On Sunday November 13, I did something I haven’t done in 4 years…. go snowboarding at a mountain other than Sugarbush. Eight of us, most of us being Sugarbush employees, descended upon the slopes of Killington, armed with 2-for-1 coupons to bring the early-season $49 rate down to $25/each.
We drove down Route 100 from the Mad River Valley to Killington, a route I haven’t travelled since before Irene hit late in August 2011. There are still a lot of signs of devastation, especially in Pittsfield where several houses are uninhabitable, swept off their original locations. Not just the landscape remains scarred, but two bridges on Route 100 are still being rebuilt. Things are progressing, but there is much work to be done. The state has done a great job getting the road passable, even if there are some restrictions.
We got to Killington base lodge, where construction continues in the base area next to the lodge on a new bar to replace the Superstar Pub, which got destroyed during Irene. We boarded K-1 and at the top, descended down our first run, Great Northern to Rime. Snowmaking had taken place yesterday and the snow was soft with great coverage. The snow would soften up even more throughout the day, with temps pretty close to 50, if not over.
There was a pretty good sized line at the North Ridge Chair, but it wasn’t more than a 15 minute wait at the worst. Because its early season, the only runs available were 3 off the North Ridge chair, and to get to the bottom you had to hike the Peak Walkway to the K-1 Gondola and download. The run we did the most was Rime -> Great Northern -> Ridge Run, which the lower half opened today thanks to snowmaking. Other runs we did were a t2b Rime, and Reason -> East Fall.
- Heading up North Ridge Triple
My first couple runs felt a little strange. After all, I haven’t ridden since May 1, 2011 and I was wearing my new boots for the first time. They successfully passed the test and I was able to ride from 11am, till about 3:30 or so, with breaks thrown in between. We probably did somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 runs. As each run went by, I felt more comfortable with my gear and the snow. It felt kind of like a spring day, especially when enjoying some brews at the beer garden set up at the base of the North Ridge chair.
- Top of North Ridge, about to descend down Rime
Sometime around 3:30, we retreated to the Peak Walkway to download on the K-1. The peak walkway was built a few years ago and is quite the staircase. I counted some 250 stairs, give or take, so it’s quite a workout to end the day. Back at the parking lot, we decided to get some 25 cent wings and some brews at Casey’s Caboose, before returning to the Mad River Valley.
It was a great way to start off my 2011/2012 snowboarding season. Here’s to hoping the next time we go riding, it’ll be at home… at Sugarbush.
