The Epic Beginning of Winter

As Halloween arrives, so has an absolutely phenominal beginning of the winter season. So much has happened so fast this week, I feel like I need to just take a look back just to get it all straightened out in my head.

Sleeping Bag? Check!

In order to ensure first turns in the new powder, we headed up last night in a mild snowstorm.

OPENING DAY

As Killington Resort makes its final preparations and restless bros wrestly in the liftline, Vespi & I enjoyed a peaceful morning...

A Girl Has Gotta Get Her Morning Fix

How early would you be willing to get up in the morning to make sure you get your time in to bond with the snow?

First Tracks of the Season go to...

And the First Tracks of the 2011-2012 Ski Season go to...

First Snow of the Year: 10/26/2011

I could hardly contain my enthusiasm this morning :). For weeks now, every morning has begun with a dissapointing look out the window.
No snow.
No Winter.
No Smile.

You Should Have Come With Us

The only way you would ever know where we went today is if you had come with us. Decked out in bright colors, we threw on our mud boots and set out to explore one of our favorite winter bushwacking areas. This is what thousands of Vermonters see as they head out into the woods this time of year. The tourists are scare, but the beauty is simply overwhelming. As the leaves fall from the trees and bushes, so much of Vermont's landscape becomes visable and nature's hidden secrets are revealed.

The Bitch Kicks Ass!

Ten years old and still able to pedal all the way to Killington Peak and then sprint home - our bitch kicks ass!!

Roundabout and Back Again

My dad and I convinced my mother to brave the top half of East Mountain Road to drop us off at the bottom of Falls Brook Trail this evening...

Does Love Truly Conquer All - Even Skiing?

We fell in love at first turn.

Canoe Camping: Bog River Area

It was a dark and stormy night when three Killington Kids finally arrived at the Low's Lower Dam of the Bog River in Bumblefuck, NY. Even with our headlamps, we could barely see where our paddles were, never mind the boat launch or water hazards. Quite a few times, in fact, we collided with various points of interest on our way to Campsite 3. A warm dinner of quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes and chicken sausage awaited us once we were all settled in our tent, all warm, dry & toasty...

Dreaming of Winter Magic

Even as we drive the three hours to the Adirondacks for yet another few days of canoe camping, I find my mind turning towards winter fun.

One Track Mind

Don't you care about anything else besides skiing?.

We've Got Little White Balls!!

It's here! It's here!! It's finally here!,

It's not cold enough.

Getting really tired of waiting for winter to come...

The Beast: Our Winter Playground

For some reason I have an extremely vivid memory of skiing as a child. If I could figure out why that is I woud definately use it to remember what I skied yesterday or last week, but alas, I am stuck with the happy memories of skiing as a child. It is interesting now, looking back, as to what things stand out and other things that have merely slipped away into oblivion. Some parents have asked me for ideas about where to take their young athletes skiing; I think that perhaps we should look back and see what we all remember and help the next generation to look at skiing with that same sense of cherished nostalgia.

A Leaf-Peeping Up to Jericho

With the excuse of taking our Maine friends on a leafpeeping tour to Jericho, we finally got to make the drive north on Route 100.

Falling in Love with RamsHead Woods

Woke up my dad and his golden retreiver, Ripper, and made them come for a hike up RamsHead with me.

Sponsored by the Color Yellow

Today's blog is sponsored by the color yellow.

A Pedestrian's View of the Access Road

My five mile walk down the Killington Access Road to work this morning :)

Sunsets & Sully: A Quick Puppy Hike

Met up with a ski buddy and the dog, Sully, for a quick puppy hike up RamsHead. Hiking is always more fun with more puppies - that is, unless there are porcupines around!

Canoe Camping: Lake Lila

Relaxing at home surrounded by a dry bag explosion - all our canoe camping gear is now strewn about our one bedroom condo, drying out from our three day paddle trip to Lake Lila.

SKIING: Alpine or Downhill?

skiing [skee-ing] -noun 1. the act or sport of gliding on skis

When we look at skiing today, what do we see? If I look out the windows of the ATC, I see skiers wrapped up in so much gear that you can’t really tell if they are human as they glide down the mountain and rush onto the gondola. They go up. They come down. That seems to be all that skiing has to offer for this group of early Monday morning skiers. The wind is howling out and it seems that all the skiers are avoiding any interaction with the alpine weather, instead seeking comfort inside base lodges and gondolas. They let their skis glide down perfectly groomed trails, tree-line to tree-line marked by huge tractors as one would mark a field for planting. These skiers can travel at extremely high speeds, without problems or obstacles in their way. Anything that does challenge this consistency is marked with black and orange bamboo – Look Out! something over here might interrupt your rhythm. The exact same turn like the one you made thirty times before on this immaculate white ribbon. As you cross Rime, you grumble under your breath – the Glades would be great to ski today, but the lift isn’t running. You curse the corporation for its unwillingness to spend valuable natural resources on your favorite pastime and keep heading on down Great Northern. Again, and again, and again.

Concert for Killington Area

This pre-Columbus Day Weekend concluded with the most joyful Community Reunion I have ever attended.

Walking in the Rain with No Pants On

Set out this morning dressed for work, only to discover that it was pouring outside...