A roasting pig, a hoedown and sunshine close out Killington

"Get out of my line. Get out of my line. Get out of my line. Get out of my line." I couldn't help but laugh. I've been to more than 20 closing days at Killington and I'm getting yelled at. I was taking pictures and video, roasting like a lobster, in the middle of a mogul field on the Superstar Trail at Killington.

The ski area decided to close Sunday, so all the hardcores showed up to ski and snowboard and have a champagne toast at Killington Peak at 4:30.

Most skiers like to visit me while I am taking pictures and talk, but this woman, who was an amazing bump skier and beautiful, drew her line down the 50-yard wide slope and I was in the middle!

I think she said it was "her" line. Maybe she said "the" line. But she made my day. I don't know why.

I guess it made my day the same way the waitresses in their cowboy hats and boots smiled at me at the hoedown at the Lookout Bar &.Grill. Or the skiers and snowboarders crashed down the Superstar Trail like there was no tomorrow. Of course there wasn't. Unless you walk up Tuckerman Ravine. Maybe it was just the sunshine.

Anyway, closing day would not be the same without the aroma of a pig roasting at Moguls on the Killington Road as children played mini-golf and parents listened to live music.

Last day at Killington is a special place when the weather cooperates. It's the circle of life.

  (CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)     
     

   

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100426/NEWS/100429965

Spring Blooms at Killington and Pico

 
The bra tree at the Killington Ski Area was in full bloom Saturday.
In fact, the annual blossoms seem to have sprouted more than the traditional bras this year.
The tree is an annual ritual of spring while riding up the Skye Peak Express Quad at Bear Mountain.
I was photographing a story at the Stash at Bear Mountain and needed to drag my wounded knee up to Killington's unique terrain park.
I sprained by knee a month ago and haven't written my blog since.
My web guy wanted to take my ski blog down for the summer, but I told him the best skiing was yet to come.
And it arrived on Saturday and Sunday.
The snow was still fabulous for this time of year. A tiny bit slushy, but fat skis and snowboards of today are made for this kind of snow.
And the deck scene at Bear Mountain Saturday was priceless. It wasn't the huge party of last weekend when thousands of people had the time of their lives partying in the sunshine to moe. in face of Outer Limits.
On Saturday, Killington employees wearing cheeseburger smiles served food to skiers and snowboarders at the huge outdoor barbeque at Bear Mountain. It was 75 degrees and not a coat in the county.
An hour-glass shaped woman wearing spandex ski pants with long brunette hair slowly moved and danced to music streaming from outdoor speakers. (I can't make this up. I am a journalist).
I tried to eat my hamburger, but the sun and heat were getting to me.
I decided to go to Pico Saturday afternoon where the ski area was closing the next day.
Actually, my physical therapist recommended golf over skiing this weekend.
But if Saturday and Sunday are the last two days I ski this year, it was worth it.
KA was excellent, so was the Pike. Could this really be Pico's last weekend of the year? And Vermont did not get much natural snow this year.
Yes, Killington did a great job making snow at Pico this year. Thanks. Also, thanks to PR Giant Tom Horrocks who I saw slaving away Saturday morning on the Bear Mountain deck.
Later Saturday afternoon was perfect for a happy-hour barbecue on the deck of the Pico Peak Ski Area where I am a member.
About ten families with kids played in the snow, venison roasted on the grill and beer chilled in the coolers.
The next day, Sunday, was all about business. There weren't many people at Pico and my knee was swelling up.
But Americans are about statistics for some reason.
First birthdays, first steps, first pitch, final game.
Well in skiing, it's who's up the chair first in the season and who's the last one down.
I can honestly say I was last "civilian" down the Pike at Pico this season.

I road up with the "last chair" sign at 4:01 on Sunday. At top of Pico, stood a group of about 20 excited skiers and snowboarders, young and old, ready to take the last run down the hill.
They headed down Summit Glades in a swarm, whooping and hollering. A ski patroller followed to scoop up anyone that might fall.
I decided to go down the Pike - one of the greatest views from a ski trail in Vermont. No one followed. Skiing under the chair was eerie. No people. No moving chairs. Just Warren Zevon.
"And his hair was perfect.
Ahhwooooo... Werewolves of London, Huh! Draw blood!
Ahhwooooo... Werewolves of London..."
I looked back at the long white trail topped by a perfect blue sky.
Goodnight "Giant Killer," goodnight "KA," goodnight "Summit Glades." See you next year.

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE, PHOTOS BY VYTO STARINSKAS)

"P" is for Pico, Perfect Powder and Sushi

 
 
It's always awkward when you stand next to some goofball in a quiet bathroom of a shushi restaurant doing your business.
"Boy the the place is packed," I say staring at the wall last Saturday night.
I immediately open a floodgate - of enthusiastic banter that is.
... The food is great in this place, my new friend explains. We tried to make a reservation for the hibachi, but I couldn't get one. We came here anyway. We were here for dinner last night too! ...
He wasn't a goofball at all. He was a yahoo in his late-20s, most likely from out-of-state, up at Killington having the time of his life.
And he was right: if you find something special like Killington's Sushi Yoshi restaurant, you stick with it.
That's why I skied Pico with my friends Rich (above) and Rim (right) all day Saturday and went back AGAIN Sunday morning.
For me, the "P" in Pico was for "Perfect" this past weekend. Perfect powder and perfect pitch.
A constant weekend snow had sprinkled eight to ten inches of fluffy powder into the Pico woods.
Just enough snow to cruise through Pico's woods without any effort.
Actually I had the best 60 seconds of skiing of my life on Sunday.
I was jetting through a wooded area, snow was sprinkling through the air, the birches were covered with snow and were passing me like a blur.
The song on my IPod switched just in time from Greenday's version of Rainy Day Woman (which was perfect for Giant Killer) to Lucinda Williams' "Steal Your Love," a perfect song for a dreamy powder run.
 
I don't want your drugs and I don't want your money
I just wanna steal your love
I want you to squeeze me and call me honey
I just wanna steal your love

Again it takes the perfect pitch. Too steep and you are fighting the hill. Too slow and you don't go.
My friends will kill me, but the perfect pitches for powder seem to be to skiers' right of the Lower KA trail, below 49er.
Another is to skier's left of Giant Killer, above Fools Gold.
There are others. The new game at ski areas is to find the best sections of wooded areas to ski the Powder.
Thanks to shorter skis and snowboards, the woods are now more popular than ever.
However, remember to avoid the big trees, small branches and ravines.
Big trees equal big injuries, small branches equal sprained knees and ravines get you wet.

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

To Tune Or Not to Tune?

 
  Tuning skis by hand is about as much fun as battling a nine-year-old kid who is full of beans. At first it is fun, but after a while, it's a pain and can hurt .
Many skiers wonder if they should set up a place in their house to tune-up their skis.
My answer is: if you are a recreational skier with one or two pairs of skis, don't bother.
For as little as  $120 a year you can get a "seasonal" tune at a local ski shop and get the benefit of a machine sharpening, grind and wax. You get to bring in your skis in once a week and that's plenty. You don't want to wreck your skis by tuning them too many times. I got into tuning skis in my cellar because my kids raced for the Pico Ski Club and each had four or five sets of skis. (ouch) Racers and twin tips. So tuning them myself made sense. It takes about 45 minutes and a Long Trail per pair of skis. It also takes focus and some arm strength.
I only tune one pair of ski per family unit now, but I've kept the ski tuning set-up. (Laundry table, ski clamps, files, wax, Walgreen's iron).
If you tune yourself, you still should machine tune at a ski shop two or three times a year.
If you want to tune at home, Peak Performance on the Killington Road has the experts who can set you up for about $250 and give you some tips.
The basic steps are to sharpen your edges with diamond-stone files.
Then drip hot wax with a iron onto the bottom of the skis.
And finally scrape and brush the wax.
Talk to the Peak experts and find a workshop (or go online) if you are interested in tuning, especially if you have racers. Otherwide take advantage of a local ski shop.
Again, the tune will depend on two things: the quality of the ski shop's tuning equipment and the talent and experience of the tuner.
If the ski tuner offers you shots of strange green liquid as you arrive at the shop, only trust this person with your rock skis. (CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

(Video & photos are of the 500-foot Stratton Mountain Superpipe by Vyto Starinskas Rutland Herald)

 When I go skiing at Stratton, it's like skiing with my sister. On the other hand, skiing at Killington is like skiing with my ugly brother. And I mean both in a positive way.
Each are great Vermont ski experiences, but they are much different.
At Stratton, you are spoiled by trails of perfectly groomed, carpeted ski trails, a Swiss-like village atmosphere and a warm hug around every corner. Images of hot chocolate, fireplaces, teddy bears and oom pa pa bands   
  come to life at Stratton, which can't build enough condos, ski chalets and hotel rooms to sell.
Stratton's huge success has been based on attracting families, those who can plunk down the investment in the Vermont dream.
  Stratton's terrain park and superpipe are world-class and the ski area is mixing up the miles of "groomers" with some great tree trails.
But they don't have Killington's trails! Trails such as Devil's Fiddle, Outer Limits and Double Dipper. Trails that stretch the imagination as well your ability.
Ironically, it would also be great if Killington had Stratton's ski village. 
Killington was built on hard-core skiers. Many more day skiers from the cities. Homes and condo developments surround the mountain at Killington but there's no village.
Killington has proposed a ski village, a center where skiers could stay, shop etc...
It would be great for the local economy, but unclear what it would do to lift prices.
They keep talking about connecting Pico and Killington... My son and his friends skied from Pico to Ramshead several weekend's ago. Rode the "Bus" back... I guess the connect has happened.
 

Click to enlarge photos

 

     
I have witnessed three incidents of parking-lot rage at Killington and Pico. All occurred on Holiday weekends when the ski area was packed.
The first was by a woman in a huge SUV with out-of-state plates who refused to move for a "Bus" driver in front of Pico.
I couldn't hear a word she was saying, but she was SCREAMING and gestering in the front seat of her sound-proof tank like a three-year-old.
The next was when a driver went ballistic, after he claimed a Killington snowplow sprayed him with snow during a huge snowstorm. Also out-of-stater.
And the third was a classic, wish-I-had-a-video-camera, two-SUV, shouting-and-honking match at Ram's Head - as parents were picking up their kids.
I know the common denominator in all these incidents: crowds, parking and urban tension. I grew up in Boston and even miss it some time. It's the jungle.
But if you want to avoid some of it while skiing, the first hint is: don't ski weekends.
If that's not possible, get there early.
Since the new owners of Killington decided to raise prices for their new business plan, Killington and Pico are a "pleasant" place to ski. There rarely are lines, except for the gondola on holidays and Saturdays. On weekdays, expect to get lonely.
Actually I miss the crowds of the old days, but not the long lift lines.
But parking can still be a problem.
If you get there early on weekends, you can get a front row parking spot at the Killington Base, Rams Head, Snowshed, lower gondola or Bear Mountain parking lots. It's that easy and fun to ski to your car.
On a weekend, Rams Head, Snowshed and Killington Base parking lots will begin to fill up by noon. But if you get to the Superstar Trail around 11 a.m., you can park on the Killington Road right next to the lift. At noon, they close the road to the Killington Base parking lot, but if you give the parking attendant a good "story," he'll let you up and you can always find a spot left by early morning skiers.
Now there is BEAR MOUNTAIN. The oasis of Killington. Where dreams are made. Where air is king. You can ALWAYS get a decent parking spot at Bear Mountain and be in one of the nicest basins in the East.
Even Pico can fill up on Saturdays these days. Which is nice to see at the old mountain.
If the parking attendants try to stop you at Pico, you can always tell them you are going to the condos and find a parking spot.
The bottom line is, I always walk from my truck to the slopes in my ski boots, because I can find a close place to park and ski back to my truck. We live here to have an edge on the slopes.
 (Click on photos to enlarge. Photos by Vyto Starinskas)

Share what's interesting to you

   
 
 
I went to a Facebook seminar the other day taught by a geeky, hippie type PR woman from the Burlington area. She was a genius when it came to social networking for businesses and people. She wanted to find a boyfriend so she simply adjusted her profile to get different types of men to respond.
She wanted friends to go out with, so she found an internet site that found her girlfriends with similar interests to hang out with.
It would take an endless amount of time to have coffee with hundreds of people to get to know them, she explained. On Facebook or on a blog, you are quickly developing relationships with people of similar interests.
So that's why I am doing a blog about skiing.
My friends are fallng apart and I am having a hard time finding many hardcore skiers.
My friend Al blew out his knee skiing Killingon years ago - when drinking wine was still popular during lunchtime. Now people are smarter. Or my other friend from Boston (he shall remain nameless) who drank too much and skied down the inside stairs at the Sugarbush Base Lodge and was ejected. He hasn't skied for awhile.
Another friend has a hip injury, another friend had a heart attack and another friend from Boston has a condo here, but his wife has found out their condo in Florida is warmer. They also resent Vermont's "second home" tax.
I'm excited about hearing from skiers and snowboarders on the internet. Photos etc.
In fact, I've been asked to put up more photos of my own and discuss "dealing with the bull" on the mountain. Photos in this blog and "bull" in the next.

Oh yea, this weekend should be beautiful. Killington has 137 pf 141 trails open and Pico has all trails open... With weather in the high 30s, the snow should be soft and you should change your wax from last weekend's cold wax. I say Swix CH7 Purple should be fine, but the experts at the Peak Performance Ski Shop in Killington recommend mixing in some CH8 Pink wax with the purple. They are madmen. I will be mixing it with some Harpoons in my basement Friday night at a ski sharpening party.

 
  

The Beast is at its best right now. Lots of snow. Stash is open. Pico rocks. Great conditions. Ski if you can. This is a blog for skiers and snowboarders who love to ski the beast. It's open to everyone and I would like it to include personal accounts about updated trail conditions and how to avoid the bull#%! going on at the mountain. I ski Killington for seven reasons: Devil's Fiddle, Outer Limits, Superstar, Ovation, Double Dipper, Cascade and Low Rider. What are your favorite Killington trails?