We were skiing everything the weeks around World Cup. Over 5 feet of snow fell in Killington on top of no real base, and man, did we ski it all—Hot laps in the Canyon on 100% natural snow with no end to the greatness in sight. It was a glorious few weeks that will go down in the echelons of Killington history. Flume on 100% natural, and it was so good that the bottom wasn’t that normal sheet of frozen runoff, scare you to death business. It was fun and playful, and I have never apologized to a pair of skis so often as I did those few weeks.
But you couldn’t say no. The BF coined the phrase that it was like skiing Mad River … but with sharper rocks. It really was that good. Downdraft was amazing; Double Dipper felt like the old days when you could actually feel the two dips. Cascade was glorious until you got round the turn to the big rocks, and then it was only almost glorious. Escapade: Well, Escapade was closed, now, wasn’t it?
Once you passed the first turn on the Cascade and Downdraft headwalls, you were in heaven. Those two sections of trail are never like that. One night (and it was that dark for last chair), I made the second turn on Cascade headwall and got stuck in a foot of snow between two moguls. I poofed. It was amazing. It will go down as one of my top ten turns, especially since we had literally skied the same turn the run before, so I figured it would be tracked out. Thank you, Vermont wind, for putting it back for me!
What? You don’t have your top 10 turns ingrained in your brain? My best turn ever was for a promo shoot for Killington in the early 2000s, and we had an early lift on Superstar Quad. You never know if it’s just gonna be a wind-blown mess or really something fun to play with off Skye Peak. Well, we nailed it. I was on tele’s at the time, so granted, the powder was a little bit deeper than if I was on Alpine. That bent knee just gets you into it so beautifully.
Anyway, I dropped off the Ovation headwall and sank past my waist and up to my armpits. I literally sank. And to have that turn happen here, in Killington, at the mountain where I was working at the time, turned that turn into complete magic. What an affirmation of all the life choices I had made until then. I had dropped out of graduate school to become a ski instructor and ended up in armpit-deep powder. I’d say that confirms the greatness of my life choice to be a ski bum.
But I’m not really a bum anymore, am I? I own my home, I am a managing broker for Sotheby’s Realty, and I am an elected town official. Can I still be considered a ski bum? But I still coach skiing, introducing young athletes to the love of the sport. Sunday nights at Baja are filled with locals discussing everything from park structure to village development to the turn of the day. It’s all in there. My clients are either looking to start living their ski dreams or looking for someone to guide them through a tearful farewell.
My whole life revolves around the sport of skiing and my love for it. My entire life relies on time blocking, making sure that every day has 1-2 hours of me time, I mean ski time. I’ve never wanted to be anywhere else, even when it rains 2.42 inches at my house in one devastating storm. But when I looked outside that morning, I managed to find the snowy lining. Literally, there was still snow covering my lawn! I’ve still been able to find terrain through the woods—that’s why I have touring equipment. If you can’t ski down the woods, usually there is enough to ski up or through them!
The skiing lifestyle is a choice, a commitment made to the snow, sport, and lifestyle. Everyone who lives here has made that choice. Every second, the homeowner has decided to prioritize skiing and riding every weekend. Every investor recognizes the value of the skiing lifestyle. That’s why we’re here, why our world revolves around sliding down a mountain as much as possible.
My second best turn was a private moment in Sore Thumb. It was the first time I had found the trail all by myself and hadn’t been led in by one of the more mature skiers. I was skiing alone, and I found it before anyone else. All that powder was mine! That beautiful chute of several turns with snow up to my hip. Hot damn was that a glorious moment. It’s weird that most of my top turns of all time were at Killington.
Merisa Sherman is a longtime Killington resident, global real estate advisor, town official, and coach PomPom. Share your stories at [email protected].