Ski the Moguls
Member
Well, yours is an excellent argument for not making any snow, ever. Are you sure you are a skier?
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Killington - Expert trails CLOSED, with NO Snowmaking....
- Thread starter Highway Star
- Start date
Well, yours is an excellent argument for not making any snow, ever. Are you sure you are a skier?
Ski the Moguls
Member
I have skied many days at Sugarbush. Honestly I would say the two resorts feel about equal in size - as long as Sugarbush gets to include North and K does NOT get to include Pico. But I based my earlier post on the skivermont acre numbers.
I wonder how much next summer's Peak Lodge has to do with the reduction in snowmaking operations. I'd imagine if I was running the show knowing I had a $6M+ Capital Project planned in the near future and my P&L statement is pretty much all red, I'd be cutting expenses big time too.
I also wonder what the snowmaking and midweek operational plans will look like if they ever complete the interconnect. Will the interconnect make Killington a 1M skier visit mountain again to support blowing snow like they did in the past? I really don't think it will unless the terrain developed in between Ramshead and Pico is exceptional.
I also wonder what the snowmaking and midweek operational plans will look like if they ever complete the interconnect. Will the interconnect make Killington a 1M skier visit mountain again to support blowing snow like they did in the past? I really don't think it will unless the terrain developed in between Ramshead and Pico is exceptional.
Tooth
New member
Too many other great options now. The beast is dying a slow public death.
awf170
New member
That Okemo and Stratton comparison definitely shows how weak K-mart has become. The worse part is both those mountains have been hit by significantly bigger warm-ups and way less snow.
The Sugarbush comparison is useless seeing that about half those trails are open on natural snow only. Sugarbush's snow making is pretty awful for a mountain its size to be honest.
filejw
New member
Interesting reading all this.The Canyon are trails and lift are the main reason go I to K..Haven't made the trip this year and I normally make 2/3 trips a season.
steamboat1
New member
Don't forget that Stratton is now doing the same thing K had to do for the DEW tour. They have the U.S. Open coming the beginning of March. I skied there this past Mon. & besides having the guns going where the pipe & other events will be they had guns going in several large areas on the front side of the mountain. The mountain had good base & surprisingly good conditions considering all the rain freeze cycles they've had.
Skied Sugarbush Tues. & they had pretty good base even on the natural trails. The place was legit being 100% open. Didn't see any guns going anywhere at the Bush.
If K doesn't blow more snow this year it's going to be a short spring for them.
Skied Sugarbush Tues. & they had pretty good base even on the natural trails. The place was legit being 100% open. Didn't see any guns going anywhere at the Bush.
If K doesn't blow more snow this year it's going to be a short spring for them.
steamboat1
New member
Here's today's K report. Sounds like they are just re-surfacing.
Low temperatures at Killington have brought our snowmakers back, and they’ve been busy! Look for snow guns on Outer Limits, Snowshed Slope, and Great Northern as the Mountain Ops team works to freshen trails across our 400+ acres. They also have been renovating Wildfire and Skyeburst, so expect new surfacing on those trails just in time for the weekend.
And this is the thing that gets me. With the limited expert terrain they still close 2 expert trails to the public almost on a daily basis.
Upper Bunny Buster, Conclusion and the Highline Race Trail will be closed to the public for events. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Low temperatures at Killington have brought our snowmakers back, and they’ve been busy! Look for snow guns on Outer Limits, Snowshed Slope, and Great Northern as the Mountain Ops team works to freshen trails across our 400+ acres. They also have been renovating Wildfire and Skyeburst, so expect new surfacing on those trails just in time for the weekend.
And this is the thing that gets me. With the limited expert terrain they still close 2 expert trails to the public almost on a daily basis.
Upper Bunny Buster, Conclusion and the Highline Race Trail will be closed to the public for events. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Last evening I counted 10 guns going on OL. The resurfacing was just a slow, deep grind with the tillers. Produced lots of loose, frozen granular. Wasn't bad midweek, but will be scraped up into sugar bumps with ice in between.They need natural snow to mix in and it ain't in the forecast. It is what it is!
There are at least 25 guns still running almost the entire length of OL. Huge bumps today, good stuff. However, overall I'm disappointed in Killington's effort this year, regardless they continue to claim the most open terrain in Vt., but I'm skeptical. Their trail report has taken liberties with the truth. They continue to report Skyehawk as open because a short flat area below the roped off headwall is open. POWDR had been better than that. They need to clean up their act.
mountainman
Member
Renovator pic.
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Newpylong
Well-known member
Absolutely untrue regarding snowmaking. They are graced with more natural than many other areas, but they have a good percentage of terrain with snowmaking coverage and have an almost infinite supply of water from the Mad River. ASC made a huge investment in snowmaking when the purchased both mountains in the mid 90s. Runs that don't have snowmaking are better off without it.
steamboat1
New member
The place just has a much better vibe.
Not to much city riff raff like myself (you gotta problem with that?).
Forget the fact there is better terrain, natural snow & scenery.
K is good when it's good but the Bush is good more often.
I'm an old timer before snow making & there was always more natural snow from MRV north, nothing new there, counted on it back in the day.
Can't duplicate mother nature.
For instance today's Jr. Castle Rock run at the Bush (pic below).
Didn't look like this anywhere at K today & this is natural snow (zero snowmaking on Castle Rock).
Imagine that open expert terrain with base all without a snow gun. What a novel idea...:idea:
You're absolutely right awf170 the Sugarbush comparison is useless.
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dadnetebw
New member
Complain to Killington via FB, email? Forget it. As if they would come up with an "appropriate" reply.
However, some news say that Killington's revenue went down by 8% so I guess meeting budget requirements is a struggle.
However, some news say that Killington's revenue went down by 8% so I guess meeting budget requirements is a struggle.
oakapple
New member
Actually, there is some evidence that Killington does pay attention to customer complaints and responds to them. About a week ago, the boards complained that both the Canyon Quad and North Ridge Triple were closed every weekday, unlike past years. Suddenly, someone from Killington management responded here, and they're now running one or the other lift every day.
This doesn't mean they'll do anything (if it were up to Killington fans, the mountain would remain open till June, and that ain't happening), but they do listen.
Tin
Active member
I'm no fan of Killington but only having 85" of snowfall this year is pretty brutal.
But when they have 63/90 beginner and intermediate trails open and 15/51 advanced/expert trails open, it shows where their priorities are. But maybe they got the point of your complaints since they are snowmaking on Outer Limits! haha
But when they have 63/90 beginner and intermediate trails open and 15/51 advanced/expert trails open, it shows where their priorities are. But maybe they got the point of your complaints since they are snowmaking on Outer Limits! haha
steamboat1
New member
To bad the new gun heads they installed on OL don't put out enough snow. They only cover about 1/3 of the width of the trail if that. Besides OL has been open for weeks already, time to expand the expert terrain. Oh & get those dam kids off of Conclusion & High Line. Let the people that actually pay $80+ for a lift ticket ski them.
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abc
Well-known member
The good and bad of big-K altogether!
It's the biggest mountain in the east. But it's so big they don't have enough snowmaking to cover every trail like in Okemo and Stratton. So, when Mother Nature doesn't oblige, it can only the same acreage as Okemo/Stratton.
Like Sugarbush, they count on decent snow due to locaton/elevation. This year, it failed miserably. The same could potentially happen to the Bush in an odd year. But this year they get to laugh at K'mart's problem.
It's only a problem to the season pass holders and property owners. For vacationers and day trippers, they can choose to ski somewhere else. I always thought that's the drawback of having a season pass. You're at the whimp of one mountain, whether it's mis-management or just bad luck with Mother Nature. Though to be fair, if you're a regular who skis there year after year, I'd think the odds even out. (though mis-management doesn't)
I have my bias against K'mart. But the current problem isn't something I had past experience on so I have nothing negative to say. And it seems it's part of the risk of buying season pass in the summer for a discount. Still, if people are considering big K next season, their performance this year will have them re-thinking what they're looking for in big-K and whether it'll be delivered.
It's the biggest mountain in the east. But it's so big they don't have enough snowmaking to cover every trail like in Okemo and Stratton. So, when Mother Nature doesn't oblige, it can only the same acreage as Okemo/Stratton.
Like Sugarbush, they count on decent snow due to locaton/elevation. This year, it failed miserably. The same could potentially happen to the Bush in an odd year. But this year they get to laugh at K'mart's problem.
It's only a problem to the season pass holders and property owners. For vacationers and day trippers, they can choose to ski somewhere else. I always thought that's the drawback of having a season pass. You're at the whimp of one mountain, whether it's mis-management or just bad luck with Mother Nature. Though to be fair, if you're a regular who skis there year after year, I'd think the odds even out. (though mis-management doesn't)
I have my bias against K'mart. But the current problem isn't something I had past experience on so I have nothing negative to say. And it seems it's part of the risk of buying season pass in the summer for a discount. Still, if people are considering big K next season, their performance this year will have them re-thinking what they're looking for in big-K and whether it'll be delivered.
steamboat1
New member
Not necessarily true. I have a season pass for K but only spend about 1/2 my skiing days there. Skied VT. last week & never went to K.
oakapple
New member
It's a misnomer to classify all the green trails as "beginner trails". A very large number of them are key transit routes that are used by skiers of all abilities. Imagine for a moment that you are in charge there. Which green trails that have had snowmaking this year, would you choose NOT to blow? It is hard to come up with very many. Yodeler perhaps.
I assume they are trying to at least make sure OL retains enough cover to be skiable through the usual Bear Mountain closing date (end of March).
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