Killington Peak in it's fall finery (Click to enlarge for a full panorama.) 

Last week, the Killington Pico Ski Resort and it's owner, Powdr Corporation of Park City Utah, announced senior management changes at the Killington Resort. Chris Nyberg, who was hired by Powdr to run the Killington Resort when it was acquired by Powdr, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer for all of Powdr's Resort operations. Mike Solimano, a 12 year Killington Resort employee, has been promoted to be the new President and General Manager of the Killington Resort.

A little background before going into the changes. When Powdr purchased the Killington Resort in a deal with SP Land Corporation and the American Skiing Company (ASC), it had a fair share of problems. Yes, Killington was (and still is) the largest ski resort in the eastern United States. Yes, Killington attracted the most skier and riders in any demographic versus any other ski resort in the eastern United States. However, many years of financial difficulties with the then parent company, ASC, had left the resort starved for resources, including a proverbial boatload of differed maintenance and capital improvement projects.

Like many businesses in the same financial situation, the Killington Resort was ripe for a turnaround. Powdr Corporation, recognizing the potential for Killington, purchased a controlling interest in the resort and installed Chris Nyberg as the president. Like many presidents brought into troubled companies, Chris set about the task of rationalizing the resort, identifying what needed to be done, and evaluating where capital purchases would improve the product offered by the resort. Like many first presidents in a turnaround situation, Chris's unstated job was to right the resort and get it on a sound footing for the future. With that job accomplished, it is appropriate for Chris to move on, setting the stage for a new manager to begin the next phase of the resort. That new manager is Mike Solimano.

In the short week that Mike has been president of the Killington Resort, he has been making the rounds through the Killington community to outline a series of initiatives he intends to follow to move Killington from it's recovery phase into a growth phase. I, along with several other members of the business community, had the opportunity to meet with Mike early this week. Mike also participated in an interview with the local newspaper, the Mountain Times. They published information from that interview in the Mountain Times available at newsstands this afternoon. (My presumption is that it will also be online at mountaintimes.info when their website is updated with this weeks news.)

In the conversations with members of the Killington community, Mike has emphasized that he wants to return Killington back to the basics which made it the largest, most popular, ski resort in the East. To accomplish that, he said that the resort under his direction would return to Killington's roots of being the first ski resort to open and the last to close. He did caveat that, of course, in his discussion. We all know that there has been some substantial changes in the local climate at Killington in the last 20 years. But Mike did say that their plan is to aggressively make snow when weather conditions were favorable to both foster early skiing and riding, and keep the ski season going into the spring.

Mike also spoke of several other initiatives which will being smiles to the Killington faithful. The planned change to turn lifts on the weekends starting at 8:30 AM instead of the historical 8:00 AM which was announced with the sale of season passes earlier this year will be changed. While all lifts will not turn at 8:00 AM, the resort will run the K1 Gondola to give the Killington regulars access to the resort at their normal hour. (I can say from running an inn that most of our guests hit the slopes around 10:00 AM. But I am personally happy with the change to run the K1 at 8 as it will give me a chance to get some runs in during the early morning hours before going to work for the day.)

In his discussions, Mike also said that he was very much aware that skiing is all about fun. To that end, he plans on bringing back the "Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge" in the spring. Mike want's the end of season party to return. He was at the resort when the party was a fitting celebration of skiing in the spring in Killington. He wants to do what he can to make that spirit return.

From the conversations, and from published reports, Mike is ready to take on the reigns of the Killington Resort and move it to the next level. Mike has lived in the community and been a member of the Killington team for years. He understands the impact that the Killington Resort has on the region, and the impact the resort has on the ski industry on the East Coast. Mike also understands, and has demonstrated by his first series of meetings since being appointed president, that the Killington Resort and the Killington community need to all work together to satisfy the guests who visit the region. In the meeting I attended, I found Mike's openness about the resort and the community working together to be very positive.

Chris Nyberg had to make some very hard decisions when he arrived at Killington on how best to first save, then repair and rejuvenate the resort. With those hard decisions now in the history books, Mike Solimano can take charge of the resort as it enters an up cycle, returning the Killington Resort to it's roots of being one of the worlds premier ski resorts.

Thank You Chris for turning around Killington. Good Luck as you move into your new position in Park City.

Congratulations Mike Solomano as you take charge of the Killington Resort. We all know that skiing is a business, but it is also about having fun. Killington has always been an interesting place to live and play at. We wish you well as you embark on putting your imprimatur on the resort, congratulate you on your initial series of changes, and look forward to see what other initiatives you have in store to improve the Killington Resort.

Where ever you may be as you read this, keep it in the fairway, pack some hot hands, and start thinking about snow!(I want to go skiing now!... alright.. some time in October!)

Kent Pond all dressed up in fall colors. (Click to enlarge for a full panorama.) 

It is easy to get jaundiced about how pretty the Green Mountains around Killington look right now. For those of us who have the privilege of living here, the annual ballet of Mother Nature as summer transitions into fall always presents a broad pallet of colors painted across the mountains. It is so easy to ignore because the colors are so omnipresent. Your visual cortex goes into overload taking them all in.

But today seemed a little different.

For the last several days the mountains of Killington have been shrouded in low clouds accompanied with light drizzle (and some periods of outright r@!n). The mountains had this air of mystery, as the lower elevations were ablaze with color, but the peaks were hidden from view. Today that changed.

The drizzle and fog has given way to a high overcast with muted sunshine. The cloud deck is high in the atmosphere, well above the mountain peaks. We can actually confirm that we do live in the mountains again, versus just believing that there was something up their above the clouds.

And the fall colors have once again burst upon the scene. Colors muted by yesterdays fog are now resplendent in filtered sunshine. The mountain peaks are showing off their evergreens, intermixed with the changing colors of the random hardwood trees in the upper forest. The sense of foreboding cast upon the region by yesterdays low overcast has given way to a happier tableau of reds, oranges, green, and gold.

The seasons are changing at Killington. For the first time in nearly a year snow is forecasted for the tops of the mountains over the weekend. We will have a few more foreboding days as fall foliage season transitions inevitably into twig season before turning to winter. But the promise of bright white winter snow in the mountains, and the dreams of the coming adrenaline rush of strapping on skis and "pointing em downhill" will keep us centered on enjoying life during this season of change in the Green Mountains.

Where ever you may be keep it in the fairway, pack some hot hands, and start thinking about snow!(Alright...maybe I am a bit premature on that one.. but cut me a little slack as I do live in Killington!)

Fall Foliage colors as seen from the Front Door of the Birch Ridge Inn at Killington 

Everywhere you look today fall colors have burst upon the scene at Killington.

Damp weather has brought low clouds and indirect sunlight....but that is not enough to dim the display of color on the mountains.

On my trip up to the mountain, low slung clouds were hanging over the area to about the 3000 foot level. The clouds cast a serene veil across the landscape; hiding the upper elevations in mystery, while allowing the lower elevations to burst forth in color. Tantalizingly ephemeral, they were teasing leaf peepers visiting Killington with the prospect of grand vistas just hidden from view.

Below you will find a photo gallery of scenes from Killington taken earlier today. Colors on the mountain are a vibrant mix of red, orange, yellow and green. Lower elevations are starting to display full color. Upper elevations are shrouded in clouds, but one would assume that they are tracking color the same. It is just a beautiful time of year to be in Killington

Fall colors on display at Killington Vermont, September 30, 2012. Click image to stop rotation. Click again to resume rotation.

All in all the colors are just beautiful.

Where ever you may be, enjoy the fall display put on by Mother Nature, keep it in the fairway, and pull out that rule book to review the "fallen leaf rule".

Ski Package Calculator page on the Birch Ridge Inn website birchridge.com 

The foliage colors at Killington are beautiful right now (if you look through the r@!n drops that are lightly falling today). But they are just a harbinger of more idyllic pictures of snow covered mountains to come.

Late last week the Killington Pico Ski Resort delivered 55 pages of information to their lodging partners (of which the Birch Ridge Inn is one) with information about ski package pricing for the upcoming 2012/2013 ski season. In the days where everyone on every desk has a computer to work(play) with, ski package pricing has gone from a simple chart with a number for holidays and non holidays, to a complex organism with pricing set by day. Just as the airlines load balance their plans with variable pricing, so to do ski resorts attempt to load balance the populations on their ski slopes with variable ticket pricing. Not to bore you with the details, but the pricing model used by the Killington Resort includes prices by day of arrival for normal ski packages ranging from 2 to 7 days. Special discounts are applied for certain stays 5 days or longer. Ski Free midweek options for stays of 3 or more days are available for certain weeks during the ski season. Oh.... and pricing is also available for Adults (ages 19-64) Youth (ages 7-18) and Seniors (ages 65 ) The same methodology is also applied for rental equipment... So...like magic... you wind up with 55 pages of ski ticket information to be used by lodging partners to use with their guests.

Truth be told.... after 15 years of being an innkeeper at Killington... working this stuff is still fun! (Really it is!!)

To make it easy to figure out the cost of an adult ski vacation to Killington staying at the Birch Ridge Inn, on our web site, birchridge.com, you will find our Ski Package Calculator Page. The page provides access to a program which will calculate our best rates for ski packages including lodging for the winter season. In addition to prices for each of our rooms, you can also price out ski packages which include lift tickets, rental equipment, and ski lessons. The program takes into account all of the discount permutations created by the Killington Resort for the winter season, automatically giving you the best price for the package combination you select.

(On a personal note... the ski package calculator on our website is a home grown product that I developed. My background many years before becoming an innkeeper is originally as a computer engineer. Writing computer programs that people can actually use to simplify complex processes is one of the things I enjoy recreationally when I am not skiing or playing golf.)

We hope that you consider a ski or snowboarding vacation to Killington this coming winter. (As if on cue... as I am writing this, a huge flock of ducks heading south for the winter just flew over my office...)

Ski and Ride Package combinations to the Killington Resort thru the Birch Ridge Inn are available for on snow activities starting Saturday November 17th. Before that time, Killington will be offering single day tickets with pricing based upon available terrain. Call the inn at 800-435-8566 for more information. Assuming Mother Nature cooperates, there will be skiing and riding at Killington several weeks before the resort allows their lodging partners to sell formal ski/ride packages. In a normal year, skiing and riding at Killington on limited terrain begins in late October.

In the mean time, where ever you may be keep it in the fairway, and pull out that rule book to review the "fallen leaf rule".

Looking up the lift line on Rams Head Peak (with Snowshed base lodge in the foreground). 

Cooler nights and shorter sunny days have set in motion the ritual transition of the Green Mountains from their namesake green to a bright melange of color. Fall Foliage season has descended upon the mountains and the surrounding countryside. What was but a glimmer of color less than 7 days ago has now burst forth upon the mountain sides all around Killington.

The mountains of Killington are literally exploding with color. The maples that make up the forest on the lower elevations of the mountain have all started to turn crimson. Random birch and poplar trees mixed in with the maples are sowing hints of yellow. Oak trees are still predominately green, but some early oaks are starting to show some orange rust in amongst their greenery. And of course, the high altitude conifers look down across the scene below maintaining their majestic green, waiting for their turn to be camouflaged by Mother Nature with early morning frost and some soon to arrive mountain snow.

If you are planning to visit the Green Mountains to see the fall colors, now is the time to finalize and execute your plans. You will be rewarded with one of the greatest shows Mother Nature puts on anywhere on the planet.

Where ever you may be keep it in the fairway, and pull out that rule book to review the "fallen leaf rule".

Green Mountain National Golf Course from the air looking north down Route 100. 

In the next day the northern hemisphere of the earth will experience the Autumnal Equinox. This year astronomers calculate it will take place on September 22 at 2:49 PM GMT. In simple terms, it means what we have already known at Killington for several weeks : Fall is here. In a more complicated discussion, it means that the sun for the next 6 months will lie south of the equator; delivering less energy to the atmosphere of the northern hemisphere leading us into winter. (Which if you live at a ski resort in the northern hemisphere like we do is a very good thing!)

Yesterday I had the privilege of getting an aerial view of Killington and the surrounding Green Mountains of Vermont via helicopter. The 15 minute helicopter ride is one of the signature elements of a golf tournament hosted each year by Casey Crompton and the Sante Fe Steakhouse in Killington. The helicopter takes off and lands in the driving range of Green Mountain National. In earlier tournaments, it shuttled golfers back and forth between the Green Mountain National course and the Killington Resort golf course. For the last several years, instead of acting as a between course shuttle service, tournament players were treated to a scenic ride around the Green Mountains.

Every time I see the Green Mountains from the air, I am struck by their beauty. On every turn the change in seasons in the mountains is making a statement. The bright green of the manicured lawns of the golf course shine like a jewel in a forest whose green canopy is starting to turn rust colored. The azure blue of the many large and small ponds in the area reflect the bright sunshine. You get the sense looking down on the mountains that a huge fuse has been lit; that the whole scene is just moments away from exploding in star burst after star burst of brilliant color.

Fall is definitely settling over the Green Mountains... and it's going to be one helluva show!

Where ever you may be keep it in the fairway, and don't forget your sun screen!(and depending upon where your are, maybe pack a sweater!)

The basin area of Killington starting to show color. Click for panorama. 

In just a few short days, fall will officially arrive according to the calendar. At Killington, it is already here.

Last night brought heavy rains thru the area. They were the leading edge of a cold front which, while providing magnificent blue skies overhead, are keeping temperatures in the area in the low 50's.

Even though I am fiercely holding on to my summer shorts until the bitter end, blue jeans and fleeces are starting to make more than a casual appearance around town. Inn guests are starting to adapt. You may have noticed some motorcycles parked in front of the inn in the fall foliage picture of the day the last 2 days. All of the riders visited a local ski shop to purchase some winter thermal underwear this morning, before continuing on their way to points further north in Vermont.

In any regards, the seasons are changing. Summer is briskly moving into fall. A period of unmatched beauty with the pageant of fall colors is just about ready to descend across Vermont around the Green Mountains. And in Killington we have a ring-side seat!

Where ever you may be keep it in the fairway, and don't forget your sun screen!(and depending upon where your are, maybe pack a sweater!)