The Snow Stake in the field behind the Birch Ridge Inn at Killington

The Snow Stake in the field behind the Birch Ridge Inn at Killington

With the new year firmly in place, work around the inn has focused on the tasks that were abandoned in anticipation of the Mayan Apocalypse.

Well... not really.... Actually, Mary and I have been catching up on the many small things that come up after a period of high occupancy at the inn. One of the things your mother never told you is that things break when people use them.... and that is a good thing.

Most of my time, when not in front of the computer, has been outdoors. Not skiing down the snow covered slopes of the Killington Resort, but "playing" in the snow none the less. The last week saw a record 7 tanks of gas used in the snow blower...(I am really not sure if it is a record.. but my aging memory does not remember such a concentrated period of snow blowing over such a short period in the 16 years we have owned the inn.)

Today I had my snow shoes on. I can say quite proudly that I broke a trail all around the inn. Of course, it was not a recreational stroll in the woods. With a snow rake in one hand, and a bucket of roof melt in the other, I walked around the inn dealing with several ice dams that have been created due to the volume of snow we have received. It has been at least 3 to 4 winters since tending to ice dams. Once again, thats a good thing, because it means we have a lot of snow on the ground (and on the roofs of the inn).

Mary has been up to similar tasks, though mostly related to getting the rooms back in shape for future guests. We had gone though all of the rooms before the holidays to make sure that they were ready for guests. But 14 days of near 100% occupancy leaves little dings, scratches, spots, and stains which need to be fixed, so Mary and her house keeping team have their hands full (as is usual for this time of year.)

With some luck, tomorrow may be a ski day; my first day out since the storm just before Christmas. I am looking forward to getting back on the Mountain. It's time...

Let it snow!