Winter Starts When Killington Says So

Winter starts when Killington says it does. That may sound like marketing hype, but it rings true to me. In addition to being big and burly and awesome, Killington is known for doing whatever it takes to extend its season on both ends. As soon as temps drop low enough, even if it is still October, Killington’s snowmakers get the mountain open.

This year that turned out to be Wednesday — November 12. I wanted to be there for opening day but couldn’t get away midweek so I settled for Friday.

Killington is a long haul for me. I don’t do well getting out of bed before 5 AM, so I cheat a little to day-trip the place.

I drove up the night before, to arrive around 10:30 at night and crash in my vehicle. I’m certainly not claiming to have invented this move. People do it. You need a setup to sleep comfortably and know where to park so you won’t be in the way.

I folded the seats in my minivan, put down a tarp and a couple sleeping mats under two thick sleeping bags. Then I loaded up my ski gear and a thermos of coffee and drove up Thursday night.

I showed up at the K1 Lodge well-rested and fully caffeinated, early enough to watch the mountain wake up. The parking lot attendants showed up. Some lifties were warming up the gondola, pushing the cabins out of the barn and onto the cable. Lodge employees arrived and went about their duties. Ski patrollers and instructors and terrain park maintainers gathered by the lift.

I got my ticket squared away and hooked up with Scottski who had driven up from his place in the Catskills. We booted up at the car and joined a few dozen other early risers in line.

Our gondola cabin was full. I asked everybody where they’d come from. Scott and I were joined by three Vermonters and a younger guy from Larchmont. I was hoping for something ridiculous like DC or Philly which got a laugh. The morning energy in line and in the Gondi was palpable. Everybody was excited to get the ski season started.

We got to the top and cruised Great Northern to upper East Fall to the North Ridge Quad. Killington had eight or nine trails open, clustered around the peak. It amounted to about four or five distinct runs with everything covered edge to edge — no WROD anywhere. It was an amazing showing for the third day of operation. Conditions were were good and held up as much as can be expected with so many eager beavers getting after it.

Early season on the upper mountain at Killington has a vibe to it. You could feel the positive energy and joy on the trail and in the lift line. But we weren’t there for the vibe, we were there to ski. The crowd attacked the skiing with all the pent up energy you would expect after a long summer. I cannot overstate how good it felt to be out there.

Scottski is a good hang on the mountain. He’s a great skier and conversationalist. We alternated routes as much as possible between Rime and Reason and Upper East Fall. Scott was seeking out the bumps wherever they formed, mostly under the lift line. I dabbled in the bumps a bit but mostly just wanted to ski fast.

We were in a cloud so we didn’t notice that High Traverse was open to a few more short connector trails until mid-morning. Working them into the rotation added a little more variety as the day progressed. A few times the sun appeared through breaks in the fog but it never really opened up.

The day went on like that. No drama, just fun. Around noon, Scott made the trek up the stairs and across the catwalk to the peak lodge to get lunch. I had some protein bars in my pocket so I was able to keep going. I was extra chatty on the lift, trying to find somebody who had come some crazy distance but the best I got was Bergen County, NJ – just barely further than me.

I met one guy — probably in his early twenties — who had just completed his first run ever on a snowboard. He looked a little beat up and had a lot of questions about the catwalk and downloading, whether the bar was open… there’s always one.

Scottski and I hooked up again after lunch and kept going until mid afternoon. Eventually, our legs made the call. We took one more run, then clicked out and made the walk up the stairs and over to the peak lodge to download the gondola. We didn’t go bell-to-bell but we had a good time on our first day. Ski season has officially begun.

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To hear more about our day at Killington,

listen to Season 2 / Episode 2 of The Double Chair Podcast.

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