Killington 11-4-13

[Ride Delaware ?]

I had to be up here Thursday to help with some things at the condo, so I decided to come up a couple days early to get some early season riding in at Killington. My previous earliest day was November 8, so I was pretty excited to get out so early.

 

They had a three day stretch of around the clock snowmaking last week that allowed them to open in October and quickly open 10 trails off the North Ridge Triple. Unfortunately, a three day stretch of 55 degree weather bring 1.5" of rain came through shortly after. The snow took a big hit. The trail count dropped from 10 to 4, and the route from the gondola, Great Northern, required walking. I was a little skeptical, but they had already had 24 hours to recover, and forecasted temps looked as if they could go around the clock today, so I decided to go for it.

 

Several things happened that caused me to get a late jump on the day. First, I decided to stay at a motel in the MRV since my board and boots were at the condo. Second, I forgot a jacket at home, and most shops didn't open until 9. Lastly, free breakfast came with the motel room, but didn't start until 8. I decided to stay and have breakfast to give me time for the shops to open.

 

I got to Killington sports at the intersection of the access road and rt 4 at about 10:30. I found an Under Armour shell from last year on clearance and snagged it. I got to the base of the K1 at 11:00, and was on the lift at 11:20. It was 26 degrees at the base.

 

I got off the lift around 11:30 and was instantly greeted to snowmaking. Snowmaking was in full force all over the open terrain. The snow conditions were variable depending on time, location, and water content. Guns were on all open terrain except for Rime below GN. Almost all guns above GN were running dry and the snow was powdery, chalky, and not sticky. Lower Rime got skied off by 2:30 or so, but they moved the capacity from Powerline (closed) to lower Rime about that time, which also coincided with the sun going behind the mountain. Before the sun dropped, there was a 50/50 chance that the guns were running wet below GN. After the sun dropped, which also coincided with them tweaking the inputs, everything was running dry. There were no lines to speak of, but each chair had at least one person on it. The RotD for me was Double Dipper to East Fall. They left East Fall ungroomed with some pretty fun bumps. Some were scraped off, but the upper portion had snowmaking, so it kept a big portion of the trail very edgeable. They were definitely getting good output, because it was like a good snowstorm, freshies all day. I decided to call it a day 3 hours and 18 runs later. Great first day.

 

It's always a buzzkill having to walk the Stairway to Heaven after a tiring first day, but it wasn't as taxing as I remembered, and it was totally worth it.

 

They have started the fan guns at the wide intersections on Mouse Trap leading to Bunny Buster, but there are no guns connecting that to the North Ridge area or the Base area. Word on the street is that they are going to try to make those connections on Friday after the warmup comes through on Wed/Thurs. They are getting a jump on those wide intersections because they wouldn't be able to get the amount of snow they needed onto it by Saturday if they didn't start early. I'm a little skeptical that they will make Saturday t2b, but if temps drop early enough Thursday night, they may have a chance at it. Sometimes they will open it "at your own risk" style but still suggest you take the Stairway to Heaven. They are currently installing a heated K1 queue, but only the piping is in place and the final concrete has not been poured. That will make the walk around a pain in the ass, but it looks to be done soon.

 

Now, what your all looking for, pictures:

 

Edited November 5, 2013 by Ride Delaware ?

[moe ghoul]

I had to be up here Thursday to help with some things at the condo, so I decided to come up a couple days early to get some early season riding in at Killington. My previous earliest day was November 8, so I was pretty excited to get out so early. They had a three day stretch of around the clock snowmaking last week that allowed them to open in October and quickly open 10 trails off the North Ridge Triple. Unfortunately, a three day stretch of 55 degree weather bring 1.5" of rain came through shortly after. The snow took a big hit. The trail count dropped from 10 to 4, and the route from the gondola, Great Northern, required walking. I was a little skeptical, but they had already had 24 hours to recover, and forecasted temps looked as if they could go around the clock today, so I decided to go for it. Several things happened that caused me to get a late jump on the day. First, I decided to stay at a motel in the MRV since my board and boots were at the condo. Second, I forgot a jacket at home, and most shops didn't open until 9. Lastly, free breakfast came with the motel room, but didn't start until 8. I decided to stay and have breakfast to give me time for the shops to open. I got to Killington sports at the intersection of the access road and rt 4 at about 10:30. I found an Under Armour shell from last year on clearance and snagged it. I got to the base of the K1 at 11:00, and was on the lift at 11:20. It was 26 degrees at the base. I got off the lift around 11:30 and was instantly greeted to snowmaking. Snowmaking was in full force all over the open terrain. The snow conditions were variable depending on time, location, and water content. Guns were on all open terrain except for Rime below GN. Almost all guns above GN were running dry and the snow was powdery, chalky, and not sticky. Lower Rime got skied off by 2:30 or so, but they moved the capacity from Powerline (closed) to lower Rime about that time, which also coincided with the sun going behind the mountain. Before the sun dropped, there was a 50/50 chance that the guns were running wet below GN. After the sun dropped, which also coincided with them tweaking the inputs, everything was running dry. There were no lines to speak of, but each chair had at least one person on it. The RotD for me was Double Dipper to East Fall. They left East Fall ungroomed with some pretty fun bumps. Some were scraped off, but the upper portion had snowmaking, so it kept a big portion of the trail very edgeable. They were definitely getting good output, because it was like a good snowstorm, freshies all day. I decided to call it a day 3 hours and 18 runs later. Great first day. It's always a buzzkill having to walk the Stairway to Heaven after a tiring first day, but it wasn't as taxing as I remembered, and it was totally worth it. They have started the fan guns at the wide intersections on Mouse Trap leading to Bunny Buster, but there are no guns connecting that to the North Ridge area or the Base area. Word on the street is that they are going to try to make those connections on Friday after the warmup comes through on Wed/Thurs. They are getting a jump on those wide intersections because they wouldn't be able to get the amount of snow they needed onto it by Saturday if they didn't start early. I'm a little skeptical that they will make Saturday t2b, but if temps drop early enough Thursday night, they may have a chance at it. Sometimes they will open it "at your own risk" style but still suggest you take the Stairway to Heaven. They are currently installing a heated K1 queue, but only the piping is in place and the final concrete has not been poured. That will make the walk around a pain in the ass, but it looks to be done soon. Now, what your all looking for, pictures:

looks good, I thought you were headed there Tuesday in the other thread and my PM.

[RidgeRacer]

Ok I'm officially ready. Bring on the damn cold already.

[guitar73]

good stuff! now we just need to get that cold weather down here.....

[Schif]

Some serious stoke to see someone getting at it. Can't wait until the cold makes its way down here.

[Ride Delaware ?]

Nice report. How much was underarmor shell and why did you stay in a motel in the MRV if you have a condo there?

It was an even $99.99 with no tax. A little more than I wanted to pay, but I needed something solid, and it fit the bill.

 

Our condo is being renovated and is a disaster area. Not livable at all. Soon.

[vinnyv11]

I have a friend trying to get me to go up over thanskgiving. Hope they get temps going to blow out the rest of the month.