Killington Nov25-26 W/C

[Guy in Shorts]

Thumbs up from snow control. Stands are up, trail is full of snow, and waiting for the show to begin. Come on out next weekend and enjoy the show.

 

[dbostedo]

Come on out next weekend and enjoy the show.

Really with I could... But I'll be watching remotely!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Woot. Superstar was looking mighty fine even a couple weeks ago. It's definitely a lot of fun, we've done it twice.

If anyone hasn't gone, I highly encourage it. So much fun.

 

[Rudi Riet]

As usual SkiTalk will be there for our exclusive coverage. Both @AaronFM and I are ready to do our best to get you the quality coverage you've come to expect.

 

[dbostedo]

As usual SkiTalk will be there for our exclusive coverage. Both @AaronFM and I are ready to do our best to get you the quality coverage you've come to expect.

Yay!

 

[wolcoma]

Way to go Killington! I have always thought of Killington as the Jersey Shore of skiing, but for decades they have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellent snowmaking and grooming. Wishing Killington great weather for this week's World Cup!!!

 

[ScottB]

Is it possible to do some skiing if I come, or is terrain limited and it's just watching the races?

 

[Rudi Riet]

Is it possible to do some skiing if I come, or is terrain limited and it's just watching the races?

Killington Peak (K-1 Express gondola to the North Peak chair and its trail pod) should be open for the general public, possibly with something top-to-bottom by next weekend given the forecast. As of now you still have to download via the gondola to access the base.

The Skye Peak trials where the races are taking place will not be accessible to the public as the Superstar Express chair and all the trails off of it are in the secure zone for the race. Athletes will be training on Skye Lark and racing on Superstar and all access to that area will be strictly controlled.

 

[Marker]

As per the webcams, they are still blowing snow on Skyelark for WC training (can't see if this includes Bittersweet). I assume this means that they can't commit more resources to opening terrain on Snowdon for the general public. In the past, I can recall folks skiing Highline during the WC from the photos that they posted online, so this has been a sloowww start to the season with hiking still required after three weeks! At least there is snow forecasted for later this week.

I will be at home in PA roasting turkey and decorating for Christmas. But I will watch the coverage. At least Superstar and Skye Peak trails will be ready by the time we come up in mid-December.

 

[PinnacleJim]

I would guess with the current cold weather the route down to the K-1 base via Great Northern and Lower Bunny Buster will be open in a day or two. And I would expect a trail or two on Snowdon served by the bubble 6-pack open for the weekend.

 

[Rudi Riet]

As per the webcams, they are still blowing snow on Skyelark for WC training (can't see if this includes Bittersweet). I assume this means that they can't commit more resources to opening terrain on Snowdon for the general public.

Two different snowmaking crews and systems in play: the Skye Peak system and crew are an entirely different entity at this point in the season. That's part of the reason why FIS has such confidence in Killington pulling off the races - and why Killington has confidence that they can open their other terrain to the public at the same time as they pour millions of gallons into two competition trails.

 

[AaronFM]

Yay!

I hope to get some new angles and bigger shots this year. I should have on-slope access as well as a new 150-600 lens on a 40MP body.

 

[dbostedo]

a new 150-600 lens

Ooh... what's the max aperture at 600mm?

 

[AaronFM]

Ooh... what's the max aperture at 600mm?

it’s f/8 so not the fastest, but testing out moving from a 5D mkII and 400 5.6 to the Fuji XH2 and their 229-914mm equivalent. The high ISO performance and better af should more than make up for the 1 stop slower glass.

 

[dbostedo]

it’s f/8 so not the fastest

At least that means it's smaller... #brightside

Have fun! I'd love to shoot it.

 

[BrianB]

In the past, I can recall folks skiing Highline during the WC from the photos that they posted online, so this has been a sloowww start to the season with hiking still required after three weeks!

I have been to all the Killington WCs since the first one in 2016, skiing on Th-Fr, spectating on the weekend. Not a regular Kton skier and memory may be a bit hazy (or wrong), but 2016-2019 there were always multiple runs open off Snowdon, including highline some years, sometimes even Canyon lift (one year got stuck on that lift for ~45 minutes right where it goes over GN, really windy & cold place to be stopped, they were giving people vouchers at the top after the lift started running again). The last two years have been basically just Northridge plus one way down to the bottom. Way different experience. This year looks like the same. Probably the result of less favorable weather for snowmaking in general rather than allocating resources to WC at the expense of the general public.

 

[Wannabeskibum]

it’s f/8 so not the fastest, but testing out moving from a 5D mkII and 400 5.6 to the Fuji XH2 and their 229-914mm equivalent. The high ISO performance and better af should more than make up for the 1 stop slower glass.

I am bringing my new Canon r5 mirrorless and the 100-500 - f7.1 at the far end - but the low noise image sensor, outstanding AF, and shooting at fast shutter will hopefully get some good shots

 

[Marker]

According to the conditions report this morning, Superstar will be closed to the public for the week after the WC races so local race teams can practice on a WC-ready course. A unique opportunity for them, but will delay the opening of Superstar to the general public until Dec. 8, which is will be my first scheduled day of the season!

SNOW REPORTER'S UPDATE​

November 23, 2023 - 06:00 am
Howdy Beast Fans. Thanks to our incredible mountain operations team, we are now open for top to bottom skiing and riding! We expect temps to hover around freezing today and we will have fog and cloudy skies, turning into partly cloudy skies as the day goes on. Lifts will open at 8 A.M. through Sunday, giving you more time to work off that Thankgsiving food baby.

Our grooming team went out again last night to regroom trails such as Rime and Upper East Fall, which was groomed for the first time and should be skiing great. The conditions have hardened up overnight into firm corduroy. Be aware that early season conditions may be variable. There is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and we hope you are able to spend some of your day on the hill with us. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

New this year, Superstar will remained closed to the public for one week following the Stifel Killington Cup for race training. More than 350 skiers from 23 different clubs, academies and universities will be at The Beast to take advantage of the course. This is a unique opportunity for these aspiring athletes to practice on World Cup-caliber terrain. After that, we'll resurface the course and open it to the public on December 8.

 

[Rudi Riet]

According to the conditions report this morning, Superstar will be closed to the public for the week after the WC races so local race teams can practice on a WC-ready course. A unique opportunity for them, but will delay the opening of Superstar to the general public until Dec. 8, which is will be my first scheduled day of the season!

Count me in as a coach of one of the race teams taking advantage of this training opportunity. Both Skye Lark and Superstar will be open to race teams only for one week following the conclusion of the races. This is something that teams have lobbied to have happen for years - and now it's finally happening!

And you'd better believe that my edges are tuned for this, even though as a coach I'll mainly be standing around on the hill. I reminded my athletes to keep their expectations in check because the surface (especially on Superstar) will be firm.

 

[Wannabeskibum]

I am bringing my new Canon r5 mirrorless and the 100-500 - f7.1 at the far end - but the low noise image sensor, outstanding AF, and shooting at fast shutter will hopefully get some good shots

I got some great pictures from Day 1 and starting to look through Slalom run today - here is one of my favorites from Mikaela Shiffrin’s second GS run yesterday