East Falls illuminated by brilliant sunshine 

Today was probably one of the top 5 ski days of the season. Full sunshine, temperatures starting in the 20's rising to the low 40's and loads of beautiful snow. While not being a powder day, it would be hard to ask for better.

Mary and I got on the slopes at the crack of 10 today. Temperatures overnight got very cold, so we wanted ski surfaces to warm up a bit. I dressed in a shell leaving the inn, but after putting my boots on in the Bay 1 parking lot, I thought better of it and put on my normal winter jacket for todays outing.

After a sun soaked ride up the Snowdon Quad, we started our ski day by doing the trilogy in the Canyons. East Falls, with its eastern exposure, was medium soft. Shaded surfaces were firm. Sunny surfaces were creamy but not wet. Double Dipper and Cascade were covered very nicely with machine groomed packed powder. Their more northern exposure kept them out of the early morning sunshine, keeping surfaces a little firmer underneath.

By 11:00 we headed over to Bear Mountain. The Stash, as usual, was groomed perfectly. All of the upper trails were still machine groomed snow cover. Lower Wildfire was starting to turn into ice cream. Its southern exposure was taking a beating in the sun. Lower Sky Burst was a little firmer, as there is some shade on the trail. Also, there is a lot more snow on lower Sky Burst left over from last weeks Slopestyle competition.

Upper Dream Maker to Cruise Control was great. Skiers left on Upper Dream Maker was in full sun. It had softened up nicely, but due to the higher elevation the temps still kept the trail relatively firm. Panic Button to Needles Eye were also skiing well.

The only bit of ugliness to report was the upper Superstar Headwall. For some reason, it had been groomed very chunky, with very large "death cookies" every where. But, it was easy to avoid, and overlook, because everything else we skied was in great shape.

Shoulder Update: I visited with my orthopedist yesterday for a reading of my MRI. As it stands, 4 of the 5 layers of tendons connecting my arm to my shoulder are torn (They look like little fiddlehead ferns in the MRI). The doctor said this level of injury is 50-50, maybe 60-40, for surgery, but he wants me to do some physical therapy first before making that call. I start PT next week. We will see what happens... so it goes.....let it snow!

Special cake made for KMS graduate 

Very cold temperatures returned to Killington the last couple of days, mitigating the effects of spring sunshine on the snow. Temperatures today did not pass the freezing mark at the inn, resulting in virtually no snow melt during the day.

I did not ski as my shoulder is still acting up, but our chef went out this morning. At 9:00 AM the temperature at the top of the mountain was around 15 degrees with a 20 MPH "breeze". Steve reported very firm conditions across the mountain. Even Outer Limits, which was groomed flat, was still firm at mid day. And I though we changed seasons from winter to spring!

The last couple of days have been hectic at the inn. In addition to my MRI work on my shoulder ( it did not happen on Thursday... the machine malfunctioned... it happened Sunday morning), and normal busy weekend inn business, we also catered a large private party for a graduating senior from Killington Mountain School. At the behest of the hostess, we commissioned a cake to celebrate the graduates accomplishments in KMS's freestyle program. The cake was made for the Birch Ridge Inn by Patrick Boandl, the chef at the Inn at Long Trail, who also has a cake decorating business on the side. Our chef, Stephen Byrne, worked the concept with Patrick who executed the final product.

Last week leading up to the party, the Inn's kitchen staff did yeoman's duty producing over 400 hors d'oeuvres (crab cakes, lolly pop lamb chops, tuna with wasabi, and bruchettas). At the party, we also served vegetable lasagna, baked brie en croute, and hand carved beef tenderloin "sliders". In addition to the cake, Mary made 100 of the inn's famous cookies to treat guests. (None were available for me to take home after the event. The guests were obviously watching my waistline!)

Local weather forecasts indicate that we have another cold day for Tuesday before spring temperatures arrive later in the week. Snow surfaces should loosen up, but as temps are forecasted to be below freezing all week at night, they should stay in good shape if your are planning on visiting Killington.....let it snow!

Left shoulder go boom 

Constant blog readers and guests to our inn are probably aware that I injured my left shoulder on the mad powder day just before Christmas. I was seen by a doctor at the clinic at the base of Rams Head at the time. We agreed that the best course of action would be to attempt to let the shoulder recover, and if it were still bothering me in mid February to begin the process to "repair" the injury...what ever that means.

Well February came and went. The shoulder did not get better (in fact it's probably gotten a little worse). The good doctors at Vermont Orthopedic gave me a preliminary diagnosis of a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder and a ticket, after being approved by my insurance company, to subject myself to the 21st century version of "The Rack", better know as an MRI (Magneto Resonant Imaging) machine.

My first attempt at completing an MRI was on Monday evening. Unfortunately, I only made it through about 13 minutes in a 25 minute session. To get "good pictures" my shoulder was contorted by the technician. I have a pretty good pain threshold, I think, but the way my shoulder was twisted just was a little too much to take.

Tonight is MRI part two. Fortified with a prescription for a pain killer (I am doing this because my shoulder is in pain after all), we will try again to peak inside my left shoulder to see what damage has been done.

I have no idea where the course of future treatment will lead. It could be something simple like cortisone shots and physical therapy, to something more interesting like surgery. I do know one thing, however, golf season is coming... I need to get this thing fixed!

The weather the last couple of days at Killington has been damp. Spring showers settled in the area late yesterday afternoon. They finished early this morning by changing to light snow, coating the area with a minor accumulation of fresh white. Ski surfaces are predictably soft. Our chef just came back from his morning turns saying the mountain was in nice shape for spring skiing. With 5 days of sunshine predicted, goggle tans will be the order of the day around town and sunscreen sales are about to soar...... Let it snow!

Killington Peak in full sunshine 

Skiers and riders at Killington today could not have asked for a better day. Temperatures were in the mid 40's with virtually 100% sunshine. There will be a lot of goggle tans around town the next couple of days!

I have not been on the hill for just over a week. Today was a great day to return. North facing slopes on the Killington Basin side of the resort still had a touch of winter to them. Surfaces, while starting to soften ever so slightly, were still pretty firm underneath. Other than an occasional turn to avoid an inadvertent bump, skiing on the north side of the resort this morning was a fairly low energy affair.

South facing slopes were pure spring goodness. For the most part, the surfaces were soft and creamy, over a soft, edge-able base. High traffic trails, like lower Wildfire, were predictably building soft bumps, requiring many turns to negotiate the terrain. The legs enjoyed the work out.

The run of our day was definitely Upper Dream Maker. The southern exposure, with very little skier traffic, turned this black diamond trail into a very comfortable shade of blue. Other runs worth noting were "The Stash", East Falls, Cruise Control, and Bitter Sweet. All featured nice elements of spring goodness.

Tomorrows weather sounds a lot like todays. I can't wait..... Let it snow!

US Snowboarding Grand Prix Venue at Bear Mountain 

This weekend, Killington hosts the US Snowboarding Grand Prix at Bear Mountain. The resort is expecting 100 world champions and olympic calibre snow boarders to participate in this years event.

Vermont natives Kelly Clark and Hannah Teter are scheduled to compete. Clark is returning as the Grand Prix champ going into this weekends event.

The resort has Bear Mountain prepared to greet competitors. The Superpipe on Lower Dream Maker was reshaped with considerable effort over the last 2 weeks. The pipe is 430 feet long with 22 foot high walls to meet olympic specifications. Prize money for pipe competitors totals $56,000 with $14,000 going to both the men's and women's champion.

Lower Sky Burst is set up for the Paul Mitchell Progression Session Slopestyle competition. The event, which features competitors performing on rails, boxes, and numerous large and small jumps sports a purse valued at $30,000. The top prize for the men's and women's competition in $7,500.

The U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix at Killington is sponsored by Sprint. Competition starts today with halfpipe qualification this morning. On Saturday, the Paul Mitchell Progression Session slopestyle qualification begins at 9 a.m. Assuming the weather forecast for a beautiful sunny day holds true, the halfpipe finals will take place at 1 p.m Saturday. The slopestyle finals will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. American ska band Reel Big Fish is scheduled to perform at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday at Bear Mountain to provide late afternoon entertainment.

With lots of snow for skiing and riding at the rest of the resort, it should make for a fun weekend at Killington.... Let it snow!

Killington Village Plan heading to permit stage 

It has been a week since I have been out on the slopes of Killington, having been laid low first by a big bubble of work and then by a late season cold. I am looking forward to some spring skiing. We have always found the weeks around St. Patrick's day (March 17) offer the best combination of snow conditions and temperatures at Killington. With that in mind, Mary and I have high expectations for being on the slopes next week.

Last night, Mary and I attended an open house at the Killington Grand Hotel hosted by Steve Selbo and S.P. Land Company. Steve has been working quite diligently these last few years to create a Master Plan to develop the area at the base of the resort. While there have been fits and starts, Steve's company, S.P. Land intends to file permit requests with the town of Killington in the next 30 days or so to seek approval to go forward with a plan which will ultimately result in construction of a village at the base of Killington.

S.P. Land's application for plan approval by the town is but the first step in what will be a multi-year process. After the town approves the plan request, the process switches to the State of Vermont and the Act 250 land use hearings. Once approved by the State, individual permits will need to be filed for each area to be developed.

From last nights presentation, S.P. Land will be proposing in their permit application to develop the Killington Village over 5 phases. From start to finish, the effort will take and estimated 18-20 years to complete. Phase 1 timing, which includes a new base lodge between Rams Head and Snow Shed, may take 6 to 7 years to complete, including 3 to 6 months for town approval, 2 (or more) years for Act 250 approvals, and 4 years of construction.

All in all, the village development is an ambitious project. But it is also a very strong signal that the resort owners of Killington are both in it for the long haul, and committed to make substantial investments in the resort.

Later in the evening, when we were safely back at the inn, I experienced one of those paradoxes that only modern living can provide. About 10:45 PM the Killington area experienced a generalized power failure. At the time, I was sitting in the Great Room of the inn reading this months Scientific American. The article was on Albert Einstein and Quantum Weirdness. (My friends see copies of Scientific American around the inn all the time. They kid me about reading it... but in the end, I am a geek after all.)

Of course not wanting a little thing like a power failure to cause me to miss out on some reading, I dutifully went into our restaurant and got one of our oil lamps. When lit, it caste enough light to allow me to finish reading the article. Of course the paradox is that Albert Einstein wrote his special theory on relatively in Berne Switzerland over a hundred years ago, 1905 to be exact, probably by the light of an oil lamp. Proving once again that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

By the way... CVPS restored power to the area around 4 AM this morning... Let it snow!

New snow around the Birch Ridge Inn 

I have been laying low the last few days. We have been lucky in this economy to have a very busy inn. Combined that with a nagging shoulder injury and a slight cold, the net effect is that sleep has been at a premium over the last week or so. But the cold will take care of itself, a MRI is scheduled to peek at the shoulder, and the winter season will be winding down at Killington in the next 6 to 8 weeks...it all will come full circle....so it goes!

Snow has returned to Killington today. Warm weather the last week has eaten at the snow pack, but not today. About 4 inches of the white stuff has fallen thus far, with a couple more inches expected before the little clipper system hugging the southern New England coast clears out of the area. Even with the warm weather of last week there is still a foot and a half of natural snow around the inn. Much more snow is still on the mountain, setting up the resort to enjoy a nice long spring skiing and riding season.

Last week, I had one of those AH HA moments. As many of you know, I use Apple computers almost exclusively around the inn. (I do have a copy of Microsoft Vista installed on a IMAC running in a Fusion virtual environment to allow running financial software, and a copy of Windows 2000 running on an old Dell for web site testing...but that's it.) Last spring, I purchased an Ipod Touch to use as a netbook to allow access to email and our web applications while we travelled on vacation. It works great in that application as along as you have access to a WiFi signal, which is basically everywhere. But I have never used it as an "Ipod" for music.

Last weekend we hosted a surprise 60th birthday party for one of our friends. I received a packet of photo's about our friend to put together a compilation to run on the television in our Great Room. I had done this before for some other friends in a pre-ipod time...scanning all of the pictures into my computer, stringing them together into a video, dubbing in music, cutting a dvd....All quite doable with the technology of 5 years ago.

I still needed to scan the photo's into my computer...but this time around instead of creating a movie, I took advantage of Apples IPhoto and ITunes to automatically create a slide show dubbed to music from my music library. I connected the IPod into our audio visual system with a RGB cable with audio. Voila... Pictures of our friend for his 60th birthday on TV complimented with music though the sound system. Nothing earth shaking here, mind you. It just worked! And that's the whole point.

When I got the IPod Touch almost a year ago, I did not really get the IPod phenomenon. I consider myself very technically savvy, so I did not view the technology as much of a big deal. But having a real world opportunity which caused me to put every piece of the puzzle together, not just some fun mashup for personal entertainment, I get it!

Now if everything else just worked as well.......Let it snow!