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 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 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 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.

Day 4 - Killington

What a fantastic day - it may have been the best October day ever! Arrived early only to be greeted with yet another hold. It ended up only being 15 minutes, but still... On the hill from 9:15 until 1:00; totally overcast and windy with some rain from 11:00 until 11:30 and then again as I was leaving; mid-thirties to start, mid-forties to finish; futzing with my GoPro app screwed up today's Ski Tracks so I'll have to estimate 25 runs and 14,750 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's - what an unbelievably fun ski; the snow was fantastic - great cover, groomed smooth edge-to-edge, and as soft as a baby's butt; almost left when it started to rain, but ended up being rewarded when all the people left and then it stopped; with heavy rain in the forecast for tomorrow, I skied just about as long as I could today; picked up my new Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's on the way home today; took the GoPro out for a little test run this morning - shot about 80 minutes - GoPro Test 1.