Day 75 - Killington

Powder day - 6" of bone dry, blower pow this morning; out 9:00 to 1:00 with a coffee break; Temps around 10°, cloudy, light winds, heavy snow squall when I left; 12 runs; 13,600 vertical; started with the Blizzard Brahmas, but changed to the K2 Apache Xplorers almost immediately to venture into the nats; did tons of stuff for the first time this season - Patsy's, Low Rider, Lower Great Bear, Northstar, Conclusion, Escapade; Big Dipper Glade; they cleared way too many trees out of Low Rider; 3 falls today - I believe that doubles this year's total.

Day 74 - Killington

KSC Masters Training; out 8:30 to 11:00; 8 GS runs on Bunny; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; beautiful day, 15° Sunny - no wind; the snow is still soft and dry.

Day 73 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 to 12:30 with a coffee break; cold and windy with a diminishing K-Cloud; 14 runs; 16,425 vertical; skied the Atomic GS-12's - still my favorite skis; packed powder everywhere; Double Rime Fall was soft and smooth.

Day 72 - Killington

Out 9:00 till noon; 6”+ since yesterday, 3” last night; clear and cold, no wind; skied the Volkl Katanas;  6 runs; 8,100 vertical; powder and packed powder everywhere; Vagabond was good; Patsy's was open, but I passed - it looked thin.

Day 71 - Killington

9:00 to 12:00 with a coffee break; 6" new snow - the snow slowed considerably when I left, but started again hard as I got home; skied the Volkl Katanas; 9 runs; 12,100 vertical; lots of people on the hill today.

Day 70 - Killington

Out 9:00 till 12:30 with a KBL coffee break; 17 runs; 19,500 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahmas; sunny and 20° with a little bit of wind;

Day 69 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a quick coffee break in KBL; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 21 runs; 27,250 vertical; OL groomed - 7; Supe Groomed - 7; Canyon - 7; conditions down the intersection of Lower Downdraft & Dip Dip were unbelievably difficult today - I only did each one once, then moved on; mid-twenties, overcast with little wind - light snow up high when I left.

Day 68 - Ski Sawmill

Surprised how nice it was for such a small hill - 225 vertical; out from 12:30 until 5:00 with a couple of short breaks; overcast with temps comfortably around freezing; 25 runs; 5,600 vertical; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL Cheaters and the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; picked up new skis from FedEx in Horseheads

Day 67 - Killington

Out 9:00 until 12:00 no break; sunny but cold, low-single digit temps; 11 runs; 12,000 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 2-Run Ski Bum:   Run 1 - 28.57 (20)   Run 2 - 29.10 (19)   Total: - 57.67 (17)   +10.46 behind Sardelli; conditions remain good.

Day 66 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 until 1:30 with a coffee beak; clear, cold, and windy; -5° for first chair, -1° when I left; 20 runs + 6 Snowdon Poma's; 27,700 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; very few people, very good snow.

Day 65 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 until 1:00 with a coffee break; temps falling through the twenties as a quick 3" of snow fell in a howling wind storm; 17 runs; 23,750 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's and changed to the Volkl Katanas after coffee; I'm looking for a new name for the blog - any ideas?

Day 64 - Stratton

NEMS GS   Run 1: 1:29.22 (95)   Run 2: 1:31.82 (96)   Total: 3:01.04 (91)   15° and snow accumulating to 4" by the time I left at 2:30; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #1 and #2's.

Day 63 - Pico

Out for 45 minutes at 3:15 just to keep the feel for the GS skis before tomorrow's Master's Race at Stratton; clear and cold, 5° with a very light breeze; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #2's; went down on Gold Rush when I stepped out of my right ski - great way to start my ski day!

Day 62 - Gore Mountain

Thankfully, warmer today than I expected. On the hill from 8:30 until 1:00 with a coffee break; -14° at home when I left at 6:00 AM, but much warmer on the hill, 0° for first run and 8° when I left; brilliant sunshine with a light and variable wind; 21 runs; 24,100 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; The Rumor wasn't open, but Lies was pretty good so I did like 9 or 10; nobody on the hill today but me, nice; my skiing feels better, but not as good as I'd like; I'm getting my hips much more forward and inside before applying pressure high and early - this is creating much higher edge angles and less skidding and gives me the ability to control or tighten the turn radius as needed.

Day 61 - Killington

On the hill just long enough not to freeze to death. Out for 4, then quickly in for coffee, then 5 more before calling it a day; -10° warming to a balmy -7°; brilliant sunshine didn't help much since there was a stiff wind that made it almost unbearable; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #2's; nobody on the hill, not even very many people on the Gondi; Skyburst was pretty good; lots of snowmaking today.

Day 60 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 until 1:00 with a rather long coffee break to warm up; increasing light overcast dimmed the morning's sunshine; -5° for first chair, 0° when I left; no wind; 22 runs; 26,600 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; they've groomed everything flat, flat, flat; did 9 Superstars by 10:00; nobody, I mean nobody, on the hill today; wish I would have taken one of the Atomic 27's today.

Day 59 - Killington

Good day - it felt good to get some mileage. On the hill from 8:00 until 12:00 with just a quick coffee break; light snow accumulating to 2"; intermittently windy with temps in the low twenties; skied the Blizzard Brahmas; 21 runs; 22,800 vertical; light crowd for a holiday - never waited in a lift line and the KBL parking lots were only half full when I left at 12:00; hit a rock on Dip Dip and nailed the edge on the Brahmas - first time I've dinged them up; got to ski Lower Ovation and Outer Limits for the first time this year; felt pretty good today - I handled lots of tough conditions with ease; Lower O was gnarly, icy bumps; Lower Downdraft was flat, but an ice skating rink; Vertigo Headwall was an ice skating rink as well.

 

Day 58 - Middlebury

NEMS GS - DNF Run 1; on the hill from 8:30 until 11:00 - left after blowing out in Run 1; light snow accumulating to 2" with temps in the low twenties; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #1 and #2's; a little disappointed.

Day 57 - Pico

ASRA GS - three runs back-to-back-to-back from about half way down B-Slope, best two counted;   Run 1: 32.94 (20)   Run 2: 33.27 (20)   Total: 66.21 (20)    On the hill from 8:30 until 11:30; mostly sunny with temps rising into the low thirties; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #1 and #2's; feeling better skiing in the gates, but my times don't seem to be improving; first chair to the summit this morning for an unobstructed run down a well groomed and untracked Pike on my GS skis - nice!

Day 56 - Cochran's

NEMS 'Give It A Try' clinic - some good swag; on the hill for a couple of hours; mostly cloudy with temps in the low thirties; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; our group was lead by Bobby Cochran - the youngest looking 72 year old I've ever seen; get the skis out away from the body and up on edge as early as possible - ankles, then knees, then hip.

Day 55 - Killington

A little more snow today; on the hill from 9:00 until 1:00 with a coffee break; upper twenties with a light snow that ended around noon - another inch or so of accumulation; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; parked in the Vale and started at Ramshead, then moved to the Canyon before coffee, then a run down Superstar and over to Bear; the mountain needs some love - not as much snowmaking going on as I would have expected; got to ski Downdraft today, but Cascade was much better; hiked up the very top of old Snowshed Crossover to get OL, but they had it roped at the top, so I turned around.

Day 54 - Killington

Surprisingly good today after a full day of hard rain yesterday. On the hill from 9:00 until 12:30 with a quick coffee break; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; yesterday's rain ended as 2" of new snow above 3,000 ft.; bright sunshine today with temps rising into the 40's at KBL; got to ski Dip Dip for the first time this year; Ski Bum today: 29.46 (24) +4.84 behind Sardelli.

Quite a contrast in conditions from KBL to the top of the Canyon!

Day 53 - Swain

On the hill for a couple of hours then left - that's all it took to ski all the trails; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; the overcast was so thick that the light were on and it actually helped.

Day 52 - Montage

ASRA GS in the rain; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17 & 19's; good and bad today - nearly came to a stop twice in the first run, but recovered for a decent second run;   Run 1: 48.39 (11);   Run 2: 43.75 (6);   Total: 91.14 (9); visited the doctor on Thursday and got a steriod shot in my right knee - for now it feels much better.

Day 51 - Ski Denton

Not much open; skied for about an hour and a half; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; my right knee is still a problem.

Day 50 - Elk Mountain

ASRA SL - DNF; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL WorldCups.

Day 49 - Elk Mountain

ASRA GS; on the hill from 8:30 until 12:30; cold and sunny with no wind - 2° to start, warming to 15° by the time I left; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #1 and #2's; another crappy result   Run 1: 45.01 (37)   Run 2: 45.81 (30)   Total: 1:30.82 (33)   +19.35 behind 1st place.

Day 48 - Greek Peak

Snow! On the hill for 5+ hours 9:00 through 2:30; cold and snowing - 10° with 4" new snow to start with at least 3 new inches through the day; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; the new Quad is nice and shiny; skied with Dave; staying over with Dave and Mel even though I'm not skiing tomorrow.

Day 47 - Seven Springs

Out first thing for three hours with no break; 30° with a few high clouds and no wind; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL WorldCups and the Head i.Speed GS Cheaters; a little better today - 16 handicap at NASTAR.

Day 46 - Seven Springs

Annual trip to ski with family. On the hill from 9:00 until 1:45; 20° overcast and snowing; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; another poor racing performance - 27+ handicap at NASTAR today.

Day 45 - Killington

On the hill a little over 2 hours starting right at 8:00; skied the Blizzard Brahma's; Needle's, Superstar, and the Canyon; right knee is bad, bad, bad.

Day 44 - Killington

Waited for it to start snowing - out for a couple of hours at the end of the day; 2" by 4:00PM; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's.

Day 43 - Killiington

Day 42 - Pico

After 3 days of rain there's not a stitch of snow around - without snowmaking Pico would have < 1% snow coverage; out for a couple of hours in the afternoon; overcast with temps in the teens; Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's.

Day 41 - Killington

9:00 to 1:00; skied till it rained; Timberline, Supe, and Cascade; overcast and windy with temps in the upper thirties; Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's.

Day 40 - Killington

Out 9:00 until 2:00 with a quick KBL coffee break; overcast and windy with temps in the twenties; skied the Blizzard Brahmas; miles; skied with Sardelli and Bud's NJ posse.

Day 39 - Killington

No real progress today - still skiing like shit. Out from 9:00 till 2:30; warmer today - teens warming into the twenties; full on K-Cloud this morning, with a heavier overcast by the afternoon; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's and the brand new Blizzard Brahma's; another crappy Ski Bum result today, 28th overall - even finished behind the Women's B winner; the Blizzard Brahmas ski shorter than their 180cm length.

Day 38 - Killington

Really, really struggling - hope to regain some sense of competence soon. Out for 3 hours at the end of the day; cold, windy, and snowing; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; tons of people on the hill today despite the cold - big PSIA event this week; didn't get scanned for the second day in a row.

Day 37 - Killington

Just out for a couple of runs to get the day. Very cold overcast with a fairly stiff breeze; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's.

Day 36 - Killington

ASRA GS: Run 1 - 40.32 (83)   Run 2 - 40.19 (88)   Overall - 1:20.51 (82)   +15.05 behind 1st place; Clear, cold, and still - 7 below at Snowdon this morning; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #1's and the Atomic GS-12's.

Day 35 - Killington

ASRA GS: Run 1 - 41.21 (44)   Run 2 - 40.94 (36)   Total - 1:22.15 (38)   +14.85 behind 1st place; 10° and snowing with 5" of new snow; nailed both pair of GS skis, but really fucked up the #2's.

Day 34 - Killington

ASRA Race Camp Day 3/Ski Bum 1. On the hill from 9:15 until 2:00; overcast with light winds; temps in the teens; skied the Atomic D2 Race GS #1's; AM fall - third fall of the season; skied a comfortable first Ski Bum of the year - 32.29 (22)/(5); PM - single GS run on Bunny plus a single re-run the Ski Bum course; woke up this morning with a sore toe - skiing today did it no favors it still hurts like hell.

Day 33 - Killington

ASRA Race Camp Day 2. On the hill from 9:15 until 2:00; overcast changing to light snow; temps in the low twenties; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL WorldCups; not every day's a good one.

Day 32 - Killington

ASRA Race Camp Day 1. On the hill from 9:30 until 2:00; snow, wind and freezing rain; temps in the twenties; AM skiing drills; PM brushes and stubbies; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL WorldCuups; Ric - change edges without changing direction then pressure, no rotary; John - make something happen between the turns... too static... move forward, pole plant, anything, something...

Day 31 - Killington

Killington Race Camp Day 5. Only on the hill in the AM - left at lunch; hard rain overnight, but it stopped just before 9:00; windy overcast with dropping temps - around freezing when I left; skied the Volkl RaceTiger SL WorldCups; slalom gates on Bunny; brought home new skis - Blizzard Brahamas.

Day 30 - Killington

Killington Race Camp Day 4; on the hill from 9:00 until 3:00 with just a lunch break; overcast and windy with temps in the thirties - despite the forcast no rain today, it may be a different story overnight; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17 & 19's; today was Race Day   41.29 (6)   41.14 (6)   1:22.43 (6) +8.00 from the winner +0.43 from (5th); skied the race course a ½ dozen times after the race before they pulled it; East Falll was really good this afternoon - our group made our final run of the day on it, it was so good I did 2 more despite having to use K-1.

Day 29 - Killington

Killington Race Camp Day 3; on the hill from 9:00 until 2:30 with just a quick lunch break; partly cloudy with temps in the thirties; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; lots of gates today - full length GS on Bunny both AM and PM.

Day 28 - Killington

Killington Race Camp Day 2; on the hill from 9:00 until 2:30 with a ¾ hour lunch break; brightening overcast with eventual peeks of sunshine; temps in the thirties - snowmaking continued, but only at higher elevations; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; full length GS on Bunny this afternoon; skiing better with the softened Dobi's; use loopy turns to stay in the course - jump hard on the fronts while using the ankle, knee, hip progression to make the ski turn across the hill.

Day 27 - Killington

Killington Race Camp Day 1. On the hill from 9:00 until 3:00 with just a 30 minute lunch break; overcast with in and out fog; temps in the low thirties, so no snowmaking today; skied both the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17 and 19's; DT's group - go figure?; balance drills - up and over for angulation - White Pass turns for inclination; other crap; still having trouble with speed control using anything but skidding - DT's recommendation more forward pressure earlier in the turn and higher edge angles to tighten the turn radius thereby controlling speed using turn shape; went to Peak after today's session to soften the Dobi 150's in an effort to allow me to actually make small forward moves to engage the tip of the ski.

Day 26 - Killington

On the hill from 8:00 until 1:00; Overcast but warmer - upper twenties for first chair, mid-thirties on the way home; 15 runs; 12,500 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's and the Rossignol Experience 98's; DT lead our KSC Masters group today - fairly productive morning; 1,000 steps, up only - garland turns, across only; shorter turn progression - ankles, knees, hips; pass the poles behind Schlopy; to affectuate forward pressure use ankle flexation and big, hard, dramatic forward move; while doing drills, don't be subtle - demonstration required exaggeration.