Memorial Day weekend is upon us and yes there will no doubt be skiing and riding on the Superstar Glacier one last time. As of noon on Thursday Killington's snow report still says they will go through the holiday weekend but they have not updated the text concerning skiing operations since Monday and it would be wise to keep checking on that for potential changes.

The melt that started before last weekend thankfully peaked on Tuesday before things cooled down just enough to slow down the melt which tends to increase exponentially as temperatures rise and sunny skies dominate. It was a great weekend for skiing and riding but not great for the snowpack. It was a bit scary how fast the snow disappeared and ground opened up in all three of the perennial trouble areas on Superstar as many feet of snowpack was lost. It was difficult to say how much thermal mass had built in the ground and when the melting might slow, but it did slow just enough to preserve enough snow and get a decent path pushed out. Killington's groomers were out farming the snow this morning and will surely do so again overnight. Here's how things look at noon on Thursday.

There won't be enough snow to keep your planks on your feet on all the way back to the lift so you'll de-plank at the bottom and re-plank at the top of the headwall, but for now at least the headwall is covered. In recent years they have also spread urea (better for the environment than salt) on the areas that they farm more deeply which acts to firm up the snow and make it more resistant to traffic but that also means you may wish to have some sort of edge on your rock skis and boards as it can create some variability in these spots. They've farmed the upper flatter area that they call the "snow fields" by pushing snow both up and down. They have also pushed the deeper snow up from the bottom where there is plenty to cover the openings on the bottom pitch. When these weak areas go it generally happens from top to bottom during the ski day and the best turns are no doubt earlier in the day before they start getting carved out, choke points develop, walking part of the headwall becomes mandatory, and snirt starts to appear. After that most people break out the grills or chill on the Umbrella Bar with an impromptu party on the access road continuing through the night to send off the ski season. They might make it through Friday without notable issues, but increased traffic on Saturday and beyond will surely bring out the snirt in places.

I still have some open questions regarding how far they will go this holiday weekend but keep in mind that this is update was written at noon on Thursday and they have not yet updated their guidance for conditions and operations. They're likely in an operations meeting at this moment coming up with a plan after the farming this morning and determining what they have to work with. Weather of course is a consideration and we have have r@!n coming in on Sunday, probably by noon, and lasting until the early morning on Wednesday. Modeling currently suggest about 1/2" of r@!n but they are on the edge of the heavier precipitation as a lobe of high pressure resists the surge of moisture from the southwest and that could come in heavier or lighter by Sunday. That's certainly going to weaken the snowpack and also the interest which also will play into their decision. Once they commit they are very unlikely to change, so if they say they will still go through Monday then that's what they'll do no matter if they can patch the headwall in the morning along with the weaker sections below.

Here's a loop of the latest GFS showing the 3-hour precipitation intensity during Sunday and Monday.

Here are the daytime (7AM-7PM) base temperature ranges and weather summaries for the 4 day weekend at Killington but note that I do expect the precipitation to mostly clear out by opening time on Monday.

As we saw repeatedly in the Northeast this season, late operating ski areas like to go to the bitter end with snirt developing and mandatory walks on closing day at places like Sugarbush, Jay Peak, and Black Mountain, in fact things got quite gnarly last Sunday in the very warm weather. They can keep the lift running with patch skiing as long as they choose, in fact on their latest closing day ever back in 1997 on June 22 it was full on patch skiing with maybe only half the trail's vertical having snow, but that's not how they have rolled in years. Typically once the headwall goes they try to keep that down to just one day as it is very hard to keep that section of the trail covered from open to close. A mandatory walk down the headwall does represent the bitter end of the ski season but also it is a right of passage.

It won't be warm enough for the trail look like this by the end of Monday, and if they want to go for Monday they most certainly can. Monday is simply a choice that they will make on their own regardless of whether or not the snow cooperates but given the threat of rain on Sunday with chilly temps and gusty conditions after two days of skiers and riders beating on the snowpack it seems possible that they will call it quits after Saturday. Friday and Saturday at this point though seems virtually certain. I would watch their snow report for updates with details of their plans. They'll be operating with both golf and mountain biking also this weekend.

Saint-Sauveur Wildcard

We do have a wildcard in the mix worthy of discussing. Sommet Saint-Sauveur located just northwest of Montreal ended their season last Monday with strong snowpack on two trails though the weather has hit them pretty hard also since then.

They certainly have the snow to open this weekend if they wanted, but as yet this Thursday afternoon there is zero commitment to do so and it doesn't look likely. After this weekend the weather looks warm enough that they might not be able to make the following weekend even if they wanted so this may be their last opportunity to paint the tape. They too though will be offering summer operations regardless.

-- Matthew Scott