Killington conditions in late Nov

[aschir01]

In short, I have an ASC pass and was wondering if it would be worth my time to go up to Killington for the weekend before Thanksgiving. How much of the mountain is typically open (I know that no one can predict the future) and what kind of coverage can one expect? Also, are there any hostels or cheap places to stay nearby? Thanks for your replies.

 

[Vortex]

I went opening weekend last year Nov 15 I think. There was enough open to enjoy, but stayed below freezing all day allowed for snow to stay firm and snow making going on like crazy.
Crowds I think will be big because of all the pass sales. I would think by the 20th enough would be open to enjoy, plus other areas will stat to open by then. Sunday River might be a nice choice also less people. I will be at Waterville Sunday River or K depending on whats open and how much I want to drive. Probably the River. good luck just go

 

[thetrailboss]

Here goes:

1. As for weather, that's a toss up. People say that it has been mild, but things have really cooled down quite a bit as of late. Will it get cold enough for skiing next week? Probably not in New England. As for Nov 20th, it's anyone's guess. Check out Jon Roemer's ski weather site. I would not hold my breath. :wink:

2. K-Mart is under pressure to open early, so they will. The reason: the attention they need because of the pass sales.

3. In the last couple years, they have been really working on offering a better product, so don't expect an early opening with trucking or grass. They opened the K1 for the last couple seasons, even if it cost them time and an earlier opening. I think that will continue to be the direction--aim for quality and quantity over a calendar busting opening. :wink:

So in all, it will be a close call, but like the Sox, we can hope!!! :beer:

 

[Tyrolean_skier]

Following are the comments entered by Bubba in the Killington chat room after attending a meeting with representatives from Killington.

"OK....here's the word on the street (aka rumor and supposition) as far as early season snowmaking plans. Some of this is my own deduction based on things I've been told, so almost none of this is gospel direct from Killington.

First, as everyone knows, the truck ride is dead. Without a midstation somewhere at upper elevations, the days of upper mountain only skiing are dead along with the truck. That means Killington is committed to opening top to bottom only from now on.

Second, with the increased sale of season passes, a Killington person told me they want to have more terrain open on opening day than they've had the past two years. Which terrain this means, I don't know. Killington wants to offer a quality product on opening day and have enough terrain open to do so. I believe they're also concerned about only having only one route down to KBL (Lower Bunny) and the carnage that would ensue with that being the sole route available. They've also got to be concerned about the elbow turn on Great Northern as it runs adjacent to middle Chute. Those areas can be dangerous when it's crowded and they expect many more people on opening day now that they've sold so many more passes. I conclude from all this that instead of a 3 day window for snowmaking, they may be looking at 4 - 5 days, but that's just me talking (and guessing!) about what's needed in order to get open.

As far as the weather goes, we've been below freezing almost every night of late at the peak, but only marginally below freezing, if that, at the base. Days continue in the 40s at the base. What this seems to indicate is that even if they can blow nightly, they still don't have a good window to blow lower elevations and hold the snow during the day.

Finally, with all the season pass sales, I would guess that there will be fewer day ticket sales early season, so the incremental revenue from opening early will be less than in prior years. This suggests that opening later makes more economic sense. Keeping in mind that popular hills south of Killington cannot open before K because their weather is even warmer, and hills north of K generally don't see the same demand for early season skiing, it's probable that K doesn't feel the same need to rush an opening as they may have in prior years. As long as they stay open until Memorial Day, and I've heard nothing (yet!) to suggest they don't plan to do so, they will still claim the longest season in the east and still have incremental ticket sales to cover costs in the late spring once everyone else is closed down.

Again, this is me putting two and two together and (hopefully) coming up with four."
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