Opening Date - Killington or Mount Snow

[ihuck]

Does anyone know when Killington or Mount Snow's openning day is? Has anyone ever been to it and generally, how is it. I just bought new skis and I am dying to try them out, but I am not sure if it is worth making the trip.

 

[JimG.]

Welcome to the boards ihuck.

Killington opens around November 10 or so, but it's hard to put an exact date on it until the opening actually occurs.

I would not recommend using new skis on opening day though. Coverage is usually excellent but there will be stray rocks and bare patches.

 

[Greg]

Killington is tentatively saying November 11, but as JimG. says, it's weather-dependent. Mount Snow hasn't announced anything yet, but it will likely be the Friday after Thanksgiving, unless we get a cold snap. Here were last year's projected opening dates:

http://news.alpinezone.com/2205/

 

[pepperdawg]

Welcome to the boards ihuck.

Killington opens around November 10 or so, but it's hard to put an exact date on it until the opening actually occurs.

I would not recommend using new skis on opening day though. Coverage is usually excellent but there will be stray rocks and bare patches.

WHat he said... also Kmart usually opens on a midweek day and is a MADHOUSE...

 

[riverc0il]

Has anyone ever been to it and generally, how is it.

it's skiing and it's crowded. any other time of the year, it would not be worth the trip let alone the price. but they sucker die hards in early offering up three routes for over thirty bucks. your profile says you live in DC... definitely NOT worth it unless you are a die hard. i consider myself a die hard and wouldn't drive that far for three routes at kmart.

 

[Joshua]

i was told Killington was looking more towards the typical Mount Snow opening around Thanksgiving due to energy costs and a projected warm start of the winter.

and I totally agree about not using new skis, wait till at least 2 good snow falls

 

[riverc0il]

no disrespect joshua, but i am doubtful of your source. while energy costs are higher and we are in a warm pattern, kmart does have to cator to people buying the all for one pass that expect kmart to be open before thanksgiving. a lot of people wouldn't purchase the pass without those days available to them, and many other pass holders would be extremely disappointed with kmart if they did not open well before the first big holiday weekend. that said, if it doesn't get below freezing for a couple days in a row until t-day no one could blame them. but the likely hood of that happening is about the same as me having two more beers before bed :beer:

i disagree on the rock ski issue. last year opening weekend, kmart had extremely good cover. full disclosure: i was skiing close to the edge of a trail and spotted a rock, stopped, and hucked it into the woods. but that was the only exception to the fantastic cover opening weekend and i won't hesitate to bring my best ski on opening day.

 

[awf170]

no disrespect joshua, but i am doubtful of your source. while energy costs are higher and we are in a warm pattern, kmart does have to cator to people buying the all for one pass that expect kmart to be open before thanksgiving. a lot of people wouldn't purchase the pass without those days available to them, and many other pass holders would be extremely disappointed with kmart if they did not open well before the first big holiday weekend. that said, if it doesn't get below freezing for a couple days in a row until t-day no one could blame them. but the likely hood of that happening is about the same as me having two more beers before bed :beer:

i disagree on the rock ski issue. last year opening weekend, kmart had extremely good cover. full disclosure: i was skiing close to the edge of a trail and spotted a rock, stopped, and hucked it into the woods. but that was the only exception to the fantastic cover opening weekend and i won't hesitate to bring my best ski on opening day.

havent you figured out yet that joshua's glass is half empty...

 

[Joshua]

hey, im just making it that much more sweet when we are all surprised by a halloween 3 feet snow storm with temps in the teens

 

[awf170]

hey, im just making it that much more sweet when we are all surprised by a halloween 3 feet snow storm with temps in the teens

hey thats a good idea ... this winter will blow, it wont snow once in new england :wink:

 

[Joshua]

now your onboard

its a trick i used when i was younger...i would say its not gonna snow, we will have school, and when i was wrong, it felt sooo good to say in bed and watch it snow

 

[Geoff]

i disagree on the rock ski issue. last year opening weekend, kmart had extremely good cover. full disclosure: i was skiing close to the edge of a trail and spotted a rock, stopped, and hucked it into the woods. but that was the only exception to the fantastic cover opening weekend and i won't hesitate to bring my best ski on opening day.

You don't need rock skis at Killington until there's some natural snow terrain. The trails Killington makes snow on in the first few weeks are very well rock picked and they blow a decent edge to edge base.

Once you start poaching when it's 10" of fresh snow over crunch, rock skis are obligatory.

 

[Vortex]

Welcome ihuck. Its old news, but here is a linc to a question posed about opening and closing. I believe them until shown different. http://skiing.alpinezone.com/articles/challenge/2005/response.htm?resort=killington

The race is on www.brettonwoods.com/alpineski/index.cfm?edit_id=899&id=1

 

[ihuck]

Thanks for your opinions...though I am still on the rocks about coming up. Can wait to try out these new boards and boots. I just got 2005 Atomic M11 and 2006 Atomic M11 boots ($500 together), which currently reside in my home town in NH. I need to pick them up and thought that it would be a perfect time to try them out. What are the chances Killington wont make their openning day?

 

[tree_skier]

Mount Snow tends not to announce an opening date. However the last few years they budget the opening day as the friday after thanksgiving. But when the Boston ski show rolls around and stratton and pokemo are open they will push to open the weekend before (during the boston ski show) so they can say they are open at the show.
So look for them opening the weekend before thanksgiving if temps permit.

:beer:

 

[Greg]

I recall skiing at Snow on November 9 one year (probably '96 or '97). There was a ribbon down the front side and I believe a stripe down Free Fall on the North Face. Every other run was bright green grass. Kind of a weird experience. I would expect a Thanksgiving weekend opening now.

 

[riverc0il]

What are the chances Killington wont make their openning day?

depends completely on the temperatures.

 

[Zand]

I recall skiing at Snow on November 9 one year (probably '96 or '97). There was a ribbon down the front side and I believe a stripe down Free Fall on the North Face. Every other run was bright green grass. Kind of a weird experience. I would expect a Thanksgiving weekend opening now.

I watched Wachusett open November 8th, 2002. It's not hard for many resorts to beat Killington these days. All you need is 2-3 days of cold weather and you'll have some mountains trying to beat Killington, who takes up to 5 days to make enough coverage. Jiminy, Bretton, the River, Okemo, and Woodbury are almost always open as soon as Killington.

Next week is supposed to be in the 20s for central VT at night. Maybe we'll see them blow out the mice.

 

[riverc0il]

Jiminy, Bretton, the River, Okemo, and Woodbury are almost always open as soon as Killington.

total none sense. only the past two years has there been any competition to beat killington due to their policy of top to bottom skiing coverage. other ski areas may try to beat killington to open first, but no ski area will even come close to beating killington in the sense that it will be worth more than batting an eye at. i am no kmart fan, but i will give them that much.

 

[jscott357]

The year before last, I was at Mt Snow for the day after Thanksgiving which is when they traditionally try to open. It rained and any snow that they had blown - which was only a couple of trails- washed out. Really I mean it POURED! All that and I spent a buttload of cake to stay at the Grand Slummit.

My advice is don't worry about opening day. I dont believe in being there on day one and I don't believe in racing to catch first chair. I'd rather be on the last chair and be on the mountain in my short sleeves on the last day of the season.

Its kinda like that story of the two bulls and the herd of cows.