Killington Peak ready for early season skiers and riders 

The ski season at Killington has arrived! Killington has provided skiers and riders some Halloween Candy to enjoy later this weekend!

I received a call early this morning from Tom Horrocks, Communications Manager for the resort, informing me that Killington will open for top to bottom skiing and riding at 10:00 AM this Sunday, barring any last minute unexpected change in the weather. The mountain plan is to continue to be open through the week, with lifts turning Monday thru Friday starting at 9:00 AM. The Killington Resort will stay open for early season operations as long as they can provide a quality on snow experience for their early season guests.

The current operating plan is to run 2 lifts, the K1 Gondola and the North Ridge Triple. While snow has been made top to bottom on Great Northern, aided by Mother Nature, from what I understand, I would recommend that people focus their turns on the upper reaches of the mountain, taking laps off the triple. I was told that on Rime and Reason and the upper trails of the mountain, the snow making team has laid down a base of about 6 feet. As conditions were less favorable on the lower mountain, the surface conditions running back to the K1 Gondola are on a thinner base. As temperatures allow, the Resort will continue to make snow on all of the trails they can to continue to improve snow surfaces.

Of course, this early in the season, only advanced skiers and riders are encouraged to participate. Novices and beginners should probably wait a little longer to give the mountain time to expand operations to easier terrain.

Ski Season at Killington is here. Happy Halloween .....let it snow!

Snow guns making snow at bottom of K1 Gondola 

All eyes around town looked to the mountain earlier today. When we woke up this morning, the Killington Resort was making snow from the top of Killington Peak all the way to the K1 base lodge. Of course the million dollar question is "When will the resort open?"

I'm getting ready........................are you?





Killington get's ready for the 2009 season. An exploratory hike around the resort. "Sky Peak Redesigned"

With the excitement of snow falling on the mountain and the resort getting ready to open, it was easy to lose the train of thought concerning our hike last week. Back to our walk about!

While the woods may be the goods when the Killington Resort talks about "The Stash", large numbers of skiers and riders having fun while they move around the 6 interconnected mountains at Killington is the real name of the game.

As anyone who has skied at Killington knows, the Killington Resort was planned a lot like a typical New England village.....randomly! No fancy grid system, no real traffic planning...if this looked like a good fall line to put in a ski trail... get out the chain saw.

Of course I take poetic license. To be able to move millions people around miles of ski trails during the resorts 50 year history does take more than a little forest husbandry. But the rapid growth of the resort during the 70's and 80's has woven an interconnected maze, and a few confused skiers looking for their car's at the wrong base lodge parking lot to boot.

Top of new Sky Peak Quad sitting in the K1 parking lot awaiting installation. (Click to enlarge.)

With that in mind, the resort owners, Killington Pico Ski Resort Partners, have begun the process to reconfigure the resort for the next 50 years of skiing and riding at Killington. Last year, they took some small steps in trying to close of sections of Great Northern on the Killington Peak side of the resort. That effort, which employed movable barriers but no trail cuts, was experimental at best. This year, after learning about how the resort really worked last season, they embarked on an ambitious program to redefine the skiing and riding experience off of Sky Peak. But instead of erecting barriers which can be easily circumvented, the resort owners have aggressively modified trails on Sky Peak to correct some of the sins of the past.

"The Stash" and the elimination of the "Snow Shed Crossover" trail are key elements of the redesigned Sky Peak. However, neither would be effective without replacing the Sky Peak Quad. And since the resort was going that far, a little terra forming on the top of Sky Peak, assisted by some high explosives, was also brought to bear to re-orient the route to be taken by skiers and riders in the future.

On our hikes through the mountains, it is hard to appreciate the scale of the efforts completed by the resort. The first evidence of activity at the top of Sky Peak that we saw was from the mid section of Sky Burst on the old Snow Shed Crossover. Looking upslope, we saw freshly painted lift towers, topped with new pulley systems for the new quad. A helicopter has been put into service over a number of days to install them on the towers used by the old Sky Peak Quad. But at the top of the tower line, something was unusual. Instead of a nice grassy slope, there was a huge rock rubble wall.

View upslope on Sky Burst towards Sky Peak from Snow Shed Crossover. (Click to enlarge.)

Closer look at the wall at the top of Sky Burst. (Click to enlarge.)

The purpose of the wall, once you climb to the top of it, is quite obvious... it forms the top of the new trail swinging around Sky Peak from the Sky Ship Gondola that is now part of the redesigned "Green" trail "Great Eastern". The rock was all lifted from the side of Sky Peak as part of the trail redesign.

The new lift terminal area at the top of Sky Peak, sans lift. (Click to enlarge.)

In the redesign of Sky Peak, the top lift terminal is roughly in the same place as the old lift. What is interesting is the way the resort has chosen to move people around it. From the lift, skiers and riders still can exit left or right. Exiting right brings you down the new Great Eastern. Exiting left brings you either to "The Stash" or Sky Burst. Skiers and Riders coming off of the K1 Gondola will be directed around Sky Peak on the newly created top of Great Eastern, crossing below the Sky Peak lift terminal.

If you are still with me, you will notice that the resort has just created a new intersection with trails crossing over one another. The difference this time, at least in theory, is that where the cross over takes place, all of the skiers and riders from both directions in the intersection will be traveling at a low velocity, hopefully minimizing any catastrophic collisions. It will be interesting to see it all covered in snow and in action in a few weeks.

To get to Great Eastern or "The Stash" from the Sky Ship Gondola, the resort literally blew up the side of Sky Peak and put in a broad lightly graded boulevard.

Mary at the bottom of the new trail cut in the side of Sky Peak looking back to the Sky Peak Quad terminal. (Click to enlarge.)

Looking towards Killington Peak on new trail cut around Sky Peak. Sky Peak Quad is behind the frame. Sky Ship Gondola is to the right of the frame on top of the man made cliff. (Click to enlarge.)

In our hikes on the mountain, Mary and I took this route a couple of times. The first time through, it was very rough, hardly recognizable as a ski trail. The finished product, as you can see, looks just like a road cut in the side of the mountain, which in fact it is. It is gently graded to allow skiers and riders to maintain some speed. And when the installation of the snow making pipe is completed, we could be skiing and riding on this trail in very short order.

Picture from an earlier hike of drilling equipment used to place charges to blast away at Sky Peak Direction is looking from the junction of Great Eastern and Gateway towards Sky Peak Quad.. (Click to enlarge.)

Finished product, ready for snow and skiers. Mount Washington in the White Mountains is in the distance. (Click to enlarge.)

When the snow flies, it will be interesting to see how the new layout will really work. Once we got to the new Sky Peak Quad, it is a very gentle slope on the new trail to the junction with Gateway. The views from the new trail are great. From the trail, it looks like you could almost reach out and touch the top of Bear Mountain. And in the distance to skiers right, you can see many of the ski resorts of southern Vermont, with the White Mountains of New Hampshire in front. On a clear day in the winter, I am sure there will be more than a few gawkers taking in the sights.

The one "hook" in the layout is the run down from the Sky Ship to join up with the new trail. The intersection will have skiers and riders doing a 180 degree turn to get on the new Great Eastern. During our hike, this section was still being worked on. We will have to wait until we see it in action this winter to see how it all works out.

The ski season at Killington will be here before you know it .....let it snow!

Snowmaking operations taking place on upper trails of Killington Peak 

It looks like Twig Season is over. Finally!

Overnight, it was downright cold and nasty at Killington. Temperatures dropped into the 20's, the wind picked up, but more importantly -- It Snowed!

Around the inn we received about 2 inches. The snow was the wet, heavy kind. It spread out fairly uniformly on every surface it touched. Paved surfaces this morning were covered, although as the temperature has risen since sunrise, they are clearing off. Grassy surfaces are still holding the snow cover.

I drove up to the mountain this morning to see what happened at the resort over night. Conditions at the K1 base lodge looked similar to those at the inn. I would think that the upper mountain got more snow, based upon normal patterns, but it is hard to tell looking at it from the base lodge. But on the upper reaches of the mountain, Mother Nature is cooperating by providing cold.

Killington turned their snowmaking system on last night. At 11:30 AM this morning, snow making was clearly visible on Killington Peak, down Great Northern and into Rime. I did not see any snowmaking taking place at lower elevations.

For those following the blog of late, I am writing up the next part of the hike that Mary and I took on the mountain. The next installment will be on the redesigned Sky Peak. But in the mean time, I thought you would like to hear about the snow.

Ski season is coming soon. Are you ready? .....let it snow!

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!