge.)

As we started our ascent up "The Stash", we started to appreciate the scale of the features that the resort has built. Mary walked over to the first ramp we came upon so I could get a picture with a size reference. Mary is about 5'6" tall. The ramp she is beside easily tops out at more than 6 feet with a lead in that is probably 3 times as long. It is a massive structure that will clearly promote big air.

The Sugar Shack (Click to enlarge.)

One of the most interesting things being constructed in "The Stash" is a "Sugar Shack". The press releases about "The Stash" implies that the Sugar Shack can be "jibbed and jumped" and will also be a place where riders can hang out. A "timeline" with the history of snowboarding in Vermont with "vintage" snowboarding gear and pictures will be on display in the shack. While the interior is not overly large, a good sized deck is attached to the front, which should be the perfect spot to watch riders coming down the trail. It will be interesting to see if this becomes a modern day "Coopers Cabin" at Bear Mountain. Of course, the commercial interests of Burton and the resort might take it in a different direction. Only time will tell.

To get to the Sugar Shack there are 2 ways through "The Stash". The easy way in is a broad boulevard on the trail formerly known as "Frostline". The resort is building a large wooden fence blocking off what was the connection between "Frostline" and "Great Eastern" to keep traffic segregated and minimize beginners from mistakenly entering "The Stash".

New trail cut through the woods leading to the Sugar Shack (Click to enlarge.)

On of the many logs set up for jibbing in The Stash (Click to enlarge.)

A more interesting route to the Sugar Shack for advanced riders and skiers is through a new trail cut through the woods from the top of old "Frostline". In this section, riders can travel down a medium steep grade through a gladed run, or punch through the trees if they want some more excitement. Through out this section of "The Stash" riders will find many elevated logs for jibbing along with several banked turns set back against the tree line.

After hiking out of the woods onto the trail formerly known as "Frostline", we discovered we still had a lot more of "The Stash" to cover...and this part will not be for the feint of heart when it is snow covered. It is cut right out of the woods with big trees and gnar everywhere.

Right off the bat, we came upon another ramp. This one jumps directly into the old "Frostline Trail" (wonder if that will be blocked off!). While the ramp itself was only about 4 feet tall, the take off point will suspend the rider about 10 feet up in the air, as the take away from the ramp is all downslope away from the structure.

Ramp exiting the upper portion of The Stash (Click to enlarge.)

Yours truly at the ramp exiting the Upper Stash (Click to enlarge.)

From here all the way to the top of Sky Peak, "The Stash" is a pure run cut through narrow woods. Experienced Killington tree run skiers and riders will like this new terrain, particularly after a multi-foot snow storm. If you are not experienced...not so much.

In this area, the resort has trimmed out many of the lower branches from the trees. A few natural features, primarily fallen logs, were evident through this area, but they did not seem as organized as the lower "boulevard" section of "The Stash". In this section, the woods is the challenge, plain and simple.

Mary taking a breather after climbing through the trees of Upper Stash (Click to enlarge.)

The entrance to Upper Stash from Stash-Way (Click to enlarge.)

The top of Upper Stash comes out on what used to be called "4-Way", now called appropriately enough "Stash-Way". Stash-Way leads to the top of the Sky Peak Quad and the redesigned Sky Peak, which will be the subject of the next blog.

It will be interesting to see The Stash this winter covered in feet of snow. I am sure that the features will present a different perspective with snow on the ground. Big ramps and large logs suspended 6 feet in the air look a little out of place on a cleared trail covered in straw. Of course, when they are surrounded by snow that has been sculpted to fit, I am sure it will all make sense. And be fun to boot..... Let it snow!

2009 Killington Ski Map depicting Sky Peak area 

In the modern day Killington, every skier or rider has been on the Snow Shed Crossover trail at some point in their Killington adventure. Love it, or loath it, the Snow Shed Crossover was an inescapable constant in being able to traverse across wide swaths of the resort between Killington's 6 mountains.

In it's audacious plan to remake the on slope experience at the resort, Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners has actively worked to eliminate the Snow Shed Crossover when the resort opens for the 2009 season. It is way to early to tell how skiers and riders will react to the changes. Will they see it as a very bold move to reshape the resort? Or will they get frustrated as they try to figure out new strategies for maneuvering around the mountain? My guess is that at least in the beginning, it will be a combination of both. But over time, I suspect the audacity to change the mountain will win out as skiers and riders of all levels enjoy the expanded terrain.

With this huge change to the resort in mind, Mary and I began our hike along the work road formerly know as the Snow Shed Crossover.

Our hike across Sky Peak begins at the K1 Base Lodge. On the 2008 ski map, the route is fairly obvious. We hike from the K1 parking lot up Highlander to the Snow Shed Crossover. From there we link up with Great Eastern after traversing across Vertigo, Needles Eye, and Cruise Control. Our first hike took us along Great Eastern to Frostline to Gateway to Sky Peak Lift top terminal area. We exited by various routes. On one hike, we followed the 2008 trail formerly known as Cruise Control (now Great Eastern in 2009) back to the Snow Shed Crossover. On subsequent hikes, we went down Bittersweet to check out new trail work being done to make it a "Blue" trail. On the 2008 map, it all looks so simple. On the 2009 map, our route ranges between difficult to follow to no where to be found.

2008 Ski Map with Snow Shed Crossover clearly marked (Click to enlarge.)

Of course, as we realized, the Snow Shed Crossover is still there. The trees shown on the 2009 ski map where the Snow Shed Crossover used to be are just artistic license. It's still there, although it is now reduced to the lowly status of a work road to move vehicles (and hikers) around the mountain.

In the process of converting the Snow Shed Crossover to a work road, and rerouting Great Eastern, there are indications all over the place that barriers will be erected to redirect skier and rider traffic along the paths outlined on the 2009 map. In some instances, where The Stash and the trail formerly known as Great Eastern(now known as Bear Claw) meet, a hard barrier wall is being installed. In other areas, metal lined post holes of various shapes are set in concrete. They are clearly set at strategic locations to hold some type of barrier to redirect skier traffic. If you are a Killington aficionado, when you ski Sky Peak for the first time this season, be very careful about making high speed turns onto what you thought was the Snow Shed Crossover. We particularly noted the left turn off of Sky Burst during our hike as an area where unsuspecting skiers and riders could wind up in trouble. Running into any kind of barrier can clearly ruin your day.

If you would like to compare the ski maps for 2008 and 2009 directly, I have merged the 2 in an animated gif(for simplicities sake). It is a rather large file. You can download it here.

In addition to the spots where barriers will be installed, all along our hiking route we saw impressive feats of terra forming to reshape Killington. Major explosive work followed by heavy excavations have been completed to re-route Great Eastern, reshape Sky Peak, create "The Stash" and change BitterSweet. And of course, the whole area around the top of the Sky Peak Quad has been completely transformed.

In the next couple of days, I will follow up with a description and pictures of each section. Tomorrow I will look in detail at the impressive work being done to build "The Stash".

First significant snowfall of the 2008/2009 season blankets Killington (Click to enlarge.)

-----Update------ Late yesterday and into the night, Killington Peak experienced it's first significant snow fall for the 2008/2009 season. News accounts indicate that as much as 7 inches accumulated at the peak, although it is undoubtedly wet and sloppy. The snow line seemed to extend down the mountain to about the 2500 foot level, almost making it to the K1 Base Lodge (~2200 feet).

Let it snow!

First real snow of the 2008/2009 season falling at Killington. 

Over the last month, Mary and I, as well as several of our friends, have spent a few days hiking in the mountains of the Killington Resort. While the primary reason for the hikes was to get a good leg work out to prepare for the coming ski season, we were also very curious about the work being done by Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC, (the official name of the company running the Killington Resort) as they prepare for their second season operating the resort.

Much has been made of the resort spending over $8M on capital improvements this year. During our hikes, we saw evidence all over the resort of crews out repairing the facility, painting lifts and ancillary buildings, mowing trails, cutting back brush, working on the snow making system. This of course is the unsung work that goes on in the background to prepare the resort for winter....and if the level of work being done on the mountain is any indication, the current resort operators take this work very seriously.

But the bulk of the money being spent to improve the area this year is being spent on the Bear Mountain/Sky Peak side of the resort, 2 of the 6 interconnected mountains of the 7 mountain Killington/Pico resort. Press releases by the resort have mentioned the installation of a new high speed quad from the Bear Mountain Base Lodge to Sky Peak. They have also mentioned working with Burton Snowboards to create a new area at Killington called "The Stash". But the press releases don't do the level of work being completed justice. Simply put, the amount of work we saw being done on the mountain is stunning. The work will forever change the way people ski or ride at both Bear Mountain and Sky Peak, and how skiers and riders negotiate getting around the whole resort.

Over the next several days, I will focus my blogging on the major changes we witnessed during our hikes. Tomorrow, I will focus on our route on the soon to be abandoned "Snow Shed Crossover". Subsequent posts will present work being done on Lower and Upper Stash, the redesign of Sky Peak, the new route off the Skyship Gondola, modifications of Great Eastern to make the trail "Green" and modifications to Lower Bittersweet to make the trail "Blue".

On a side note, the first real snow of the season is currently falling at Killington. Not enough to ski on, mind you, but it is a sure sign that winter is not far away.

Enjoy the hike....let it snow!

Icicles forming on exposed rock on Killington 

Today at Killington is one of those nasty seasonal transition days that we experience here this time of year. Twig Season has arrived. Most of the trees have shed their fall finery. Cloudy overcast skies are spitting very cold rain drops. Snow is in the forecast.... It is a very gray day. It is obvious that winter will be here soon. (We hope!)

Yesterday, Mary and I took another walk about up on the mountain. We spent about 3 hours hiking across the Sky Peak area, in the new "Stash", and down the new Bittersweet cut. The amount of work that has been done by the resort is nothing short of impressive. Over the next few days, I will chronicle our hike in detail with pictures of all of the changes. Bear with me, because there is a lot to talk about.

One thing we did notice, and this matches today's twig season theme, is that the mountain is starting to freeze. Icicles were starting to form on many of the exposed rock faces where water was present. Exposed rock on some of the trails we walked was downright treacherous, as there was a fine sheen of ice covering many of the surfaces. All of this is , of course, a harbinger of the winter to come.

Today also marks the end of the daily fall foliage picture of the inn. This years set started on September 1. No matter how many times I have seen it, I am always amazed by the progression of fall colors across the mountains. This years colors were as nice as any...but the seasons move on...so it goes.

With any luck, in the next few weeks, I will be starting up the daily picture of the snow stake. In the meantime, as we get ready for the winter season here at Killington we can only think.....let it snow!

Sky Peak Lower Terminal being hoisted into place at Bear Mountain 

With the fall foliage season rapidly coming to a close at Killington, all over the resort workers are busy getting the area ready for winter. While there are a lot of little things that go into getting a ski resort ready for winter, today also marked one of those big things which will go along way to improving the guest experience skiing and riding at Killington.

The major capital expansion this year at Killington is the installation of a new high speed quad running from the base of Bear Mountain to the top of Sky Peak. Today, workers using heavy lift equipment, installed the base terminal for the new lift at Bear Mountain. While a lot of work needs to be completed before the new lift is ready this winter, for all those who enjoy skiing and riding at Killington, the new lift is a welcome sight.

Large red maple tree at the front of the Birch Ridge Inn. (Click to enlarge.)

Of course, fall colors are still quite evident around the region. At the inn, many of the trees on the hillside behind the property have started to shed their leaves, as the daily picture of the inn displays.

Curiously, at the front of the inn on the Killington Road, there is one Maple tree which is still hanging in there in all it's glory. Bright red, strong and tall, for all those interested to see. Of course, it's days are numbered, but it is a stunning reminder of how beautiful the colors were in Killington this fall season.

Let it snow!

Fall colors frame the Birch Ridge Inn at Killington 

Color on the trees around Killington is still pretty, but focus on fall foliage is turning, at least in the minds of the locals, to skiing and the upcoming winter season. Signs of the transition from thoughts of fall to winter are everywhere you look around town.

At the resort, Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC, the official name of the company responsible for running the resort, is well underway in preparing for winter. Work is being completed to the improvements in the Sky Peak area of the resort. Construction on "The Stash", a collaborative effort with Burton Snow Boards to make a Freestyle Park off of Sky Peak, is nearing completion. Work on the new high speed Sky Peak Quad is also moving along. Concrete work for the new lift terminal at top of the lift looks like it is about done. The new lift terminal and associated support equipment still needs to be hauled up the mountain, but much of the site prep seems to be well in hand.

In addition to the physical plant changes, the resort has also launched their new winter website at killington.com. The site is highly interactive and contains a wealth of information about the resort and the area. It is worth checking out.

On the legal front, the resort suffered a setback in it's defense of it's actions to curtail the use of "investor passes" sold by the original founding company of the Killington Resort 50 years ago. Last year, several holders of investor passes filed suit against the resort to re-instate what for many was perceived as "lifetime" privileges to use the lifts at the ski resort. Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that the lawsuit filed by the investor pass holders qualified for "Class Action" status. An article on the judges ruling was published in todays Rutland Herald.

Turning the focus back to skiing, multiple "rumors" are flying around town. The resort has already announced their intention to open for the winter season on November 14th (weather permitting). Whisper dates of an earlier open are rampant, but that of course depends upon Mother Nature moving the season along a little faster than she currently is. (I am sitting here in a golf shirt and shorts writing this blog. Today is a beautiful warm fall day in Killington). The weather forecast for the weekend indicates a rapid cool down. All eyes will be focused on the top of Killington Peak to see if the resort starts to fire up their snow making system. Forecasts indicate that Killington Peak should be substantially below freezing overnight. Of course there is a lot more than cold temperatures which impact the ability of the resort to make snow. At any rate, it provides good conversation fodder, with your favorite beverage, at the local establishments.

Mary and I are starting to get ramped up about taking some runs at the resort. We have quite a bit of work to do around the inn to finish winter preparations, and I do have one more golf tournament that I am scheduled to play in over the next week, but we have started to dig out our equipment to get it tuned for the season. Are you?

Dare I say...let it snow!

Killington area taking on a golden hue 

As the flaming red maple trees fade away, birch, oak and poplar trees around Killington are rising to the challenge and bathing the area in a golden glow.

Traffic exiting the Killington area this afternoon is heavy as Columbus Day visitors head home. Our guests were all ecstatic with the show Mother Nature put on this weekend. Great fall colors in the Green Mountains around Killington combined with warm, sunny, days had the guests all buzzing this morning as they prepared to head home or to their next destination.

Winter is, of course, just around the corner. But we still have a colorful week or 2 left at Killington before twig season sets in. Great for one final round (or 2) of golf for the season at Killington before the snow start's to fly. So it goes.