Killington opened for the season today, and this time everyone was invited. This was my first early season experience since the installation of the Peak Walkway which is a game changer for Killington. With Killington’s renewed sense of identity, it will be difficult for any other mountain in the northeast to open sooner.

I took advantage of a 2 for 1 offer, taking a half dozen runs for nineteen fiddy. Uploading was provided by the K1 which unceremoniously dumped me out on the Great Northern gauntlet. Snow guns were everywhere creating an impenetrable cloud of near blindness.

I made it to Rime where I found edge to edge coverage with ample base depth. The guns were still going but cloud coverage was not as bad as Great Northern. Conditions were ungroomed with random bumps and dips. There was no line for the lift nor was there much elbow room on the trail. Killington during a weekend with only Rime open is not a place I would ever want to be. My crowding factor was already maxed out with the lift at fifty percent capacity.

Killington’s fire power was impressive. In addition to the open trails Great Northern and Rime, snow guns were blowing on Reason, Upper East Fall, Ridge Run, and the portion of Cascade under the Gondola. The entire North Ridge area should be fully blown out within a few days and groomed for the weekend. With continued cold temperatures, I don’t see why Killington would not have top to bottom by the weekend. The base was twenty-six degrees when I left in the early afternoon.

For more years than I can recall, I’ve been openly hostile of Killington. But I am coming around to seeing the place for what it is. Killington’s renewed vigor certainly helps. Far from my favorite place to go, it still offers up good skiing when the conditions are right and the crowds are absent.

I resent Killington more for the crowds it attracts (both in qualitative and quantitative terms) and less for the mountain itself which does offer up a good time when you hit it right. Today was just about right (at least for a second day of the season).