Killington Ski Resort

Killington Mountain Resort & Ski Area
View from the top of Killington Peak (4,235 feet (1,291 m))
Location	Killington, Vermont, US
Nearest major city	Rutland
Vertical	3,050 ft (957 m)
Top elevation	4,235 ft (1,291 m)
Base elevation	1,165 ft (355 m)
Skiable area	1,215 acres (489 ha)
Trails	191
Longest run	6.2 mi (9.9 km)
Lift system	30 chairs: 3 Gondolas, 7 Express Quads, 4 Quads, 6 Triples, 4 Doubles, 6 Surface Lifts
Lift capacity	43,446/hr
Snowfall	21 ft (6.4 m)
Snowmaking	71%
Website	Killington Mountain Resort and Ski Area

Killington Mountain Resort & Ski Area is a ski resort near Killington, Vermont. It is the largest ski area in eastern North America serving as many as 17,000 skiers in one day.

In 2008, Killington had the most trails (191), the greatest vertical (3,050 feet (930 m)), the highest taxable receipts winter 2007-8 ($37.3 million) and the highest priced lift tickets ($77-$82) of any other ski resort in Vermont.

History

In 1954, Perry H. Merrill, the Father of Vermont's State Parks and Alpine Ski Areas and Vermont State land lease officer, wanted to see a ski resort developed on Killington Peak, the second highest mountain in Vermont. He found Preston Leete Smith who shared the vision. They agreed to work together to develop this area. Killington opened December 13, 1958.

In the 1960s the resort continued to expand at a pace "well above industry standards." Many new trails were created and Smith had beginner trails accessible from every lift. In the 1960s, Killington installed snowmaking equipment, which had been invented in the 1950s, but considered a banana belt luxury. Several low-snow seasons proved their value.

Killington introduced the ticket wicket in 1963 to prevent skiers sharing lift tickets, while also not damaging ski clothing.

Ownership

date	owner	notes
December 13, 1958	Sherburne Corporation	initial development
November 1984	S-K-I Limited	stands for Sherburne-Killington- Investments, a reorganization of Sherburne for stock issue
February 1996	American Skiing Company	originally LBO Resort Enterprises Corporation
May 11, 2007	Powdr Corporation and SP Land Company

Park City-based Powdr Corporation is the operator; SP Land Company will do real estate development, including a ski village, probably beginning in 2009. SP Land is an affiliate of Ski Partners LLC, which is in turn affiliated with E2M Partners LLC, a private equity fund. SP Land was formed in 2004 and acquired most of the developable land at the base of the resort.

Powdr has announced that it will stop honoring "lifetime" lift passes issued by the previous owners after two years. A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of about 800 pass holders.

Skiing Killington

Located in central Vermont, 191 trails and 30 lifts extend across seven mountain peaks. The main peak, Killington Peak (4,235 ft, 1291 m), is the second highest in Vermont and has the second greatest vertical drop in the east (3,050 feet, 930 m) after Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York (with 3,430 feet (1,050 m), 1045 m). Six of the peaks of Killington are interconnected. The seventh, Pico Peak, operated as an independent ski area until 1996, when it was purchased by Killington. There have been plans to connect Killington and Pico with a series of lifts and trails since 1998, but have not yet happened. The mountains that make up Killington separate the town of Killington (w/ the access road) from the city of Rutland. In fact the mountains are so large, you can ski out of bounds (discouraged and dangerous) and get to Mendon in the south or Rutland in the west (Killington and Chittenden are in the East)

Trails

A sign that leads people to the two double black diamond trails, Devils Fiddle and Outer Limits, members of the steepest trails at Killington

View of Bear Mountain base from the top of Outer Limits, the steepest mogul run in New England

The resort offers a variety of trails from gentle to expert. Trails include "Outer Limits" a double black diamond mogul trail that is the steepest mogul run in all of New England. The longest trail in the east is the 6.2-mile (9.9 km) "Juggernaut." Part of the mountain is set aside for terrain parks, with five snowboard and alpine parks. Killington has a teaching area for first-time skiers, the "Accelerated Learning Area".

Killington has one of the east's largest half-pipes located at Bear Mountain for a portion of each winter season. Additionally, there is lengthy boarder cross terrain and at least three to five major trails with ramps and jumps.

Mountains

• Snowshed: A section on the mountain devoted for the beginners, Snowshed is serviced by three lifts. It is an open slope, with a lodge and restaurant at the bottom. The Adult ski school is located at Snowshed. Most condos and the Grand Hotel are located at the bottom of Snowshed.

• Rams Head: Rams Head has beginner and intermediate trails serviced by an express quad lift. It is serviced by a cafeteria. The Ski School for children and teenagers is located at Ramshead base lodge. The Squeeze Play trail is used for learning tree skiing. It has wide gaps between trees.

The ski school is split into four groups: the First Tracks program for 1-3 years olds, the Ministars for 4-7 year olds, Superstars for 8-12 year olds, and the Snowzone program for 14-18 year olds.

• Snowdon Mountain: Snowdon provides a variety of Beginner, Intermediate and Expert trails. Among the trails are Conclusion, a double black diamond and Great Northern, a beginner trail. There are two chairlifts (a triple from K-1 and a quad from end of Caper) and a Poma. Trails for advanced skiers include Vagabond and North Star.
• Killington Peak: Part of Killington Peak, the "Canyon Area", is the steepest part of the mountain. There are many double black diamond trails including: Cascade, Downdraft, Double Dipper, and the Big Dipper Glade. Cascade is used to develop advanced skiers. It is a double black and steep. It is serviced by the K1 gondola and the Canyon Quad. Two shorter runs here include Rime and Reason, accessible from the North Ridge Triple chair. Easier trails (Great Eastern and Great Northern) can connect with the rest of the mountain. There is a restaurant and lodge at the summit and base of Killington Peak. The peak was once accessible by the original Killington gondola (once the only gondola on the mountain). The origin of the original gondola started at the current location of the Skyeship loading station, just off of U.S. Route 4. The original gondola had three segments between stations, while the Skyeship, erected in 1994, has two. The third original segment ran from Skye Peak to Killington peak - the structure housing the original unloading station is still intact and visible at the peak. The same structure houses the peak's restaurant. The K1 gondola was built soon after to replace the Killington peak chairlift.

A view of the North Ridge area of Killington Peak. Taken in the Winter of 2002.

• Skye Peak: All types of terrain. Trails include Ovation, a black forming into a double black when it becomes Lower Ovation, the steepest trail on the mountain, and Superstar, a black diamond that is wide and has lots of snow. There are trails for beginners and intermediate skiers. It is serviced by the Superstar Express Quad, the Skye Peak Express Quad, and the Skyeship Express Gondola.

View of Snowshed base, Killington Grand Hotel, and other hotels/condos along East Mountain Road, from Skye Peak

• Bear Mountain: Home to Outer Limits, a very steep double black diamond mogul run, and Devil's Fiddle, another double black diamond (although Devil's Fiddle is infrequently open due to sheer ice and rock cover). Bear Mountain also features many terrain parks, including a superpipe. It is serviced by two lifts and has a lodge and restaurant. Bear Mountain also frequently hosts large scale competitive racing and freestyle events.

Bear Mountain

• Sunrise Mountain: Sunrise Mountain is serviced by one lift and is all beginner terrain. It was developed in the early 1980s, but due to its low elevation (at least compared to the rest of Killington), the lower portions of Sunrise had difficulty maintaining snow cover, so they were removed from the trail system. The triple chair, which originally extended further downhill to the southern corner of US-4 and VT-100 in W. Bridgewater, was shortened, and the "Northeast Passage" entrance to Killington ceased to exist in the late 1990s. Lift towers still stand below the existing chairlift. Another reason for the demise of the larger Sunrise Mtn. area was its intended use that did not some to fruition. Killington originally opened Sunrise with the intent of expanding skiing trails and lifts southeast into an area known as Parker's Gore. When these plans were halted due to concerns for bear habitat, Sunrise lost its purpose as a base area to access this terrain, and the costs of snowmaking and maintaining terrain at such a low elevation were not justified by the few skiers utilizing it.
• Pico Mountain: Pico is located on a separate mountain, Pico Peak, away from the main resort. It has 50 trails covering 17 miles (27 km), all serviced by 6 lifts. Popular runs include: The Pike, 49er, Summit Glades, Upper KA, Giant Killer, and Sunset 71. There are hotels, condos, restaurants at the base. It is inaccessible from the main base, except by car or bus. Lift tickets at Killington work at Pico, and there have been thoughts of connecting the two for over ten years.

Pico History: Pico was once an independent ski resort called Pico Peak. Killington bought Pico Peak out of bankruptcy in the mid-1990s. There have been plans to connect Pico to the other Killington mountains since it was purchased. Connector trails have been cut; however, the more expensive lift and snowmaking systems that would make such a connection possible have not been installed as of 2007, and many of the building permits for this expansion have expired.

Snow

Killington averages 250 inches (6.4 m) of natural snow each winter. That, coupled with a snowmaking system that covers 71% of the trails, has allowed Killington to offer what is often the longest skiing season in eastern North America, typically lasting from October to May. It covers more terrain with snow than most resorts have terrain. Also, Killington experiences a lot more snow than areas around it.

Lodging and dining

Killington Grand Hotel, as seen from Snowshed base

There are approximately 120 inns, lodges and condos at Killington, with more than 40 restaurants, pubs, taverns, clubs and hotel dining rooms. The Killington Grand Hotel is accessible by foot from the Snowshed Base area, and is the Killington Resort's flagship luxury hotel. The mountain's summit has an indoor restaurant.

Mountain statistics

The base elevation is 1,165 (325 m). The vertical drop is 3050 feet (930 m)

The following mountains are part of the ski area:

• Summit elevation (Killington Peak) 4,235’ (1,291 m)
• Pico Peak 3,967 ft (1,189 m)
• Skye Peak 3,800 ft (1,158 m)
• Ramshead Peak 3,610 ft (1,100 m)
• Snowden Peak 3,592 ft (1,095 m)
• Bear Mountain 3,295 ft (1,004 m)
• Sunrise Mountain 2,456 ft (749 m)

Trails

• 191 trails

• Easier 28 %
• More Difficult 33%
• Most Difficult: 39%

• 88 miles of trail

Lifts

Interior of Skyeship Gondola

• 29 Lifts

• gondolas: 2 currently operating (Original Killington Gondola dismantled in 1993, and replaced with Skyeship)
• quadruples: 11 (7 are high speed)
• triples: 6
• doubles: 4
• surface: 5

Long ski season

Killington had a reputation for being the first ski area every season in the Eastern United States to open, as well as the last to close, although this has changed in recent years. On October 25 2002, After 41 consecutive years of being the first ski area in the east to open, a small ski area in Connecticut called Woodbury Ski Area opened a very small amount of terrain before Killington could open, thus ending the streak. The resort in the past packed up to 30 feet (9.1 m) of man made snow each year on Superstar (a single black diamond run on the North side of Skye Peak), but under the recent ownership of ASC snow making has been sub par.

In recent years the length of the season has begun to dwindle, even though Killington has received normal amounts of snow.

Summer

Killington has 45 miles (72 km) of hiking and mountain biking trails. Killington Peak has a gondola lift. There is an 18-hole championship golf course. At Pico, there are alpine slides, mini golf, wall climbing, and horseback riding.

External links

• Official Killington Mountain site
• Killington Ski Tours, Inc - Est. 1968