New England Killington Terrain Mid/Late December

[wgo]

Hi,

My apologies if this has been asked and answered before, but I could not find anything specific in the forums. I will be at Killington for the first time Dec 20 - 22. This will be my first time skiing NE in December. What percentage of open terrain can I expect in a "typical" year? I understand that this is hugely variable from year to year, but I am just trying to figure out a reasonable expectation.

Thanks in advance. I am a new poster and looking forward to getting to know the community.

 

[Marker]

I was there that time last year and would guess about 50 %, but others could give a better answer on the long-term trend.

 

[4aprice]

I was there that time last year and would guess about 50 %, but others could give a better answer on the long-term trend.

When is the new Snowden lift going to be ready? That may be an issue in some expansion of terrain.

 

[Marker]

When is the new Snowden lift going to be ready? That may be an issue in some expansion of terrain.

Don't know for sure, but they were making progress over the summer when I was there. A local will need to comment.

 

[Scruffy]

Count on 50%, Hope for 70%, and pray that it's not 30%. I've seen all three of those marks that week in Dec.

 

[Wannabeskibum]

Paging @Guy in Shorts

If natural snow has fallen, then expansion from Ramshead through Needles Eye and Skye Peak Express will have occurred (60% open). Without natural snow, it will depend on snow making conditions for overall expansion. Snowdon intermediate and beginner terrain will be fully open without the Snowdon 6 as they will run the Snowdon Triple to access the same terrain.

Good progress is being made on the Snowdon 6 - it will open for Christmas and maybe before.

 

[wgo]

Thanks all, that is helpful. Is Bear Mountain ever open pre-Xmas?

 

[Wannabeskibum]

Thanks all, that is helpful. Is Bear Mountain ever open pre-Xmas?

Rarely will Outer limits open before Christmas, but Skyeburst (Skye Peak to Bear Mountain base) and Bear Trax to Wildfire/Bear Claw could be open

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Bear Mt opened on Dec 20th last season. The mountain had 147 trails and 1200 acres by Dec 31 where the December weather was very good for snow making and we had no major meltdowns or rainstorms. Some of our best skiing of the year occurred in December until the big March storms kicked in. Very good shot of some sweet conditions Dec 20-22. Final few quiet days of skiing before the holiday rush hours.

 

[wgo]

@Guy in Shorts Thanks. And I've been enjoying your posts over in the Killington 2018-2019 thread - it's good to hear that snowmaking is going on all over the mountain, it's not always clear from the KTon trail report where the recent snowmaking has actually occurred.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Looks like the new snowdon left is going to be operational towards the end of November.

 

[wgo]

I've been monitoring the trail count daily and over the last couple days the count of open trails has actually gone down from ~40 to ~30. There is a note that the Canyon quad is down for repairs but it seems that trails in the Canyon area are not the ones that closed down. Anyone have any insight into what is going on?

 

[James]

They just got dumped on. Huge.
It's Vermont, you could have an inch of liquid come down the day you're there. I ski down the road and have seen Okemo 100% open in your time frame and become warm and terrible by mid Jan, then get super cold for ten weeks leading to epic snow buildup with just normal snowfall.

What trails/terrain are you interested in?

 

[wgo]

Hey James,

Thanks for the reply. Mid-atlantic skier here, so I am familiar with the dreaded January thaw. I was just curious because weather has been pretty favorable all month so I was surprised to see the trail count go down.

Anyway we will be happy to ski whatever blue/black terrain is available. Based on what will probably be open when I am there I am looking forward to Cascade and Superstar.

 

[PinnacleJim]

I've been monitoring the trail count daily and over the last couple days the count of open trails has actually gone down from ~40 to ~30. There is a note that the Canyon quad is down for repairs but it seems that trails in the Canyon area are not the ones that closed down. Anyone have any insight into what is going on?

You are over thinking this. This November has been the best start to the season in years. Generally cold and above average natural snow. The expansion will be quick and you should expect plenty of open terrain to keep you occupied for days. The recent reduction in trail count was due to the warmup and loss of some natural snow trails (which are almost never open in November). The new Snowdon bubble 6 is scheduled to open next week. As to the Canyon Quad, it's a secondary lift and services terrain that is already covered by other lifts.

 

[Wilhelmson]

It got skied pretty hard on Saturday and then rained a bit Sunday morning so some of the less covered trails were showing a lot of rocks. It's bound to happen but were're in for a good start. Cascade didn't have any bare spots; they must hit it hard with the guns to keep a long expert run open on the gondola side. Keep your fingers crossed or whatever, noaa was predicting a less favorable weather shift for mid December.

 

[wgo]

@PinnacleJim Yeah overthinking things is what I do...anyway thanks all for the feedback, looking forward to the trip.

 

[James]

Can't belive the funereal tone to this thread . Killington is not in dire straits re snow. 47 inches this year. Plus- not that much falling liquid.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Right, with all the snow even worst case is looking better than usual. Looks like you need to charge your phone.

 

[cmackvt]

New Snowden lift hoping to open Dec 3, Monday. I plan on being there when it opens if the weather cooperates. Still snowing in Rutland!!!