I looked at the longterm forecast for Killington today. It looks like they will get a shot of cold air this weekend and then some mixed precip next week. Any thoughts on when they will open? I think it will be struggle for them to open much earlier than Thanksgiving but I hope I am wrong.

Weather for Killington:

http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USVT0125

What about closer to home? When will we finally have skiing in the Mid-Atlantic? Predictions?

There is much debate on their board regarding this - the mighty Killington snow guns humbled by Mother Nature.

This doesn't bode well for the rest of us...

I'm planning a trip up there in Mid-December. Let's hope things improve between now and then.

I expect Snowshoe will open in Early Dec. I am hoping the luck they are having in Utah (to which my utah friends keep rubbing in my face) will come our way.

I am attempting to get my company to transfer me to Salt Lake City. I had several job offers out there a few years ago which I turned down because I was single (regardless of what you have heard you are at a distinct disadvantage if you are not Mormon - plus there is a glass ceiling for non Mormons out there), but now that I am married I may give it a go fo a few years.

It isn't easy to convince Wife, but we are looking for a new house right now - reasonable single family homes around these parts start at about $400K. That plus the fact that it takes her a hour to drive 20 miles to work is pretty much doing all the convincing for me.

All the convincing I needed was my first run down Ballroom at Alta.

gatkinso:

If you move, you will have to post reports from time to time on the forum just to make us envious.

Gatkinso:

If you go to SLC move into a house or TH in the canyons area. It's a tad more expensive than the city but you'll have a short drive to the slopes and you also avoid the smog (They call it Inversion) that festers over the city.

Hey mon, I moved to Park City last year from DC and it can't tell you how fine it is! I wake up every day wondering how I got so lucky ... and now Brighton is opening today so I am out of here! You might consider Park City to live in. It is only a little over 20 miles to SLC, and right now you can get a pretty nice place just outside of Old Town for resonable prices. My first place I rented was in Kimball Junction a 2 bd/1ba condo for $750/month. I bought a place right at the base of The Canyons (check the latest SKI mag for a write-up) in the Red Pines Condos (Chalet style duplex) for $165K. Put it this way; I can walk right over to The Canyons, and Alta/Snowbird is a quick 35 minute drive away. Plus I-80 is always taken good care of on snow days (you won't need chains or snow tires most days, unlike living in Little/Big Cottonwood) But if you have your heart set on being near little/big cottonwood, try finding a place in Midvale ... just outside of SLC but real close to Fort Union Dr. which takes you directly to Big Cottonwood and just a hop to Little Cottonwood. Good luck! :-)

It looks like Big K will be firing up the guns TONIGHT!

This was posted today on www.killington.com:

**Anticipated opening next week**

"The time is near. Colder temperatures are forecast to arrive tomorrow. Killington plans on making snow starting tomorrow and continuing right through the weekend. The goal is to get open for skiing and riding sometime next week. We're shooting for an opening day similar to last year when guests enjoyed top to bottom skiing and riding from Killington Peak and in the Glades. Stay tuned."

Low temps forecast for east rutland vermont...

Fri: 28
Sat: 23
Sun: 18
Mon: 25
Tue: 32

I am familar with the inversion - it is pretty henious looking (however the only difference from Baltimore is that you can actually see it out there - here is it hidden in the haze).

A friend used to live out there and I would visit atleast twice a season (plus once during the fall for a trip down to Moab). She lived in Sandy and we would catch the city bus at some strip mall parking lot to Alta and Snowbird.

Killington will have fri,sat& sun nites especially to snow shock & awe down on the slopes Maybe open 1 run to get braggin rights & then have there skiers ski in the rain wed! Looks like the best bets to turn on the snowguns for wv & up north for that matter will be from the 13th on.Opening the fri the21st or sat the 22nd. Snowshoe might try it but canaan & timberline won't.Timberline likes to open late & close late.They could both be open on most t-givings.Bet they would open by t-giving if almost heaven were built!!

FINALLY. I just picked this up from Killington's web site:

"We're making snow! Colder temperatures have arrived. Killington plans on making snow right through the weekend. The goal is to get open for skiing and riding sometime next week."

killington will open monday (11/10) according to the website. with 8 runs, and top-to-bottom riding. not bad at all!

Just got word that Sunday River opened at 1:30 today.

It wasn't the first resort to open. In addition to Tenney (which does not count in my book), The Woodbury Ski Area in CT and Belleayre Mountain in NY opened yesterday. But no resort in the EAST is offering early season skiing on the same level as Killington. 8 trails is nothing to sneer at for November.

[This message has been edited by johnfmh (edited 11-10-2003).]

Johnfmh, why don't you count Tenny Mtn?

Why? Because they have the new SnowMagic system that allows them to make snow in any temperature by freezing crystals in an internal chamber--kind of a big ice maker.

Tenney opened its Glacier--a 350 foot patch of manmade snow--on 6 October. Technically, Tenney was the first mountain in the East to open.

If this technology proves itself at Tenney, I suspect the Mid-Atlantic may one day see it. It would allow Snowshoe, for example, to guarantee a Nov. opening no matter what the weather does.

Someone on the Killington chat said that Tenney had "300 feet of the best slush around this summer" or some such.

Their take on it was that it was a fun time, but only because there were lots of curious people there and since the snow stank it turned into a massive beer bash.

there is a local golf couse up here in york that will be using snow magic to have a terrain park this summer. that will be very interesting because they are also looking at a year round (or at least 9 months)of park and pipe for a 18 dollar lift ticket....for small park pipe areas snow magic could be a great way to go esp if the costs come down.

I think we should count Tenny only if they open more than the terrain park.

As far as the system, they just freeze it differently than mother nature.

New Snow
November 14, 2003

Killington, Vermont 8"
Beaver Creek, Colorado 6"
Vail, Colorado 4"
Winter Park, Colorado 4"
Copper Mountain, Colorado 3"