Spring Break!

Vacations always go by fast, and this was no exception. We had a great time with Killington, VT as our primary destination. Lil-M got to spend 4 days with her grandparents and we got to spend those days bound only to the schedule of the lifts. The first day we missed her, but we quickly came to appreciate the time and remembered how carefree a vacation can be without a kid.

Killington is a perfect combination of old-skol and modern amenieties. It doesn't have that canned resort "village" feel, yet the mountain is very nice. We stayed at a Vermont style Inn that included an amazing breakfast that even big-M appreciated. We also had one dinner there that consisted of venison and australian lamb. The place had charm, yet was nice. We spent our late evenings in the lounge with the innkeepers and one other couple learning about the local Killington politics...just in case, big-M is starting his mayoral campaign there already.

As a huge plus, all the public places are smoke-free, one of the few laws in VT, but in my opinion a great one. We visited a few different restuaruants and bars, with our favorite being a place called The Garlic. Yes, we crazy bad breadth that entire evening. All the restaurants we visited were top-notch and served up interesting food and drink.

The snowboarding....the first day was a mere -13 degrees with 20-30 mph winds. Cold, cold, cold. Our first ride of the day we swore the wax had blown off our boards during the ride up on the roof. However, turns out that snow just gets a bit sticky when the temperature drops to the point where you shouldn't be outside for more than a few seconds. We not only survived by riding the heated gondola all day, but it turned into a beautiful day of riding and a great start to the trip.

The next two days were a balming 5-10 degrees. It really did feel balmy and we were able to ride all the lifts and stay out indefinitely. These two days were really great. We covered at least a few runs off of each peak and found our niches. Our favorite was a run call double dipper. It was off the top peak and had these beautiful powdery moguls that seems to go untouched. The extreme cold made for great snow that remained nice and soft for days.

Vermont claims to be home to snowboarding, snowboard this, that, etc. It was definitely true with respect to the superpipe and other features. We spent a good portion of our time hitting jumps and the pipe. The pipe was impressive. It is definitely a step up from a snowshoe-style pipe...if they even had one!

In summary, great snow; wonderful accomodations; great local foods; but manageable temps; and no one to worry about besides ourselves! Also, note that my boots rock. I was a bit worried, after the first day, but with a few adjustments, I'm in love.