Vacancy Sign comes down for the winter 

Guests are continuing to stream into Killington in preparation to celebrate the arrival of 2006. We have the good fortune of having our inn full during this period. We have been very busy all morning referring calls we are receiving for rooms to other hotels/inns in the area.

Temperatures dropped rapidly last night. Once again the weatherman had it wrong. We did have a brief dusting last night as the temperatures dropped, leading to the shorthand comment of the day "Dust on Crust" to describe conditions. Reports from friends who were on the mountain this morning report very firm conditions on most trails. Many trails were not opened early as the resort was busy running grooming machines over the surfaces to break up the crust. Snowmaking is resuming with the colder temperatures, so surface conditions will be improving rapidly in the very near term.

On a personal note, I was able to put a boot on my foot with the sprained ankle for the first time in 3 weeks this morning. Mary and I removed the vacancy signs from our main Inn signs on the Killington road. Hopefully, I will be able to get a ski boot on it next week.

The good: guests who are here are having a good time. More guests are arriving by the minute.

The bad: Temperatures are in the high 30's with a driving non-crystaline precipitation falling from the sky.

The ugly: The current storm will not clear the area until sometime in the morning on Friday. Low temperature on Saturday is predicted to be 19 degrees.

But if you return to the good....guests at the area seem to be taking it in stride. People are on vacation, away from the city, and celebrating the conclusion of 2005 and the promise of 2006. Have a good day where ever you may be. I will try to put a short post on the blog tomorrow with an update on conditions.

Killington Peak, 12 Noon, December 28, 2005 

In my journeys around town this morning, from my conversations with locals, it appears that the region is having a very good holiday week. Local merchants are reporting that visitors to the region are in good spirits. I spoke with several ski shop owners who reported that they felt that their holiday sales were up over the last couple of years. Of course, it is too early to tell as we have a lot of the holiday week to go, but the merchants I spoke with were very optimistic.

People who have been out skiing and riding report that conditions on the mountain this far this week have been good with steady but manageable crowds. As reported yesterday, the mountain is very firm with some slick spots appearing in high traffic areas. Guests in the inn at the bar last night reported that the mountain was blowing a lot of snow over on Bear Mountain. The guests reported that Outer Limits was open for skiing and riding, with the guns laying down big whales. We are expecting some NCP (non-crystaline precipitation) tonight which will finish with snow late Thursday. Given the current shape of the mountain, it should have minimal impact on conditions for the upcoming New Years weekend.

Sometimes you have to take the good, the bad, and the ugly...The last 2 days saw significant reduction in the snow cover at Killington. In the 4 day period from December 23rd to December 27th, the snow at the snow stake has gone from 13.75 inches to 7 inches... basically the depth of the snow pack has been cut in half.

There is both bad news and good news in this event. On the bad side, surfaces in the area have significantly firmed up. Temperatures fell yesterday from the high 30's at mid day to the mid teens overnight. Always the optimist, however, the good side to this is that the base will now be solid and stable for the rest of the winter season. (I subscribe to the theory that when you are presented with lemons that you should make lemonade.)

Day after Christmas fog at Killington 

Twas the day after Christmas
and all through the inn,
all the guests, they were leaving,
so more could check in.

The housekeepers were jumpin
all over the place;
to make sure the inn
put on a pretty face

it r@%n'd all last night,it should have been snow.
So the Christmas guests felt they were ready to go.

They'd skied for three days; some of them four.
They left with the promise of coming back for more.

Yet low thru the fog, or is it snow haze
new guests are coming, spirits will raise.

"It will snow tonight", the weatherman said;
while the new guests are sleeping, in their freshly made beds.

Go Moguls and Lookout, raise a beer or two!
From Pickle, to Wobbly, there's dancing to do.
Start with dinner and a beverage at the Birch Ridge for you!

Tis Christmas week in Killington....
New Years is coming....
Oh what a zoo!

Santa visits Killington 

Mary and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. The last few days we have had the good fortune of being very busy preparing for the holidays. For those of you not familiar with a ski resort at Christmas...suffice to say it is the busiest time of the year. Last night we had our traditional Christmas eve dinner in the restaurant. Of course, we are doing it again all afternoon and this evening with a festive dinner this Christmas day. Our chef, Stephen, has been roasting goose for the holidays. If you close your eyes, the inn smells like Nana's house from years gone bye. Merry Christmas, where ever you may be.

Killington ready for the Holidays 

It is basically up to UPS, USPS, Fedex, DHL,insert your favorite package delivery service here!

I did not have a chance to make a post in a timely fashion yesterday as Mary and I took one last shopping trip; this time to Lebanon New Hampshire. The night before, I had spent about 6 hours online with Amazon, LL Bean, and others, getting my holiday picks in under the shipping wire. I just have a few more trinkets to pick up for Mary's Christmas Stocking, then I am all done...

Our inn guests are reporting spectacular conditions on the mountain. Every night this week we have had an inch or 2 of very light fluffy snow which has greeted them in the morning. Overall the snow has not added up to much. It is so light it is either compressing down to nothing when the sun hits it, or blowing into the woods on a light breeze. (note...blowing into woods for later). Never matter, the mountain looks primed to have a really good holiday season. And light snow continues to dominate the local weather forecast.

At the inn, everyone is getting ready to greet holiday guests. The kitchen staff is working full tilt preparing for next week. We have great menus planned for Christmas Eve/Christmas day and New Years Eve, not to mention the fact that our restaurant menu will change several times during the week as well. Stop bye the inn for a beverage under our Christmas tree if you are at Killington. It should be a great Christmas season.