For starters, we had a mere four guest rooms, but each had its own bathroom, which was not the case everywhere in Killington at the time. Potential guests either called (using a rotary phone!) or wrote us a letter requesting a reservation,  and their deposits came by check. Obviously people had no access to sophisticated weather forecasts outside their own immediate areas, so they tended to book quite far in advance. Very early on we did begin accepting credit cards, and as customers starting using them for their room deposits we had to call in each individual charge (yep, using a rotary phone!) to speak to a customer service rep for authorization. Guests came upstairs into our home for breakfast. Our kids, who were 10 and 3 years old at the time, learned very early on the art of polite, respectful conversation with all kinds of people, a skill which has served them well. The skis stored in our ski room were just about double the length of the current equipment, and no one had ever heard of a snowboard.

But apres ski was as renowned in Killington then as now, and both the Wobbly Barn and the Pickle Barrel were well established watering holes. People came for much the same reason then as now-to enjoy the exhilarating outdoors and beauty of Vermont and the thrill of a downhill run, followed by good times with friends in the evening. Some things never change………

The mountain is open and the skiing, albeit with limited terrain, has been widely praised. Killington has been investing very significant amounts of money and resources into improving its infrastructure and the overall customer experience, and now under the leadership of its extremely capable new president, Mike Solimano, (check out his new blog) its vision for the future is ambitious and comprehensive. I can say this with real confidence, having seen quite a number of resort management teams over the years. Anticipation of the completion of the new peak lodge, now under construction, will certainly grow through the coming year.

As I wish ourselves and our wonderful guests a snowy, schuss-filled winter, I also send our very best wishes to those who suffered loss in the wake of Hurricane Sandy-our prayers are with you.

When we got back we knew there were piles of office work and building maintenance and remodeling projects to be tackled, but our outlook is fresh, and we are once again ready to welcome guests to our “summerized” Snowed Inn! Oh, and we are happy to once again spy the more familiar creatures, like deer and weasels and porcupines and moose.

Our son, Tom, who is well into his 30s, had a best friend in pre-school and elementary school named Bryon. They enjoyed all those activities that little boys love, with Lego and Star Wars ranking high on their list of favorites. When Tom was 10 years old we moved far away to Killington Vermont, and Bryon became a favorite memory of the past. About 10 years later in the summer, Tom and his then girlfriend, now wife, Cate, walked into First Stop Ski and Bike Shop here in Killington, and he stopped in his tracks when someone said, “Tommy?.” Sure enough, there stood Bryon and his then girlfriend, now wife, Jen. It turns out, Bryon had been living and working in Killington for a while, with no knowledge that Tom had actually moved to Killington those years before.

Twenty eight years ago, when we embarked on our innkeeping adventure, we welcomed a couple of guests to the inn, Doug and Steve, buddies from Virginia, and we quickly developed a rapport. They have continued to be our valued guests and our friends all these years, and we have followed our respective families’ life journeys with all the accompanying twists and turns.

Fast forward to this week….. Bryon and his wife Jen, who live in New Jersey and now have six children of their own, (Tom and Cate have two) seized a rare opportunity to get away as a couple back to Killington and the Snowed Inn. Doug similarly saw a chance to escape from work for a few days to the comfort and familiarity of Killington and the Snowed Inn. These people, representing several generations, who hold such a special place in our hearts, hit it off instantly and spent much of the gloriously sunny day together yesterday on the snow-covered slopes of Killington Mountain. The apres-ski “party” back at the inn was a beautiful gathering of all of us, reminiscing, catching up on the status of parents, children and grandchildren, and generally embracing each others’ company. And yes, Legos were a prime topic of discussion! I felt the warmth of fellowship of such outstanding people, and gratitude for the joy in the circle of life.