Day 25 - Killington

Big holiday crowd. On the hill from 8:00 until 2:00 with both coffee and lunch breaks; clear skies and cold temps - 5° first thing this morning, but warming up nicely throughout the day - 24° when I left; 19 runs; 18,000 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's again today; first day of KSC Masters training - no revelations, just someone different to listen to and some different things to think about; Chris and Trevor are visiting from PA; fell in the Mouse Run park after sliding off the side of one of the boxes.

Day 24 - Killington

Felt like a holiday on the hill today. Out from 8:00 until 11:00 with a quick KBL coffee break; 9°-13° with brilliant sunshine and little to no wind; 18 runs; 16,100 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; late arriving crowd - nobody on the hill till after coffee, then it was swamped; conditions remain good - firm and smooth where they groomed, plus lots of snowmaking; Lower Skylark had some large whales - a little wet, but hey they're trying to build base; my skiing felt pretty good today - not sure what makes a good day versus a bad one?

Day 23 - Killington

Very nice recovery from yesterday's rain. On the hill from 8:00 until 2:15 with a KBL coffee break and a 2 beer, 2 pretzel lunch at the Long Trail Pub in the Snowshed lodge; yesterday's rain ended as 3" of new snow; overcast to start, partly cloudy when I left; 10°-15° today; 23 runs; 24,250 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; perfectly timed grooming last night given the change from rain to snow; the hill looked in really good shape today - you could hardly tell it rained; Lower East Fall first thing was devine - groomed nice and flat and setup with 3" of perfectly cohesive new snow; Snowshed and Ramshead opened today; skied every open trail segement except FIS and Cascade Runout; decent crowd given the holiday - makes me worry about tomorrow; skied on and off this morning with Susan and Jay.

Day 22 - Killington

A little snow before the deluge. On the hill from 9:00 until 1:30 with a KBL coffee break; 2-3" new snow overnight; overcast with a steady breeze; temps rising through the twenties; started out on the Rossignol Avenger 76 Ti's and changed to the Atomic GS-12's after coffee; 21 runs; 24,500 vertical; skied a little better today; a big storm on the way, forcast to start as snow then rain long and hard and finally finish off as some more snow; not sure if I'll ski tomorrow - we'll see what the weather brings.

Day 21 - Killington

Looks and feels like winter. On the hill from 9:00 until 1:45 with an extended KBL coffee break to warm up; sunny and cold with a steady west wind; Snowdon temps: 7° at 9:00, 14° at 1:45; 19 runs; 23,250 vertical; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups; very few people on the hill today; not sure I like where my skiing is at right now - hoping some of the upcoming camps will help me figure things out; Superstar Headwall was gnarly today - it kicked my ass the first time I tried it, but I returned a second time and at least came down without losing total control; didn't realize it until I got home and took a shower, but I got frostbite on both cheeks today - below the goggles and above the neck gaitor; GoPro footage - on YouTube.

Day 20 - Killington

On the hill 9:00 to 2:00 with a KBL coffee break; an inch of snow, then rain overnight; total fog and light rain to start - the fog stayed but the rain stopped about 11:00; temp fell to 30° by the time I left; 23 runs; 25,150 vertical; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; very few people on the hill - too bad because it was pretty good; skied every open trail segment today except Mouse Trap - with just ½ an ounce of forethought I could have gotten it too; Highline and East Fall opened today - East Fall was so good I stayed an extra hour and did it six times; used my new clear goggle lenses today - they worked really well; today's GoPro lesson - you get lots of white-on-white on a foggy day - Highline POV.

Day 19 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 until 1:30 with just a quickie KBL coffee break; 30° and sunny with a light breeze; 30 runs – ok, 19 were either the NRT or the Poma, but 30 is still a good number; 23,250 vertical; skied the Atomic GS-12’s; snowmaking on Snowshed was turned off when I left – not sure whether it was temperature related or they’re done; technique conundrum – cross-over vs. early forward pressure on the outside ski with angulation.

Day 18 - Killington

Perfect snowmaking weather overnight - cold and still. On the hill from 9:00 until 12:00 with a quick KBL coffee break - cut things short this morning so I could head to the gym this afternoon; started out with brilliant sunshine, by noon things dimmed slightly as some high cirrus clouds rolled in; temps in the twenties; 17 runs; 18,100 vertical; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; good skiing just about everywhere - Lower Skylark had 15-20 big piles of snow and the picture below shows the big pile at the top of Mouse Trap; did a few in North Ridge before I left - firm, but nice; re-surfacing more or less complete - full on expansion mode in progress, East Fall, Highline, and Snowshed lit top-to-bottom; snow making started in earnest at Pico today - Forty-niner all the way down Lower Pike.

Day 17 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 until 12:45 with an early coffee break in KBL after I got cold hands; a high K-cloud kept the hill overcast while everything else around looked to have a partly cloudy day; large temperature variation today - mid-to-upper twenties at the base and mid-teens up top; 21 runs; 18,750 vertical; skied the Volkl P50 SL Cheaters today for the first time in like ten years; snowmaking returned overnight - resurfacing on Snowdon and Skye with spot guns on Great Northern; a dusting of snow overnight - just enough to hide some of the obstacles; not sure where or when I did it, but I nailed the newly repaired P50's today.

Day 16 - Killington

Despite the warm weather over the weekend and the heavy rain overnight, there was still some good snow to be found today. On the hill from 10:15 until 3:00 with a quick lunch break in KBL; mid-forties with peeks of sunshine through the wind blown overcast; 22 runs; 22,850 vertical; skied the K2 Apache Xplorers; after a couple of hours of sliding around, I found the sweet spot on these skis - ski these things from the front with little to no rotary; the good - good cover remains on Rime and East Fall and some great snow on Skylark-Bittersweet; the bad - it's going to take most of the week to resurface everything; and the ugly - walking required signs on Superstar Headwall and Middle Great Northern.

Day 15 - Killington

A very good day. On the hill from 9:00 until 1:45; substituted a lunch break for the normal KBL coffee break - I wanted to ski as much as I could today, since I won't ski this weekend; temps in the forties with brilliant sunshine all day; 26 runs; 21,750 vertical; started with the Atomic D2 Race GS #1's and finished with the Volkl P60 SC's; skied every open lift and every open trail except FIS and High Traverse; great conditions just about everywhere today - the only exceptions were Lower Skylark (a trillion golf ball sized chucks after it's first grooming of the season) and Lower Chute (a little chunky, but it got skied in a little after a couple of hours); Superstar Headwall opened today to some sweet snowmaking and Upper Chute was a surprise find at the end of the day - so soft and dry, I cut over at the bottom and climbed back to the Poma to get a second shot; I was glad to have another opportunity to ski Volkl P60's - a little soft, but still a super fun ski; more GoPro today - GoPro Test 8.

Day 14 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 until 1:00; took a long coffee break waiting for Superstar to open; a cold and breezy 30° day with decreasing overcast; 17 runs; 18,000 vertical; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; with more lifts and terrain opening there's plenty of room now on the hill; Skye-High-Sweet opened at noon - I was expecting some soft snow, but it ended up being firm and variable; more GoPro today - GoPro Test 7.

Day 13 - Killington

On the hill this afternoon after going to the gym this morning. Before you think me too virtuous, let me explain. I need to ski more varied conditions - too many early morning groomers lately, so some afternoon hard pack was in order. On the hill from 12:45 until 4:15 - coincidentally, the same time as KMS - I thought I'd miss them, but no such luck; I caught the last gondi at 3:58; clear and cold (teens) with a stiff breeze - another winter day; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups; 21 runs; 15,500 vertical; tons of snowmaking around the mountain - I expect both Superstar and Snowdon tomorrow; some GoPro footage today - GoPro Test 6; I would have more, but I took too long 'hiding' the tripod and some guys skiing by seemed a little too interested in what I was doing.

Day 12 - Killington

First winter day of the season. On the hill from 9:00 until 1:15 with just a quick coffee break in KBL; completely overcast; mid-to-upper teens; another inch or two of snow overnight; skied the Atomic GS-12's again today; 28 runs; 19,600 vertical; much better crowd today - other than the initial rush at K-1, no liftlines what so ever; conditions are excellent - good coverage, good grooming, and soft snow; felt much better with the GS-12's today; much more room on the hill today, especially after the KMS kids left for school; KMS kids on their absolute best behavior today; feeling frisky enough to hit the Reason Park twice - obviously no rails or boxes, but I popped off every ramp.

Day 11 - Killington

Big Vetern's Day crowd today. On the hill from 9:00 until 1:15 with a quick coffee break in KBL; upper twenties; mostly cloudy up top, mostly sunny at KBL; 21 runs; 16,900 vertical; skied the newly repaired Atomic GS-12's - they're still a top notch ski; top-to-bottom is finally open, so no more walking the stairs; too many people on the hill today to really open it up with the GS skis; much harder to keep in front of the GS-12's; feeling good, skiing just OK.

Day 10 - Killington

I didn't know Vetern's Day Weekend was a ski holiday. Peak Lodge construction delayed this morning's start until 11:00, so I joined Susan and Jay in KBL for a coffee. Ok, Jay and I had a couple of beers, but whatever. So, we were on the hill for a couple of hours starting at 11:00; mid-twenties with light snow falling; 9 runs; 5,400 vertical; huge crowd for an early season Friday - 4-5 minute lift lines everytime; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups; nice recovery from yesterday's rain - frozen granular, but it didn't seem to get too scraped off or sugary; today's revelation - keep thinking macro view and add a light touch - don't tense the legs while edging - if the transition is timed correctly and everything is stacked, a light touch will grip and turn much smoother.

Day 9 - Killington

Amazed at the number of people stupid enough to join me this morning skiing in a driving rainstorm! On the hill for a couple of hours starting right at 9:00; the weather was, as previously stated, warm and rainy with a stout breeze from the SW; soft snow where they had groomed (Great Northern, Rime, Upper East Fall), skiable moonscape where they had not (Upper Double Dipper); coverage remains good - just a few thin spots on Great Northern and on the sides of the main trails; 13 runs; 7,750 vertical; skied the K2 Apache Xplorers; even in the soft snow the K2's aren't working well any more - I guess they're relegated to 'early season tree ski' status from now on; I'm feeling pretty good, although my left calf tightened up a little last night so I'm going to the gym this afternoon for a light streaching session; more GoPro testing today - GoPro Test 5.

Day 8 - Killington

Another glorious day on the hill! Out for about 3½ hours starting right at 9:00; light winds and overcast skies gave way to brilliant sunshine almost immediately; upper thirties to start, probably mid-to-upper forties by the time I left; carvers paradise today - super soft, smooth, and cutable; 21 runs; 12,500 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheaters again today; as the run counts over the past few days attest, I'm feeling pretty good physically and I'm skiing adequately enough given the time of year; I plan on stepping things up next week - GS skis, bigger angles, and higher speeds; more GoPro testing this morning - GoPro Test 4.

Day 7 - Killington

Another day in paradise! Out for almost 4 hours starting at 9:00; brilliant sunshine with very little wind; upper twenties to start, mid-thirties to finish; 24 runs; 14,250 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; they groomed in yesterday's snowmaking and continued to make snow on top into mid-morning when the temps rose above freezing, making for another day of marvelous soft snow conditions; fairly large crowd today - 25 to 75 person lift line most of the morning; prevented a potential disaster this morning, when I noticed that the GoPro mount I was about to use was broken - having it fail and loosing my new GoPro would have sucked big time; had the opportunity to make a run directly behind CM this morning - for a downhiller she's mighty quick on the short boards; walked up the stairs and rode down the K-1 with DT today, he rode his motorcycle to the hill to go skiing today - he's crazy!

Day 6 - Killington

What a great day to be alive - or at least a skier and at Killington. On the hill for 3¼ hours starting right at 9:00; low twenties to start; upper twenties to finish; crystal clear skies and little to no wind; skied the Rossignol Avenger 76 Ti's again today; 20 runs; 11,900 vertical; snowmaking on everything that was open; the snow was marvelous today - soft and dry; the bumps on Upper East Fall were of particular note; skied most of the morning with Mickey Cahill; despite all the snowmaking and good coverage, I nailed my skis pretty good on Upper East Fall; GoPro testing continues - GoPro Test 3.

Day 5 - Killington

On the hill for an hour and a half this afternoon starting at 2:00; 25° and sunny with almost no wind; skied the Rossignol Avenger 76 Ti's; 9 runs; 5,350 vertical; frozen granula scraped into piles of sugar; lots of people still on the hill when I got there, but it cleared out to almost nothing by the time I left; forgot my googles today; passed two people on the stairs today; more GoPro testing today - GoPro Test 2.