Ski Dates for 2015

I'm looking for people interested in joining me on ski trips. I go to Killington, where I have a season pass. I am an all-day skier... I like to start by 9:00AM and I'm usually not off the mountain until well after the lifts close. On some occasions, we get on the road at 6AM to arrive at the slopes by 9 for the first day. Others we leave the night before. Lodging is at Chalet Killington which has a good and fast hot breakfast, leaving us with a one-mile drive to Snowshed, two to Killington Base, or about 4 to Bear Mountain. We leave for home after the lifts have closed on the last day. Nothing is sweeter than getting on the last chair at 4pm and having that nice long last run after normal folk have gone home.

I don't own a car, so normally I rent one to drive up. If you provide a car, you share the room for free. If you don't have a car, and still want to come, I'm always eager to have company for the ride, so we'll figure out something that works. Sometimes Killington gives me a few discounts on tickets with my season pass, and if they do, I'm happy to provide them. Let me know if you are interested in joining me on any of these weekends.

The Chalet has free wireless, so you can sit in front of the fireplace and work, surf the web, or drink beer. There's a sauna and jacuzzi, and a heated outdoor pool. Dinner is available at the Baja Burrito right in the hotel, so you can walk down to dinner from the room without even putting your shoes on.

We normally kick off the season with a skiers' hookey day or weekend in December, depending on the conditions. Serious skiing begins with the arrival of the new year, and continues through March.

The last couple years, I've set a goal of trying two new ski areas per year, one of them often in the mid-to-late spring.

Think Snow!

Here is some historical info on the lifts at Killington. They just updated this to reflect the new SPQ and the loss of Devil's Fiddle Chair, but they haven't noted the recent and unfortunate loss of the South Ridge Triple.
Here are some pictures from the 2011 season.

Full weekends are in black. The usual plan is to drive up Friday night.
Partial weekends are in yellow with notes. Weeks marked "No Friday Travel" are open for 3 options: (1) 6:00AM Saturday drive for 2 days of skiing, (2) Saturday afternoon drive and ski Sunday, or (3) one-day trip on Sunday, leaving at 6:00AM.
Unavailable weekends are in red. I'll be there in spirit those weekends.
Indicated dates include northbound travel.

pp

DATE
NOTE
PLANS, [and RESULTS]
Dec 16


Suddenly planned Skiers' Hookey Day with Joseph [Best December conditions I have seen. Visibility was a problem, but snow was excellent with 3 feet of recent snow. Day 1]
Jan
1-4 (Thu-Sun)
Classes begin 12 Jan. Chalet Killington reserved Thu, Fri, Sat nights.
Jason Fri, Sat. [Cold Fri/Sat with machine snow over the ice. Sunday was better than forecast; temps in the 40s, but without too much rain, it was nice soft spring snow. Days 2,3,4]

9-11
CK Full and I'm flying back from India.


16-19 MLK 3 Days
Chalet Killington reserved Fri, Sat, Sun.
Zetong, Wenyi Sat. Steve, Colin, Jack Sat, Sun, Chris, KT Sun, Mon. [Cold Sat. Good machine snow. Good Sun. AM, then rain/snow to the end. Mon. Freshies! They claimed 14 inches of snow overnight. Slow start with lift holds, but a great afternoon; we did every run in the Canyon. Best run was Double Dipper just before lunch. Days 5,6,7]

23-25
Chalet Killington reserved Fri, Sat.
Andy [Lots of good snow everywhere. Quiet day Sat. A dusting of new snow Sun. Cold, windy, and sunny. Best run was Double Dipper. Days 8,9]
Feb
Jan31-Feb1
No Friday Travel Chalet Killington reserved Sat. only.
Joseph. [Just skied Sunday. Cold but clear. A little recent powder was a bit windblown but still pretty good. Day 10.]

6-8
Photonics West


12-15 Thu-Sun (Mon Holiday)
Squaw Valley: Drive up Thu 5pm, Ski Fr, Sa, Su. Drive to SFO Sun 5pm. SV Lodge Condo Reserved for up to 4 people.
Good spring skiing above 8000ft, fair on the machine snow at the bottom. Skied in short-sleeved T-shirt. The Watson Monument, maybe 10 to 12 feet tall, is usually completely covered in February. The meadow beyond the parking lot is also usually snow-covered in this picture from the Mountain Run. No one is skiing on Sunnyside. The condo is in the building at the right. Saturday more of same; afternoon at Alpine Meadows where the lower trails were in better shape than at Squaw. Lots of kids with the holiday week. More of same Sun. Days 11,12,13.

20-22
Chalet Killington reserved Fri, Sat.
Andy. [Saturday Cold and windy with good snow, and snowfall started in the afternoon. Freshies (4in or so) for Sunday, warm and sunny. Days 14,15.]
Mar
Feb27-Mar1
Chalet Killington reserved Fri, Sat.
Chris Sat. Chris and Jason Sun. [Cold with blue skies and exceptionally good cover. We could use more powder on top, but everything is covered and most of it is great. Lots of diamonds. 13 runs for 15k feet of vertical before lunch. 23k feet for the day. More of same but a little warmer Sunday. Days 16,17.]

6-13 (S-S)
Spring Break, Ski House Week
Chris Sat-Mon or Tue. Andy for part of it. [Cold weather has kept the trails almost as good as last week. [Late start Saturday AM, but did the Fiddle, OL, Ovation, etc. 25kft vertical on Sunday with a bit of snow late PM. Just a bit warmer Mon. Up in the high 30s Tue. 4 days with Chris came in at Just under 100k feet of vertical. Wed with J; a real spring day. Thu it turned cold and the soft snow froze. Blue skies. Fri skiing with grandson, Jack. His first top-to-bottom run. Sat. with all the Davises in a bit of light rain and sleet. Jack is improving on Header. Colin did his first Vertigo, Ovation, and Outer Limits. Days 18-25.]

13-15
Chalet Killington reserved Sat. Only
Colin and a few runs with Ali G. [Some lift delays and limited trails, but great grooming on what was open. Snow during the day. Day 26]

20-22
Chalet Killington reserved Fri, Sat.
Tristan, Joe R. (Joe is driving), Colin. [Conditions are still great with good soft snow and warmer temps Sat. A little cooler Sun. Days 27,28.]

27-29
Chalet Killington Reserved Fri, Sat.
Jason Sat., Jason and Stacia Sun. [It's still winter at K. Almost 100% open with lots of good loose granular, and some nice powder still in the trees. Low 20s Sat, mid 20s Sun. Days 29,30.]
Apr
3-5 Chalet Killington Reserved Fri, Sat. Alec [The precipitation that dare not speak its name changed to snow during breakfast. A couple inches of fresh snow to start the weekend. A little scraped down by the end. Sunday, Chris joined us. More of same with some nice sun until after traditional Easter dinner, chili in a bread bowl and coffee. It's still winter. Days 31,32. With some weekend activities, this may be the end.]

and beyond???
April Skiing is unpredictable. We'll go after this only if it really looks good. In 2010, we hit Jay Peak on 1-2 May to close the season. Other years, we've barely made it through March.

May
and even May (1-3) OK. It's been a great spring and I've missed some good weekends, but it's time for one last blast.
[J and Stacia Saturday. Mid 60s and sunny both days. Many open trails from Chute to Bittersweet, including Double Dipper, Cascade, and of course Superstar. Warm sun and bumps and a little spring craziness on the top of "The Whale." Best spring conditions ever. Days 33,34]
June
Yes, June. Well, maybe.
I'll be in Santiago, Chile, during June, so I'm hoping Portillo has an early winter.




Watch this space in early May for summer bike trips, and look in November for the next ski season.