Killington – 11/11/14
Killington
Conditions: Soft MM – spring like conditions
Trip Report:
We were excited about our first day out. We got there around 10 – about 30 minutes later than desired. Temps were already in the upper 40’s at the base, but with reports of wind at the top we decided to dress like normal winter conditions that we were expecting higher up – oops! The wind was not a factor and was only noticeable getting off the gondola.
Trails open were Great Northern to Rime, Rime (Upper and Lower), Upper Eastfall (parallel to Rime), Reason having some park features, the trail above Double Dipper and some people were skiing Down Draft to Great Northern from the cross over trail. Coverage (except for one spot) on all of these trails was very good and though snow was soft it was not a speed killer by any means. We felt like the conditions were playful and fun. At least we did not have to hike down the stairs
Eastfall had decent bumps that were soft and not scrapped off and were distributed nicely which allowed me to develop good rhythm without losing any speed. I was skiing on new Dynastar Distorters that were longer than my previous ski and they performed wonderfully in the bumps having a softer front tip. These skis are also rockers so they stayed up on the soft snow really well and skied quick. I was very happy with them.
On Rime, well that was a nice fast cruiser which was not bumped out at all upper. That section was nice for fast linked turns. Lower Rime had some bumps that were fun to catch air on and the run itself was fast and . The only issue with Rime was the traffic which brings up my next point.
My only gripe was out of control snowboarders, not all, just some. There probably were skiers like that too but the snowboarders stuck out like sore thumbs. There was a large group of snowboarders that found a spot where they could drop into the trees then pop back on the trail with pretty big air – I saw many near misses. IMO not a good idea with so many people. My wife got cut off on Eastfall by a snowboarder who felt they needed to catch air on the very bump she was about to hit – then the asshole missed his landing and nearly launched himself into the woods. He was followed by his friend who hit the same bump behind my wife and he too took a digger and did end up in the trees. I was watching from below and what really got to me was the fact that they were the only ones on the trail. Anyhow!
Overall a great day, new gear worked out for all of us, conditions were very nice for our first day out. I skied for free, wife and son skied with a 2 for 1 and my brother-in-law on a 50% voucher. To top it all off – bluebird skies! BTW - lift line was bearable with 10-15 minute wait MAX.
No trip report complete w/o "stairway" photo with my wife leading the way
photo 1.jpg
My last ditch attempt to show conditions (forgot to take pic while skiing)
photo 3.JPG
Conditions: Soft MM – spring like conditions
Trip Report:
We were excited about our first day out. We got there around 10 – about 30 minutes later than desired. Temps were already in the upper 40’s at the base, but with reports of wind at the top we decided to dress like normal winter conditions that we were expecting higher up – oops! The wind was not a factor and was only noticeable getting off the gondola.
Trails open were Great Northern to Rime, Rime (Upper and Lower), Upper Eastfall (parallel to Rime), Reason having some park features, the trail above Double Dipper and some people were skiing Down Draft to Great Northern from the cross over trail. Coverage (except for one spot) on all of these trails was very good and though snow was soft it was not a speed killer by any means. We felt like the conditions were playful and fun. At least we did not have to hike down the stairs
Eastfall had decent bumps that were soft and not scrapped off and were distributed nicely which allowed me to develop good rhythm without losing any speed. I was skiing on new Dynastar Distorters that were longer than my previous ski and they performed wonderfully in the bumps having a softer front tip. These skis are also rockers so they stayed up on the soft snow really well and skied quick. I was very happy with them.
On Rime, well that was a nice fast cruiser which was not bumped out at all upper. That section was nice for fast linked turns. Lower Rime had some bumps that were fun to catch air on and the run itself was fast and . The only issue with Rime was the traffic which brings up my next point.
My only gripe was out of control snowboarders, not all, just some. There probably were skiers like that too but the snowboarders stuck out like sore thumbs. There was a large group of snowboarders that found a spot where they could drop into the trees then pop back on the trail with pretty big air – I saw many near misses. IMO not a good idea with so many people. My wife got cut off on Eastfall by a snowboarder who felt they needed to catch air on the very bump she was about to hit – then the asshole missed his landing and nearly launched himself into the woods. He was followed by his friend who hit the same bump behind my wife and he too took a digger and did end up in the trees. I was watching from below and what really got to me was the fact that they were the only ones on the trail. Anyhow!
Overall a great day, new gear worked out for all of us, conditions were very nice for our first day out. I skied for free, wife and son skied with a 2 for 1 and my brother-in-law on a 50% voucher. To top it all off – bluebird skies! BTW - lift line was bearable with 10-15 minute wait MAX.
No trip report complete w/o "stairway" photo with my wife leading the way
photo 1.jpg
My last ditch attempt to show conditions (forgot to take pic while skiing)
photo 3.JPG