Snow graces the Birch Ridge Inn for the first time in the 2011-2012 winter season.

Snow graces the Birch Ridge Inn for the first time in the 2011-2012 winter season.

The first snowfall of the 2011-2012 winter season is blanketing Killington his morning.

The light r@!n that spread over the area last evening changed to a heavy wet snow covering the area at first light. Snow fall amounts around the inn and at the Killington Base Lodge area are negligible, given the warm temperature of the wet ground left over from the wet fall season. Snowfall at the upper elevations is not visible from the base area through the heavy blowing and drifting snow which has continued to fall all morning.

Scenes of the first snow fall of the 2011-2012 winter season from around Killington on October 27, 2011 Click image to stop rotation. Click again to resume rotation.

With colder temperatures overspreading the area, snow showers are predicted all day at Killington. Cold temperatures are needed for the coming ski season right now, as the ground is totally saturated with water from heavy r@!ns experienced during the late summer and fall. Until the ground freeze, it will be problematic to support a viable snow surface for winter sports. (That is of course, unless Mother Nature decides to unleash a multi-foot dumpage to take care of the problem all in one shot!... please... please... please!)

Snow making operations were not visible at lower elevations around the Killington Resort. Compressors have already arrived at the resort to support making snow. Heavy snow and noise from construction machinery around the Killington Base Lodge, repairing damage left from tropical storm Irene, did not permit visual or aural detection of snow making at higher elevations of the resort. We will have to wait to see what the resort reports, but I would guess that if cold temperatures persist we will be hearing about snow making at Killington shortly.

In the mean time... it is time to get ready for winter....Let it snow!