Date: April 14, 2007
2006 Trip Report #: 53
Resort: Killington
Conditions: VC/SC/WS
Weather: Sun and clouds. Some wind. Temps in the 40's.
Trip Report: The bad news: my trip to Sugarloaf was canned because of an interview :x The good news: the interview did not take place in Boston as I thought, rather it was at the law school. Better news: I was done at noon and able to take some turns at Killington.
Got to the mountain at a little before 1pm. A bit later than I would have wanted, but better than nothing. I was
to see all the cars....let's put it this way...they were parked all the way down the access road, past Rams Head! Somehow, I scored a great spot in Bay 2. Got my boots on and hiked to Superstar Quad. The place was packed with some liftlines, but the trails were not crowded at all.
First run was down Gateway to Frost Line, and then down Falls Brook to Bear Mountain. Not bad, a good warm up. This run gives you a good sense of the expanse of Killington....
I looked up to see that the Devil's Fiddle was open as was Outer Limits. I hopped on the Bear Mountain Quad.
Next run was down Outer Limits, first hitting the liftline and then cutting over to skier's right. The snow was heavy and wet...on a couple of occasions my short skis got caught in the moguls. No complaints mind you :wink: The trail is steep, but because it is so wide, its pitch is deceiving.
After delayering, I took another spin. This time it was the 'Fiddle. I don't think I have skied it before....but it is possible that I did it in 2001 (the last time it would have been good). The upper part was fine, but it got progressively thinner. The most technical ski run for me in a while...no room for error. The ledges were passable. Again, the width made the pitch seem easier than it was. A fun run, but only good for one spin because of the conditions.
I took the Skye Peak Quad out of Bear and then hit Bittersweet (nice) to Superstar Quad. My black diamond tour continued with a nice run down Old Superstar to Lower Ovation, which I knew I had to get in. Was that a good call or what. The trail had some good snow up high, but about half-way down one hit a line of rock and thin cover that spanned the width of the trail, with only a few escape routes. There was one more band of thin cover before one could go back to enjoying the snow. Again, very steep like I remember it being, but not too tough with the soft snow.
After a break, it was up K-1 where I overheard on a Patrol Radio, "Ski Patrol to all radios--Lower Ovation is now closed." I had just beaten the rope
Escapade from the top was the next number. Some very good bumps and snow...a very entertaining run. Cascade was fun as well...plenty of base and great soft snow for great turns. My legs were burning.
No season would be complete without at least one run down Catwalk, the highest trail on the mountain. So I decided to hike up to the top (which is required), take in the sights and silence, before skiing this gem. The very entrance required side stepping, or ripping out an edge on the rocks. I chose the former. The rest of it was great...some deep bumps and nobody on it! Ms. TB would have loved the hike :wink: (She heard of this trail and said, "you mean you hiked to get to a ski trail???")
This put me on the North Ridge with about a half hour or so 'til close. I skied Great Northern-Ridge Run and then hit the triple.
Upper Ridge Run was great...deep, deep soft snow and bumps. No crowds. It is a bit flat for a black diamond designation, but no complaints.
The last run was a tough one. I wanted to hit Ridge Run again, but really did not want to ski Great Northern or the run out to Snowdon. There was not enough time to do another run and I had not hit the Canyon. So I decided to head to the Canyon Quad, where I got a great idea--why not try Big Dipper?
The entrance, underneath the quad, was very inviting. I skied right into the woods and was rewarded with great snow, interesting terrain, great pitch, and plenty of elbow room. Run of the day. I had no problem finding good lines in the birches and it was all for me. How could this be Killington? :beer: The pitch increased, much to my delight, and the cover was deep and soft. The short boards made this run oh so fun. Eventually I popped out onto Double Dipper, though near the bottom, and sank into more deep snow. Amazing. I took Lower Cascade back to the base and called it quits.
I did manage to get some things at the store...50% off sale (a nice mug and a ski google scraper for those icy/foggy days). The real highlight though was the great afternoon of turns! :beer:
It wasn't Sugarloaf, but what the hell....I managed to get out for a few hours. Gotta do what you gotta do. :wink:
2006 Trip Report #: 53
Resort: Killington
Conditions: VC/SC/WS
Weather: Sun and clouds. Some wind. Temps in the 40's.
Trip Report: The bad news: my trip to Sugarloaf was canned because of an interview :x The good news: the interview did not take place in Boston as I thought, rather it was at the law school. Better news: I was done at noon and able to take some turns at Killington.
Got to the mountain at a little before 1pm. A bit later than I would have wanted, but better than nothing. I was
to see all the cars....let's put it this way...they were parked all the way down the access road, past Rams Head! Somehow, I scored a great spot in Bay 2. Got my boots on and hiked to Superstar Quad. The place was packed with some liftlines, but the trails were not crowded at all. First run was down Gateway to Frost Line, and then down Falls Brook to Bear Mountain. Not bad, a good warm up. This run gives you a good sense of the expanse of Killington....
I looked up to see that the Devil's Fiddle was open as was Outer Limits. I hopped on the Bear Mountain Quad.
Next run was down Outer Limits, first hitting the liftline and then cutting over to skier's right. The snow was heavy and wet...on a couple of occasions my short skis got caught in the moguls. No complaints mind you :wink: The trail is steep, but because it is so wide, its pitch is deceiving.
After delayering, I took another spin. This time it was the 'Fiddle. I don't think I have skied it before....but it is possible that I did it in 2001 (the last time it would have been good). The upper part was fine, but it got progressively thinner. The most technical ski run for me in a while...no room for error. The ledges were passable. Again, the width made the pitch seem easier than it was. A fun run, but only good for one spin because of the conditions.
I took the Skye Peak Quad out of Bear and then hit Bittersweet (nice) to Superstar Quad. My black diamond tour continued with a nice run down Old Superstar to Lower Ovation, which I knew I had to get in. Was that a good call or what. The trail had some good snow up high, but about half-way down one hit a line of rock and thin cover that spanned the width of the trail, with only a few escape routes. There was one more band of thin cover before one could go back to enjoying the snow. Again, very steep like I remember it being, but not too tough with the soft snow.
After a break, it was up K-1 where I overheard on a Patrol Radio, "Ski Patrol to all radios--Lower Ovation is now closed." I had just beaten the rope
Escapade from the top was the next number. Some very good bumps and snow...a very entertaining run. Cascade was fun as well...plenty of base and great soft snow for great turns. My legs were burning.
No season would be complete without at least one run down Catwalk, the highest trail on the mountain. So I decided to hike up to the top (which is required), take in the sights and silence, before skiing this gem. The very entrance required side stepping, or ripping out an edge on the rocks. I chose the former. The rest of it was great...some deep bumps and nobody on it! Ms. TB would have loved the hike :wink: (She heard of this trail and said, "you mean you hiked to get to a ski trail???")
This put me on the North Ridge with about a half hour or so 'til close. I skied Great Northern-Ridge Run and then hit the triple.
Upper Ridge Run was great...deep, deep soft snow and bumps. No crowds. It is a bit flat for a black diamond designation, but no complaints.
The last run was a tough one. I wanted to hit Ridge Run again, but really did not want to ski Great Northern or the run out to Snowdon. There was not enough time to do another run and I had not hit the Canyon. So I decided to head to the Canyon Quad, where I got a great idea--why not try Big Dipper?
The entrance, underneath the quad, was very inviting. I skied right into the woods and was rewarded with great snow, interesting terrain, great pitch, and plenty of elbow room. Run of the day. I had no problem finding good lines in the birches and it was all for me. How could this be Killington? :beer: The pitch increased, much to my delight, and the cover was deep and soft. The short boards made this run oh so fun. Eventually I popped out onto Double Dipper, though near the bottom, and sank into more deep snow. Amazing. I took Lower Cascade back to the base and called it quits.
I did manage to get some things at the store...50% off sale (a nice mug and a ski google scraper for those icy/foggy days). The real highlight though was the great afternoon of turns! :beer:
It wasn't Sugarloaf, but what the hell....I managed to get out for a few hours. Gotta do what you gotta do. :wink:
