Killllington 🎿🏂🏂🎿🎿🏂🏂🎿😀

[machski]

The S was starting to form today. Thinking of replacement, wonder if they will space towers 3 and 4 out more.

View attachment 54498

Sort of, they did one heck of a job repairing the S that had formed midweek. The in cut from just above Tower 3 was significant before the grooming efforts. Must have done more even last night, based on how it looked yesterday afternoon I expected it to be worse by late today. How did the unload hold up today?

 

[thebigo]

See ya there tomorrow!

Would love to, wife has to work and late may superstar is a bit out of the five year old's ability. Planning Saturday and Monday on memorial day weekend, then closing weekend at a basin with the nine year old.

 

[Newpylong]

Skye Peak is a tough one. It was installed a few years before the 6s became popular unfortunately, it definitely warrants one. I could definitely see moving the terminals over to Superstar to replace the frankenYan and reusing SS's towers with whatever minor modifications are required. It's essentially what they did when Skye went in to begin with.

Skye would likely have to be a 100% new install though. YAN towers were beefy, not sure 6 pack beefy though. That lift does have a tough unload location, not much room for a larger terminal, or more people. Personally I don't get why so many people wait in the line for it when Bear is walk on. Perhaps a shiny new carpet loading Poma FGQ to replace Bear would draw people. Probably not lol.

Killington like many others has a handfull of lifts that are up for replacement. Tough to decide where to put the capital. Not really much to complain about on the last two installs though, they were spot on IMHO.

 

[Bosco DaSkia]

Something ain’t right with superstar. Multiple non lighting related stops yesterday resulting in the reducing capacity from 4 to 3 in the afternoon. Yesterday was crowded and every lift was full so that would’ve made a big difference. There’s no restrictions on capacity today, but the crowd is much smaller most of the chairs are going up with less than 4 first place.

Better to replace it before it fucking shits the bed.

 

[machski]

Something ain’t right with superstar. Multiple non lighting related stops yesterday resulting in the reducing capacity from 4 to 3 in the afternoon. Yesterday was crowded and every lift was full so that would’ve made a big difference. There’s no restrictions on capacity today, but the crowd is much smaller most of the chairs are going up with less than 4 first place.

Better to replace it before it fucking shits the bed.

Yup, that should be the next lift replacement (or in tandem with Skye if they upgauge it, though haven't heard much on that). Ramshead can't do anything until the village plan is either approved and funded or completely scraped as that decision pins exactly where a new base terminal will get sited.

 

[thebigo]

Probably just close superstar early the year it gets replaced, use the stairway for late season one year. Hopefully canyon, nothing off north ridge is steep enough to form a good bump line.

Edit - maybe late season on OL one year.

 

[Smellytele]

SS lift ran great all day today. Snow held out pretty good. They have harvested all the snow beyond the exit at the top. Still have a mound at the top that should be sufficient to keeping the lift exit opened. Bottom lift is another story. Lots of “chocolate chips” in the snow. They did put a lot of snow down on the lower head wall though that they can pull from.
At the lift crossing snow was getting brown which usually leads to faster melting.
Great day today! Hope for another day next weekend. Out of ikon days so will have to pay.

 

[ss20]

Probably just close superstar early the year it gets replaced, use the stairway for late season one year. Hopefully canyon, nothing off north ridge is steep enough to form a good bump line.

Edit - maybe late season on OL one year.

OL cannot go late it faces south and is super low elevation. "Late" would be May 10 and they would have to pile snow to do it.

I bet the Superstar replacement will be a two year deal as is becoming more common in the industry. Pour footings and foundations year 1 then assemble the equipment year 2. Probably do one of those tasks in combo with another lift replacement (Rams or Snowshed). Rent a helicopter for just one day in one off season and placing 35 towers would be pretty economical.

I doubt they switch the late season plan to any other pod even if it is just for one season. They know what they need to blow for Supe to make it last. They could bury another trail with 30 feet of snow but if one long spot melts out while the rest is still deep that's a bunch of wasted $$$

 

[skef]

K1 Lodge update … https://www.killington.com/culture/social-blog/insider-blog/new-k-1-lodge-sneak-peek

Great to see how totally committed they are to phone charging.

Seriously, though: should be sweet!

 

[drjeff]

OL cannot go late it faces south and is super low elevation. "Late" would be May 10 and they would have to pile snow to do it.

I bet the Superstar replacement will be a two year deal as is becoming more common in the industry. Pour footings and foundations year 1 then assemble the equipment year 2. Probably do one of those tasks in combo with another lift replacement (Rams or Snowshed). Rent a helicopter for just one day in one off season and placing 35 towers would be pretty economical.

I doubt they switch the late season plan to any other pod even if it is just for one season. They know what they need to blow for Supe to make it last. They could bury another trail with 30 feet of snow but if one long spot melts out while the rest is still deep that's a bunch of wasted $$$

Also have to remember that with the entire snowmaking set up on SS, from hydrant spacing to pipe diameter for adequate water/air flow for each gun, it's far "easier" for them to bury Superstar than any other pod/trail on the mountain.

 

[Newpylong]

OL cannot go late it faces south and is super low elevation. "Late" would be May 10 and they would have to pile snow to do it.

I bet the Superstar replacement will be a two year deal as is becoming more common in the industry. Pour footings and foundations year 1 then assemble the equipment year 2. Probably do one of those tasks in combo with another lift replacement (Rams or Snowshed). Rent a helicopter for just one day in one off season and placing 35 towers would be pretty economical.

I doubt they switch the late season plan to any other pod even if it is just for one season. They know what they need to blow for Supe to make it last. They could bury another trail with 30 feet of snow but if one long spot melts out while the rest is still deep that's a bunch of wasted $$$

This is spot on. OL is real tough to get past the first week of May due to it's exposure and elevation. Not that May is anything to scoff at. Would love to see Bear be a spring option...possibly some combination of Wildfire/Claw/Burst and OL. But I think they'd probably would do Snowdon (Bunny Buster) and the Cripple if they were going to move the spring venue to get the lift in in one year. It's one lift, top 2 bottom has really good snowmaking, and has good elevation and exposure. I think they certainly could do it in one year, they showed they could be ready by November with North Ridge, but I think the anxiety of hosting the World Cup vs the early season is probably too much to do it in year. There could be zero f-ups.

 

[ss20]

If anything... I'd rather they do 2 or 3 seasons on Ovation as the late season trail. The tree damage skiers right of superstar headwall is very concerning... It's already making the wind on the headwall worse and within the decade Superstar/Skyhawk will be one mega-wide trail separated by a dozen trees. Take a couple years off and plant some semi-mature trees between them and fix the damage that's been done from 35 years of going deep on Supe and the resulting blow-over. It was a sad day when the last tree on Upper East Fall/Reason fell about 10 years ago.

 

[Newpylong]

That would mean putting the Cup somewhere else (nowhere else is FIS homologated at K), as the damage is from early season sludge, not late season. Same happens in North Ridge. But I am always surprised at how that tree line is able to bounce back every year.

 

[machski]

If anything... I'd rather they do 2 or 3 seasons on Ovation as the late season trail. The tree damage skiers right of superstar headwall is very concerning... It's already making the wind on the headwall worse and within the decade Superstar/Skyhawk will be one mega-wide trail separated by a dozen trees. Take a couple years off and plant some semi-mature trees between them and fix the damage that's been done from 35 years of going deep on Supe and the resulting blow-over. It was a sad day when the last tree on Upper East Fall/Reason fell about 10 years ago.

It's not as if the winds blow from skier's right across the upper pitch of SS very often and with gusto (perhaps during a very strong Nor'Easter). Looks ugly, that's about it for me.

 

[180]

- SS lift was reduced capacity on Saturday because they were running out of snow up top.
- Thinning of the trees on the top is from everyone skiing them, this is alsi affecting Skye hawk, it doesn't hold the snow as well.

 

[skef]

Sun is breaking through. Good day today.

 

[thebigo]

Gorgeous day to ignore the forecast.

 

[Zand]

Probably stopping by on Monday. Depths still look good...how is the headwall holding up? Want to know if I should bring my beater skis. Not afraid of a couple thin spots but if it's mud skiing for the top 500 feet all afternoon then I'd rather just use my beaters to ski over it.

 

[jaytrem]

Will be there tomorrow with my 10 year old twins (pink helmets). Feel free to say "Hello" if anybody sees us.

 

[Newpylong]

Probably stopping by on Monday. Depths still look good...how is the headwall holding up? Want to know if I should bring my beater skis. Not afraid of a couple thin spots but if it's mud skiing for the top 500 feet all afternoon then I'd rather just use my beaters to ski over it.

No need for beaters.