Snow making operations beginning on Killington Peak

Snow making operations beginning on Killington Peak

Actually it is!

Jokes abound around town about winter animals reporting to the Killington Fire Station in pairs. Mountain streams, made wider by 2011's Hurricane Irene are brimming with mountain run off. Looking outside the inn this morning as I was making breakfast for inn guests, I could see green fairways on the Killington Golf Course across the street from this inn. That is an ugly sight in January!

While I could not go skiing today, I needed to take a look. I was itching to get out of the inn to see the mountain. But I knew I needed to wait for the cold front to sweep through the area so I would have good visibility. I wanted to see what nature wrought on the Killington Resort. I started up the mountain with a little fear in my heart. I left the mountain and headed back to the inn with a warm feeling and a big grin. The patient and persistent snow making operations that the resort has been doing all season long on the mountain has held. Killington Peak is still resplendent in its white coat of snow. It is like the Killington Resort is saying in perfect shredder - "Is that all you got Mother Nature"... knowing full well that hubris is not the right attitude. We dodged a bullet. There will be plenty of terrain for skiing and riding at Killington in our future.

The remainder of this blog post will be pictures on the resort taking from various off mountain access points. I have used a variety of cameras with different resolutions and zoom lens capabilities. While many times in my photos I will do some white balance adjustments to add clarity to the shot the photos today are naked out of the camera to show exactly what I saw at the Killington Resort this afternoon.

Panorama of the basin area of the Killington Resort taken Janusry 31, 2013 at approximately 1 PM

The first picture is a full on panorama of the resort taken composed from 12 frames taken with my Iphone. Minimal bare spots are visible at this resolution. Puddling is visible on Snowshed and the learn To Ski Area looks damaged. But the mountain overall looks in midwinter shape.

Snowshed

A detailed look at Snowshed reveals significant pooling of water and some bare areas on skiers left. Over the last couple of weeks, the resort has made a lot of snow down skiers right on Snowshed, which seems like it is relatively intact. Midway up the slope you can see a snow maker walking the line, probably checking the system before firing it back on.

Bittersweet and Skylarl

Just above Snowshed, Bittersweet and Skylark are visible. Skylark looks in great shape from top to bottom with minimum evidence of damage. It is harder to tell on Bittersweet, because the twists and turns of the trail hide some of it. But what is visible also looks in good shape. By comparison, Skyhawk to the right of Upper Skylark, and the old Middle Bittersweet Headwall are clearly showing the effects of the r@!n storm, with many bare spots visible. Since these trails are rarely open (Skyhawk) and retired (Bittersweet Headwall) they provide a dramatic comparison on the difference between trails with snow making and trails that are au natural.

Lower Skylark

Lower Skylark looks pristine. The torrential r@!n the resort received overnight served to flatten the trail out. I would guess that the hard freeze will turn it into a veritable skating rink tomorrow. But if you can't have a foot of fresh powder, we like it flat and fast!

Upper Superstar

Upper Superstar has wall to wall coverage with bumps clearly visible near snow making towers and down skiers right. Old Superstar, another natural trail, to the right of Superstar in the frame looks like it took a beating. We will need some help from Mother Nature before we venture down Old Superstar again.

Lower Superstar

Lower Superstar looks like it is ready for a bumps or freestyle competition. Large regular bumps are evident down the entire face of the trail. I would guess that as soon as Superstar starts to firm up that the resort will groom these flat to minimize any skier carnage this weekend. If not, grab a seat in one of the Umbrella Bars at the base of Superstar, because it will be quite a show!

Ovation

Snow making the last couple of weeks looks like it has really paid off on Ovation. Skiers left from top to bottom looks completely intact, although I would bet that there are a few monster water bars that could not be visible to the camera. Skiers right, similar to the situation we saw on Old Superstar, is exposed ledge. It will be a while before anyone intentionally wanders in that direction.

Cascade, Downdraft, Double Dipper

Snowmaking operations clearly have begun on Killington Peak along Great Northern. Cascade, Downdraft and Double Dipper look like they came through the deluge with good cover. The natural trail Flume, under and beside the K1 Gondola is gone. But in recent history that trail is rarely skied unless there is a fresh dump.

Double Dipper

Double Dipper from top to bottom looks well covered. Skiers right on Double Dipper took a hit. The fall line on the trail steers people away from it, so the damage on the right side of Double Dipper should have minimal impact on the trail overall. The trees to the right of Dipper are also gone. I would bet that there is some water pooling at the base of Dipper which is invisible to the camera. It will be interesting to check that out on skis tomorrow.

East Fall

Completing the trilogy, East Fall survived quite well with no visible signs of damage. A solitary snow boarder can be seen on skiers left in the middle of the slope.

Highline

Highline from the K1 Base Lodge looks ok. Shadowing can be seen near race training starting points, on the down hill side of bumps, and on water bars. It will be interesting to see if these groom out, or if the resort needs to make more snow to cover up the blemishes. Conclusion, to the right of Highline in the frame, is clearly gone. Conclusion is primarily a natural trail, seeing snow making on rare occasions to support a competitive events.

Lower Bunny Buster

The Killington Resort spends a lot of time making snow on Lower Bunny Buster and it clearly shows. There is probably a water bar lurking in there somewhere, but after a grooming, Lower Bunny will be good to go for skiers of all abilities.

Mousetrap and Chute

Mousetrap with the tower mounted fan gun came thru in flying colors. Chute on the other hand looks from hunger. Probably the worst looking trail visible on the mountain, with bare patches and water pools clearly visible. This trail will probably need to drain and firm up before snowmaking can begin again, but I would guess that this will be a high priority target for the resort later tonight.

Rams Head

Rams Head also came through relatively unscathed. Skiers right has some bare patches showing which will need to be avoided, but in general the trail looks well covered. Skiers and riders are clearly visible enjoying the trail today after the storm. The rest of the trails at Rams Head are hidden by trees and difficult to see from the base area, so it is hard to tell how they made out.

Overall, the part of the resort that is visible looked like it faired quite well through the last night storm. The parts of the resort which can not be seen, like the high flat crossover trails of Killink, Gateway, Skywalker, and Bear Trax all probably need to be resurfaced. But with the temperatures falling at the resort, and "plenty of snowmaking water" available, this will be a good test of the capabilities of the resort to recover from a severe weather event.

From what I saw on my visit to the mountain today, if you are planning on visiting the resort over the weekend, I think you will find plenty of skiing and riding to enjoy. Given the amount of water that fell out of the sky, you will probably find icy conditions in many locations, as the snow surface freezes with the water in place. If conditions allow, I would also expect to see the resort making snow in many locations. If you are using your own equipment, now would be a good time to tune the edges. Embrace the flat and fast! This is Killington afterall. The Beast knows how to have a good time!

Let it snow!