Ski Dates for 2016

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 and arrive home about 8:00pm. 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 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.

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.

Think Snow!

Here is some historical info on the lifts at Killington.
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 2 options: (1) 6:00AM Saturday drive for 2 days of skiing, or (2) Saturday afternoon drive and ski Sunday. We can make decisions at the last minute depending on the interests of the participants and the reported snow conditions.
Unavailable weekends are in red. I'll be there in spirit those weekends.
Indicated dates include northbound travel.

DATE
NOTE
PLANS, [and RESULTS]

Dec

Skiers' Hookey Day TBD

Jan
1-5 (Fri-Tue)
Classes begin Mon 11 Jan.
Chalet K reserved Fri night through Tue morning.
Drive Friday: Ski Sat-Tue. Return Tue PM. Jason and Stacia Fri-Sun. [Limited terrain after a warm December. Saturday 8000 people on about 6 lifts. Sunday better. Monday high 8F dropping to 1F at the end of the day, with good skiing on the K1 - Mouse Trap route. Too cold to explore much else. Tuesday warmer and more of the same trails. Better days ahead! Days 1-4]

8-10
Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights
Family trip. [A few new trails open, and pretty good skiing on Saturday with Jack. Heavy rain Sunday but Colin and I got in a couple hours to start his collection of "war stories." Thanks for the Snowdon Quad on days like this. East Fall was the first run in the Canyon for the year. Days 5-6]

15-18 MLK 3 Days
Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat, Sun nights, 3 beds
Colin [A bit of snow and a good private lesson Saturday, more crowds Sunday, and cold with 7 inches of fresh powder Monday. Best run of the weekend: unquestionably lower Wildfire, ungroomed, over huge snow whales, under the guns. Days 7-9.]

22-24
Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights
Everett: K Saturday, Smuggs Sunday. [Chris and Heidy came to K. Cold on Saturday. First opening of Route 4 Base. Warmer and sunny Sunday and a good time at Smuggs. Days 10-11.]

Jan30-31
No Friday Travel
Chalet K reserved Sat night only Chris. [Warm (40+ F) spring skiing in January. First runs of the season on OL and DD with moguls the size of Volkswagens. Favorite run was Skyeburst. Just over 25,000 feet of vertical for the day. Day 12. ]

Feb
5-7
Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights Andy [Lots of closed trails after heavy rain Wednesday, but what's opened is pretty good machine snow. Days 13-14.]

12-15
Photonics West
No Skiing

19-21
No Friday Travel
Chalet K reserved Sat night only. Tristan [Temps into the 40s after a freeze last night. Not a lot was open, but there were a few good runs. Day 15.]

Feb 26-28
Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights (need bigger room.) Jack, Riley, Colin, Chris. [7 inches Thursday night made for good conditions and new open trails Saturday. Good spring skiing on Sunday too. Days 16-17.]

Mar
4-12 (Fri Night to Next Sat AM)
Spring Break, Ski House Week Chris and Heidy Fri-Tue. [Sat and Sun cold with a little dust over the ice. Not bad in the morning. Best run: Double Dipper both days. Mon. weather forecast was grim but we had snow in the AM and the precipitation that dare not speak its name only during lunch. Soft snow all day. Over 30k feet of vertical. Tue had great soft snow everywhere. Wed temps went to 70 and things are getting mushy. Skiing in shorts. Double Dipper wins best-run award again. Skyeship Base closed tonight. Connecting trails are going fast but there's good snow on some of the steeps. Thursday light rain in the AM and heavy rain in the PM. Trails are in tough shape. Did a bit of the lodge-bunny trick. Friday colder. Not much open, but better than expected with a few good runs. Best was Panic Button. Sat. better after some grooming, and Sun. even better. Days 18-26.]

12-13 Sat. Night, Ski Sun.
Chalet K reserved Sat night It's an early spring. Upper Chute is gone. Lots of connecting trails are closed or almost closed. We keep waiting for winter to start, but it's almost over. Snowmakers and groomers have done a great job of keeping at least some terrain open.

18-20
Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights Tristan [Temps in the 20s. Some loose snow on the very thin hardpack. Favorite run: Probably East Fall Sunday, but DD was pretty good too. Days 27,28.]

25-27
Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights [It's really getting to be spring now. Spring snow but not quite shorts weather. Last day for Bear and Ramshead. Best run was Cascade Sunday. Days 29. 30.]

Apr
1-3 Chalet K reserved Sat night to ski Sunday. Ethan and Paul [Freshies (A little); Saturday was reportedly pretty soggy, but it turned cold and we got a couple inches overnight for some surprisingly good conditions. Favorite run was Cascade, but Superstar gets honorable mention. Sadly, that's probably the last day of my season. Day 31.]

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. In 2015 it was 3 May at Killington. Other years, we've barely made it through March.

It's been a grim year for snow; probably the worst I remember, and many people say the worst in 40 years. The snowmakers and groomers at K did a great job with very little help from nature. Less than 5 feet of snow the whole season. Probably the best days were the Monday of MLK weekend in the fresh snow with Colin (our late-afternoon run down ungroomed lower Wildfire skiing the whales under the guns may have been the best run of the season), and the end of February with Jack T, Riley, Colin, and Chris (except for a very icy run down Vertigo).

After I gave up on Squaw this year following 4 bad years in a row,, they did get some snow, but with wind and avalanche issues, I would have only had one good day of skiing. All things considered, I probably made the right decision.

I only added one new area to my list this year; Thanks to Everett for a great day at Smuggs.

We added some new people to the ski group; Everett, Jack T, and Riley; all great skiers and great company.

As the Red Sox fans used to say, "Wait 'til next year."

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

	DATE	NOTE	PLANS, [and RESULTS]
Dec		Skiers' Hookey Day TBD
Jan	1-5 (Fri-Tue)	Classes begin Mon 11 Jan. Chalet K reserved Fri night through Tue morning.	Drive Friday: Ski Sat-Tue. Return Tue PM. Jason and Stacia Fri-Sun. [Limited terrain after a warm December. Saturday 8000 people on about 6 lifts. Sunday better. Monday high 8F dropping to 1F at the end of the day, with good skiing on the K1 - Mouse Trap route. Too cold to explore much else. Tuesday warmer and more of the same trails. Better days ahead! Days 1-4]
	8-10	Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights	Family trip. [A few new trails open, and pretty good skiing on Saturday with Jack. Heavy rain Sunday but Colin and I got in a couple hours to start his collection of "war stories." Thanks for the Snowdon Quad on days like this. East Fall was the first run in the Canyon for the year. Days 5-6]
	15-18 MLK 3 Days	Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat, Sun nights, 3 beds	Colin [A bit of snow and a good private lesson Saturday, more crowds Sunday, and cold with 7 inches of fresh powder Monday. Best run of the weekend: unquestionably lower Wildfire, ungroomed, over huge snow whales, under the guns. Days 7-9.]
	22-24	Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights	Everett: K Saturday, Smuggs Sunday. [Chris and Heidy came to K. Cold on Saturday. First opening of Route 4 Base. Warmer and sunny Sunday and a good time at Smuggs. Days 10-11.]
	Jan30-31	No Friday Travel Chalet K reserved Sat night only	Chris. [Warm (40+ F) spring skiing in January. First runs of the season on OL and DD with moguls the size of Volkswagens. Favorite run was Skyeburst. Just over 25,000 feet of vertical for the day. Day 12. ]
Feb	5-7	Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights	Andy [Lots of closed trails after heavy rain Wednesday, but what's opened is pretty good machine snow. Days 13-14.]
	12-15	Photonics West	No Skiing
	19-21	No Friday Travel Chalet K reserved Sat night only.	Tristan [Temps into the 40s after a freeze last night. Not a lot was open, but there were a few good runs. Day 15.]
	Feb 26-28	Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights (need bigger room.)	Jack, Riley, Colin, Chris. [7 inches Thursday night made for good conditions and new open trails Saturday. Good spring skiing on Sunday too. Days 16-17.]
Mar	4-12 (Fri Night to Next Sat AM)	Spring Break, Ski House Week	Chris and Heidy Fri-Tue. [Sat and Sun cold with a little dust over the ice. Not bad in the morning. Best run: Double Dipper both days. Mon. weather forecast was grim but we had snow in the AM and the precipitation that dare not speak its name only during lunch. Soft snow all day. Over 30k feet of vertical. Tue had great soft snow everywhere. Wed temps went to 70 and things are getting mushy. Skiing in shorts. Double Dipper wins best-run award again. Skyeship Base closed tonight. Connecting trails are going fast but there's good snow on some of the steeps. Thursday light rain in the AM and heavy rain in the PM. Trails are in tough shape. Did a bit of the lodge-bunny trick. Friday colder. Not much open, but better than expected with a few good runs. Best was Panic Button. Sat. better after some grooming, and Sun. even better. Days 18-26.]
	12-13 Sat. Night, Ski Sun.	Chalet K reserved Sat night	It's an early spring. Upper Chute is gone. Lots of connecting trails are closed or almost closed. We keep waiting for winter to start, but it's almost over. Snowmakers and groomers have done a great job of keeping at least some terrain open.
	18-20	Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights	Tristan [Temps in the 20s. Some loose snow on the very thin hardpack. Favorite run: Probably East Fall Sunday, but DD was pretty good too. Days 27,28.]
	25-27	Chalet K reserved Fri, Sat nights	[It's really getting to be spring now. Spring snow but not quite shorts weather. Last day for Bear and Ramshead. Best run was Cascade Sunday. Days 29. 30.]
Apr	1-3	Chalet K reserved Sat night to ski Sunday.	Ethan and Paul [Freshies (A little); Saturday was reportedly pretty soggy, but it turned cold and we got a couple inches overnight for some surprisingly good conditions. Favorite run was Cascade, but Superstar gets honorable mention. Sadly, that's probably the last day of my season. Day 31.]
	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. In 2015 it was 3 May at Killington. Other years, we've barely made it through March.