Jul 13, 2025
After yesterday's wet, impromptu "hike-a-bike" down the mountain, we weren't about to let the weekend end on a flat note. We headed back to Killington Resort today, armed with Ann's backup mountain bike, determined to squeeze in a few more successful laps.
For once, we actually made it to the mountain early—well, early for us, anyway. As luck would have it, a minor lift delay kept the Snowshed Express Quad grounded for a bit, meaning it didn't start spinning until almost 10:00 AM. The silver lining? Our rare early arrival paid off, and we scored first chair of the day!
As we rode up, we were greeted by a thick, heavy fog that dropped visibility down to almost nil. Even with the pea-soup conditions, the old slogan held true: it was indeed cooler in the mountains. It felt incredible to breathe in the crisp, cool alpine air, especially knowing that just down the road in Rutland, the valley was stuck with high heat and sticky humidity.
Unfortunately, the bike swap didn't quite deliver the redemption we hoped for. Ann took two runs but decided to call it a day and head back to the condo.
She just wasn't clicking with how her backup bike handled the downhill terrain. Without a dropper post to get the saddle out of the way, and with a steeper head tube angle compared to the slack, confident geometry of her usual Intense, the bike felt entirely too squirrely on the trails. When you don't feel stable or comfortable on a downhill course, it's always smarter to pull the plug.
I stuck around for two more solo laps before wrapping up my morning, too. I've always found that once your riding buddy heads in, the fun factor drops significantly. Without someone to chase down the berms or laugh with at the lift lines, there just wasn't much incentive to keep burning lift laps alone.
Even though it turned into a short morning, it was still a win. It was wonderful to get back outside, clear our heads in the fog, and grab a few bonus laps to officially close out the weekend on two wheels.
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