Are you spring skiing this year? Last week reminded me of our first March in Killington, so many years ago. We had an overnight snowstorm, and in the morning when we looked out the window all you could see of the cars in our parking lot were the tips of their antennas poking out of the snow. Yes, that was back before car antennas were embedded into the windshields. Actually I remember snapping one of those babies off in a car wash once, but I digress. The snowfall this week was truly awesome, and the thrill of a significant snow dump still excites and exhilarates (alright, I’m not the one shoveling, I admit, but still we all get pretty psyched). Skiing has been phenomenal, and the winter season is truly far from over. What could be better than great snow, blue skies and sunshine? Summer will come, and it will be beautiful here in Vermont and we will love it, but shouldn’t we all revel in the gift of a fabulous late season ski interlude while we can?
Categories: Discover Vermont,Killington
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Happy Holidays to All! The calendar shows winter officially starting tomorrow. For us winter officially began weeks ago when Manfred put up the inn’s white lights. And his hard work paid off, as we were the winners of the Killington Festival of Lights! Check out our front page coverage in The Mountain Times. For even more holiday season fun, we created a cheerfully decorated tree, entitled “Lemon Meringue”, for the Killington Holiday Festival. We personally declared it one of our best trees to date, and the bright yellow and white motif was a highlight in the mix of nearly one hundred beautifully decorated trees. Manfred, Jim and I are happy to be back in the winter saddle, and Killington has done a terrific job of snowmaking as usual. We are enjoying welcoming back many of our winter regulars as well as many new faces. And our family is now on its third generation of Killington skiers, as our 5-year-old grandson Calvin is now anxious to hit the slopes again this weekend. Grandson number two, little Wesley, won’t be far behind in his introduction to such a great sport. It has certainly given us much treasured family fun. As we enter the holiday season, please accept our family’s best wishes to you and your loved ones. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible this winter and beyond!
Categories: Discover Vermont,Killington
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Join us for Thanksgiving! Killington’s Snowed Inn Partners with Famed Local Chef to Offer Quiet, Gourmet Thanksgiving Getaway KILLINGTON, Vt., (Oct. 31, 2012)—Snowed Inn Innkeepers Jeanne and Manfred Karlhuber have partnered with famed local chef and owner of Choices Restaurant, Claude Blais, to create a quiet Thanksgiving getaway that includes a gourmet Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday, Nov. 22. “While we don’t have a dining room here at the Inn we knew exactly who to turn to as a partner to create a wonder Thanksgiving getaway, complete with all the traditional fixings,” said Jeanne Karlhuber, co-owner of the Snowed Inn. “Chef Claude, as he is so fondly known of in these parts, has amazing culinary talents and will surely satisfy the pallets of all those searching for a complete Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, our guests can return to the Innto relax by the fire or soak in the outdoor hot tub in our wooded setting, or work off some of that turkey on the slopes of Killington. We’re looking forward to the first winter holiday celebration here at the Inn. Claude Blais is an award-winning chef and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Guests who book a minimum two-night stay in the room type of their choice at the Snowed Inn will also receive a voucher good toward Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 22. Dinner includes fresh turkey, with all the fixings, plus soup or salad and a selection from the list of homemade desserts. Two-night packages are from $129.95/person and must include arrival either on Nov. 21 or Nov. 22. Taxes, service charge and beverages are not included. Discounted lift tickets and equipment rental can also be incorporated into the package at the time of reservation. For reservations and more information, call 800.311.5406 or see availability here.
Categories: Killington,Packages
Tags: Thanksgiving
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Keeping Up with the Calendar, and the Seasons Okay, time is really slipping away now. The headline in today’s local paper states “Snow mixes with mountain foliage.” And I have been intending (and procrastinating) to put my thoughts to paper regarding fall “extremes” in Killington and the surrounding region. Time to do it! Manfred has long been a “serious” athlete, having been a successful soccer player and ski racer in his youth, later a soccer and ski racing coach and tennis instructor, and more recently in addition to his continued passion for skiing, a dedicated cyclist. But the recent trend toward extreme sports is to some degree a different creature and the Killington region lends itself perfectly to the genre. A few weeks ago Killington hosted for the second year the Spartan Race, a grueling test of physical ability and endurance not suited for the faint of heart (or body). Several thousand athletes and their entourages descended upon Killington, among them our son-in-law Stephane and his friend Des. Des and Stephane after tackling The Spartan Beast Race. Seeing this event up close and personal through their blood, sweat and tears put a whole new spin on this type of challenge, with its miles of uphill trekking, often carrying heavy sacks of sand, rope climbing, mudslithering, pond swimming and much more. As a spectator watching the final sprint, or crawl, through a wall of burning logs, I was amazed at the spirit of these men and women and their perseverance and dedication. The consensus was strong-as in skiing, Killington presents the ultimate mountain for fun and physical activity whatever the season. And even more recently our long time guests and friends, Doug and Steve, and their younger colleague Jessica along with their family and friends arrived for their annual participation in the Ascutney 50 Mile Run. Jessica, Doug and Steve run 50-miles in the VT50. Now Doug and Steve first came to our inn almost 30 years ago, so no offense guys, but let’s just say they are “mature” athletes. My hat goes off to them, however, as they completed the race and could still walk the next day! Young Jessica actually looked downright perky after the finish line. For both of these events the bonus was enjoying the good company of both family and friends. The big challenge now for me is to continue to convince Manfred that he has enough physical activity in his repertoire already (and has had enough orthopedic repair) without giving in to the temptation of new extremes!
Categories: Discover Vermont,Killington
Tags: fall foliage, Killington, Spartan Beast, VT50
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Tour Guide – Part Two? Okay, so I admit it: it takes visitors to get me to act like a tourist in my own backyard. First it was my college reunion friends. Then last week came the big challenge-our 5 year old grandson Calvin’s first “no parents along” visit with Nini and Pop. Not only did we face keeping a very energetic little boy occupied, but we had to keep him so busy and happy that he forgot to get homesick. Well, mission accomplished! Okay, so not all of the activities are applicable to potential inn guests, like building Lego space stations and finding Waldo in his various jaunts around the world, but much of what we did was a cram course in great adventures in Killington. Next on the agenda-a fun gondola ride to Killington Peak. Actually it is actually a little hike to the very top, and from there you can see forever. We ate our picnic lunch on the rock tableau and then hiked some more on top and took a good look at the ongoing construction of the new Peak Lodge (very cool). Then onto the wooden cross walk (also very cool), and then all the way down to the base. Brooks, wildflowers, trees to hide behind and jump out from to scare Nini-it was all there. The next day started bright and early (“WHO WANTS TO PLAY LEGOS?”). Manfred and Calvin went to the inn to work breakfast, and then headed to Super Star for a hike-straight up the mountain in a vain attempt to tire the little guy out. That afternoon on our way to bring Calvin home to Boston we stopped at the Vermont Institute of Science in Quechee. What a treasure right in our own backyard. Definitely a family “must do” activity. This facility takes in wounded raptors-most have been hit by cars, nurses them back to health and releases those who are still able to survive in the wild. Those not able to make a complete recovery live at this beautiful location for life. Their living spaces are beautiful and the institute does a fabulous job of educating young and old about these amazing birds. Owls, eagles, falcons,etc fascinated all three of us. All in all, we had a great time, and afterward, boy did we sleep well for a couple of nights! The new lodge at the top of Killington Peak, under construction and slated to open December 2013.
Not only is Kent Pond a great place to kayak-it is also a fun place to fish. Manfred and Calvin caught five fish (and threw them back). Okay, so you probably won’t bring home dinner, but it is a lot of fun and offers a good opportunity to commune with nature in its full beauty. By the way, during fall foliage tree ringed Kent Pond offers one of the most stunning views of color, all reflected in the water for a double dose of eye popping magnificence.
With lots of energy to spare, we headed to the Spa at the Woods for a great swim and hot tub in their beautiful facility. Finished off the day watching “The Muppets in Outer Space” (I slept through part of it) and a Berenstain Bears book.
Categories: Discover Vermont,Killington
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Reunion Sightseeing – Becoming a Tour Guide This past weekend I took on a new persona: tourist in Killington and the surrounding region. A group of my college girlfriends and their husbands came to the inn for a reunion, and what a wonderful time we had! In order to showcase the area and maximize the fun, I packed the four days with activities and events. It is very gratifying to experience our region from the “other side”. It was actually a challenge to choose our agenda from the myriad of options available from our perch here in the epicenter of the state. We hiked on Killington Mountain and the Appalachian Trail and around beautiful Kent Pond, kayaked, enjoyed a magnificent performance of Fiddler on the Roof at the amazing Weston Playhouse, and spent time (and money) in the one of a kind Vermont Country Store. Of course we ate extremely well, with fine cuisine at the Bryant House before the show, and at the Brew and Barbeque dinner at the Red Clover Inn. Our lovely deck here at the inn was the location of several impromptu “parties”. Manfred and the more ambitious members of the group took a 60 mile bike ride with the rest of us enjoying the breathtaking beauty of the state by car. Disc golf was a popular experience, as was shopping in the quintessential New England town of Woodstock. All of this was, of course, topped off by the good company of very special friends. Everyone raved about the experience, and I was once again reminded of the very special nature of our beautiful state and how lucky I am to live and work here.
Categories: Discover Vermont,Killington
Tags: disc golf, Killington Resort, Vermont, Vermont Country Store, Weston Playhouse
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Killington’s Snowed Inn Offers Special Killington Wine Festival Package Featuring More Than 500 Wines From Around the World, July 20-22 Lovers of wine will be drenched in tasting options during Killington’s 11th Annual Killington Wine Festival, July 20-22 and the Snowed Inn, a country inn tucked away in a quiet, woodland setting just off Killington Road, will offer festival goers a discounted lodging and festival package that includes tickets to the weekend’s tasting events. The Snowed Inn Wine Festival Package provides a 10 percent lodging discount to all festival goers plus 10 percent off of the Killington Wine Festival Estate Tasting, Grand Tasting and Patron Tickets. The weekend begins Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Killington Grand Hotel with the Estate Wine Tasting, featuring a sampling of estate and reserve wine selections from the world’s leading wine makers. Participants will have a chance to meet vintners and wine representatives while enjoying light hors d’oeuvres and wines. Beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, guests will participate in the signature event of the weekend, the Grand Tasting, which takes place in outside under a large tent at the base ofKillingtonPeak. Five hundred wines from 40 wineries will be available for sampling, plus live music and food pairings includingVermontspecialty products like cheese and chocolate, round out the event. Green Mountain National Golf Course will play host to the Wine and Nine Golf Tournament, beginning at 3 p.m. Specially selected “Golf Friendly” wines, nine holes of golf, a light dinner and awards are all included in the event. Separate tickets are available for $50 and reservations are required. For more details about the event, visit www.discoverkillington.com. For the special lodging package and reservations, visit www.snowedinn.com or call 800.311.5406. Family-owned and operated by Manfred and Jeanne Karlhuber, the Snowed Inn is a classic AAA 3-Diamond rated lodging property with 20 different rooms, all with private bath and wireless Internet access. From standard rooms with one, two or three beds, to deluxe rooms with fireplace and/or Jacuzzi tub and even some with a living rooms and kitchen/dining area, staying at the Snowed Inn is intimate yet provides the modern conveniences and amenities just steps away from the front door. A year-round outdoor spa with hot tub is nestled in the woods off the back deck, or guests can sit and share stories of their day in the common living room area.
Categories: Killington,Packages
Tags: Killington, Killington Wine Festival, Vermont, wine lovers
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Ode to February February always holds special meaning for us, as it marks the start of another year of innkeeping . As we begin our 29th year, I am inspired to reflect on all the previous winters we have experienced here in Killington and realize that each winter has had its own distinctive personality. Snowy winters, dry winters, warm ones and particularly cold ones, El Nina, El Nino, great economic times and lean times-so many variables combine to create a winter season. But one thing has remained very consistent, regardless of who is at the helm of Killington Resort, and this year is no exception: Killington always comes through with top of the line snowmaking and grooming. There is no doubt that the weather challenges have been enormous this year, but just look at the photo of the Killington Basin with all of its snow-covered trails-simply awesome! A local friend wrote an inspired blog last week about his (ultimately completely futile) search for blue ice all over the entire mountain, and his surprise at the superior quality of the skiing has been echoed by our guests here at the inn and certainly by Manfred, who took some great shots of fantastic conditions on Sunday. And the icing on the cake-blue skies, sunshine and temps in the 30’s forecast for the entire week. The word on the street may be that there is no snow in the mountains, but the word on the mountain tells an entirely different story. February marks not only the start of another year for us, but the start of the second and always better half of the ski season. Come on up and enjoy!
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Location, location, location… How many times have you heard that in your life? 28 years ago, when Manfred and I were scouting out potential properties for us to start our brand new ski lodge venture, we were vaguely aware of the importance of location. When we found this little (and I mean little) vintage 1960 ski house just a mile from Snowshed, it seemed like a reasonable option to pursue. As the years went by, and our little ski lodge and our dream continued to grow, the primeness of our location really began to sink in. Talk about the best of both worlds. Just a 5 minute drive from the best skiing and riding in the East is only the beginning. Guests’ eyes light up when I tell them that they can easily walk to the Wobbly Barn, the Pickle Barrel, Casey’s Caboose, Charity’s, the Killington Market, Sushi Yoshi. And now right at the base of Miller Brook Road, just a stone’s throw from the inn is the newest addition to Killington’s prime off-mountain offerings -Liquid Art, a simply awesome coffee house/martini bar/art gallery/aquarium. It has very quickly captivated the imagination of Killington patrons and for good reason-it is absolutely cool! Add to all of that the fact that our proximity to these fine Killington establishments is enhanced by what we don’t have-namely traffic and its accompanying noise, as we are 550 feet off the Killington Road on a small dead end road. Does it get any better?
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