TR First Impression of Killington Nov 2017

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Did a day trip to Killington from Boston on Monday, Nov. 21, 2017. It was my first time checking out this well known ski resort. I knew not much was open, but liked the idea of a long cruiser from a summit riding a gondola because temps were going to be in the 20s all day. It certainly felt like winter. There were a few short periods of snow flurries. Luckily there wasn't much wind most of the day, not until later in the afternoon. Definitely enjoyed the day. Per usual, the trail map makes much more sense even though I only skied a few of the many trails.

The main route top-to-bottom was Great Northern all the way. Snow guns were on for the section that's on the flat side. Coverage was quite good in general. Took a few rides up the North Ridge triple to check out the options from there. There were groups of racing kids working with their coaches on those trails. Since it was the Monday before Thanksgiving, never had to wait to load a lift.

The only base lodge open was K-1 Lodge. The main road was closed due to the set up for the upcoming World Cup races Nov. 24-26. I got a sense of how good the view from Peak Lodge can be. There was a family who rode up the gondola just for the view in the afternoon (no skis/boards).

First look


View of K-1 Lodge from the K-1 gondola


Midway up K-1 gondola

 

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A few pics related to the Women's World Cup races. Could get some sense of the size of the crowd expected by the number of porta-potties that were being set up. I talked to several locals in the gondola who intend to watch the races in person. Although a few planned to watch on TV instead.

The skier in the green jacket is a Mountain Ambassador leaving for the day. I rode up with him on the triple. His story is that he learned to ski at age 38, and that was 36 years ago. Ambassadors have to work 21 days. He said they get to pick the days.

 

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Trying to think about how Killington with only a few runs open felt in comparison to Sunday River or Whiteface during late Nov or early Dec.

The long blue trail from the top of the Whiteface gondola is comparable but steeper and narrower on the upper mountain. Tends to be a bit more congested. When the two lifts that serve beginner trails near the main base are open, then Whiteface can be fun for a first day.

Sunday River is fun when the trail under the chondola is open. That means a variety of trails to choose from on more than one mountain. But last season it was so warm in Nov that there was no skiing under the chondola and they couldn't even load the chairs. SR was open the weekend after Thanksgiving, complete with a $10 demo day. But it was not an experience I would want to repeat.

If I had to make plans well in advance for Thanksgiving and early December, the advantage of Lake Placid is that there is fun stuff to do in town and the Adirondacks if the weather doesn't cooperate for early season snowmaking. I would pick LP over Killington when driving from NYC or Philly. Between Killington and Sunday River, that's a harder choice assuming starting from Boston. More likely to make lodging reservations that could be easily changed and make a final decision about a week before.

Mount Snow was a possibility for my first day, but there were going to be wind holds in the morning for the lifts to the summit. So made more sense to drive to Killington. From where I started, the drive time was essentially the same. Given how cold it was all day, riding the gondola was nice.