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!

Light snow falling on Skyburst at Killington. 

After the constant high level of activity the last few weeks, skiing this morning at a relatively empty Killington resort in light snow was a welcomed break. Mondays tend to have reduced skier and rider traffic on the mountain, and with a snow storm bearing down on the area, and the Superbowl on tap for next weekend, today was no exception.

We arrived at the resort just after 9:00 AM, parking just steps away from the K1 Gondola. High overcast covered the area. Midway up the mountain, where the gondola crosses Cascades, a very fine, light, snow started to fall. The advance of the storm was just crossing Killington Peak. Snow would be with us on the mountain for the rest of our time out this morning.

We traversed off Killington Peak to Bear Mountain on what is now called Bear Trax. It was quite nice. 2 solitary skiers just carving simple turns in the 1/2 inch of light fluff that was covering the freshly groomed trail. We literally encountered no one until we hit the junction of Bear Claw and Skyburst. Skyburst was being fed with skiers and riders from Bear Mountain by the Skye Peak quad. Bear Claw was groomed flat; ready to accept the snow that is predicted to fall all day.

From the Bear Claw / Skyburst Junction we took Lower Wildfire. A lonely snow gun was pumping out some powder in the 12 degree temperatures just as the trail tilted down towards Outer Limits. It was doing a great job laying down a carpet of fresh snow down the fall line of Lower Wildfire.

We lapped Bear Claw, the Stash, and Skyburst several times off the Skye Peak quad before heading over to Dream Maker. The resort has just completed a new terrain park on middle Dream Maker between the old Snowshed Crossover and the Superpipe. While we did not do any rails, the peaks and ramps did provide a lot of entertainment value as we skied down the trail. We did need to take the cut off over to Lower Skyburst as the area around the Superpipe is not completed. A grooming machine was sculpting lower Dream Maker between the Skyburst cutoff and the top of the pipe. The pipe itself looks a little sparse, as the resort has not yet made any significant snow in it to get it operating.

From Dream Maker we did several laps on Needles Eye and Cruise Control. Both were groomed relatively flat. Thin cover exists on skiers right on Needles Eye and Lower Cruise Control, so a little care needed to be taken while skiing right of the trails centerline. But with that exception both trails were in excellent shape.

We did experience a couple of hiccups on the Skyship during several of the runs. We decided that we would take the Northbrook Quad, aka "The Chair to Nowhere", on one of our loops to avoid getting stuck. I had a minor altercation with a ski poll at the top of Northbrook. I have a habit of sitting on my poles on chair lifts. The strap of one of my poles got stuck on the chair. When I tried to get off, no go. The pole wound up snapping in 2 as I exited the chair. What a herb... So it goes....

We closed out the morning with some loops off the Superstar quad. Bittersweet and Skylark were well covered. Guns were still making snow on Superstar. There is a huge mound at the top of Superstar as you get off the chair. The resort has clearly been taking advantage of the very cold temperatures of the last 10 days to bank snow around the resort. It is a wonderful thing to see for those of us who enjoy skiing late into the spring.

Let it snow!

An icy Northwest wind pushes a snow squall across Killington Peak Tuesday afternoon. 

If you had any doubts about winter at Killington...step outside. It is a balmy 0 degrees fahrenheit today with a gentle 10-20 mph breeze; adding just a touch of wind chill to the overall scene.

With the holiday season and MLK weekend behind us, Mary and I did have a chance to venture out on the slopes of Killington yesterday for a few runs. Overall, conditions were 2-4 inches of light powder on top of a machine groomed granular base. In some places, where significant snow making has taken place, the base was very soft. In other places, especially high traffic areas, the base was decidedly firm. We are not talking blue ice firm, but it got your attention none the less.

Snowmaking operations in the low temperatures were continuing all over the resort. Large whales of snow were being made on lower Sky Burst, Dream Maker, Sky Lark, Bunny Buster and elsewhere. The resort seems to have adopted a strategy of turning the snow guns on and letting them rip; leaving the resultant snow piles for the snow cats to spread out where needed along the trails.

Bear Mountain, being farther south, was by far the warmest part of the resort. (Please don't get confused here.. we are talking 5 versus 0).Bits of sunshine were piercing a cloud covered sky, simulating warmth as we were riding the Skyburst Chair.

Killington Peak was covered in a combination of manmade cloud and marauding snow squalls being blown in from the west. The Snowdon Quad, probably because of the tree line and prevailing winds, was actually warm to ride. The North Ridge Triple quickly froze us to the bone with the cold northwest wind. That was unfortunate, because the snow at North Ridge was quite nice.

Today, unfortunately, (or fortunately if you look at the thermometer) is an office day. In addition to skiing taking a back seat during the holidays, paperwork also tends to fall behind. But so it goes. There is a lot of winter left for skiing...

Let it snow!

Fresh snow drapes the Birch Ridge Inn 

Has the January thaw come and gone at Killington?

During the week between January 7 and January 14th, Killington did see some warm temperatures. From January 11th till the 14th, we lost about 8 inches of snow accumulation on the ground around the inn. The loss was mostly due to warm weather, as while there were some showers during the period, there really was not any extended period of r@!n throughout the region.

But yesterday things started to turn around. A couple of inches of snow fell during the early morning hours of January 16th. This was followed up with another inch today, bringing the snow stake at the inn back up over the foot level (13 1/4 inches to be more precise) once again.

Fresh snow covers the Birch Ridge Inn.

With seasonably cold temperatures in the forecast and light snow predicted during the Martin Luther King birthday weekend, it looks like the January thaw is done. We can only hope!

Let it snow!

Pico Peak dominating the view to the north of Killington. 

The clouds may be heavy and gray, but the last 2 days have been pretty nice to ski at Killington.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of sneaking out of the inn for a quick loop around the mountain. Temperatures were in the low 30's with a sky full of clouds and the occasional ray of sunshine. Today I took in a full morning session on the mountain, skiing with Mary, Ruts and the Bagel.

As it has been several days since significant snowfall on the mountain, most of the resort was groomed relatively flat. While black diamonds definitely do not become blue cruisers, there was a lot of relatively quick up and down laps of the mountain to be made on both days.

Conditions over at Bear Mountain skied consistently on machine groomed packed powder. Upper Skyburst had a little scratch just where you dropped in, but other than that it was nice soft snow with small skier bumps being created on the highly groomed surface. The Stash this morning was a pure run through the features. The grooming job in the Stash was impeccable. The only bumps to be found in the Stash were the many features that the resort has created to challenge skiers and riders.

Dreammaker was also in nice shape, except for a little oops at the bottom near the entrance to the SuperPipe area. Snow making operations had taken place there, but the area was not groomed out. Skiers were being diverted back to Lower Skyburst, but the markings were a little odd, resulting in several people in our group experiencing some high speed skid stops in the flat light. So it goes. The rest of Dreammaker was set up perfectly, with nice little rolling hills down it's course. We all commented that it would have been just a perfect run if a foot of fresh power were covering it, as the base was so consistently smooth.

Needles Eye, Cruise Control, Bitter Sweet, Sky Lark and Superstar were also groomed relatively flat. Bitter Sweet was somewhat skiddy in the middle section. The lower section was just a cruiser. Firm bumps were on Lower Sky Lark. Superstar was just a high speed cruiser. The wind was coming from the south on Superstar, blowing snow down the trail towards the lower headwall, which was relatively soft.

The spine of the Green Mountains to the north of Killington as seen from Superstar.

After Superstar, we took the K1 for some runs off Killington Peak. The south wind was blowing our "skier dust" at basically the same pace as we were skiing. If you remember the character "Pig Pen" in the comic strip "Peanuts", we all had that kind of dust cloud of snow around our feet as we came down both Cascade and Double Dipper. It seemed to induce a mild case of vertigo in the Bagel, but he recovered quickly for a few more runs.

Cascade was relatively soft from top to bottom. FIS was a little bumpy with some exposed ledge. It was best avoided. Double Dipper was a challenge. Overall it was soft, except for the wind blown section at the top of the headwall. However, when we were on it, there was a 20-30 MPH wind coming straight down the trail, adding speed to the what is already a relatively rapid descent down the Dippers compound fall line. It was a nice run, but not a do-over.

We finished up with a few cruisers at Snowdon with a little bumps thrown in for good measure. Great Northern to Mouse Trap was in good shape, considering the traffic they usually get. Chute was generally soft from top to bottom, allowing nice sweeping carving turns. We did venture over to North Star for a run. North Star was covered with relatively large irregular bumps. Not the best choice for the day, but we all survived.

Overall... some nice days to ski at Killington...but I did leave my skis off at the Forerunner Ski Shop to be tuned for next week.

Let it snow!

A foreboding Killington Peak loom over the countryside 

Everyday is not a bluebird day. While some days are bright and sunny, others can take on a dreary and foreboding look. Today happens to be one of those days.

The early stages of winter (we are really only 3 weeks into it since the Winter Solstice) can be rather dark at Killington. When you add in a thick gray cloud cover, what should be the middle of the day feels more like the twilight of early evening.

The mountain has a surreal look. The snow covered peaks intermixed with the leave-less trees blend into the ashen sky almost seamlessly. Temperatures in the area have risen to just about the freezing mark, causing melting to take place on most of the snow covered roofs around town. Giant stalactites and stalagmites of ice are forming where the melt water refreezes. Steeper roofs are avalanching down with thunderous roars. The sounds of snow and ice spalling off of the slate covered roofs of the inns restaurant and Great Room are deafening at times. A giant base of snow is forming at the bottom of both A-Frames. That base of snow will serve as a great insulator for the cold period we usually get in Killington later in the winter. It will also serve to stabilize future snowfalls on the roofs to minimize winter damage.

Panorama of Skye and Killington Peaks

Even though the mountains seem covered in a gray pall, they are still beautiful in their majesty. The mountains snow covered slopes are challenging guest skiers and riders to come and enjoy their charms; while the grayness of the day lets locals work off the holiday backlogs without guilt, knowing that the mountain snow will be preserved for another day to enjoy. For the foreboding will give way to the bluebird. It is only a matter of time.

Let it snow!

One last look at the 2012 Birch Ridge Inn Christmas Tree 

The stockings still dawdle
by the chimney stripped bare;
of their trinkets and baubles
left on Christmas with care.

The tree stands tall
with no ornaments tarnished;
but from the great hall
it too will soon be banished.

For the holidays have past
we've all had great cheer;
thank God hang overs don't last
from celebrating the New Year.

Merry Christmas...Happy New Year we've proclaimed far and wide.
For sharing these festive holidays, we thank you with pride!

Mary starting to remove ornaments from the 2012 Birch Ridge Inn Christmas Tree.

We hope that the holiday season past brought you peace, happiness and joy.

Let it snow!