KILLINGTON, Vt. -
Tuesday started with lots of low clouds at Killington, but by day's end some breaks of sunshine started to make an appearance. The sunshine combined with southerly winds boosted temperatures to around 50. These mild temperatures are really giving us some early season spring conditions. Skiers and riders tell us they are enjoying the buttery snow.
"I'm a slush monster. You just give me soft snow and I'm happy all day," said Steven Gorcery of New Jersey.
"It's a lot of mashed potatoes, but it's pretty good. There are enough trails to keep your day full," said Kyle Kolesnikoss of Ithaca, N.Y.
Early in the day, the weather was a bit wet, but for some folks that didn't matter.
"Awesome, awesome... We've had some rain here. It softens the conditions up and makes them really nice for us. The downside is that they lose that cover," said Chris Clarke, who lives in Killington.
While there's no doubt the snow is melting, colder temperatures will arrive for the mid-to-late week period. This will let Killington put some of their 1,700 snow guns back into operation. And the snow is what the mountain is famous for.
"When conditions are right they can blow it up, they can get a trail open overnight," said Craig Giclitz of Huntington. N.Y.
Already Killington has produced enough snow in recent weeks to open up 17 miles of terrain, along with a terrain park.
"Our park crew last weekend just built a brand new terrain park on Must Run. We have 21 features and four jumps," said Sarah Thorson of Killington.
Many winter enthusiasts are anxious for some natural snow to start falling. This would allow skiers and riders to enjoy all that Killington has to offer.
"Killington is special first of all because it's big, it's challenging and it's got great bumps," Giclitz said.
The weather pattern will turn colder and possibly stormy later this week. If any storms track just south of the North Country, skiers and riders could see some of the white stuff. In the meantime, there's lots of manmade snow to be had.
