New England 2022-2023 Killington Ski Resort/Conditions/Meetups

[Wilhelmson]

I struggle with ungroomed terrain and bumps and it’s something that I really need to work on next. I feel like it’s holding me back. I know conditions would play heavily into this answer, but what might the next step in terrain that I could push myself on with getting in totally over my head? Cascade below Great Northern or Superstar? I’ve skied it think most of the easier single blacks… Mouse Trap, Lower East Fall, Lower Skylark, Middle Skyeburst, bottom half of Wildfire. Only ungroomed terrain that I’ve been on are the woods off of High Road, small bump run off of Bittersweet and a little bit on Upper Needles.

If the snow is good have someone show you around the easier woods near Snowden and ramshead.

 

[mikes781]

If the snow is good have someone show you around the easier woods near Snowden and ramshead.

I said High Road but really meant Header. I’ve played around in them a little bit.

 

[Scruffy]

I struggle with ungroomed terrain and bumps and it’s something that I really need to work on next. I feel like it’s holding me back. I know conditions would play heavily into this answer, but what might the next step in terrain that I could push myself on with getting in totally over my head? Cascade below Great Northern or Superstar? I’ve skied it think most of the easier single blacks… Mouse Trap, Lower East Fall, Lower Skylark, Middle Skyeburst, bottom half of Wildfire. Only ungroomed terrain that I’ve been on are the woods off of High Road, small bump run off of Bittersweet and a little bit on Upper Needles.

Like you said conditions are everything. But a good escape route is nice to have. Once you're in Cascade you're in it to win it. Superstar headwall will allow you to exit over to Skylark. The middle of Superstar is usually not that tricky so the two areas of SS you'd want to stretch yourself on are the headwall and Preston's Pitch at the bottom. How are you on Panic Button and Needle's Eye? There are usually bumps on the skier's right side of lower Needle's Eye, but the left side may be groomed. Look for these types of scenarios so you can play in the bumps and if you're not feeling it then exit to a groomed surface.

Have you taken bump lessons?

 

[mikes781]

Thanks @Scruffy not sure if I’ve been on panic button but I do not have a problem going down needles eye below great eastern and I’ve dipped into those bumps on the right while taking it slow. I took a few private lessons locally 3 or 4 years ago after I started skiing again but no bump focus. I did take a private lesson at Killington earlier in the month with two buddies. We did a little bit of bumps and some ungroomed terrain but it wasn’t the focus. Probabley should prioritize that in a future lesson.

 

[Scruffy]

Thanks @Scruffy not sure if I’ve been on panic button but I do not have a problem going down needles eye below great eastern and I’ve dipped into those bumps on the right while taking it slow. I took a few private lessons locally 3 or 4 years ago after I started skiing again but no bump focus. I did take a private lesson at Killington earlier in the month with two buddies. We did a little bit of bumps and some ungroomed terrain but it wasn’t the focus. Probabley should prioritize that in a future lesson.

Good. You've probably read here in these forums threads where people ask similar questions on how to improve off piste and bumps and the common theme is you need to develop a bullet proof short turn. You want to eliminate all breaking moves from your skiing. Stive to control your speed with turn shape and line choice. Develop a really solid short turn where you complete it to control you speed and you'll be on your way. Good luck!

 

[johnnyvw]

Thanks @Scruffy not sure if I’ve been on panic button but I do not have a problem going down needles eye below great eastern and I’ve dipped into those bumps on the right while taking it slow. I took a few private lessons locally 3 or 4 years ago after I started skiing again but no bump focus. I did take a private lesson at Killington earlier in the month with two buddies. We did a little bit of bumps and some ungroomed terrain but it wasn’t the focus. Probabley should prioritize that in a future lesson.

About 20 years ago Killington offered group lessons specifically geared towards bumps. They don't seem to do that now, but a private lesson would probably be very beneficial, if you notify them ahead of time what you want to focus on. The bumps lesson I took back then raised my ability to ski moguls by about 500% (seriously...). The tools I learned back then have stayed with me ever since.

 

[Wilhelmson]

For the foreseeable week, Sunday River is about a sure of a bet you get these days for good coverage. Lol posted in the kton thread

 

[Wilhelmson]

Good. You've probably read here in these forums threads where people ask similar questions on how to improve off piste and bumps and the common theme is you need to develop a bullet proof short turn. You want to eliminate all breaking moves from your skiing. Stive to control your speed with turn shape and line choice. Develop a really solid short turn where you complete it to control you speed and you'll be on your way. Good luck!

Sounds like a drill Sargent teaching bump skiing.

 

[Scruffy]

Sounds like a drill Sargent teaching bump skiing.

drop and give me 50

 

[Wilhelmson]

drop and give me 50

I decided a long time (3 years) ago that a 40 year old shouldn’t be able to do 25 pull-ups.

 

[Ogg]

About 20 years ago Killington offered group lessons specifically geared towards bumps. They don't seem to do that now, but a private lesson would probably be very beneficial, if you notify them ahead of time what you want to focus on. The bumps lesson I took back then raised my ability to ski moguls by about 500% (seriously...). The tools I learned back then have stayed with me ever since.

They still have the mogul camps but those are only certain specific dates.

 

[mikes781]

They still have the mogul camps but those are only certain specific dates.

Thanks. I see they had a two day camp in early February and another coming up this weekend. I’ll keep an eye out for it next year.

 

[johnnyvw]

Keepin mind the camps are two days...so youll have to have decent fitness level to handle it. A private would be an hour and a half. Might want to start there as a "warm up" for a camp

 

[PinnacleJim]

If you were of the female persuasion you could take a moguls camp with Olympic gold medalist and BMMC multiple winner Donna Weinbrecht.

 

[mikes781]

Keepin mind the camps are two days...so youll have to have decent fitness level to handle it. A private would be an hour and a half. Might want to start there as a "warm up" for a camp

I was thinking I might get a private lesson or two focused on moguls under my belt at my local hill before I do a camp. I worked out hard going into this season and it made a big difference, but I can see a camp where I’m outside my comfort zone being different though. I’m heading to Colorado next week and took a look at lesson options. $1k for 3 hours… no thanks.

If you were of the female persuasion you could take a moguls camp with Olympic gold medalist and BMMC multiple winner Donna Weinbrecht.

It looks like they offered a mogul camp open to everyone with Donna and another for women only. There’s also another one without Donna.

 

[zircon]

I was thinking I might get a private lesson or two focused on moguls under my belt at my local hill before I do a camp. I worked out hard going into this season and it made a big difference, but I can see a camp where I’m outside my comfort zone being different though.

I’ve done this camp a couple times and will be there again 3/18-19. They group you by aggression level and do a lot of groomer prep work before taking you in bumps, and also make extensive use of the smaller easier bumps hidden around the mountain (e.g., low road). There are plenty of people who take it who’ve never skied moguls before at all. Highly recommend.

 

[johnnyvw]

Sounds like something I might do in the future...maybe as a 70th birthday present to myself

 

[Marker]

I was thinking I might get a private lesson or two focused on moguls under my belt at my local hill before I do a camp. I worked out hard going into this season and it made a big difference, but I can see a camp where I’m outside my comfort zone being different though. I’m heading to Colorado next week and took a look at lesson options. $1k for 3 hours… no thanks.


It looks like they offered a mogul camp open to everyone with Donna and another for women only. There’s also another one without Donna.

This is priced for Donna's name, but you will most likely get most of your lessons from someone else according to a female instructor I met at Killington that works those camps. YMMV. There are excellent instructors at Killington that can give you a bump lesson without the camps, but they will start with your short radius turn and pole plant. Speaking from experience. A short radius turn makes skiing steep blacks easier and more fun even if not bumpy.

I have been working on the same progression you are on since I started skiing at Killington. Trails like East Fall, Highline and Superstar were too intimidating and we would stay to the easy groomed blacks. Of course, these would get bumped up on some days and I would struggle mightily. We also would ski the middle of Superstar from Nevis Walk and Launch Pad, then take High Road to lower Skyelark. The chop and milder bumps on middle Superstar were good practice. Upper Double Dipper usually has some easier blue bumps under the Canyon Quad. Also upper Royal Flush on Snowdon and Low Road as mentioned above.

 

[mikes781]

Thanks @Marker . Yep I have definitely looked at some trails and thought no way but that has started to change in the past 3 years since I fist skied there. Last year I probably slowly went by the top of lower East Fall 4 or 5 times trying to talk myself into it. My buddy said he finally heard me yell @#!e it and disappear over the edge. Wasn’t that bad. My first ride up K1 I watched someone wipe out and slide several hundred feet down cascade before the fence stopped them. Again I thought no thanks to that trail and this year is was eyeballing and thinking it didn’t look so bad lol.

Being able to link consistent short turns does sound like what I really need to focus on next. I assume you are talking about brushed turns? I would often watch others get down steep terrain and wondered how they kept their speed in check without skidding their way down. I have six days of skiing coming up and will force myself to slow down and work on linking short turns during the trip.

 

[KingGrump]

Being able to link consistent short turns does sound like what I really need to focus on next. I assume you are talking about brushed turns? I would often watch others get down steep terrain and wondered how they kept their speed in check without skidding their way down. I have six days of skiing coming up and will force myself to slow down and work on linking short turns during the trip.

Learn to finish your turns. That's the key to speed control in the steeps. And bumps.