 Poster: A snowHead
|
anyone been to killington in vermont.
have a notion to nip over there..
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
yes
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
thanks for that.. hate the idea of the only one having been somewhere 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Went there for a couple of days many years ago. Nice area - gentle hills really not "Alpine" Can't tell you what sort of facilities they've got there now though. Not much help really.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
mugen, I skied there for a week maybe 8 or 9 years ago. Imagine a hill the size of Cairngorm mountain without the routine risk of high winds (but not without the risk of rain - it pished down for 2 out of 6 days) and covered from top to bottom in trees. Then imagine trying to cram in 5x the number of ski runs and ski lifts that Cairngorm has and you'll get a feel for the place. Because it's so cramped, the area is pretty regimented but it does offer something for everyone, majoring on nice cruisy gentle stuff through the trees. It does have some token double black diamonds but I guess they really are very tame in comparison to most in the USA as there were several of us who were then just 2 to 4 week skiers and had absolutely no trouble safely making our way down them.
Although most people stay on the approach road, we stayed at the Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Rutland and didn't regret the daily journey up (about the same as Aviemore to Cairngorm) at all. It is a nice, slightly 'hick' New England town with pubs full of friendly homeboys and their girls, & going out for the evening was like having a beer in Moe's bar with Homer & Marge. The Dollar v. Pound was great then too so we really lived it up. Instruction was superb.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
My first ever ski trip was to killington , we had a great time , they have now built a bit of a village resort at the base of the slopes, which would be the place to stay, the area is quite large by east coast standards and it's also linked with the small resort of pico mountain
When are you thinking of going , as one of the main factors to consider is the temps in JAN/feb when itvcan be really cold
It's a good easy three hour drive from Boston , and worth taking the hire car option rather than coach transfer.
They also have great kid facilities , my two boys both learned there and progressed at an amazing rate 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Went about 10 years ago. Agree with much of moffatross, but found one steep double black diamond. Stayed in a nice hotel with free shuttle bus (that's mostly what's on offer), but walking about in evening is not encouraged, as in most of the US. Disappointed with hire gear and lift queues, latter were not well managed, although when one liftie called Grizzly, about 6'4" tall and wide, shouted then everyone moved"! Went prepared for cold but it rained last day, so went shopping in a local mall which even I found quite interesting, but not as much as Mrs WS. 4 hour road trip from Boston, if I remember right. On balance we enjoyed the overall experience, but there are probably better places to spend your money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
welshskier, LOL at not being encouraged to walk around in the evening ... total lack of pavements anywhere & people looked at you from their cars like they were about to call the police. Folk were friendly enough though when they weren't in their cars. Like you, I enjoyed myself overall and in retrospect, I'd also agree there are better places to spend your money. As MazDave said, si slopes are built on rounded hills & I recall Lower Ovation was the only slope we shouldn't really have tackled but as we were skiing at Easter, everything was soft and a lot easier than it would probably have been in winter conditions.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Wed 6-04-11 18:32; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| moffatross wrote: |
mugen, I skied there for a week maybe 8 or 9 years ago. Imagine a hill the size of Cairngorm mountain without the routine risk of high winds (but not without the risk of rain - it pished down for 2 out of 6 days) and covered from top to bottom in trees. Then imagine trying to cram in 5x the number of ski runs and ski lifts that Cairngorm has and you'll get a feel for the place. Because it's so cramped, the area is pretty regimented but it does offer something for everyone, majoring on nice cruisy gentle stuff through the trees. It does have some token double black diamonds but I guess they really are very tame in comparison to most in the USA as there were several of us who were then just 2 to 4 week skiers and had absolutely no trouble safely making our way down them.
Although most people stay on the approach road, we stayed at the Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Rutland and didn't regret the daily journey up (about the same as Aviemore to Cairngorm) at all. It is a nice, slightly 'hick' New England town with pubs full of friendly homeboys and their girls, & going out for the evening was like having a beer in Moe's bar with Homer & Marge. The Dollar v. Pound was great then too so we really lived it up. Instruction was superb. |
thanks for that.. toying with the idea of doing killi and sugarbush as a starter for next season.. having said that it was snowing yesterday in killi
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Neilski wrote: |
My first ever ski trip was to killington , we had a great time , they have now built a bit of a village resort at the base of the slopes, which would be the place to stay, the area is quite large by east coast standards and it's also linked with the small resort of pico mountain
When are you thinking of going , as one of the main factors to consider is the temps in JAN/feb when itvcan be really cold
It's a good easy three hour drive from Boston , and worth taking the hire car option rather than coach transfer.
They also have great kid facilities , my two boys both learned there and progressed at an amazing rate |
to be honest i dont really mind the cold at all, was disapointed to be skiing in 19c last month.. just isn't natural..
having said that i was the only one disappointed..
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| moffatross wrote: |
| welshskier, LOL at not being encouraged to walk around in the evening ... total lack of pavements anywhere & people looked at you from their cars like they were about to call the police. Folk were friendly enough though when they weren't in their cars. Like you, I enjoyed myself overall and in retrospect, I'd also agree there are better places to spend your money. As MazDave said, si slopes are built on rounded hills & I recall Lower Ovation was the only slope we shouldn't really have tackled but as we were skiing at Easter, everything was soft and a lot easier than it would probably have been in winter conditions. |
you hear stories about people being stopped by cops for going for a walk, as no one does it..
well i was in milford in mass and went for said walk.. yup got stopped.. asked what i was doing..
mind you got stopped for speeding as well and that was another story.. yikes!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
I did go for a walk from our condo to a nearby restaurant , but nearly froze when I fell into a frozen pond under the snow whilst taking a short cut over the car park , after that joined in the local tradition of driving everywhere 
Killington has had a great year this year, and with their low temps and snowmaking I am sure conditions are pretty consistent .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have you got work in Boston? Otherwise I'm not sure why you'd deliberately plan to hit the East coast for skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| mugen wrote: |
| thanks for that.. toying with the idea of doing killi and sugarbush as a starter for next season.. having said that it was snowing yesterday in killi |
The wind that pushes down from the Arctic icesheets makes northeast US very unpleasant in the first half of the season.
Wait until the second half of the season, late-Feb or early-March, when it warms up and gets sunnier.
Killington is the best allround resort in the northeast, with a good mix of onpiste, offpiste glades, a few semi-steeps, plentya moguls and a reasonable town.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
I went ti Killington just over 2 yeears ago. It was freezing, -32 one day  I enjoyed it but it isnt for everyone. The snow was pretty good and so was the grooming. You must have a hire car though, there is no resort centre either which is a shame. Watch out for crazy lift prices, ont he weekends i was paying $75 per day!!! We stayed at the Inn Of Six Mountains which was lovely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I went 3 years ago. Agree with most of the comments above, not somewhere to go for an advanced skier but good for intermediates who treat their ski holidays as holidays. Take the opportunity to spend a day or 2 in Boston.
For lift passes you can get them massively reduced if booking through a hotel, stayed at a great small hotel Birch Ridge Inn, just a few minutes drive from the slopes.
Slopes are quiet during the week, about 70% brits, 20% canadians and the rest mostly americans. As for walking, the 5 mile access road has one building every 100 yards so not much point walking anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
| Quote: |
not somewhere to go for an advanced skier
|
I'm curious, what exactly do you mean by "advanced skier"?
| Quote: |
It does have some token double black diamonds but I guess they really are very tame in comparison to most in the USA as there were several of us who were then just 2 to 4 week skiers and had absolutely no trouble safely making our way down them.
|
I would love to see those 2 to 4 weekers making it down Superstar.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
| I would love to see those 2 to 4 weekers making it down Superstar. |
I'm not sure why you would.  We would have looked just as awkward as all the other relatively inexperienced skiers you'll see negotiating busy, steep, chopped up motorway ski runs at resorts the world over.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| moffatross wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I would love to see those 2 to 4 weekers making it down Superstar. |
I'm not sure why you would. We would have looked just as awkward as all the other relatively inexperienced skiers you'll see negotiating busy, steep, chopped up motorway ski runs at resorts the world over. |
I wouldn't have term that as "had absolutely no trouble" then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Quote: |
| I wouldn't have term that as "had absolutely no trouble" then. |
OK, so this is about the context & semantics of a throwaway remark.  OK I agree it was inappropriate but my point was really that for the inexperienced skiers amongst us, most of the DD's we skied were negotiable with enough of an adrenalin thrill to be a pleasure but safely enough to feel comfortable about them. I don't think we'd have felt the same at the time if we were peering over a cornice at some similarly graded runs in many other resorts in the USA. I do recall Superstar being tough because it was very busy & chopped up and perversely, as a single diamond it was one of the toughest runs on the mountain. I also said we had soft, spring snow that week and knowing what I know now, in winter conditions the double diamonds would have likely been quite different. With the exception of 'the moguls the size of VW Beetles' Outer Limits (which to be fair, was way out of my league too), the other doubles were relentlessly corduroyed during our stay and were made safe enough even for the least experienced in the group. And honestly, I'm not trying to belittle Killington's DD's because in similar, nice conditions, most of the steep runs on Europe's piste maps are safe enough for confident 3 week skiers too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| moffatross wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I wouldn't have term that as "had absolutely no trouble" then. |
OK, so this is about the context & semantics of a throwaway remark. OK I agree it was inappropriate but my point was really that for the inexperienced skiers amongst us, most of the DD's we skied were negotiable with enough of an adrenalin thrill to be a pleasure but safely enough to feel comfortable about them. I don't think we'd have felt the same at the time if we were peering over a cornice at some similarly graded runs in many other resorts in the USA. I do recall Superstar being tough because it was very busy & chopped up and perversely, as a single diamond it was one of the toughest runs on the mountain. I also said we had soft, spring snow that week and knowing what I know now, in winter conditions the double diamonds would have likely been quite different. With the exception of 'the moguls the size of VW Beetles' Outer Limits (which to be fair, was way out of my league too), the other doubles were relentlessly corduroyed during our stay and were made safe enough even for the least experienced in the group. And honestly, I'm not trying to belittle Killington's DD's because in similar, nice conditions, most of the steep runs on Europe's piste maps are safe enough for confident 3 week skiers too. |
there's always someone who turns up and spoils it for the rest of the kids.. this place shouldn't be called snowheads, should be pedanthead or ..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| landmannnn wrote: |
I went 3 years ago. Agree with most of the comments above, not somewhere to go for an advanced skier but good for intermediates who treat their ski holidays as holidays. Take the opportunity to spend a day or 2 in Boston.
For lift passes you can get them massively reduced if booking through a hotel, stayed at a great small hotel Birch Ridge Inn, just a few minutes drive from the slopes.
Slopes are quiet during the week, about 70% brits, 20% canadians and the rest mostly americans. As for walking, the 5 mile access road has one building every 100 yards so not much point walking anyway. |
ah boston, maybe a night.. however got food poisoning there once (boston seafood platter) and have never forgiven the place
it's a lovely area though, up thru NH to Maine..
thanks for tip about lift passes
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
On a side note we hated Boston, scruffy and a lot of homeless people about. Just our take on it, you may find it different. Good hotel though. It was called the doubletrees hotel, overlooked the river which was totally frozen!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
| On a side note we hated Boston, scruffy and a lot of homeless people about. Just our take on it, you may find it different. Good hotel though. It was called the doubletrees hotel, overlooked the river which was totally frozen! |
i was in the sheraton which again overlooked the river.. rooms were.. okayyy. however as was on old companies dime it was quite a good hotel.
it wasn't my fav city as said previously.. was there two weeks and drove to toronto for the weekend to visit somewhere cool..
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
[quote="abc"]
| Quote: |
not somewhere to go for an advanced skier
|
I'm curious, what exactly do you mean by "advanced skier"?
[quote]
I had forgotten about Superstar, quite fun, especially when I hadn't been skiing long. By advanced I mean not to many alpine blacks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| landmannnn wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
| Quote: |
not somewhere to go for an advanced skier
|
I'm curious, what exactly do you mean by "advanced skier"?
|
I had forgotten about Superstar, quite fun, especially when I hadn't been skiing long. By advanced I mean not to many alpine blacks. |
Killington has as much blacks as any typical resort. Being a fairly large resort by American standard, it has no more nor less blacks compare to most places. What are the resorts you would consider as "more advanced" than Killington?
Personally, I've been to quite a lot of LESS advanced resorts than Killington, even in the Alps.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Fri 8-04-11 14:20; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
We have been to Stowe four times and Killington, also visiting Sugarbush for a day, once. Much preferred Stowe but then its horses for courses isn't it. We have also stayed in Boston a few times, spring and autumn, and would also like a trip back there. Agree that a car is practically essential but we do always like the independence of a car so not reliant on transfers etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Was there last Dec for a little over a week. Flew to Burlington, picked up a 4x4, drove to Killington, skied 3 days, drove back to Stowe, skied Stowe 2 days, day trips to Smuggler Notch and SugarBush. In between skiing we visited Rutland, Burlington, Barre and Montpelier.
Whar was the skiing like?
European can go to the Alps and visit France's Montpelier.
Skiing Vermont and seeing American's version of Montpelier is the same thing but just smaller in scale.
The difference is just like comparing the city of Montpelier between USA and France. To some the American version of Montpelier could be called "one horse's" town.
During my trip every skiing resort has about 30 to 50% of the area/chairlifts close in Vermont.
For the European skiers America is always poor value for money. The resort size is in the 3rd league. Facilities in some are in 2nd leagues. Challenge in some resorts and lift pass price however are 1st league.
Vermont is OK if one happens to be there. If one picks it off a selection go to Colorado.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| saikee wrote: |
For the European skiers America is always poor value for money.
...
Challenge in some resorts and lift pass price however are 1st league.
|
I wonder how you reconcile those two. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
And it's proper to label it 