Killington 12/19/04

Sharon

New member
The Big K, lived up to what it has been known for:Big VT Mountain, variety of terrain, more trails than anywhere, fantastic snowmaking, many lifts, and gobs of people.

I've seen Kton much more crowded, though it wasn't quiet, we didn't have any trouble with the crowds. We started early and had no lines until we took our first break at 10 at the K1 base lodge.

Our morning started off with a quick K1 ride to the summit of Killington Peak. We decided to dart over to the sun and start our skiing on Skye Peak. First run on Upper Ovation/Superstar. Not bad. Superstar was in excellent shape with large amounts of manmade snow. Ovation was firm, but carveable natural snow, partially groomed. Hopped on the Superstar chair and then slid over to Skyeburst, since the sun was calling on us to go over and bask in the south facing warmth and blue skies. Skyeburst had beautiful soft bumps of manmade snow that skied like buttah. Forced to go left on Gr Eastern because Bear Mt was not yet open, we took a nice cruise on piles of freshly made snow on Cruise Control over to the Needles Eye quad. We did a lap on Needles Eye. Nice bumps, but not as nice a Skyeburst, so we got on Stage II of the Skyeship and blasted up to run Skyeburst again.

A run on Skyelark and Superstar closed our early morning worship with our two holymen Rev. Bubba and Rev. Kelly (both Kelly and Bubba are ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church http://www.ulc.org/). Into KBL for a fluid exchange and caffiene for just 10 minutes. It seemed like everyone had arrived and there were big lines at both the K1 and Superstar lifts. Looking up into the Canyon I saw that the Canyon Quad was sending up some empty chairs, a sign that there was no line there. So we got on line at K1 which took maybe 10 minutes and up we went.

The Downdraft and Cascade Headwalls appeared to be smooth and groomed. We blasted Downdraft and hit Catwalk which was bumped up. Lower Downdraft and Double Dipper were closed under the guns. So we took East Glade to East Fall. No line at the Canyon Quad. We did a few laps there which included Cascade, Toilet Bowl and Escapade/The Light. Toilet Bowl (now called The Thrown) like its neighbor Royal Flush was thin. Lots of rocks, sticks, logs and puckerbrush to navigate. It was pretty sketchy and not worth a repeat. On the other side of the Canyon, Escapade had by far the best natural snow conditions. The Light was very good, but more snow would have opened up more lines, but what was there was very nice and I repeated that run 3 times, from the very top of Escapade. Upper Escapade was skiable, but of course could use more snow.

After ripping up all there was in the Canyon, we went in for lunch. The guys could not muster up anymore runs, but the chicks were refueled and ready to rip. Not in the mood for waiting in line we opted for the Snowdon triple. This would give us a good luck at Conclusion, which was open. Not pretty. We asked some Ambassadors at the top of Snowdon what was good on that side, and they didn't have much to say except that Northstar was very thin and Chute was very icy. So we opted for Highline which was groomed firm and fast and bagged Snowdon for the day. Went back to the Canyon for more laps on Escapade/The Light. Pam was getting tired of dodging trees and such and decided to stay on Escapade while I took another run in The Light. I figured we'd meet at the bottom of Escapade. When I got there, there was no one in sight. So I waited, thinking that maybe she wiped out and had to regroup above. Still no Pam. So I skied out to Cascade. Hmmmm, still no Pam. I waited a little while longer and started to worry. I went down to the Quad. Still no Pam. Gee, where could she have gone? Did she drop into the woods behind me and have some kind of accident? I got very worried. So, to ease my mind, I decided to go back up and ski The Light again. I asked someone on Escapade if they had seen a woman with a pink helmet. Still no Pam. So, I skied down to the baselodge and radio'd Bubba. I was about to check the first aid station. Bubba had binoculars and spotted her on Superstar and called to me. I headed over there and still couldn't find her. She had hopped on the lift for another run before I got there. I was glad to know that she was Ok and still rippin it up.

By 3, we loaded up and headed out. It was raining while we were near Albany on I-87. By the time we got to central NY it had iced up and we were driving on slick roads in a small snowstorm. It was windy and got very cold. Route I-88 had become a skating rink and we did our own sliding as well, but managed to keep it on the road. It was a bit of a nerve racking ride, but improved once we got near Oneonta.

It was nice to come home to find the trails on our land with fresh snow in skiable condition, and the hot tub at 108 degrees!
 
Wouldn't the former Toilet Bowl "now called the Thrown" actually be The Throne?
 
My bad:? I can't believe I mispelled that. Yep, it is the Throne. Silly me. My brain can spell but my fingers can't.
 
Actually, having skied the Toilet Bowl in some pretty sketchy conditions, I think "The Thrown" might be perfectly appropriate
 
Sharon":14fxys0g said:
Gee, I thought I posted a link to my pics the other day, but I don't see it.

"The other day" was during the period between our last clean backup and yesterday's double hacking of Liftlines. Your posting, therefore, was lost. Details may be viewed here.
 
No, not that far right. It's on the other side of the saddle that goes towards Skye Peak.

If I tell you anymore, I will have to kill you.
 
Oh, THAT right! Ok I've probably already skied that trail without knowing it's name. Would explain the nasty face-scorching I got one spring. Did they clear out "The Throne" more, or just offically put it on the map? These questions are the price you pay when you ski with a digital camera! Besides, you don't have to kill me, I have a secret clearance and a need to know!! :twisted:


Bill
 
The Throne seems to have been cleared out substantially. I don't remember so much open space in there. You can see that in my pics.
 
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