Superstar at Killington. Ready for the first snow. 

Change is in the air at Killington. With all the fall colors around town, the pace of preparations for the ski season is quickening at the Killington Resort.

Intermixed with the fall foliage, the ski resort has been manicuring the ski trails. "Manicuring" might be too strong a word, but I was actually surprised over the weekend when I went up to the mountain and saw how closely cropped the grass was on some of the ski trails. Clearly the resort has set up many of their trails to be very receptive to early season snow. (With the grass cut short on a trail, it does not take a lot of snow cover to support skiing.)

Work is also continuing on getting lifts and snow making systems ready. Workers were turning the Superstar Chair today. Portable compressors are scattered around the mountain running pressure tests on snow making pipes. And the footings are being dug for the new fan guns the mountain received over the summer. If the weather cooperates, I was told that concrete would be poured later this week for them.

Fall foliage colors in the immediate Killington area are quite pronounced. Weekend guests commented that the color in the mountains around Killington was more brilliant than along Route 100 north. Why is anyones guess(probably due to the local microclimate). But with peak foliage colors yet to come, the mountains around Killington will only get prettier over the next few days.

Pico Mountain from Kent Pond in Killington 

Fall foliage visitors to Killington this weekend are being treated to some very pretty color in the mountains around town. Beautiful scenes are to be viewed virtually everywhere you look.

This morning I took a ride down to Kent Pond. Yes...Killington actually has some water to go with the mountains. From Kent Pond, the views of the mountains, especially Pico, are beautiful. Today the sky is a deep blue, perfectly clear with bright sunshine. And Pico was just shining in the background behind the pond.

Last night we had our second hard freeze of the fall season. Temperatures overnight fell into the high 20's (27 at the inn at 3:00 AM when I called it a night). Mary covered the flowers once again along the front walkway entering the inn to see if they would survive a little longer. But their days are numbered.

If you have a chance to get to Vermont in the next couple of weeks... Do It! Now is the time to be here as the fall colors reach their peak.

Killington Basin showing great fall color. Click for a panorama of Killington. 

I had a chance to venture out of the inn earlier today to take a look at the progression of fall colors in the area. At this point, there is no denying that the color is ahead of the last couple of years. My tongue in cheek post of a couple of days ago about October 5th may have been prophetic.

Color in the Killington Basin area around Killington Peak is really starting to pop. The maple trees are turning a bright shade of red. The oak trees are just starting to show a little orange. And the birch and poplar trees are adding a little yellow to the scene.

People who have booked this weekend into Central Vermont have really scored. Leaf peepers visiting Killington in the next 10-20 days should see some beautiful color at Killington and along the Route 100 valley.

Fall foliage season is on!

News from the town government of Killington. 

While I was in Boston over the weekend at my nephews wedding, a friend forwarded to me the press release I have included below on actions by the town of Killington. I don't feel that I can properly comment on the decisions, as there are a lot of details to be defined. One thing I do know, however, is that it will make for another interesting town meeting next March. The press release is below:

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Sent from Kathleen Ramsey, Town Manager, Killington Vermont

KILLINGTON, VT-The Town of Killington today (editors note... September 18th...) announced it has signed an option to purchase a parcel of land on the Killington Access Road upon which to stage community events and activities. The decision to acquire the land follows months of study and consideration by the town's Economic Development and Tourism Commission (EDTC) and the Killington Select Board.

"This is a milestone for our community as we work to build a sustainable tourism-based economy," said Killington Select Board Chair Jim Blackman. "This land meets the criteria established by the EDTC as a venue for activities that will serve Killington residents and enable us to stage events that will draw visitors to Killington."

The parcel is located across from the Gristmill Restaurant on the Killington Road and includes four contiguous parcels totaling 37.45 acres. The property is owned by Teressa D. Giguere of Vail, Co., a former resident of Killington. Giguere and her late husband Jack Giguere were long-time business owners in Killington and active in community programs and events.

The town's option runs through March 31, 2010, which will permit the EDTC and Select Board to present the purchase and potential financing to voters at a town meeting. The purchase price is $850,000.

Since its inception in 2008, the EDTC has discussed various uses and activities that could be associated with a parcel of land that meets criteria for community events and activities. The EDTC Capital Projects and Infrastructure Committee considered a number of properties available in Killington prior to focusing on the Giguere parcel.

In recommending a parcel to the town, the EDTC said the town should have "unified control of both the venue site and related infrastructure. This could be achieved by contract, lease, ownership, or other means that would insure the Town that the site would be available for marketing, planning and staging an event or activity." The Giguere parcel also meets criteria outlined in Killington community meetings in 2008 that were facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development.

"We have a long way to go and a great deal of due diligence to do prior to exercising our option," added Blackman. "But this is a very positive and constructive development on behalf of our Town and the collective goals we have established for our future."

Additional information of interest to Killington residents:

- Acquisition and Site Improvement Funding The purchase and initial site improvements to the property would be funded by a bond. The annual debt service would be paid through the EDTC budget which is funded by a local option tax.

- Timeline for Purchase and Improvements Site work would commence immediately on approval of the bond. The site could be ready for events by late summer 2010.

- Annual Maintenance of Property The site would be maintained by the Town of Killington as with other parks and public recreation fields. Maintenance will be included in the Town General Fund budget.

- Site Will Not Compete with Existing Venues This property provides opportunities for open air and tented events and should not compete with existing indoor venues and event facilities within the town of Killington

- Details To Be Available Before End of The Year Site investigation and planning for site improvements are underway. Once the Town has all findings and permit information, it will be presented to the Town at an informational meeting, probably in early December. Updates will be posted to the Town of Killington website.

-----End of town of Killington press release-----

Frost covering the juniper bushes at front of inn. 

The first hard frost blanketed the Killington region last night. Temperatures around the inn hit the upper 20's. The frost was hard enough to cover grassy surfaces (and the rug juniper bushes at the front of the inn).

Mary had begun the process of wintering the gardens around the inn earlier in the week. As you can see from the picture, we did cover the plants at the inn's entrance with sheets to protect them from the cold.(They survived I am happy to say.)

I had the great pleasure of being in Boston this weekend attending my nephew David's wedding. Driving back from Boston up Route 89 through New Hampshire the first signs of fall foliage color are starting to appear. Overall, the color was much more pronounced in Vermont traveling along Route 4 from White River Junction. But the elevated areas of Route 89 in New Hampshire were also starting to show come color, depending upon the angle of the sun. With the first frost hitting the area, it will not be long before dramatic changes become evident.

The weather this week in Killington is forecasted to be mild, with temperature in the high 60's during the day and mid 40's at night. Nice weather to get out and hike into the mountains.

Trees changing color behind the Birch Ridge Inn 

October 5, 2009 at 12:27 PM!

If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you!

Every year at this time, Mary and I get asked by our prospective guests "When will fall colors peak in Vermont?"

Of course, since the answer is based upon the whims of Mother Nature, the answer is inscrutable. However, with hard earned vacation money on the line, people planning trips to Vermont are naturally interested in trying to be here at the right time.

As in the stock market, past performance is not an indicator of future potential. However, pictures do tell a thousand words...so we try to look at the historical record to figure it out.

For the last 4 years I have been taking foliage pictures of the inn. I started in 2006. The first photo's are not great. But I rapidly found a solution to taking consistent pictures which can document the record. If you look at past pictures, it would appear that peak foliage is moving later into the season. From the 2006 gallery, peak happened between October 4th and 6th. In 2007, peak happened between October 7th and 9th. Last year, peak happened between October 11 and 13th.

This years colors, however look like they are reversing the trend. If you look at the intermediate pictures, the color this year today seems more pronounced than last year for mid September. What this means in the grand scheme of things is of course hard to tell.

The weather at Killington this summer (did we have a summer?) has been very damp and cold. If the trend continues for the next couple of weeks, then I would bet that peak color in Killington would fall on the early side of the calendar. Of course, if we get some warm weather, which is not currently forecasted, the change in color would slow down a little and track closer to the last couple of years.

The majesty of it all is that we really have know way of knowing. You typically recognize peak color after you have seen it.

The nice thing about Killington and the fall is that Killington is in the middle of the state of Vermont. Fall foliage hunters can find peak color in the area typically over a 4 week period, from the last week of September through the third week of October, depending upon their desire to drive either north or south of Killington along Vermont's famed Route 100.

So when will peak foliage occur at Killington this year. How about October 5, 2009, at 12:27 PM...It's just a guess of course, but I'm sticking with it!

Turkey Hay Sculpture at Lookout Bar and Grill 

Last night, under a tent at the Mountain Meadows Lodge, the Killington Chamber of Commerce held it's 35th annual meeting. About 100 businesses from Killington and the surrounding towns which make up the Killington Region participated.

Guest speakers at the event included Paul Costello from the Vermont Council on Rural Development, Chris Nyberg, the president of the Killington Resort, and Jeanne Karlhuber, the Chairwomen of the Killington Economic Development and Tourism Committee.

Phil Black, owner of the Lookout in Killington, was sworn in as the newly elected President, replacing Chris Karr from Jax's and the Pickle Barrel night clubs. In his opening address, Phil spoke of how the Killington Chamber and the Killington Economic Development and Tourism Committee have had to work together over the last year to define the roles of each organization. The net result has been the creation of a Memo of Understanding between the groups which spells out joint interests and mutual responsibilities. The first fruits of this agreement are hitting the streets as we speak with the creation of a new Discover Killington promotional guide.

Paul Costello spoke of the sense of accomplishment he was feeling for Killington. Paul visited Killington 2 years ago while hosting a series of organizational meetings for the "Grow Killington" initiative. Those activities have now come together under the official auspices of the Town of Killington with the passage of the 1% option tax to fund economic development and the creation of the EDT.

Chris Nyberg gave a very frank talk about the state of the Killington ski resort. He reviewed Powdr's and KSRP's impressions about the business and spoke of some of the successes and challenges the resort faces. He was very forth coming is communicating to people that after 2 years of running an eastern ski resort that they have developed an understanding of the value promoted by the original owner, Preston Smith, in being the first resort to open and the last resort to close. He also understood that driving volume through customer loyalty was important. Last year saw a slight increase in overall skier and rider days at the resort, but it came mostly from an increase in visits from season pass holders, not individual paid tickets.

Jeanne Karlhuber, innkeeper at the Snowed Inn and Chairwomen of the Killington EDT spoke of the work ongoing by the EDT in the community. A new website promoting Killington, "Discoverkillington.com" is due to launch at the end of October. Jeanne also announced plans for a Killington Film Festival in April, and the return of the Killington Stage Race next Memorial Day weekend.

Also at the chambers annual meeting, Andy Reid of the Killington Deli was awarded the chambers Volunteer of the Year award. Andy is stepping down from the Chamber of Commerce board of directors after a long term of service to the community.

Congratulations to Phil on his election as President, Andy as the Volunteer of the Year, and the Killington Chamber of Commerce for 35 years of service to the Killington community.