Birch Ridge Inn covered with first snow of the season. 

It would be nice if we did not have a twig season at Killington this year......

The first snow storm of the 2010/2011 season has blanked the Killington region in a slushy coating of white. Ground temperatures are still quite warm, moderating the snow depths. Around the inn you will find several inches of snow on the ground. It is very sloppy and wet. Further up the mountain at the Killington Base Lodge, the snow, while still wet, is more consistent. The slight elevation change from the inn to the Killington Base Lodge apparently makes all the difference.

K1 Base Lodge at Killington. Notice the beer and food delivery trucks... Click to enlarge..

It is way too early to tell what this storm means for the early ski season. Heavy snow is reportedly falling on the upper elevations of Killington. Visibility of Killington Peak is zero from the Killington Base Lodge due to falling snow. Whether or not enough snow falls from this storm with a consistency good enough to safely allow skiing and riding remains to be seen. But one thing is certain, once the storm clears if temperatures permit it will make it a lot easier to make snow on top of the mountain with a nice base laid down by Mother Nature. And that, combined with the new "Stairway to Heaven" should help the resort in their quest to open for skiing and riding early this season.

It's time....Let It SNOW!!!!!!

Killington Peak waiting for snow. 

As todays picture of Killington Peak highlights, the Killington region is on the cusp of entering twig season...that magical time of year when the area is devoid of color between the time the leaves fall off the trees and the first snow falls. While many trees in the area still have colorful foliage for visitors to enjoy, some time in the next 5 to 10 days a cold wind will blow through town causing foliage season 2010 to become just a memory viewed in photo galleries by future generations.

Around Killington, locals are catching their breath and getting ready for winter. All the while, we are looking at the mountain wondering when the first snow will make an appearance signaling the start of ski season. Whether the snow is natural, or the result of the resort turning on their snow making system for the first time, the appearance of the first snow on the mountain lifts everyones spirits with it's foreshadowing of the arrival of winter.

Mary and I have a whole list of activities around the inn to complete as we transition seasons. I have a ton of marketing work to finish to launch our winter season (you do want to visit us at the Birch Ridge Inn this winter don't you?). We also have a "Green" initiative we are working on which I will be writing about in the next few weeks.

Stairway to heaven visible on Killington Peaky Click to enlarge..

While I was out taking pictures this morning of Killington Peak, I discovered something which surprised me...you can see the "Stairway to Heaven" walkway from the North Ridge Triple to the K1 Gondola along Heavenly Traverse from the upper Snowshed parking lot. Right in the middle of the second picture in this blog post you can see the walkway crossing Catwalk. On the far right of the frame at the top of the Double Dipper Quad, you can see the stairway leading up the trail. To the left, you can follow the walkway all the way across to the top of Downdraft. Since the wood used in the construction has not weathered yet, it is still very light colored; contrasting with the surrounding green pine trees. I would guess that once the wood ages some, it will disappear into the mountain side. Of course, throw some bright white snow (soon) on the mountain top and it will become invisible as well..

Where ever you may be, enjoy the change of seasons. And start thinking cold and snow!

The last rose of summer 

it is hard to describe how great the weather was around Killington this weekend. After last weeks yuck, visitors to Killington were presented with possibly the nicest Columbus Day weekend in years.

Strangely, and I hate the politicization of the term "Global Warming", we have not had a ground level frost at the inn as yet. Frost has been reported on the top of Killington Peak, at 4241 feet, but at the inn altitude, 1870 feet, the ground has remained frost free. Flowers around the inn are still blooming, although they are definitely showing the stress caused by reduced sunlight falling on the ground around the inn every day. But even in this environment, one of the rose bushes near the inn's covered carriageway decided to give it a try and push out one more rose before the growing season at Killington ends.

Our attention the next few weeks around the inn will focus on getting the inn ready for winter. If history is any guide, we need to have all of our outside work done in the next 2 weeks or so. After that, with any luck, we will be seeing snow falling from the sky; and that's a good thing for late October in Killington.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, remember the leaf rule, and start thinking about sn....(no not quite yet)

The 16th green on the Killington Resort Golf Course in Killington Thursday afternoon 

While it has been a damp week at Killington, Columbus Day weekend looks like it will be a good one if today is any indication. The r@!n of the week has been chased away by a beautiful blue sky, mild temperatures, and light fall breezes.

Unlike the last 2 years, fall colors immediately at Killington are on the wane this year. The season has turned back to a more traditional clock with peak foliage in the Killington Basin area earlier in the week. But color in the area is still beautiful, as pictures from late yesterday highlight.

You will find several galleries of fall foliage pictures from the Killington area on the Birch Ridge Inn's Facebook page. The latest gallery is located under 2010 Colors of Fall - heading towards Columbus Day.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, remember the leaf rule, and stay warm on the frosty evenings...

The 18th hole on Green Mountain National Golf Course in Killington late Sunday afternoon 

The first October weekend of this years fall season closed on a spectacular note with a brilliant blue sky, crisp temperatures, and light frosts overnight. The Killington Region was busy with with a combination of "Leaf Peepers", attendees at the weekends Killington Brewfest, and others traveling around town looking at the hay sculptures of the Killington Hay Festival.

Fall colors in Killington are holding up fairly well. Many trees that were still green during last weeks deluge are starting to develop color with the arrival of cold overnight temperatures. Trees on the upper elevations at Killington have shed their leaves. But the valleys around the mountain are ablaze with color. Guests who took the K1 Gondola were treated to the full glory of fall in Vermont, with spectacular views in all directions from the top of Killington Peak.

Inn Guests on driving trips were reporting that color in the upper reaches of Route 100 was starting to wain, but color in the mountain gaps heading west from Route 100 to the Champlain Valley was excellent. Excellent color was reported at the Lincoln, Middlebury, and Brandon Gaps to the north of Killington. Excellent color is also developing along the Route 4 corridor from Woodstock to Killington, and the Route 100 corridor south between Ludlow and Killington.

I was only able to get out of the inn for a short time to take some pictures of the area. I have posted them to a photo gallery on Facebook. They can be found under Birch Ridge Inn located in the gallery 2010 Colors of Fall - First October Weekend.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, remember the leaf rule, and stay warm on the frosty evenings...

Geese enjoying the fall colors and a swim on Snow Shed Pond. 

it has been a wild 36 hours at Killington. Torrential rains from tropical storm Nichole have dumped huge quantities of water on the countryside. Road surfaces are wet. Dirt roads and roads covered with wet leaves are a little slick, but at least in Killington there does not seem to be much damage from the storm.

Foliage color in Killington is holding up well. Most trees in Killington have started to change color, shedding their summer green for a mix of red, orange, and yellow. Some of the trees that were further along have seen their leaves fall with the rain, but for the most part the views around the area this morning were very colorful.

Nice color on Killington Road at the Birch Ridge Inn across the Roaring Brook Valley Click to enlarge..

Foliage color at the inn is representative of the area. The poplar and birch trees at the front of the inn have just started to transition from green to yellow. Most of the maple trees have started to turn red, while the oak trees are going towards a burnt orange color. You will find a small photogallery of todays pictures from around Killington on the Birch Ridge Inn Facebook page under 2010 Colors of Fall - After the Deluge..

Where ever you may be, enjoy the fall scenery. And if you are on the east coast of the United State...stay dry!

Fall colors nearing peak. Photo down Lower Vertigo from old Snowshed Crossover 

Yesterday, Mary and I were able to take a 4 hour hike from the base to Killington Peak. Unlike today, which is wet and dreary, yesterday was a beautiful temperate day. Under partly cloudy skies with temps ranging from mid 60's at the base to high 40's at the peak, it was a great day to look at fall foliage.

For those of you who are interested, our route yesterday was a mostly direct route on the ascent, with a meandering walk on the way down.

Going up, we started at the K1 Base lodge. Our route brought us up Mouse Run to Mouse Trap to Racers Edge. On Racers Edge we traversed Conclusion, Highline, Chop Chop, Royal Flush, and "The Throne" before coming out at the base of Rime. From there we hiked up Ridge Run to the North Ridge Pump House, coming out in the middle of Rime. On Rime, we climbed to Great Northern. We then took a small right turn and headed up Powerline, exiting just below the North Ridge upper lift terminal.

At North Ridge, we walked up Heavenly Traverse (more on that later) over to Catwalk for an ascent straight up to Killington Peak. Catwalk is fairly steep with a few areas requiring hand holds to maintain upward momentum. There is a memorial at the top of Catwalk. We stopped to pay our respects, then headed over to the K1 Gondola Station to eat the lunch we had carried in my back pack.

Going down the mountain we followed Great Northern to Bear Trax to Launch Pad in the process traversing beside Anarchy, Julio, Ovation, Old Superstar, Superstar, Skyhawk, Skylark, and Bittersweet before arriving at the upper terminal of the Needles Eye Quad. From there, it was a simple walk down Great Northern to the old Snowshed Crossover with spectacular views on Needles Eye, Vertigo, High Road, Low Road, and Highlander before returning to the K1 Base lodge.

A complete photogallery of the hike and the spectacular fall scenes can be found on the Birch Ridge Inn page on Facebook under 2010 Colors of Fall - Killington Peak.

Stairway to Heaven under construction at Killington Peak. Click to enlarge..

One of the goals of the hike, in addtion to seeing the fall colors and getting some ski conditioning excercise done, was to take a look at the "Stariway to Heaven" that is being constructed at Killington Peak from the top of Rime to the K1 Gondola along "Heavenly Traverse" (and yes...that is the actual name of the trail that the walkway is being constructed on). Construction is well underway, with most of the decking in place. Workers on the lower half of the walkway were building stringers to construct stairs to the multiple platforms making up the walkway. Decking work was being completed on the upper end of the walkway near the top of Downdraft. This reqired us to back track and make our ascent to Killington Peak up Catwalk. All along the walkway, posts were cut to be installed to support a railing. We spoke with some of the carpenters working on the project. They were hoping to complete the job before Columbus Day weekend, assuming the weather at Killington Peak did not get in the way too much.

Overall, the hike along the walkway was not that bad. There will be a few tricky spots along it, but it is meant to support hard core skiers and riders who want to take advantage of mountain conditions before full top to bottom skiing and riding is available. I don't think I would choose to hike it in ski boots, preferring instead to leave some hiking boots at the top of Rime for the travese back to the K1 Gondola, but only time will tell. Mary's initial observation that some kid could make a lot of money acting as a shepa still holds, if you are a budding entrepenuer interested in hustling for a few bucks. But overall, it will be a welcomed, if not interesting, addition to the quiver to support early season skiing and riding at Killington.

A photogallery of the "Stairway to Heaven" being constructed can be found on the Birch Ridge Inn page on Facebook under 2010 Stairway to Heaven Construction - Killington Peak.

Where ever you may be, enjoy the fall scenery. And if you are on the east coast of the United State...stay dry!