{"id":12139,"date":"2018-02-17T19:08:15","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T00:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/daily-planet-arthur\/?p=12139"},"modified":"2018-02-17T19:58:25","modified_gmt":"2018-02-18T00:58:25","slug":"planet-skistyle-the-beast-and-the-holy-moguls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/daily-planet-arthur\/2018\/02\/planet-skistyle-the-beast-and-the-holy-moguls\/","title":{"rendered":"Planet SkiStyle: The BEAST And The Holy Moguls!"},"content":{"rendered":"
KILLINGTON, VT –The winter air embraces my body, wrapping around it like the opposite of a blanket, its breath sneaking into the teeny cracks between my carefully adorned layers. <\/p>\n I practice yoga breathing, processing air deep in the back of my throat in low, inaudible growls, relying on its magic to power me through my mantra: “Shoulders face the mountain, drive the knee, slide the outside ski back in.” <\/p>\n All of this – while quickly-melting snowflakes grab hold of my goggles. They slide slowly from top to bottom, purposefully obscuring my vision. <\/p>\n I deftly glance over my right shoulder, then back toward the bottom of the mountain, satisfied that my blogging and skiing partner, Lisa Champagne, is safely within sight. We are at Killington Ski resort in Vermont, attempting our inaugural ski blog, our latest addition to our social and lifestyle pieces for #createyourlife and saratoga.com. I\u2019ll speak only for myself, and that is that it\u2019s almost laughable that I am authoring a ski blog. I have been skiing for a mere 6-7 years and carry with me a healthy fear of speed (aka, I am a blues kind-of girl.) Nonetheless, I can think of no better way to beat the cold than by immersing myself in it while logging solid exercise and consistently improving my skills\u2026 in both writing and skiing. Additionally, Lisa and I lead parallel lives, but yet have two distinctly different styles and personalities, so there\u2019s bound to be a healthy dose of entertainment. <\/p>\n Speaking of entertainment, you may have heard that Killington is known as one of the best places in the Northeast for Apres\u2019 Ski\u2026 and we are, in fact, social reporters \u2013 we have THAT part down! For us, that translates into visiting the fairly new Peak Lodge, a mere Gondola ride up from K-1 Lodge. Simple\u2026 if you are going straight to the Peak. However, we are first looking forward to playing with the more than one foot of new powder that fell earlier in the week. After comfortably riding the Gondola to the top (one of three on site!), we are skiing directly past the Peak lodge and weaving our way down. <\/p>\n Ever hear the term BEAST of the EAST? That\u2019s Killington, aptly named because of its vast size. In other words, getting lost is basically guaranteed if you don\u2019t stop and chart your course at one of the maps sitting helpfully near every drop-off\u2026 a lesson we learned after finding ourselves way over on the BEAST\u2019S Bear Mountain, also appropriately named as it is littered with bumps and moguls, two terrains we are definitely NOT prepared to tackle at this point in our skiing careers. <\/p>\n Fast forward a number of runs and a few map studies later, and we finally navigate our way back to the Gondola, which we gratefully ride back up to the peak. As we park our skis against the rails, a gust of wind makes a solid attempt at shoving us to the ground. However, determined to make the 3 pm last call, we sort of gracefully push back and ski-boot walk our way through the doors of our Nirvana, known to the rest of the world as The Peak Lodge. <\/p>\n I imagine re-enacting the scene from Top Gun as we remove our helmets and shake out our now-frozen hair, walking toward the picturesque mountainside bar and after patiently waiting our turn, place our drink order just in time. Unfortunately, we\u2019ve missed the deadline for ordering food. While that is disappointing, it provides reason enough to try again before the season\u2019s end. If you\u2019re a novice, \u201cThe Beast of the East\u201d – site of the largest vertical drop in New England. may seem a little intimidating. I get it – I\u2019m just breaking into intermediate status myself. Yet Killington accommodates skiers of every level including the newbie. With 155 trails (50 beginner\/novice), 21 lifts and over 1,500 acres, it is the largest ski resort in the eastern U.S. <\/p>\n Lift tickets will run you about $100 a pop – which is exactly what we expected. Now that I\u2019ve provided you with a few of the deets, I\u2019ll give you the low-down on Carrie + Lisa\u2019s ski adventure. A blast for sure, but truth be told, I also learned a few a lessons along the way\u2026<\/p>\n Saturday morning\u2019s weather was iffy at best. Warm temperatures brought rain to most of the capital region. As we left Spa-City, Carrie and I were hopeful the rain would turn to snow once we reached Vermont. Thirty degree temperatures seemed a godsend compared to the single digits we experienced so far this season. Upon arrival, Carrie + I weren\u2019t surprised to see traffic was a bear. Killington is a hot spot on the weekends. Great skiing and a fun night-life keep this town bustling. Fortunately, Carrie had skied here before and knew exactly where to park. The $15 fee saved us time and the annoyance of walking a healthy distance through puddles and sludge. Good call my friend! <\/p>\n After obtaining our ski passes, we made our way inside to gear up\u2026. Lesson #1: when you\u2019re chatting with your friends at a ski resort, pay attention while getting dressed!<\/strong> Ski pants first, boots last \u2013 but that could happen to anyone right? ; ) <\/p>\n First run of the day and I couldn\u2019t wait! We headed to the gondola (best invention ever!) and up the mountain we went. Typically, Mountain views from the gondola are pretty awesome. Unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t in the cards on this ride. Grey skies + thick fog made it difficult to see anything. More thick fog. <\/p>\n I noticed the huge drop at the edge of the trail. It served as a healthy reminder that I needed to pay attention. Control and survival are the name of the game for me, so I set no goals in terms of speed. This is completely recreational, and enjoying the fresh air and outdoors is enough. <\/p>\n Thankfully, Carrie is the same way. I typically enjoy a few runs, and then always look forward to a hot toddy (or margarita) at the end of the day. After our second run, that margarita was sounding better and better…
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\nEditors note: Today our friends and colleagues Carrie and Lisa begin applying their Gala party and writing skills to a new canvas: The first of their series of Alpine-oriented getaway blogging adventures. Like troopers, they eschewed some ‘easy glider’ mountain, and went all-in on Mighty Killington for their debut. Kudos! – AG<\/em><\/p>\n
\nTHE BEAST OF THE EAST!<\/strong>
\nCarrie Rowlands Johnson<\/em><\/p>\n
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\nFor today, the view from the top, with snow frosted gondola cars passing elegantly in front of the picture windows, is reward worthy of every twist and turn this Beast of a ski resort has to offer.
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\nHoly Mogul!<\/strong>
\nLisa Champagne<\/em>
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\nKILLINGTON, VT — It\u2019s high time for ski season, and what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than hitting the slopes at Killington Ski resort. Last year, after a fourteen year hiatus, I decided to dust off my very own skis, grab a couple girlfriends and head to one of the smaller local mountains for weekly lessons. If you\u2019ve never skied + want to learn or you\u2019re like me + have – but need a refresher, lessons are the way to go. All mountains, including Killington offer group or private ones.<\/p>\n
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\nI\u2019ve been donning this \u201cninja\u201d look since December, and I was looking forward to a mild day. <\/p>\n
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\nAs we exited the gondola, we skied directly to the map. As usual, we looked for the easier trails. Carrie seemed familiar with the landscape. First run was tough. Tough because I was unfamiliar with the trail but also because we couldn\u2019t see three feet in front of us. <\/p>\n
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