December is here and the snow has begun. It was refreshing to wake up to snow flurries and some snow on the ground up here in Vermont. It felt odd and it was because since January 2006 we've had very little natural snow here in the Upper Valley.
So I've been out for three days now....not a bad start for the 2006-2007 season. Two of those days were very good and one was decent. But it is a lot better than the alternative, which is grass and rocks. Riding up the lifts at Killington, it is clear that snowmaking has saved the day and that the resorts are working hard to get us on the slopes. We should take our helmets and hats off to those who work round the clock to give us the opportunity to make some turns.
In particular, I think that Killington has done a great job considering the less than ideal conditions. On Friday night, I babysat two children and had to shield their eyes from the vivid lightning. December 1st and thunderstorms. It has happened before in my lifetime. 36 hours later we were on the slopes of Killington, which were essentially bare Saturday morning. This feat was amazing.
The first two days (November 24th and 27th) were very good. The amount of terrain open was impressive and the quality was very good. Best of all, efforts to control and monitor the crowds seemed to be working. All in all, a late start, but one that has been very positive.
Not every resort can make everyone happy. This weather really hurt and made some of us very impatient. I have been lucky to have such a large amount of terrain to ski during this snow drought of 2006.
So before you knock a place, stop and think about what is on the line. With snowmaking costs running over $1,000 an hour, would you have the stomach to spend that much money and risk losing it to a freak December thunderstorm? And would you be willing to brave high winds and dropping temps to play with water and compressed air?
The heros of this season have been those who work behind the scenes with the guns, hoses, and groomers. Thanks guys and gals.
So I've been out for three days now....not a bad start for the 2006-2007 season. Two of those days were very good and one was decent. But it is a lot better than the alternative, which is grass and rocks. Riding up the lifts at Killington, it is clear that snowmaking has saved the day and that the resorts are working hard to get us on the slopes. We should take our helmets and hats off to those who work round the clock to give us the opportunity to make some turns.
In particular, I think that Killington has done a great job considering the less than ideal conditions. On Friday night, I babysat two children and had to shield their eyes from the vivid lightning. December 1st and thunderstorms. It has happened before in my lifetime. 36 hours later we were on the slopes of Killington, which were essentially bare Saturday morning. This feat was amazing.
The first two days (November 24th and 27th) were very good. The amount of terrain open was impressive and the quality was very good. Best of all, efforts to control and monitor the crowds seemed to be working. All in all, a late start, but one that has been very positive.
Not every resort can make everyone happy. This weather really hurt and made some of us very impatient. I have been lucky to have such a large amount of terrain to ski during this snow drought of 2006.
So before you knock a place, stop and think about what is on the line. With snowmaking costs running over $1,000 an hour, would you have the stomach to spend that much money and risk losing it to a freak December thunderstorm? And would you be willing to brave high winds and dropping temps to play with water and compressed air?
The heros of this season have been those who work behind the scenes with the guns, hoses, and groomers. Thanks guys and gals.
