Killington - Sun. 4/28/13

Cornhead and I left Binghamton NY at just after 4:00 am and arrived Killington at about 8:10 am. Aboard the K1 gondola at 8:34 am. Lift tics where $49 - with 25% additional discount if you show a lift ticket or a seasons pass from another ski area. We got our tic's from liftopia for $31. Did a run or two then meet up with ABC. The Beast of the East is back, big time. Machine made snow base on Superstar is MASSIVE - like an average of 5ft. to 13+ ft. with base stockpiled in mounds along the way. The very top of Superstar is a 30 - 40 foot deep HUGE, HUGE, HUGE mound of snow. Also Skylark and Bittersweet also have tons of snow for base. Temps got up to 62 in the shade and a good 70 in the bright sun. Took a lunch break at 12:20 and Cornhead grilled up a bunch of speedies. Base only got a little mushy/slushy. What a totally fantastic warm/hot ski day. I stopped skiing at 3:45, with my legs exhausted... Cornhead went till 5:00 - Ironman.

East Fall trail off of Killington peak:


Cornhead grilling - the Speedie ambassador"
and ABC at lunch break:


Superstar:

was about to post trip report and some pictures for 4/28, when I saw this, so just append to this. Same impression: TONS of snow left (if anyone is planning to visit Killington --open this week, and likely weekends afterwards), and it is stockpiled in strategically important locations, around their main operating trail "superstar" (what an idiotic name) and the peak:






And the conditions are pretty awesome spring conditions: groomed and firm 8am-10, soft corn later; the steep bottom section of superstar stayed firm even after 10am for a while.






So it is definitely not skiing on crap and muck, but nice spring snow.

They have so much base on the "superstar" trail that at one point, where the lift runs very low to ground anyway, the snow surface level is higher than the chair seat of the lift (where this picture was taken from):

looking good - way to get after it!

too preoccupied with the bike (and garden, yard, painting projects that were supposed to be done over the winter, etc.) to get motivated to travel for any more turns this year.skis are all lined up waiting for summer wax to commence upon start of the nhl playoffs... stick a fork in me i'm done

That looks awesome. Free skiing at the Bush this weekend (for anyone) and a voucher for Killington. Can't wait.

  Looks great Big D , Cornhead must be an ironman to ski to closing . The secret must be the speedies. Nice you could get out again, picked a beautifull day.

I told myself after last week that I'm done for the year, but if Big K is open Memorial Day weekend, I might have to go.

Gunny J wrote

Looks great Big D , Cornhead must be an ironman to ski to closing . The secret must be the speedies. Nice you could get out again, picked a beautifull day.

Thanks Gunny J, what a long day! 8 hrs behind the wheel, 8 hrs on the slopes. Still a little sore today, well worth it, true Spring skiing has been tough to come by. I heard on the radio this March was the coolest on record. I believe it, I think Platty over a month ago was the most Springy skiing I've done before Killington. Gore even looked Wintery a couple weeks ago. I wouldn't be surprised if Killington makes it till June. The amount of terrain they provided this late in the season was amazing.

Just impossible, to top a gorgeous, 70 degree bluebird day!