# Killington Feb 2 2014 .. meh



## bdfreetuna (Feb 2, 2014)

Well I just read Gladerider's report from yesterday and he definitely got after the goods better than me.

Got there early, parked at Ramshead because it looked like I could get a spot real close to the lodge. First run I took down Ramshead into Snowden was beautiful. Corduroy and sweet carvable snow. This was looking good.

I thought I'd do a tour of the resort, so to speak, before deciding which areas had the best snow. Also I wanted to scope out the woods, if possible. So I skied Bear Mountain, then back to Skye, then K1, then Canyons, then Snowdon, back to K1, back to Ramshead.

This was the progression of my short day, taking a couple runs in each area. The snow was not what I had hoped for or expected. The steep trails were either groomed and scraped off, or ungroomed with weird icy bumps. Cascade and Downdraft were straight up slick. I wanted to go in Big Dipper but the top section had a lot of bare exposed grass/dirt/rock and I didn't feel like ducking under the ropes on Double Dipper to have a half-assed woods experience.

The soft snow in the early morning firmed up and got scraped off so quickly. Eventually I evacuated the main mountains. I am able enough to ski steep icy stuff making short skiddy turns but it's not my idea of fun and for me it's at least as stressful as it is enjoyable. Called it a day by lunch time and as soon as I got in the car it started raining.

My prediction:: Big K needs snow and until then it's gonna be slick.

The woods: Big Dipper was clearly skiable although thin, except for the bare windblown top section. All the other woods I saw I wouldn't and didn't even bother to try. I'm somebody who will ski woods with thin cover. But this was too thin even for me.

Overall not the most fun I've had skiing.


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## Tin (Feb 2, 2014)

Completely different day obviously. Sucks dude but at least you got to ski.

K early in the year and late in the year...everywhere else in the middle lol


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 2, 2014)

Tin said:


> K early in the year and late in the year...everywhere else in the middle lol



That's usually my motto! But I had a free K ticket waiting to be used. So not a total loss by any stretch! Even kinda bummer days count for good exercise.


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## Smellytele (Feb 2, 2014)

I was there today and had no rain. Snow at bear around noon. Maybe rain at Ramshead and snow at Bear at the same time. Agreed that there was show shitting trails but most were in fair shape. Started at Ramshead as well. I thought Cascade skied well. Downdraft not so much. The shittiest trail I hit ice wise was Vertigo.  Bear was soft except OL. The clouds lowered and the top 3/4 of the hill was in the clouds and made visibility shitty. What I come to dislike about K is that although overall it has lots of trails and lots of lifts each pod has a limited amount of trails. You end up spending a lot of time going between pods.


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 2, 2014)

i am starting to get tired of Killington's layout as well. Similar thoughts regarding the feeling of constantly having to traverse one way or another to get where you want to go. The traverse skiing is not usually a highlight of the day, and if the crowds/snow/whatever sucks whereever you go, it takes a long ass time to get back where you came from.


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## steamboat1 (Feb 2, 2014)

Sorry your experience wasn't the same as mine this week. You have to learn the mountain to know how to ski it going up & down instead of sideways. One hint would be don't start at Ramshead, if you have park there walk thru the tunnel to Snowshed & use that lift, your much more in the middle of things right off, but that's only if you have to park there. Even during the week I never park at ramshead, there are several better options. Sucks skiing weekends when things get scraped off fast, snow was excellent all day Wed.-Fri.


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## Wavewheeler (Feb 2, 2014)

When we go for 3 days midweek I'll park one day at Snowshed and ski mostly Bear and Skye. The other days I'll park at K1 Lodge and ski the Peak, Superstar,  Canyons and Snowdon. I rarely go to Ramshead. The trick with parking at K1 is to get there early as that's the most popular place to park, even during the week. But it is convenient to start there because you can take Gondola or Superstar Quad and access just about everything.


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## steamboat1 (Feb 3, 2014)

I have no problem skiing the whole mountain everyday no matter where I start from. Never stick to one pod all day unless that's the only pod open which happens early & late season.


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## Smellytele (Feb 3, 2014)

As I said the pods, while numerous, are too small with 2 or 3 trails off each one for the most part.


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## MadMadWorld (Feb 3, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> As I said the pods, while numerous, are too small with 2 or 3 trails off each one for the most part.



Your never going to convince him that there is anything negative about Killington or Stowe.


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## steamboat1 (Feb 3, 2014)

MadMadWorld said:


> Your never going to convince him that there is anything negative about Killington or Stowe.



And for good reason. Lot's of other places I like to. By the way it's you're.


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## C-Rex (Feb 3, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> And for good reason. Lot's of other places I like to. By the way it's you're.




By the way it's "too".

I'll be there this weekend.  K on Saturday and I think Pico on Sunday.  I hope this storm coming Wednesday gives the mountains a good facelift.


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## gladerider (Feb 3, 2014)

to the OP. sorry yours didn't work out as mine. it was a bit crowded in the morning saturday so i think many trails got skied off. i agree with you though they need some natural pow. can't believe this winter. i'm sitting here in NJ looking out the window with all this useless snow here and none up there where we need it. looks like i'm gonna have to shovel a foot of snow, geez.


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## Sum1 (Feb 3, 2014)

2/2/14 was a great day at K-ton for my little trio.
I'm an intermediate who likes to push himself; not good enough for trees and glades.
Superbowl Sunday is a favorite ski day -- very light lift lines (for Killington, anyway).

Wildfire and Bear Claw @ Bear were in very good shape.
Outer Limits was bumped out and had nice turning lanes on skiers' left (closest to the lift).

Superstar had excellent cover the whole way.
Total happy face upon hard lean forward and feeling the edges hold in the steep bottom half.

At mid-day, cloud and fog rolled in and made the rest of the day feel like a viking voyage into the abyss.
Or, as overheard at precipice where East Fall goes diamond, "Just like I remember my college dorm room, heh!"
East Fall was in great shape in the pm.
Double-dipper was a bit firm but the bumps were a challenge in the foggy top cloud cover.

Rime, Panic Button, Needles Eye, and SkyeLark, all had a good feel under foot.

Good times.


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## Wavewheeler (Feb 3, 2014)

gladerider said:


> i agree with you though they need some natural pow. can't believe this winter. i'm sitting here in NJ looking out the window with all this useless snow here and none up there where we need it. looks like i'm gonna have to shovel a foot of snow, geez.



+1 Fortunately trends are starting to change for the better.


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## Wavewheeler (Feb 3, 2014)

Sum1 said:


> At mid-day, cloud and fog rolled in and made the rest of the day feel like a viking voyage into the abyss.
> Or, as overheard at precipice where East Fall goes diamond, "Just like I remember my college dorm room, heh!"



That was the same with me last month. Felt I should attach a fog horn to my helmet going down East Fall. Going down couldn't see the bottom. At the bottom, couldn't see where I'd been.


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## Gilligan (Feb 3, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> You have to learn the mountain to know how to ski it going up & down instead of sideways.


This is true.


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 3, 2014)

Sum1 I hear you on the hard lean forward! That was the only way I was holding an edge on a lot of K's runs yesterday.

I'm probably not in the best shape but trying to ski aggressively to hold an edge on ice and real hardpack wears me out after a while. It's also stressful when the trails are crowded and there's icy areas because potential crashes.

Someone almost crashed into me yesterday at K ... inches from skiing over my skis .. and this skier was CRUISING on a slick trail. i was coming to a stop on the trail for a break when this happened.

I'm all about skiing fast as the joke goes around here. But people should save that for the race course on hardpack conditions unless the trails are clear of pedestrians.


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## MadMadWorld (Feb 3, 2014)

bdfreetuna said:


> Sum1 I hear you on the hard lean forward! That was the only way I was holding an edge on a lot of K's runs yesterday.
> 
> I'm probably not in the best shape but trying to ski aggressively to hold an edge on ice and real hardpack wears me out after a while. It's also stressful when the trails are crowded and there's icy areas because potential crashes.
> 
> ...



What's faster than tuna speed? I don't think I want to know.


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## joshua segal (Feb 3, 2014)

Killington is about my limit for a day trip and like several other posters on this thread, I tend to a "before Dec. 15 and after Apr. 1 kind of Killington skier."  I sense that Killington is "The New York Yankees" of ski areas.  People have strong opinions usually for or against, but rarely neutral.  I happen to be in the "loves Killington" category and as Killington opens on Feb. 4 for its 104th day (I suspect no one else has more than 80) I unabashedly say, "Yay, Killington."

Killington's policy has been "let the guest decide" and as a result, they will open terrain that others would not.  For those who know how to assess their talent (or lack thereof) this is not a problem.  I was taking an advanced PSIA bumps clinic at Killington years ago, the clinician started by asking is there anything special you'd like to learn.  I piped up and said, "Yes.  I'd like to know what to do when you come to those cliff-ice bumps on upper Cascade".  He replied, "Very simple.  You pick another trail."


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## Wavewheeler (Feb 3, 2014)

If you go during the week to ski at Killington it's a LOT better.


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## steamboat1 (Feb 3, 2014)

Don't go to K, especially during the week, it really blows. Ya get awl tem New Yawkers.


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## Gilligan (Feb 4, 2014)

bdfreetuna said:


> Someone almost crashed into me yesterday at K ... inches from skiing over my skis .. and this skier was CRUISING on a slick trail. i was coming to a stop on the trail for a break when this happened.


Highwaystar sighting?


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## Domeskier (Feb 4, 2014)

Gilligan said:


> Highwaystar sighting?



Ski-off!!  My money is on Tuna.


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## Sum1 (Feb 5, 2014)

bdfreetuna said:


> It's also stressful when the trails are crowded and there's icy areas because potential crashes.  Someone almost crashed into me yesterday at K ... this skier was CRUISING on a slick trail.



Ya most definitely. The thing that wears me out is maintaining situational awareness of all the movement around me at Killington.
I don't want to cause, or be the cause of, a collision; so, it's sometimes hard to maintain rhythm and flow through various "clumps" of humanity.   

I admire the truly advanced folks who know exactly where to be to maintain flow at all times.


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## Steezus Christ (Feb 5, 2014)

I'm getting tired of Killington as well..


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## PaulSt Romaine (Mar 13, 2014)

If you are intending to book private ski lessons, the instructors will normally know where to take you on the slopes for that day. Not necessarily beginners classes (where they obviously need more navigable ground) but in addition, we can probably help with maneuvering around the different types of snow patches when you come across them too. Good luck!


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