The thought had been nagging me for the past few weeks: I was decidedly not ready for the season to start from a gear perspective. Nothing had been pulled out of the closet. An inventory had not yet been taken. New jackets still retained their store tags. My recently mounted new Dynafits had not been inspected for DIN setting accuracy nor tested so I could learn the features. Ready or not, the season starts now. Ready? Set. GO!

Killington or Mansfield? Reports had confirmed a foot of snow near the summit of Killington but I repeated my mantra not to bet against Mansfield. Besides, I hate the drive from Ashland to Killington even though it is twenty minutes shorter than Ashland to Stowe.

While I should usually not bet against Mansfield, I should also know by now that one in the hand is better than two in the bush. That you never get greedy when you know of a sure thing. You keep hammering the known quantity as long as it remains good because you might get skunked when you go in search of something better.

Sheets of rain blowing sideways greeted me at the Mansfield Gondola. The snow barely started near the base of the slopes and was very thin and spotty for a few hundred feet. The Front Four did not look in play from the parking lot. I suspected skiing was likely good up high but I resolved that I was not skinning in a drenching rain.

Rather than wait for the rain to stop, I opted to drive to Killington where I suspected they had top to bottom skiing, more snow, and no rain. I guess I never learn… But this was rather defaulting back to the known quantity when the greed did not pan out. Sure enough, I made the wrong decision when I left home but made the right decision in revising plans.

The snow report from Killington is anything from bare ground to trace to three inches at the K1 Base Lodge. Base depths increased significantly with just a little more elevation as I noticed a fairly consistent six inches and more once I reached Mouse Trap. Totals near the summit were in the one foot range give or take an inch or two in various areas. Snow was respectably deep but not always bottomless in the Canyon area where I found the best snow and best skiing due to the steeper pitch. Snow was rather heavy but the untracked skied beautifully. Call it thick powder.

From the new catwalk behind the unload area of the North Ridge Triple, I skied Downdraft until the final pitch where I crossed over to Cascade. Turns were best when the trail was steepest. Excellent turns were made on Lower Cascade. I was not satisfied so I booted up Royal Flush and skied back down the same with great turns. Snow was best in this elevation range. Below the Canyon Quad, snow quickly receded but was plentiful enough to ski almost back to my car.

Mountain operations were in full force with many blue square and green circle trails in the North Ridge area being groomed (but not tilled) to pack the snow for better preservation. The North Ridge Triple and the K1 (with only an occasional car) were both turning at one point. Snow making operations do not look “flip the switch” ready. Base depths from this storm are not sufficient for Killington to open nor are the guns ready to fire. I doubt we will see an opening any time soon unless temperatures fall below freezing for an extended period of time.

Today was a great day for testing out new toys. My new Watea 94s skied like a dream. Amazing ski for a heavy touring setup and I am satisfied with my choice of the 178cm despite previous concerns that I went too short. Despite my preference for low turning radius numbers, I dare say this ski was almost a little hooky at times.

The Dynafit FT Z12 bindings took some getting used to entering. Even with the touring bar locked, I stepped out of them a few times due to poor alignment when stepping in or excessive torquing when turning the skis. After a few step outs, I soon had them locked in proper. While skinning, I found my stride was shorter, faster, and more efficient than with Freerides. I did not notice much weight savings but I paired the binding with a heavy ski intentionally with offsetting the weight in mind. The down! Oh my goodness, the down! Night and day better than a Fritschi Freeride on the down. I couldn’t believe it! Also new of note is a Marmot Exum jacket which is a GoreTex Pro Shell. Excellent performance. I am thrilled that I have finally dialed in a layering system that not only will keep me warm but also dry. Full reviews on all new gear forth coming pending more experience in different conditions.