Killington: Squeeze the Juice

I love Killington and whenever I can get a day there I feel privileged. Last Saturday was one of those days and it was as good as any spring skiing I’ve experienced in years.

Superstar

There are still two Indy Pass hills open in the east; Jay Peak in Vermont and Black Mountain of New Hampshire. And Camelback, in Pennsylvania, is very near to me, and making a heroic effort to stay open until May in spite of its southerly location. So I did have options.

I just had Saturday to ski and I just couldn’t justify a six hour back-and-forth to Jay or Black Mountain. I drove to Killington, which is still four hours, in each direction, for me.

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Killington: The Beast for Beginners

For someone who’s been skiing the Northeast for 25 years, I have an embarrassing admission – until this week, I’d never skied at Killington. The biggest ski area east of the Rockies, a place that looms large in every East Coaster’s mental map, had always been on my list, but somehow never happened.

view of Killington Peak

I’d skied nearby at Pico, read countless trip reports, articles, and lively forum threads about Big K, but never experienced it firsthand. That finally changed last week, though not in the way I would’ve expected, as my family’s four-day road trip to Vermont was designed for my son, who hadn’t been on skis in nearly seven years.

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Winter Starts When Killington Says So

Winter starts when Killington says it does. That may sound like marketing hype, but it rings true to me. In addition to being big and burly and awesome, Killington is known for doing whatever it takes to extend its season on both ends. As soon as temps drop low enough, even if it is still October, Killington’s snowmakers get the mountain open.

K1 Lodge

This year that turned out to be Wednesday — November 12. I wanted to be there for opening day but couldn’t get away midweek so I settled for Friday.

Killington is a long haul for me. I don’t do well getting out of bed before 5 AM, so I cheat a little to day-trip the place.

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