Killington Ski Resort

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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.

[edit] History

In 1954, Perry H. Merrill, the Father of Vermont's State Parks and Alpine Ski Areas and Vermont State land lease officer^[1], 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.^[2]

The 1960s was a good business environment for Killington Ski Resort. The resort continued to expand at a pace "well above industry standards."^[1] 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.^[1]

Killington introduced the ticket wicket in 1963 to prevent skiers sharing lift tickets, while also not damaging ski clothing.^[3]

[edit] Ownership

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.^[5] SP Land was formed in 2004 and acquired most of the developable land at the base of the resort.^[6]

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.^[7]

[edit] Skiing Killington

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Located in central Vermont, 200 trails and 33 lifts extend across seven mountain peaks. The main peak, Killington Peak (4,241 ft, 1293 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, 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 are plans to connect Killington and Pico with a series of lifts and trails.

[edit] 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 snowboarders, with five snowboard and alpine parks. Killington has a teaching area for first-time skiers, the "Accelerated Learning Area".

Killington has recently developed "Fusion Zones". Fusion zones are lightly-to-heavily wooded areas ranging in pitch from gentle ("Squeeze Play") to the very challenging and steep ("Julio's" and "Anarchy"). Killington recommends the steeper zones only for experienced expert skiers who have mastered their skiing ability in less challenging wooded areas.

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.

[edit] 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.

• 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 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. The programs begin with a 9 a.m. drop off, and pick up at either noon for half day programs or 3 p.m. for full days.

• 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 and a Poma.
• 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. It is serviced by the K1 gondola and the Canyon Quad. Also, there are a few easier connecting trails (Great Eastern and Great Northern) that can connect with the rest of the mountain. There is a restaurant and lodge at the summit and base of Killington Peak

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, which usually makes it one of the last areas to close. Easier trails and intermediate trails can also be accessed from here. It is serviced by the Superstar Express Quad, the Skye Peak Quad, and the Skyeship 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 infequently 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, but these have had low attendance in the past due to lack of publicity.

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, 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 brought Pico Peak in 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.

[edit] Snow

Killington averages 250 inches of natural snow each winter. That, coupled with a snowmaking system that covers 70% 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.

[edit] 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 mountain's summit has an indoor restaurant that serves lunch (and a limited schedule for dinner service). The "Peak Restaurant" is serviced by a gondola lift, non-skiers can dine with the additional cost of a single, round-trip ride fee.

[edit] Mountain Statistics

View from the top of Killington Peak (4241'). Notice all those clouds!

[edit] Elevation

The following mountains are part of the ski area:

• Summit elevation (Killington Peak) 4,241’ (1,293 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)
• Base elevation is 1,165 (325 m)
• Vertical Drop 3050 ft (930 m)

[edit] Trails

• 200 trails

• easier: 26%, 52 trails
• more difficult: 36%, 71 trails
• most difficult: 38%, 77 trails

• 87 miles of trail

[edit] Lifts

Interior of Skyeship Gondola

• 32 Lifts

• gondolas: 2
• quadruples: 12 (6 are high speed)
• triples: 6
• doubles: 4
• surface: 7

[edit] 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.^[8] The resort in the past packed up to 30 feet 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. The trail is home to an annual slalom race on May 1st, and is always the last trail to close.

In recent years, as shown by the following chart, the length of the season has began to dwindle, even though they have received normal amounts of snow.

[edit] Summer

In the summer, Killington offers 45 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Killington Peak can be reached by gondola lift in the summer. At the summit, tourists are treated with panoramic views of 5 states (Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Maine and Massachusetts) and Canada. There is also a restaurant at the summit where tourists can stop for a bite to eat. At the base, the resort also offers alpine slide activities as well as 18-hole championship golf and mini golf and a climbing wall.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Killington Mountain site
• Killington Ski Tours, Inc. - Est. 1968
• KillingtonZone.com - an unofficial online forum about Killington ski area
• Killington Access - A Friendly forum about Killington
• 3dSkiMap of Killington Ski Resort
• 3dSkiMap of Pico Ski Resort