Expansion 2019-2020

[DrJeff]

Yesterday on the webcam, they were only making snow on about half of Superstar and nothing on Skyelark yet they were going all out on the top to bottom route. Now they're back on Superstar in full force. Clearly a decision was made to hold off on Superstar temporarily to get the top to bottom route done. That was never done in the last 3 years. Superstar had to be finished before any top to bottom push.

Or here's another way to look at it, that may very well be the case more so than the notion of diverting resources to get a top to bottom route for the public... All of those fan guns on the bottom section of Superstar, in the cold temps can consume LOTS of water. While they can certainly send a bunch of water down the side of Superstar, it's not like the feeder pipe along side of the trail is a 12" diameter pipe with essentially an unlimited water supply to run every gun max out in the best of temps with the armamentarium of guns they're using now.

To my recollection, the awesome snowmakers haven't had a weather run we had the last few days and then again coming up starting Tuesday, when getting Superstar ready for the world cup. The temps the last few days more than likely had water, not air being the limiting factor for what they were and weren't running gun wise

[rogman]

Have they switched capacity the previous WC years? As much as I remember they didn't and pounded Superstar and Skyelark right up to the previous day. And of course since I'll be at Cannon most of the winter, I prefer just keep burying Superstar for spring skiing.

I feel like the have switched the strategy somewhat. In previous years they'd use all the capacity they could for Superstar and Skyelark until it was done. Public terrain would only get whatever was left over, which could be little to none depending on temps. This year, they seemed to have taken a more balanced approach and actually limited making snow on Superstar to get the top to bottom route done for today. It's a good idea because they now have the most open terrain in the east and will until Mount Snow opens next weekend.

I see no difference between this and any previous year. Prior to opening, whenever Killington's had guns running on Superstar, they've had them running on North Ridge. No exceptions. As temps fell, they'd work their way down the Superstar. They don't do that with North Ridge, rather they expand high elevation terrain, until they have a solid, not going to melt out temps to get to K1. Your premise that this year they sacrificed Superstar Saturday to get to the bottom on GN for Sunday is not born out by what I saw: They were pounding the ever living crap out of Superstar. I was there. Look at the picture I posted. Look at the whales. Every year they Killington soft peddles what they'll do, tells us they're going to have to divert resources for the World Cup, and every year we fall for it. And every year they come through with guns blazing and banners flying.

[brownman]

Thanks for Boomerang
Cascade open yet ?
That's when the mountain awakens
This other stuff is like going to a gym ..

[Highway Star]

They still have 9 days until the World Cup venue inspection, it's late this year, clearly they thought the forecast was favorable enough that they could throw everyone a bone and get the top to bottom route open with 48 hours of snowmaking. Expect additional expansion at a snails pace until December.

I heard the new lift was pretty great other than the hard loads and stopping every 5-10 minutes.

[Highway Star]

Maybe because they have 3 years experience they have a better understanding of what it takes to finish the race venue. If they got this weather in previous years they would've likely not attempted top to bottom until after Superstar was done. Friday and Saturday would've been almost entirely devoted to finishing it.

Now that's a fair and reasonable conclusion, snoloco. More reasonable than the position you took the last three years, which was that their fixed, limited capacity would always inevitably result in public expansion being sacrificed to the needs of the race venue. Your position then was that having the race at K meant severely limited public terrain until after Thanksgiving. It didn't, and it doesn't.

They have VERY clearly limited public terrain expansion due to the World Cup, including this year. You're on crack if you think otherwise. Maybe not "severely", but if world cup wasn't happening and they had their normal pre-POWDR austerity compressor capacity, there would be 50%+ more public terrain open at any given time in November. Under ASC in 2006, they got like 15 trails open from virtually nothing in 3-4 days, for a Thanksgiving day opening. The first year of POWDR they intentionally opened in mid November and had a ton of public terrain. It was not unusual to have Superstar for Thanksgiving along with K-1 and Snowdon.

[ME2VTSkier]

The first year of POWDR they intentionally opened in mid November and had a ton of public terrain. It was not unusual to have Superstar for Thanksgiving along with K-1 and Snowdon.

And they will this year... just not all of it for the public.

[newpylong1]

Pick your poison. It's not coincidental that the intensive capital projects, which equate to direct improvements for the public, began after two successful World Cups. I think most would trade a handful of trails in November for them.

[Highway Star]

Pick your poison. It's not coincidental that the intensive capital projects, which equate to direct improvements for the public, began after two successful World Cups. I think most would trade a handful of trails in November for them.

It's also not coincidental that the death of Ian Cumming and the sale of Park City freed up large amounts of capital, combined with a reasonably strong stock market and vacation spending by the upper middle class. If Killington wasn't spending now, they never will.

[da Pimp]

We are going to have a second superb window for great snowmaking, plus some more natural. With three weeks to go, chances are good that we will have a comfortable group of public lifts running for Thanksgiving: K1, North Ridge, S3, S6, Canyon Quad. If it does not warm up too bad, look for Rams Head and a learning area at Snowshed are possible.

Expansion through Snowdon will happen now, then East Fall is likely by Thanksgiving. With the high demand that they are seeing so far, the public is certainly showing up justifying the early season investment. Whales are already visible on Superstar, and with this recent cold snap a lot of base went down. After this second cold snap is done, I am pretty sure that most of the Superstar base depth requirements will be met, grooming and preparations will begin, then some more snowmaking to top it off on cold nights to assure that unexpected warm weather does not shrink it too much. So look to see a lot of snowmaking power and labor becoming available for more Snowdon and Canyon acreage.

A nice treat yesterday was opening the Downdraft Headwall under the guns. I hope they groom it just once to spread it out into a nice solid base, then let it go on its own.

Its all coming together really well because the weather is giving them the opportunities and K is taking advantage of it. We can't expect instant gratification like dropping tokens on a board game. We certainly are getting a lot going the public way. Only 7 days of peak walkway and we're done with that. Lets be thankful. It's all forgotten in another week or two when more trails open, some natural falls, and other mountains open up to take off the crowd pressure.

[Seacoaster]

Kudos to the Killington team for getting the most snow on GN for TTB - have never seen that much snow, especially on middle Chute!! Crazy crowded and no Ambassadors in site to control the out of control skiers/riders using the sides of trails as "another" park - geesh, you give them a whole trail for a park . . . and, that's not enough!!!!

Although I get your point, the same could be said of conventional skier/riders in the height of the season. I hear people frequently say(when almost the entire mountain is open "Im cruising through the park because that is where the snow is best"). I'm not arguing your point, just an observation. the thing that gets me when the Glades are all we have open is why anyone eels the need to "open it up" and rip top to bottom for :27 seconds almost killing anyone in the way as if it is a Super G course.....

[rogman]

So park rats should be allowed to use 100% of the hill, and everyone else should stay away? Entitled nonsense. Unsafe behavior is unsafe anywhere on the hill.

I doubt that anyone believes that the mountain is water limited (at least for very long) early season. However the notion that Killington/POWDR cheaped out on compressors, getting only the bare minimum is ludicrous on the face of it. Its a multi-million dollar event, but hey, lets save a few bucks on compressors?? Seriously? I actually imagine the scene when Jeff Temple was asked how many compressors he needed played like the scene with Little Enos and the Burt Reynolds in "Smokey and the Bandit"

Bandit: New car. Gotta have a new car to block for the truck.
Jeff Temple: New Compressors. Gotta have new compressors to make air
[watches as Little Enos begins counting out money]

Bandit: Speedy car.
Jeff: Lotta compressors
[watches as Little Enos counts out more money]

Bandit: Speedier than that.
Jeff: More air than that...

Little Enos: [mumbling] I'd like to kick his ass just once.

[asher2789]

Kudos to the Killington team for getting the most snow on GN for TTB - have never seen that much snow, especially on middle Chute!! Crazy crowded and no Ambassadors in site to control the out of control skiers/riders using the sides of trails as "another" park - geesh, you give them a whole trail for a park . . . and, that's not enough!!!!

ugh, skier attitudes are so tiresome. i nearly got clipped by a ski racer on sunday who refused to modify their path and change their "perfect race turns!!!" path to avoid me, the downhill rider, who was blind to them as i -on snow- changed to switch. not jibbing, but spinning my edges around so im riding "backwards" - this gives my front foot a rest and improves my overall riding ability. again, i was the downhill rider and was nearly hit by a race prick. luckily for them i can ride in control no matter what foot i have forward or what conditions/bumps are in front of me.

talk about entitled, the KMS and KSC race pricks win that competition hands down, not the park rats.

and yeah, i jib responsibly on the sides of the trails - i look uphill, then downhill, back uphill, and then i hit the side hit. the last thing i want to do is be hit by a far too fast for conditions ski racer or collide into an unsuspecting skier/rider (which in my 22 years of riding has never happened, guess im doing something right). ive suffered serious injuries as the result of being collided into by both skiers and snowboarders through no fault of my own (DOWNHILL SKIER/RIDER HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY) and have a case of PTSD as a result.

and back on the skier hate - why for the love of god do you skiers carve FLATS?! WHY?!?! just let me pass you as i need my speed especially in the great northern flats.

sigh. if you hate jibbing and boarders so much, i heard theres an uppity place called mad river glen you can go to. and if you want trail police, go to okemo or stowe.

[daytripper]

Kudos to the Killington team for getting the most snow on GN for TTB - have never seen that much snow, especially on middle Chute!! Crazy crowded and no Ambassadors in site to control the out of control skiers/riders using the sides of trails as "another" park - geesh, you give them a whole trail for a park . . . and, that's not enough!!!!

ugh, skier attitudes are so tiresome. i nearly got clipped by a ski racer on sunday who refused to modify their path and change their "perfect race turns!!!" path to avoid me, the downhill rider, who was blind to them as i -on snow- changed to switch. not jibbing, but spinning my edges around so im riding "backwards" - this gives my front foot a rest and improves my overall riding ability. again, i was the downhill rider and was nearly hit by a race prick. luckily for them i can ride in control no matter what foot i have forward or what conditions/bumps are in front of me.

talk about entitled, the KMS and KSC race pricks win that competition hands down, not the park rats.

and yeah, i jib responsibly on the sides of the trails - i look uphill, then downhill, back uphill, and then i hit the side hit. the last thing i want to do is be hit by a far too fast for conditions ski racer or collide into an unsuspecting skier/rider (which in my 22 years of riding has never happened, guess im doing something right). ive suffered serious injuries as the result of being collided into by both skiers and snowboarders through no fault of my own (DOWNHILL SKIER/RIDER HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY) and have a case of PTSD as a result.

and back on the skier hate - why for the love of god do you skiers carve FLATS?! WHY?!?! just let me pass you as i need my speed especially in the great northern flats.

sigh. if you hate jibbing and boarders so much, i heard theres an uppity place called mad river glen you can go to. and if you want trail police, go to okemo or stowe.

Hey asshat, if you could read you would notice she said out of control skier/riders, your the one that made it into boarders only.

[hillbangin]

Sounds like everyone is having the usual silly season fun.

Too much testosterone. Too little terrain.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[madhatter]

Kudos to the Killington team for getting the most snow on GN for TTB - have never seen that much snow, especially on middle Chute!! Crazy crowded and no Ambassadors in site to control the out of control skiers/riders using the sides of trails as "another" park - geesh, you give them a whole trail for a park . . . and, that's not enough!!!!

ugh, skier attitudes are so tiresome. i nearly got clipped by a ski racer on sunday who refused to modify their path and change their "perfect race turns!!!" path to avoid me, the downhill rider, who was blind to them as i -on snow- changed to switch. not jibbing, but spinning my edges around so im riding "backwards" - this gives my front foot a rest and improves my overall riding ability. again, i was the downhill rider and was nearly hit by a race prick. luckily for them i can ride in control no matter what foot i have forward or what conditions/bumps are in front of me.

talk about entitled, the KMS and KSC race pricks win that competition hands down, not the park rats.

and yeah, i jib responsibly on the sides of the trails - i look uphill, then downhill, back uphill, and then i hit the side hit. the last thing i want to do is be hit by a far too fast for conditions ski racer or collide into an unsuspecting skier/rider (which in my 22 years of riding has never happened, guess im doing something right). ive suffered serious injuries as the result of being collided into by both skiers and snowboarders through no fault of my own (DOWNHILL SKIER/RIDER HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY) and have a case of PTSD as a result.

and back on the skier hate - why for the love of god do you skiers carve FLATS?! WHY?!?! just let me pass you as i need my speed especially in the great northern flats.

sigh. if you hate jibbing and boarders so much, i heard theres an uppity place called mad river glen you can go to. and if you want trail police, go to okemo or stowe.

Hey asshat, if you could read you would notice she said out of control skier/riders, your the one that made it into boarders only.

(DOWNHILL SKIER/RIDER HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY)

I'm not sure that means what you think it does...


let's take a look at how that "right of way" worked out for you...

ive suffered serious injuries as the result of being collided into by both skiers and snowboarders through no fault of my own and have a case of PTSD as a result.

doesn't seem like the rule gave two sh!ts about your right of way...

ultimately you are responsible for your own safety regardless of how you interpret the rules...