An overcast Killington Peak awaiting the approaching storm 

Just when you through it was safe to reserve your spring tee times at Green Mountain National Golf Course, Mother Nature has decided to give the Killington Resort a Leap Year gift.

A winter storm warning has been posted for Vermont. The first elements of the storm are already entering the area with high overcast and occasional snow flurries. Currently, the National Weather Service is predicting 6 to 12 inches of snow in Killington spread fairly equally between tonight and tomorrow. Usually, based upon past history, snow fall totals on the upper elevations of the mountain tend to trend to the higher amounts.

Ahead of the storm, we had guests arriving last night as late as ~3:00AM to position themselves to take advantage of the advancing powder. Ski house friends have also called to tell us that they are in motion this afternoon; heading to their ski houses in Killington to seek out the pow on Thursday. Bookings at the inn have also followed suit, with just 1 room left available for the coming weekend as I write this blog. It looks like this years poor to date snow fall has created strong pent-up demand in the North East ski community for some good skiing before calling the season to a premature close. With the second multi-inch snow storm predicted to hit the area in less than a week, it looks like Mother Nature has finally responded to the call.

And remember.... March is usually the snowiest month of the year in Killington!

Let it snow!!!

Howie, Billy B, and Dale with Mary on Cruise Control 

Todays adventure out on the slopes of Killington featured an overcast sky and lots of soft surfaces of machine groomed packed powder. The overcast is the next storm system moving into the area with more snow predicted. The soft surfaces were the product of the weekends snow storm, combined with the work of Killington's fleet of groomers covering and combing the mountain with a nice powdered sugar coating.

The overcast conditions and a shortened ski morning kept us on the Bear Mountain side of the resort. Bear Mountain was filled with black and double black trails this morning masquerading as graceful cruisers. All of the trails featured a nice soft surface which was a mix of machine groomed granular combined with soft powder. It gave the surfaces a nice soft feel which was compliant under foot without requiring razor sharp edges to hold ones turns.

Steeper terrain, like the upper headwall on Sky Burst, Outer Limits, the Viper Pit, and portions of Wild Fire were slightly firmer, but even there the requirement for hard edge turns was minimal. Outer Limits this morning skied relatively soft with only a couple of areas of exposed hardpack. And even then the hardpack areas were very small. Wild Fire, Bear Claw, Lower Dream Maker and Sky Burst were edge to edge soft corduroy, satisfying both the need for speed, and the desire to work the legs with sweeping turns.

Off of Sky Peak, more of the same was the rule of the day. Cruise Control, Needles Eye, Bitter Sweet, and Upper Sky Lark were groomed flat. Lower Sky Lark had some vestigial bumps left over from the weekend. The Upper Headwall and middle sections of Outer Limits were very soft. The lower headwall was narrow and firm, the result of bumps on skiers right and left intruding into the middle of the trail

The weekend snow really dressed up conditions at the resort. Light snow is in the forecast for tonight with a more serious snow storm predicted for Wednesday and Thursday. With luck, March will come in like a lion and blanket the area is more of the white stuff.

Let it snow!!!

Ruts and The Bagel on the top of Bear Mountain on a bluebird day 

Pow!

No... we are not talking 70's Batman striking out at the Joker.... We are talking Powder at Killington.

While the storm that hit the area the last couple of days does not rate "Epic", it did provide the best skiing of the year today at Killington. Over the course of 2 days, almost 6 inches of new snow had fallen around the inn as measured at the snow stake. Much more fell on the higher elevations of the Killington Ski Resort. Because of winds associated with the storm exiting the area, most of the ski trails on the mountain were groomed flat, with vestigial amounts of soft snow primarily wind blown along the trail edges. But the woods were a different story...shin deep in most places... and it was nice, soft, fluffy powder.

The ski day today started at 8:00 AM... which is a stretch for me on a Sunday morning after a busy Saturday night at the inn. But the 6 inch rule was in effect, so off to the mountain I went to meet the boyz. They were a little surprised to see me, as I had not made it to the hill the previous 2 days. Late Presidents week guests were "enjoying" the Great Room selection of spirits at the inn till the early morning hours, keeping me on mattress mountain on Friday and Saturday morning. But my alarm dutifully went off at 7:10 this morning, so off to the mountain I went.

Snow scenes from around Killington Vermont, February 26, 2012 Click image to stop rotation. Click again to resume rotation.

We started the day with a tactical error, for a powder day. We headed out the Superstar Quad to Bear Mountain. All of the trails at Bear Mountain were basically groomed flat. We did the requisite number of runs (Outer Limits, Wild Fire, Bear Claw, The Stash, and Sky Burst), most of them a couple of times, before we said enough was enough and started searching for some softer stuff. We first found some on Old Needles Eye.

Mind you, I have not skied Old Needles Eye in probably 15 years, it being the site of my first shoulder separation skiing on another powder day a long, long, time ago. The entrance on the right of Old Needles was wind scoured clean. Ruts was the first to dive in, giving us a nice slip boom to watch to help build our confidence. But the entrance on skiers left was filled with the nice, soft, "good stuff"; making the way into the trail a delight. I followed a line down the left side, close to the tree line. It was nice, soft powder, over some residual crusty bumps. Actually, a lot of fun!

From there we did some laps on Cruise Control, Bitter Sweet, and High Road, as Needles Eye was closed for racing. By then we had had enough of the groomers, so off we went in search of some more pow.

We traversed across the mountain to some select woods that The Bagel knew about. The entrance was very tight. I might have missed it totally, if they had not stopped to enter single file. In the trees, the storm had dumped 10 inches of powder. Most of the time the snow was mid shin deep, with some deeper shots in some of the troughs. This is why we ski all winter; for a few runs in the powder in the solitude of the trees. Needless to say, the tree runs were do overs. The entrance was sufficiently hidden that we were the only people in this particular stash at that point in the day.

After a lower tree run near the Snowdon Quad, and a run down Great Bear (which was also filled with powder), we called it a day with a last run down Upper Royal Flush to Highline. Just a magnificent day of skiing in bright sunshine and fresh snow. With luck, we still have many more days like this to go in this strange ski season.

Let it snow!

Snow predicted over a wide swath of the North East 

All Presidents Week we have had typical New England Weather. Some sun, some wind, some snow, some r@!n, some ice.... all in moderation mind you, and not enough of anything to get excited about. But this morning when I got up, something magical was being spoken of on the boob tube...A major snow storm (by this winters standards) is set to hit the North East starting tonight and lasting through Saturday morning.

Now...is this just "The Weather Channel" hype to keep us glued with their continuous informercial? Or is this the real deal? A local weather forecaster last night was calling for 4 to 6 inches across Vermont with the potential for a "Snow Bomb" to hit ski resorts in the higher elevations of the Green Mountains. I stayed tuned and watched the commercials during that newscast as well. The word "Snow" can be such a tease this time of year.

It is impossible to know, of course, until the predicted storm moves through the area. But we can keep our fingers (and other body parts) crossed for luck. We can get our equipment ready to head out onto the slopes. We can get our "Gone Skiing" signs made up in anticipation.

What we can't do is go back to bed for a lazy mid-morning nap. Even though bedtime last night came at 3:00 AM, the hype created by watching that 10 minute forecast this morning has the heart racing with anticipation.

In reality, how much (if any) snow we may or may not get is anyones guess in this virtually snowless winter. But one thing is for certain, the Snow Stake at the inn on Saturday and Sunday mornings will be closely watched. For how much is on the ground is really all that matters.

Let it snow!!!

High thin clouds filter sunshine over Killington Peak 

Presidents Week usually signifies a turning point in the ski season at Killington. And this year will be no exception.

The winter doldrums give way to the imagination of spring. The sun, which has been hiding behind the mountains all winter due to it's low angle on the horizon, now proudly rises giving light to the whole resort. The reappearance of the sun also chases away the winter cold, making time spent on the slopes more about skiing and riding versus keeping warm.

Being the eternal optimist in this strange winter, I can find solace in the fact that March is usually the snowiest month of the year at Killington. The change in seasons usually sweep in coastal storms across the northeast, yielding liquid precipitation on the coast lines but feet of snow in the mountains. Will that happen this year is of course a matter of debate, but given that I have only used my snow blower around the inn a couple of times this winter, we are long overdue.

The resort has been taking advantage of the cold nights we are still experiencing to make snow in many high traffic areas around the resort, and to stockpile snow on Superstar, Skylark, and Bitter Sweet. Our lights dim each night when the starter motors kick in to turn over the big fixed compressors still remaining on the mountain to support late season snow making. We will be sitting in the Great Room each evening socializing with guests, and all of a sudden the lights will dim then return to normal. It is a sure and comforting sign that the resort is still doing their best to make up for the parsimonious behavior of Mother Nature.

Skiing at the resort has continued to be more of the same. Our intermediate guests are generally having a ball on the slopes; a byproduct of the flat and fast conditions is a strong ego boost for slightly advanced skiers and riders.

Expert skiers and locals like ourselves are still getting out on the slopes to take our laps. Getting and keeping the legs in shape to enjoy spring skiing is a major activity this time of year. Warming temperatures over the next several weeks should create some opportunities to soften the slopes, yielding beautiful little bumps down the sides of many trails. While not quite providing the same exhilaration of skiing in the trees, little soft bumps can do a great job at getting the heart racing, while breaking the monotony of high speed super G runs up and down the mountains for advanced skiers and riders.

And one more thing as we contemplate Fat Tuesday...there is still a lot of winter left in the ski season at Killington.

Laissez les bons temps rouler...... Let it snow!!!

Bear Mountain Superpipe with Skull Candy cannon at the bottom. 

Late last week the Killington Resort announced a major concert event for the end of March to coincide with their "Nor'Beaster" promotion. The resort announced that they were set to host the SnowMont Music Festival, a three-day music festival March 30-April 1, 2012. Featured musicians mentioned in the announcement include Snoop Dogg, Chromeo and DJ Shadow, with additional musicians to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Besides the three-day music festival, the "Nor'Beaster" event will also include the Winter Tweed River Music Festival at Pico Mountain March 23-25, K-Town Showdown Rail Jam March 24, Air, Metal and Mayhem April 1, community events and more.

Information about the SnowMont Music Festival Passes can be found on killington.com.

Around the mountain, Mary and I took some time off on Valentines Day for a few hours on the slopes. While in the absence of a major winter storm conditions have remained relatively the same for some time now, the resort is clearly working to stockpile large quantities of man-made snow at strategic locations as they prepare for Presidents Week. Large whales of snow were spaced along Skylark, Superstar and Cascade. In addition to the top of Superstar, large amounts of snow are also stockpiled at the top of the Snowdon Quad and in the area around the Double Dipper Quad and North Ridge Triple near Killington Peak. There is a lot of skiing and riding still to be had this season at Killington.

Let it snow!!!

News about Killington Vermont 

With town meeting day just around the corner, local politics is set to take center stage in Killington over the next several weeks.

This year will see a major change in how the town of Killington deals with local political issues. At a Special Killington Town Meeting held last May, the voters of Killington decided by a vote of 162 to 128 to change the voting practices on town meeting day from a Caucus (ie from the floor format) to an Australian Ballot format. Under the prior format, in order for a person to vote they needed to be in attendance at the meeting at the time a particular vote was called from the meeting floor. Under the new format, all items to be voted on are identified prior to the commencement of voting, and all voting is done by paper (or equivalent) ballot. Under the new process, a person can vote with an absentee ballot, or vote on Town Meeting Day at a defined polling place anytime from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

The change in voting format has also changed some of the processes used by Town Meeting. For instance, all candidates for office needed to file papers declaring their desire to run for office 40 days prior to Town Meeting day. In addition, any petitions brought by voters to determine local issues must also have been filed in advance.

Some key dates to remember in the run up to voting in March include:

February 29, 2012 - Deadline to Register to Vote

March 1, 2012 - Sherburne Womens Club Selectmans Candidates Forum, Killington Town Hall at 7:00 PM. This year there are 2 candidates standing for the one open seat on the 3 member Killington Selectboard. Chris Bianchi is seeking re-election. Charles Demarest is running in opposition.

March 5, 2012 - Informational Town Meeting : 7:00 PM at the Killington Elementary School. At the informational meeting, all items on the Town Warning to be voted on during balloting on March 6 will be reviewed to help voters make an informed decision.

March 6, 2012 - Annual Town Meeting - Polls open at 7:00 AM, Polls close at 7:00 PM. Voting will be held at the Killington Elementary School Gymnasium. Registered voters will cast ballots for all items on the Killington Town Warning including for all Killington Town Offices, the Town Budget and local issues. In addition, voting by ballot for the Woodstock Union High School District 4 Budget, and the Presidential Primary will also take place. Also on March 6, 2012 - Killington School District Meeting : 9:00 AM at the Killington Elementary School Gymnasium.

More election information can be found on the Town of Killington's website on the Election Information page.

Let it snow!!!