Mary sculpting snow off of her car at Birch Ridge 

Oh boy! What a day...

After yesterdays expedition out on the slopes, it was obvious that my aged boots were just a little too comfortable. Who knew we were going to get almost a foot of snow overnight!

Snow started falling last night plus or minus 8:00 PM. The forecast was calling for a strange mix. Oops... the weather channel was wrong again... Instead, when I go up this morning, I was staring down at 11 inches of snow at the inn's snow stake, and an early morning appointment with my friend Ray at Surefoot for a new pair of ski boots....so it goes

Surefoot does a great job with ski boots. I was down at the shop about 2 hours getting fitted and having custom orthotics made. The system Surefoot has at Killington includes a numerical control machine connected to a computerized foot measuring system which automatically machines the orthotics to the shape of your feet. It is all really interesting in a geeky sort of way. Combined with custom foam injected boot liners, the new boots are both comfortable and have a high performance fit.

New Ski Boots being injected with foam at Surefoot. Click to enlarge..

Back at the inn, the snow blower was fired up for the second time this year, although this time was much more serious than in late October. 11 inches of heavy snow results in around 2 and a half hours of snow blowing to clean up all of the walkways and driveways. Quite frankly...Its a Wonderful Thing!. Coming into the Thanksgiving Weekend, fresh snow on the ground is a present from Mother Nature, who was rather mean to us earlier in the year. There will be plenty of non-holiday pow storms where the "Gone Skiing" sign will be hung on the front door... Especially now that I have my new boots!

If you are traveling tonight, stay safe. And have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Let it snow!!!

There you have it... Evidence! Courtesy of Peter Smith of the Forerunner Ski Shop. 

When I woke up this morning, I was determined that today would be the day we finally got out on the slopes of Killington for a few turns. All work and no play make Bill and Mary dull people. We needed to have some fun and I was not going to let anything get in the way.

For those of you who do not live at a ski resort, the first day a local attempts to go skiing is usually hilarious. Visitors to the area usually have the added advantage of being able to quietly pack all of their clothes for the trip to Killington. Locals are left scratching their head wondering where the stuff went from last year as the car engine is running in the parking lot. Such was the scene this morning.

After a quick breakfast, I braved the attic of the inn to find "our stuff". Although the inn seems large, life storage for the innkeepers is at a premium. The attic has a full collection of plastic storage boxes with clothes for all seasons (and Christmas decorations and Halloween Decorations, and Easter decorations and.....you get the idea). After rummaging around for a bit while Mary was making breakfast for inn guests, I found a box of general winter clothing, and a box with nicely washed ski clothes(thank you Mary!). Everything seemed to be there, so I hauled it our of the attic. Mary was now done with breakfast, so we got dressed to go. Oops... as we are packing up our kit, no helmet liner for my ski helmet. To be more accurate, it is really a very thin hat that sits between my head and my helmet, but it really does make a difference on cool days, which by definition this one was as it was our first day on the mountain.

Not a tragedy, we live in the land of the best ski shops on the planet, so on our way off to the mountain we stopped at the Forerunner Ski Shop. Donna was behind the desk. She quickly got me a new helmet liner, and we were off.

When we arrived at the mountain, I maneuvered the car to the Bay 1 lot about 2 cars down from the K1 Gondola. A little boot magic in the car(God...they are still comfortable after all these years) and we took the short walk to the K1 for the lift to the peak.

On the way up the mountain was ablaze in snow guns. Great Northern was lit up as was all of Snowdon. The resort is clearly putting a marker down to make a major expansion of terrain for the Thanksgiving weekend, weather be damned. If we get what is predicted for the area tomorrow, all of the work the resort is doing to make snow will be a stroke of genius. We will know in 24 hours.

We arrived at the peak at the proverbial "Crack O'Noon", probably one of our latest ski day arrival times ever. But that's ok... we were here to have some fun, air out the ski legs, and enjoy the mountain.

The conditions on the mountain were an interesting mix of textures. By this time, the middle of Rime and Reason was pretty sparse with a firm ski base covered with loose granular. The sides had plenty of character with small, unorganized soft bumps made from the loose granular that at 9:00 AM was probably in the middle of the trail, but by Noontime had all be moved by skier traffic.

Snow guns were going on Upper Great Northern, yielding some creamy goodness. The sides had some interesting "sitzmarks" carved in troughs along the edges of the snow. Not difficult to avoid (in fact many boarders were using them as launching pads). But if you were not paying attention they could have caught you by surprise.

Lower Ridge Run back to the triple was pretty good. I always feel like one of those metal balls in a pinball machine on Lower Ridge Run, as the trails compound fall line can push one from side to side quite quickly as you traverse down the trail.

The top to bottom run on Great Northern was very nice. Snow making was continuing down the length of Great Northern yielding some nice snow along the way. Snow guns were also operating on several of the upper trails of Snowdon, and also all the way to the bottom of the Snowdon Quad, but as this was something that the resort started last night, there was not enough snow accumulation yet on this terrain to allow the resort to "drop the ropes".

All in all, once we got our "stuff" together, it was a nice couple of hours on the mountain. A good light work out for the legs to start toning them up for what we hope will be a long ski season to come.

Let it snow!!!

Bill wrapping the flag pole in front of the Birch Ridge Inn with lights for the winter. 

As at the Resort, around the Birch Ridge Inn we have been working straight out to get the inn fully prepared for the winter season. We are just about done!

Yesterday I finished putting all of the outside lights in place for the winter. It is an annual ritual. We have a lighting company, "Christmas Decor", who put the lights on the restaurant and Great Room buildings. (They have all the right ladders and a team to do the work...they make it look so simple!) Mary and I take responsibility for the rest. Some years it is freezing cold and you wish you did the work in shorts in August. Other years, like this one, it has been quite pleasant to work outside making the job actually enjoyable in a John Cleese/Monty Python "and now for something completely different" sort of way.

Today Mary makes her annual foray into the farms of West Rutland looking for the inn's Christmas Tree. The Monday after Thanksgiving (is it really next Monday?) is Christmas Tree Monday at the inn. The team is already assembled to go out and get the inn's Christmas tree. Pick up trucks are identified, chain saws are sharpened. But it would be all for naught if we cannot find the perfect tree. Hence, Mary is out in the woods today. She likes to go out ahead of time before the team for reconnaissance; to scope out the landscape so to speak; to find just the right tree...

Rumor has it that tomorrow is a ski day for us. The Resort continues to make snow ahead of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Today they have started to make snow on Skye Peak at the top of Superstar. Snow making operations are also continuing in the North Ridge area all the way down to the K1 Base Lodge. Chef Frizzie was out for a couple of hours this morning. In his usual brief and to the point fashion, he said "It was kinda fun skiing through the guns"! I know myself that I am ready to get back on skis and out on the mountain. It's time!

Let it snow!!!

Intricate ballet taking place at K1 Base Lodge 

On my visit to the K1 Base Lodge this noon time, I was struck by the intricate ballet that is taking place as the Killington resort readies for winter. Todays picture says it all in terms of how companies and people are juggling tasks in a post-Irene Vermont.

In the right of the frame you see skiers and riders coming down Lower Bunny Buster. The resort has been making snow when ever they could over the last couple of weeks. Late last week they made the connection to the K1 Base Lodge, opening up for top to bottom skiing and riding yesterday. In other words, the right side of the frame is fairly business as usual for the Killington Resort for the middle of November.

In the middle of the frame, it starts to get interesting. On the left of the K1 Base Lodge you can see plywood covering the doors leading out of the Mahogany Ridge bar. This is an indication that something is amiss. In front of the baselodge is a string of orange cones, with what looks like some new surepak on the road in front of the base lodge. You may or may not be able to put those two items together, but Hurricane Irene sure did. It turns out that the Roaring Brook runs right across that area. It took out a function room attached to Mahogany Ridge (hence the plywood covering on the doors) and ripped a chasm down the hill taking out half of the road in front of the K1 base lodge in the process (voila - new surpak!).

To the left of the frame, is Irene's lasting gift to skiers and riders at Killington, the new Umbrella Bar. Instead of replacing the function room at the K1 lodge that was destroyed with another boring appendage to the building, the Resort has decided to roll the dice and create a new space for people to enjoy. The Resort has built a pad in the old delivery parking lot beside the K1 Base Lodge facing the Superstar slope. On top of the pad sits the Umbrella Bar. It will be enclosed during the winter months. If the resort plays this new addition as many of us locals think they will, this will be the place to be in March, April and early May to enjoy watching skiers bumping down Superstar, reviving the old Killington Base Lodge deck of the 80's in the process.

In the front left of the frame, in front of the Umbrella Bar, you see a trench with all kinds of piping next to a control box of some kind. This is the construction that many of us have been watching intently. One of the secrets of Hurricane Irene is that all of the water rushing down the mountain took our quite a bit of infrastructure, in addition to buildings like the function room at K1. The Resort has been "busting their hump" working to rebuild and repair everything to get resort into operating shape for the winter season. Solid evidence of their progress has been the continued snow making activities that have taken place around Killington Peak, allowing the mountain to open for top to bottom skiing and riding on a fairly normal early season schedule.

And this is just the work that is going on in front of the K1 Base Lodge. Similar activities are taking place all across the resort and at virtually every private business in Killington. All of which is an intricate ballet that Killington is dancing to get the area in top shape for winter. And with the all important de-facto kickoff of the season taking place over the Thanksgiving Weekend (it's hard to believe that's next weekend), the pace has been quickening. It is all really impressive, especially when you consider that all the while skiers and riders have been enjoying the upper reaches of Killington Peak with traditional early season skiing and riding for weeks now. And this is only the start of the season!

Let it snow!!!

Snow guns running to Mouse Trap at Killington 

With favorable weather for snow making predicted for the next week, the Killington Resort has started the push to expand skiable terrain. Skiing and riding at Killington has been available on the upper mountain in the North Ridge area since late October, courtesy of Killington Snow Makers and the "Stairway to Heaven". But early in the ski season every year, there is a moment in time when the resort attempts to break out of the confines of the upper elevations to provide top to bottom skiing and riding. This year, that time appears to be now.

Snow making operations are clearly visible from Killington Peak down Great Northern to Upper Mouse Trap. Basically, the resort has turned on it's snow making machine from the top of the mountain to about the 3000 foot level. Just below that, on Mouse Trap, the fan gun has been started and is making snow as I write this post. How long it will be able to continue to function today is anyones guess, as temperatures are predicted to rise out of the low 30's to the low 40's throughout the day, before returning to the 20's tonight.

Snow guns are set up from Mouse Trap down Lower Bunny Buster to finish the trail to the K1 Base Lodge. When the resort will begin making snow on the last trail segment to the K1 lodge is always one of the resorts closely held secrets. That being said, the all important Thanksgiving Weekend is just around the corner. I don't think there is any doubt that the resort will be firing up the snow guns on the last leg to provide top to bottom skiing and riding from Killington Peak very soon.

At the inn, Chef Frizzie has fired up the kitchen preparing to reopen the restaurant this weekend. The stock pots on the stove are filling the inn with wonderful smells making both Mary and I hungry. The cat and mouse game to sneak one of the chef's hand made rolls as they come fresh out of the oven is only hours away.

If you find yourself in Killington, stop bye.. Let it snow!!!

Repairing some water damage from Hurricane Irene 

Hurricane Irene is just the gift that keeps on giving... or should that phrase be re-written to be the gift that keeps on being re-gifted?

We have been working around the inn spiffing things up for several months now. We are in the home stretch heading towards the winter season. One of the oddities we have continued to notice are water marks on ceilings with south facing exposures.... if you are a friend of Occam's Razor, the simplest explanation is the multi-hour wind whipped torrential r@!n event that struck Vermont at the end of August known as Irene.

The spots are not a big deal. In one room a plaster tape seam took a hit. In another room, there was a little round spot on the ceiling. Room 10, shown in todays picture, did require me to cut through the plaster to investigate, but that was only because the attic above the spot in question is in a low clearance area on the roof that is also filled with insulation. In all the cases investigated, we have not discovered any roof damage that would provide a way for water to enter the building. And, since the spots are only appearing on south facing vistas, the most likely cause we can determine is moisture from the hurricane being blown up the side of the building into the roof eaves then onto the ceilings.

A little ceiling paint, and in some cases some plaster work, and the problem is solved... In the grand scheme of things, no big deal, just a curious artifact left over from the ultimate summer r@!nstorm.

Speaking of the weather...its almost time to get out your dancing shoes. Killington was blessed with an early season dump. Combined with snowmaking, the resort has been able to offer skiing and riding since the end of October. But it is time for Mother Nature to make a change...turn on the big freezer in the sky... and get the winter party in the Mountains started. The restaurant at the inn reopens for the winter season this Friday night. If you find yourself in Killington, stop bye..

Let it snow!!!

Killington Peak with snow on upper trails. 

After a brief respite from writing, we are back at the computer keyboard to bring news about life as an innkeeper in Killington.

Life at the inn has been amazingly busy the last 2 weeks. Not busy as in all 10 rooms occupied with guests busy. That generates revenue as the IRS would be fond to point out. No, it has been busy on the other side of the P and L (read expense) in terms of getting the inn (and our lives) ready for winter.

When I last composed a blog on the first of the month, I was in the throws of a major renovation to Room 8, the "English Gentlemen's Room" at the Birch Ridge Inn. Happily I can report that the work has been completed, the room is back together, and it looks great. I think that the ceiling molding we installed really makes the room pop in an elegant sort of way. But of course, I am biased. The proof will come later this winter as guests enjoy staying in the room.

Since completing Room 8, I have moved on the touch up maintenance on several other rooms at the inn. Nothing really major, just follow up on normal wear and tear items. But it is one of the things that we have to stay on top of if we want to keep the inn looking nice.

The other major project I have been working on, redesigning the inn's internet network, will be completed this week. Last week I completed the install of a new router, and a third wireless access point at the inn. This week, VTEL is going to be installing an additional DSL line at the inn. I have a little bit of programming to do to make sure that the configuration is correct, but assuming I have guessed right on the configuration, guests at the inn should see a nice improvement in their internet connections during their stays with us this winter.

In addition to work at the inn, Mary and I took trips down to Massachusetts to visit with parents prior to the start of winter. The logistics was quite comical for a while, with lots of trips up and down Route 89 through New Hampshire over the last 10 days, but it was nice to get away and see our families in the Boston area.

Skiing and riding is taking place at Killington on the upper trails of Killington Peak in the North Ridge Area. We have not ventured out as yet, but I am happy to report that we did have a ski boot sighting as Mary swapped closet space with them to store our golf shoes until next summer. Ah...such is the life!

Now that we are back in Killington, the march towards winter is well under way. And with that march, I will try to get some quality time in front of my keyboard to keep you updated and informed as you plan your trips this winter to the mountains.

Let it snow!!!