By Keith Whitcomb Jr. [email protected]
KILLINGTON, Vt. — The ski resort officially opened for the season to the public on Monday.
Killington Resort announced over the weekend it planned to open on Sunday for Season Pass, Express Card, Beast 365 and Ikon pass holders. Monday was the first day it was open to the general public, said resort spokeswoman Courtney DiFiore.
DiFiore said the mountain generally opens sometime in October. Some of the earliest openings in past decades have been as soon as Oct. 1. Last year, mid-October was the opening date. DiFiore said the resort believes it’s the first resort to open this year in the northeast region.
“There’s a lot to celebrate this year opening weekend at Killington,” said Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, in a release. “On top of all the improvements we made last year to elevate the guest experience, our pass holders will have the opportunity to be the first guests to experience the brand new North Ridge Quad. We’re also excited to show off the progress we’ve made on phase 1 of the new K-1 Lodge.”
Killington Resort and its sister resort at Pico Mountain nearby are both owned by POWDR. DiFiore said Pico isn’t open yet and usually the season there doesn’t begin until December.
Visitors will be able to see where the new K-1 Lodge is being built, but it’s not accessible to the public, said DiFiore. The old lodge is still open and will serve guests for the rest of this season, with the new one ready later in 2020.
She said as per tradition, a lunchtime opening day part was held at the mountain on Monday. Many locals and repeat visitors like to attend opening day, said DiFiore, adding that she spoke to one person who’d made the last eight opening days in a row and hopes to complete their tenth next year.
Also new this year is a Woodward Mountain Park feature by the Reason trail. Woodward Mountain Park is a brand owned by POWDR that offers “terrain parks” for snow sports lovers. DiFiore said for those not familiar with these, they’re similar to skate parks but with snow.
What distinguishes the Woodward Mountain Parks from similar attractions is these are geared towards a variety of skill sets and are designed to let newcomers work their way up to more difficult features.
DiFiore said snowmaking at Superstar Trail, for the Audi FIS Ski World Cup being held at the end of the month is well underway and going smoothly. The event is expected to draw approximately 40,000 people.
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