Killllington 🎿🏂🏂🎿🎿🏂🏂🎿😀

[ss20]

So armchair snowmakers / K experts - what are the chances of ttb coverage by 11/12-11/13.

looks like some windows starting Tuesday night.

0%

They'll work on padding North Ridge first and get that area fully open before expanding. Rime/Reason/Upper East Fall/GN to avoid stairs going down is what I think they'll have for next weekend. I would be VERY surprised if they even start making snow on Snowdon. They have always been conservative going TTB, and now they are also limited on capacity with WC snowmaking taking place for the next couple weeks.

Killington is a great early season option because they're aggressive and committed to being the first open in most years. But after that first week the competition blows by them. They hit a "perfect" scenario for themselves this year with getting a short marginal cold window where others couldn't even open. Killington will not be able to compete with Loon, SR, BW, etc once they get going til early December after WC has ended and they can use those WC-allocated compressors. But even then, in the past few years they still can't compete as their snowmaking system is literally falling apart.

 

[skiur]

Definitely 0% chance of ttb next weekend. Ttb is not the priority right now, the world cup is. Hopefully they can get GN open from the peak so you don't have to walk down the stairs but that's maybe a 50/50 chance.

 

[drjeff]

So armchair snowmakers / K experts - what are the chances of ttb coverage by 11/12-11/13.

looks like some windows starting Tuesday night.

Guessing they're also going to focus on getting enough base down in North Ridge so that unless Mother Nature gets downright tropical monsoonish for multiple days in a row, it will just be a quick recovery effort on the North Ridge terrain before they get into expansion to the base mode. Don't want to loose what you've got because you prematurely went for too much, especially right now when a good deal of their capacity is focused on the Superstar pod for the World Cup.

The reality is that while still decent sized, with K's snowmaking capacity split now with the Superstar efforts, what they have available capacity wise for the general public terrain, is likely less than what some of their competition has available capacity wise until they are certain they have enough snow on Superstar to pass snow control check

 

[Newpylong]

I concur with everyone else. 0% chance in TTB by this weekend. Tomorrow afternoon into Wednesday looks tasty at 4,000 feet. Friday into the weekend looks good too, but that's just not enough hours to get down through Snowdon open. The good thing is since they aren't open down there yet, they can drop the hammer if the opportunity presents itself. It has to be a really good 72 hour window to go all in on that though and potentially risk the upper elevation terrain.

I think you will see them deepen what's currently open and get GN open off the top by Sunday. Though, bets could be off with them willing to utilize portable Low-E gear so far, it could skew things a little bit here or there by allowing to utilize more water early season when air is constrained. Because I am not in their shoes and sweating bullets I actually enjoy seeing how things play out getting not only the WC venue covered but the rollout for the general public.

 

[thebigo]

Do not mind the hike up, feels good on tired early season legs. Hike down at opening is awful, nothing fun about a hoard of anxious humanity in ski boots carrying skis on a narrow walkway.

 

[Great Bear]

It looks like for the most part the nights will be good temps for making snow for the next 10 days - I'm going to guess top to bottom the weekend of the 18th/19th - but not this weekend.

And yes, the world cup definitely affects Killington's rollout.

 

[Smellytele]

It looks like for the most part the nights will be good temps for making snow for the next 10 days - I'm going to guess top to bottom the weekend of the 18th/19th - but not this weekend.

And yes, the world cup definitely affects Killington's rollout.

I thought we were always told that the WC didn't affect the rollout

 

[Great Bear]

thats mike hayes, he's one of the best skiers in vermont. he at least used to be a marketing exec at ben and jerrys, and posts ridiculous dawn patrol runs before work in the stowe backcountry. not sure if he still works for b and j. but hes an incredible skier. also not going THAT fast. hes not straightlining, he's checking. and its emptyish.

aside - i eat too much ice cream, and i used to eat a lot of ben and jerrys. i recently switched to haagen daaz. look at the ingredients on each. haagen daaz is all natural stuff you can pronounce. ben and jerrys is not.

edit - it looks like he works for krispy kreme now. dude is part of big sugar.

edit2 - can someone post the videos of the killington kids?

I don't know Mike Hayes but he is different from the "killington kids" video (which now looks like it has been taken down from Intstagram as well).

But it was a low to mid-level intermediate skier with a go pro that somehow had GPS/speed display capable technology so a "speedometer" was displayed in the upper corner of the video. Showed them doing 40+ through crowds / cutting people off etc - going 30mph past the slow sign and into the lift corral. Well deserved to have their passes pulled.

 

[cdskier]

I don't know Mike Hayes but he is different from the "killington kids" video (which now looks like it has been taken down from Intstagram as well).

But it was a low to mid-level intermediate skier with a go pro that somehow had GPS/speed display capable technology so a "speedometer" was displayed in the upper corner of the video. Showed them doing 40+ through crowds / cutting people off etc - going 30mph past the slow sign and into the lift corral. Well deserved to have their passes pulled.

Yup...looks like it is gone from IG now. Was up this morning. Although there are still numerous other videos on his IG page showing his obsession for speed. I just watched one of him straight-lining down Ripcord at Sugarbush and hitting over 60mph. At least it looked like an empty mid-week day...but still crazy.

 

[skiur]

Yup...looks like it is gone from IG now. Was up this morning. Although there are still numerous other videos on his IG page showing his obsession for speed. I just watched one of him straight-lining down Ripcord at Sugarbush and hitting over 60mph. At least it looked like an empty mid-week day...but still crazy.

If it's on a empty mid week day I don't see anything wrong with straight lining.

 

[Newpylong]

I thought we were always told that the WC didn't affect the rollout

Rumors from the who knows where and most certainly not true.

 

[drjeff]

Rumors from the who knows where and most certainly not true.

Truth, and it's just simply easy to see right now as if they could focus their full capacity on the public option, they have the ability to get T2B, as they have blown snow on Superstar down the the K1 lodge level already.

That being said, as a ski racing fan, who has been to multiple Killington Cup races, I have no issues at all with diverting snowmaking resources prior to Thanksgiving away from the public terrain and onto the race hill!

 

[joshua segal]

11/6/23: Monday

Started my season today. It was the usual opening with Peak stairway both down in the AM and back up in the PM.

The trail was well-covered T2B and I would guess an average depth of 2-feet. It will take a monster spell of hot weather to destroy/melt-out the base.

Superstar looked lovely T2B, but of course, it will not open to the public until after the world Cup.

No lift lines. The traffic was just right. When the chair is running full, there are just too many people. The surface was lovely groomed granular early in the day, becoming soft bumps with slick patches by noon.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

I’m curious how the ikon base members here plan their five killington days?

Met someone at stratton last year said he was saving them all until the spring. I won’t be able to contain myself until then, but I can’t see using one without most of the trails open.

 

[ThatGuy]

I definitely wouldn’t waste them on two trails. Probably save a couple for mid season powder days then use the remaining for spring skiing.

 

[ss20]

Hard to judge depth but overall Superstar looks pretty good for November 7. Wonder if they can wrap it up relatively soon? Looks like below or just around freezing for the foreseeable future for you guys. If they can get SS and the training venue both done by the 18th-ish I'd love to see how they use those extra compressors and make a big pre-Thanksgiving push for public terrain. I cannot recall a year where they had they opportunity, at least when I was there for the WC years of 2016-2020.

 

[Zand]

Depends on how much you plan on going to Killington compared to everywhere else. If you use the pass all around during the winter and don't mind killing off a Killington day early then I could see it. If you really want 5 good days at Killington midwinter or spring (which is where I'm at) then it's really not worth it.

Early season I like Stratton and Loon because they're usually pretty good early and then I could care less about both of them once the natural is flying, so I don't care how many days I have left there.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

I definitely wouldn’t waste them on two trails. Probably save a couple for mid season powder days then use the remaining for spring skiing.

Depends on how much you plan on going to Killington compared to everywhere else. If you use the pass all around during the winter and don't mind killing off a Killington day early then I could see it. If you really want 5 good days at Killington midwinter or spring (which is where I'm at) then it's really not worth it.

Early season I like Stratton and Loon because they're usually pretty good early and then I could care less about both of them once the natural is flying, so I don't care how many days I have left there.

I’m really wondering if I can get a good day there before the Christmas week blackout, I’ll probably start with a stratton/sugarbush/stratton trip, and drive right by it.

 

[Newpylong]

Hard to judge depth but overall Superstar looks pretty good for November 7. Wonder if they can wrap it up relatively soon? Looks like below or just around freezing for the foreseeable future for you guys. If they can get SS and the training venue both done by the 18th-ish I'd love to see how they use those extra compressors and make a big pre-Thanksgiving push for public terrain. I cannot recall a year where they had they opportunity, at least when I was there for the WC years of 2016-2020.

Looks and reality are very different. There is not much down, especially on Preston's. It is going to be a slog getting it done before snow control. You can see for yourself when the sun hits it right on the webcam(s).

 

[machski]

Looks and reality are very different. There is not much down, especially on Preston's. It is going to be a slog getting it done before snow control. You can see for yourself when the sun hits it right on the webcam(s).

Probably true, but they have passed snow control before without being fully complete on the course build based on the start and on the forecast allowing finishing just ahead of training days.