Killington remains king of spring

As spring temperatures give way to a blast of late winter, giving many snowmakers in the north country a chance to fill a few holes, skiers still can find cover at the big snowmaking areas like Okemo, Sunday River, Loon, and Killington.

The Vermont giant, which almost always leads the East in days open and the last resort to close, is on target for another such year, though one of Killington's glories -- the off-piste glades -- has not received enough natural snow to make this a spring to head for the woods.

But for groomed skiing and for lovers of those ice cream bumps of spring, this is the year for Killington. Most of the spring activity goes on over at Bear Peak where Outer Limits is primed, and which will be the focus of next weekend's US Freestyle Championships, according to Killington spokesman Tom Horrocks.

''We've built up a ton of snow over on Bear Mountain," said Horrocks, after taking a break from skiing with his daughter yesterday. ''That's the place to be, and there are events every weekend."

From groomers to the terrain park at Bear, the skiing and riding has excellent offerings for intermediate and expert levels. There are some offerings for green skiers over at the Snowshed area.

''And these nights in March you often have some snowfall," said Horrocks, ''so you can usually get at least a couple of inches of freshies up there."

Also strong heading into late season is the terrain off the Northridge Lift and the Canyon Quad. Again, a wide diversity to the skiing in these areas. Bumpsters will find plenty, as will groomers looking for smooth cruisers. The only disappointment, said Horrocks, is the glades, usually in their glory in March.

But Killington has plenty of season left, ready for one of its patented long spring runs.