Rack of Lamb. One of the many
dishes on the menu at Birch Ridge 

Today marks the beginning of the 9th season for the restaurant at the Birch Ridge Inn. Dinner service begins this evening at 6:00PM. Over the summer months, dinner will be served at the Birch Ridge Inn on Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Summer Brunch is served Sunday's from 11:00 AM until 2:30 PM.

To kick off our 9th season of dining at Birch Ridge, the menu this weekend includes the following:

Soups
- Vichyssoise - Traditional Potato Soup served Chilled - $6.50
- Shrimp bisque with fresh chive garnish - $6.95

Appetizers
- Fresh Mozzarella with a Chiffonade of Basil served over Red Ripe Tomatoes, drizzled with infused extra virgin olive oil - $8.95
- Seared Diver Scallops served with a Chive Chablis Cream - $9.95
- Brie baked en croute, served with grilled granny smith apples and sweet Port wine glaze - $9.95

Salads
- Classic Caesar Garnished with Anchovies and Lemon, Locatelli Pecorino Romano - $6.50
- Baby Spinach Salad with a Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and Vermont Chevre - $6.50

Entrees
- Roast rack of lamb rubbed with garlic and herbs served with rich juniperberry demi-glace - $31.95
- Almond crusted fillets of Rainbow Trout served with our fresh fennel slaw - $25.95
- Savory mushroom strudels, oven roasted vegetables, and roasted tomato coulis - $19.95
- Grilled Filet Mignon with Sauteed Exotic Mushrooms and Sauce Bordelaise - $30.95
- Oven Roasted Half Duckling served semi boneless with an orange Grand Marnier sauce - $26.95
- Hand~cut New York Sirloin served with crumbled Danish bleu cheese, red grapes and candied pecans - $30.95

Dessert
- Cherry Ice Cream, house churned, with chips of fresh Bing Cherries - $6.95
- Caramel Pecan Tart with Chocolate Ganache - $7.95
- Light mascarpone cheesecake garnished with ripe strawberries and fruit coulis - $8.25
- Silky Rich Chocolate Pate with house churned Vanilla ice cream - $7.95

Also this weekend, don't forget our special brunch on Sunday to support "Team Killington" and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. All proceeds from the brunch will be donated to Team Killington to help raise funds to fight breast cancer.

If you would like to make dinner reservations at Birch Ridge for this weekend, or in the future, you can call the inn toll free at 800-435-8566. In Killington, the inn can also be reached at 802-422-4293.

Wherever you may be, have a great weekend, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget the sunscreen.

Killington Wine Festival returns this year July 12 to July 15 

The Killington Wine Festival returns for a sixth season this year starting on July 12th. The Wine Festival is co-produced by the Killington Chamber of Commerce, the Killington Resort, many local business, and Vermont wine distributors who service the Killington region.

Once again this year, on Saturday Evening July 14th, Birch Ridge is pleased to present an evening of fine wine and dining in conjunction with the Wine Festival. Chef Stephen Byrne has created a menu to complement a selection of fine California wines from the Trinchero Family Estates with ingredients influenced by the mountains of Vermont for this special evening.

The menu for the evening includes flash chilled pan seared black and blue tuna with heirloom tomatoes, complementing a Montevina Pinot Grigio; Halibut on a Crab and Scallop cake with saffron cream matched with a Folie a Deux, Menage a Trois; and seared medallions of Sika Deer paired with a Folie a Deux Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The evening will begin with summer appetizers in the Great Room of the Birch Ridge Inn. To finish the evening, a Montevina Terra D'Oro California Moscato will be paired with a warm berry tart and house churned ice cream accompanied by a plait du fromage of fine Vermont cheese from local fromagiers. The full menu for the evenings dinner can be found on Birch Ridge's website.

The first wine will be presented on Saturday evening at 6:30 PM in the Great Room Lounge at Birch Ridge, followed by dinner in the Inn's restaurant starting at 7:00 PM. The price per person for the evening is $79.00, not including tax or gratuity. This price is inclusive of the evening's wine and dinner. Reservations are required, and can be made by calling the Birch Ridge Inn at 802.422.4293, or 800.435.8566. Lodging packages are also available.

About the Killington Wine Festival
In it's sixth year, the Killington Wine Festival returns to Killington from July 12th thru 15th, 2007. The event starts with a Gala Dinner at the Killington Grand Hotel on Thursday evening July 12th. On Friday July 14th, an estate wine tasting will be held at the Birch Ridge Inn from 3:00 to 5:00 PM followed by "The Crush", a Jazz and Wine bar poolside at the Killington Grand in the evening. On Saturday, July 14th, a grand wine tasting and wine seminars will be held at the Killington Peak starting at 12:00 Noon. During the festival, wine dinners and champagne brunches will be held at several restaurants in the Killington area. Tickets for wine festival events can be purchased from the Killington Chamber of Commerce by calling the chamber office at 800.337.1928.

Killington Peak with winter snow 

It has been an interesting week from a news perspective at Killington. Everyday the new Killington president, Chris Nyberg, and been quoted with some pithy remark in the local press, or there has been some other titbit of news filtering out from resort management. Needless to say, because no one has experienced mountain operations under the new Killington management team, and because the people are still relatively unknown in the local community, the reaction to the various comments have ranged from congratulatory to the proverbial gnashing of teeth. If you are planning to visit Killington, or if you live elsewhere but own a second home in the region, it must be difficult to cut through all of the chatter concerning the region. But with a little work, a consistent message is beginning to emerge about the near term future of Killington.

"We get to eat what we kill!"
The local news week started Monday with an above the fold story in the Rutland Herald headlined "Powdr vows to polish Killington".Within the article is the memorable comment from Chis Nyberg "We get to eat what we kill!". In the visually saturated society we live in, this sound bite conjures up all kinds of images for people to "chew on". If you matured in the 90's who could forget the scene in Jurassic Park where the T Rex ate the Lawyer, cowering in the outhouse, for lunch. If you came of age in the late 70's/early 80s, you are filled with imagery from the movie "Jaws" of the great white shark eating the tourist swimming at night off the beach. But if you came of age in the 50's and 60's, like Chris Nyberg, your imagery might be of Uncle Jed Clampett from the TV show Beverly Hillbillies "shootin for some food and up from the ground comes some bubblin crude". It is very clear from public and private statements that unlike the American Skiing Company, which in recent years failed to invest in the resort and actually exported money from Killington, that Powdr Corporation intends to use money generated by operations and re-invest to continually improve the Killington experience. "Swimmin pools, movie stars" indeed!

"Pass Prices"
Monday and Tuesday brought more news from the resort with the announcement of season pass prices for the 2007/2008 ski season. Pass prices for an unlimited seasons pass to the Killington did increase by $380 dollars versus what was charged by the soon to be defunct ASC, which resulted in another above the fold story in the Rutland Herald on Tuesday entitled "Season ski pass price increase". The chatosphere on Killingtonzone also went wild with many blustering posts on the price increase, and a little nugget buried in the season pass announcement stating that the passes were valid "from Mid-November to Mid-April"(more on this later). Off course lost in all the comments was the fact that Killingtons 2007/2008 season pass prices are very competitive with other eastern resorts. Also lost was the fact that the pricing promoted by ASC in the last several years was clearly not sustainable from a business perspective resulting in untold problems for the area. Also, it is also important to remember that the prices announced for the 2007/2008 ski season are still significantly less than season pass prices for Killington during the late 80's, early 90's, which many now view as the heyday of the ski scene at Killington. Many in the chatosphere need to take a deep breath please! Season passes at Killington are still a great deal if you plan to ski multiple days at the resort this coming ski season.

"Mid-November to Mid-April"
Buried deep on only 1 of the pages Killington posted on their website was the comment " Killington/Pico season pass is valid from mid-November through mid-April, weather and snow conditions permitting". Oh my God! The sky is falling! What does this mean....In reality, from a PR and an historical perspective, I was rather shocked at this item, and equally amused by the buzz it has created online and around town. I have done some checking, and from a PR perspective it was totally unnecessary. The resort is trying to set expectations that they will manage the ski season as a business. Passes will in fact be valid from when they open to when they close for the 2007/2008 season. What the resort is really trying to do with this comment is start to manage expectations concerning the new realities being faced by the ski industry in general and Killington operations in particular. And the major reality check is that in an age of global warming the ski seasons at northeast resorts are shrinking. In recent history, the ski seasons for the vast majority of skiers and riders in the northeast have kicked off in Mid November, and they are basically done in Mid April. I am sorry to point this fact out, as I personally love to ski, but until we figure out ways to manage our environment better (no political statement meant here) we all have to adjust to the fact that the climate in the northeast is changing. Unfortunately, in stating the obvious, the Killington Resort created a PR flap they could have avoided. Of course we all would like to see a return to the glory days of skiing from September until June (I did it myself 15 year ago). But the reality of the world we live in today is different and we all need to adjust.

"Killington lifetime pass holders form group"
Buried deep in the middle of Wednesdays Rutland Herald and picked up by the AP for circulation around the globe was an article concerning the formation of the "Killington Skiers Advocate Association". This group has been formed to put pressure on Powdr Corp to reverse it's decision not to honor lifetime passes issued to early Killington investors. Many of these passes have been actively traded through the years to different people, or passed down in families to succeeding generations. At this point, I can't guess how this issue will be resolved. But I do know that each side is starting to harden it's position, and that will not bring good future press for Killington. Powdr and SP Land are clearly staking out the position that "lifetime passes" are not their responsibility. As far as they are concerned, the "lifetime" was that of Killington LTD and Ski LTD, which are still part of ASC but will soon cease to exist. Of course, pass holders consider a different meaning of lifetime. I would guess that we will be hearing more on this story as the matter gets reviewed by the Vermont Attorney Generals office. This one could be a wild ride for a few months, so hold on.

"Elephant, birds, and bugs"
No matter what you think about the resort, the new president Chris Nyberg is a colorful character. In the recent issue of the Mountain Times in the Mountain Musings column, Chris is quoted at the select board meeting commenting that the resort needs a "symbiotic relationship" with the community "like... the friendly birds that live on the back of an elephant and pick the bugs off". Now comparing Killington to an elephant, local business to birds, and visitors to bugs is an interesting syllogism which has amused some and infuriated others. Historically Killington and local businesses have worked together to attempt to delight guests so they would come back again and again, not feast on them one time and say good bye. I do not know Chris personally, so I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. Chris' syllogism was close, but to quote Don Adams of agent Maxwell Smart fame: "missed it by that much".

Goodbye ASC
Finally, the denouement... ASC is dead. Long live Killington. In a formal posting to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the American Skiing Company announced that they will dissolve with the completion of the sale of their properties in Maine. Of course, we would not even be having a conversation about Powdr and Killington if the business model used by ASC had been successful. Except for the common stock holders of ASC (and I know a few), everything at Killington should work out for the best. We can all come out and play now because the " Wicked Witch is Dead". Long live Killington.

Through out it's history, colorful characters have made Killington a premier ski resort. Vision, determination, and some times a little wackyness, are all part of the equation. Mary and I believe that Killington is a great place to visit, and a great place to live, otherwise I would not be writing about it. We truly believe that Powdr has a shot at renewing the resort and improving the overall experience of visitors to the region. Come on up to Killington to visit. You might like it so well you will decide to move here permanently... We did!

Where ever you may be, just remember to keep it in the fairway and use your sunscreen.

Killington Peak 

As promised by Killington president Chris Nyberg, Powdr Corp announced season pass prices for the upcoming 2007/2008 ski season at Killington.

When purchased by July 31, adults can enjoy unlimited skiing and riding next season at Killington and Pico for $999. For young adults and seniors, the price is $799. The price for children and super seniors is $699.

Again this season, the mountain will provide a Killington and Pico Black Out Pass. The price for all ages is $599 for this pass product which includes 18 black out days. The black out days include 11/23-11/24/07, 12/26/07-1/1/08, 1/19/08-1/20/08 and 2/16/08-2/22/08. For those who want to only ski mid week, a Killington/Pico mid week pas is priced at $299. All pass prices do not include 6% VT Sales tax.

Several item stand out on the pass price announcement. First, the prices listed are valid until July 31. There is no mention of pass pricing after that date, other than to mention that a Pico Only and College Pass will be announced in August. Secondly, there is a new payment plan this year. If you order your pass via credit card, 50% of the price will be charged with the order. The balance will be charged on August 31, allowing credit payments to be spread out for pass purchasers.

Of note, there is also a disclaimer in the pass offering stating: "A Killington/Pico season pass is valid from mid-November through mid-April, weather and snow conditions permitting, providing access to more than 1,200 acres of the most diverse skiing and riding terrain in New England served by 32 lifts." What that means about potential opening/closing dates for skiing and riding at Killington next season is anyones guess. We will have to stay tuned.. So it goes.

Complete information on Killington's season pass products can be found on Killington's web site. Of course, while we are thinking about the coming winter season at Killington, it is just a beautiful June day here in the mountains. Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget the sunscreen.

Hole #15
Killington Resort Golf Course
with Killington Peak in the background. 

The Killington area is home to many great Vermont golf courses. On Friday, Mary and I had the opportunity to play our first complete round of the year on the Killington Resort Golf Course. It was well worth the afternoon.

For Killington fans, last Friday was the annual "Goombay Golf Classic" sponsored by the Grist Mill and Bacardi Rum. Over 100 golfers from the region and beyond teed off in the tournament this year at the Killington Resort links. Mary and I, along with our friends Carolyn and Bill, carded a very respectable 2 under 70 hitting 15 out of 18 greens in regulation with 2 birdies and no bogies. Golf can be a game of shoulda woulda coulda some times, and Friday was one of those days. We "coulda" had a much lower score if a few of our first putts dropped. But so it goes.

On the plus side, however, I am very happy to report that the Killington Resort Golf Course is in great shape. Course conditions were probably the best in 5 years. While the mountainside course can still serve up a few errant bounces in spots, for the most part the course was playing true with dry fairways and very receptive greens....all with the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont forming a backdrop to every swing. We had a very nice afternoon.

Where ever you may be this weekend, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget your sunscreen. Oh...and it's Fathers Day... Call Dad!

Innkeepers, Bill and Mary, with
"Team Killington" organizers
Noel and Dick Gluck. 

It is hard to believe, but the official start of summer is only a few days away. While we have still been receiving guests at Birch Ridge for the last couple of months, with our restaurant closed, Mary and I have had a good amount of time to ourselves to refresh from last winter.

Looking forward to the summer, our restaurant at Birch Ridge re-opens for dinner service for the summer season on Friday June 29th. Chef Stephen "Frizzie" Byrne will once again be delighting diners with his delicious faire. As we have done in prior years, this summer we will be serving dinner Wednesday thru Saturday evenings starting at 6:00 PM complimented with brunch on Sunday mornings.

The first brunch of the summer season, on Sunday July 1, is a special benefit brunch held to support "Team Killington" and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Each year local residents Dick and Noel Gluck organize Killington area residents and guests to form "Team Killington" to participate in the Komen Foundations Vermont "Race for the Cure". This year's race takes place on July 29th. Dick and Noel's group have raised thousands of dollars over the years to support the Komen foundations efforts to battle breast cancer. Mary and I are very happy that once again we will be able to donate all proceeds generated at the July 1st brunch at Birch Ridge to support "Team Killington's" efforts. Sunday Brunch will be served at the Birch Ridge Inn each Sunday during the summer season from July 1st thru September from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM. Seating is first come, first served. We hope that you can join us on July 1st and help support the fight against breast cancer.

For additional information about Sunday Brunch at Birch Ridge, or for summer dinner and lodging reservations, feel free to call the inn at 800-435-8566, or 802-422-4293, or go online to www.birchridge.com.

Birch Ridge Inn Snow Stake
retired for the summer 

I finally put away the snow stake, officially recognizing that summer is upon us in Vermont. Of course, I was also being quite pragmatic, as Johnny C needed to have a clear run to cut the grass in the area where the snow stake resides for the winter. It is just amazing how quickly the grass grows in the mountains given a little rain, some sunshine, and comfortable temperatures. They don't call them the Green Mountains for nothing!

It has been a fairly quiet week around town. Mary and I have spent most of our time either working at the Inn or playing in various golf tournaments. The Killington Chamber of Commerce had a little tournament on the Killington Resort course in the showers on Tuesday. It was nice to have a chance to get out on the course with some of my friends who work at the resort. This was my first outing on the resort course this summer, and it was in really good shape. Probably the best early season shape in the last 5 years. I only got a chance to play the front nine. Next week, the Grist Mill sponsors a tournament a the resort course, so we will get a chance to see the whole layout.

On Wednesday, Mary and I played in a tournament at Green Mountain National to benefit charities sponsored by the Killington Rotary. The greens at Green Mountain are just coming in super. Green Mountain purchased a new green roller at the beginning of the season, and it is really starting to show in the quality of the putting surfaces.

A couple of weeks ago I purchase a new Callaway driver. Over the last couple of weeks, when most of the golf we have been playing is in a scramble format, you can just swing away. I have been pretty happy with the new driver so far as it is just crushing the ball off the tee. It will be interesting to see if I am still happy with it next week when I have some individual rounds scheduled. Who knows what it will do for my golf handicap this summer.

Where ever you may be this weekend, keep it in the fairway and don't forget your sunscreen.