Killington

A snowHead

Anyone got any reccommendations for where to stay in this resort? Is it worth a visit? Anyone done a fly/drive there?
Thanks!

A snowHead

Where are you flying from and what kind of skiing do you wish to do ie pistes, powder etc???

Regards,

Greg

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Here's my general cautions about skiing in New England: Resort elevations are low, the weather is fickle and we tend to have a lot of thaw/freeze cycles. You can get almost any type of conditions. We spent a week at Stowe last January. Conditions hadn't been great before we went but they had snow. We had nice skiing the whole week though one morning we awoke to freezing rain. The road was terrible, the skiing was actually wonderful. Our last day it really warmed up and conditons became pretty slushy in the afternoon. That night it it started raining. It was pouring as we left to drive home. Then a cold front came through and reported conditions most of the following week were not good. So it can be very cold or it can be rainy and warm, or it can be fantastic. Weather everywhere is iffy, but the North East is simply less consistent than the Rockies. So far, we've had a very warm fall with very little natural snow. All that said, the New England areas tend to be very good at making snow and taking care of the snow. And Killington has a huge snowmaking system, so it's not all bad. We skied at a small area in Massachusetts last Sunday. They've had no natural snow and only limited terrain available. But the skiing was actually quite good. I've never stayed in Killington so I can't be of any help with lodging, sorry.

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I have stayed at the Mountain Inn very close to the base lodge at Killington. It's OK with a nice bar and (sometimes) live music. You can walk from there to the base lodge across the parking lots but the free ski bus does call regularly as well.
I have had good reports about the Comfort Inn in Rutland.
I can't say that Killington is worth crossing the Atlantic for though - go further West.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hi Helena

We went 3 years ago. We chose Killington in preference to other resorts in the area as there seemed to be more kms of piste and its proximity to Boston for flights. We went over New Year with our arrival date being the 31st and it was cheaper to go to Killington than many European resorts. We stayed at the Mountain Green complex which was fine. Our apartment was nice and there was a swimming pool, restaurant, small convenience store and ski hire place in the complex. Some of the public areas were in need of a make over. At the time we stayed there seemed to be a lot of students staying. I don't know if this is normal. Mountain Green is the closest to the Snowshed lift areas and a resort bus takes you across the large car park at Snowshed.

We felt the skiing to be a bit limited. By the end of the week you certainly felt you had exhausted everything, although some of the runs were closed. It appeared that perhaps some slopes are pretty exposed and so the snow seemed to be blowing off the hill. When we were there it was absolutely freezing. With wind chill If I remember rightly, it was going below -10 degrees C.

We went as a family and our kids went into the ski school which was absolutely brilliant. The teachers were really enthusiastic and always gave an update on how the kids were doing everyday. Also when it was really cold and the kids were struggling, they scheduled hot chocolate breaks which I think they really appreciated.

A car would certainly be useful as the resort is strung out along a main road. We didn't have a car but were able to use the resort bus which was fine during the day but much less frequent at night. There were a good number of restaurants with a great diner for the typical American breakfast, sorry can't remember the name. We also took the kids on a husky driving experience while we were there which was good fun.

You will probably enjoy Killington. I guess it depends what you are looking for.

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best place to stay is the killington grand which is slope side ski in ski out
a car is definatly recomended
as is an over night in boston on way home
killington is a great skiing resort but tends to go to sleep after about six oclock
plenty of entertainment in the hotel
and some good places to eat on the strip
a trip to stowe is possible with a car

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Whitegold, what's a 'tier-2' Alpine resort? Can you give us some examples?

Killington is in Vermont not New England. I thought it was a fantastic ski area and enjoyed it there although the apres ski was a bit limited as everything is basically down one long road so it depends how far you want to walk in the evenings. I stayed at the Reb Rob Inn. No complaints at all, it was very nice accommodation.

Val

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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Fascinating, who "ranks" these resorts, on what criteria, and where is the full listing?

regards,

Greg

snow reports

Here's my t'penneth. We've been to Killington a couple of times. First year we stayed at the Inn of The Six Mountains, which is quite spacious and modern, but one of the smallest, most souless bars ever Sad

Second time we stayed at the Red Robb Inn, just across the road. This was a bit faded but had a great bar area and much more friendly. Both had mini buses to get you up to the mountain.
As it's been mentioned, Killington gets bloody cold , the coldest i've ever experienced. Our second year the wind chill was -40 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Me and the missus the only 2 people on the Ramshead chair rolling eyes

Also the man made conditions get very firm and icy which makes the Blacks interesting. The actual ski area isn't that huge either, about 12,500 acres (? ish ) but it does have a good mix, something for everyone. And you can also ski Pico Mtn just down the valley which is included on the pass. I think they may be linked now. Finally they have an excellent ski school , it was where my wife first learned to ski and had very high praise for the Instructors.
Apres ski , there is no village as such. All the bars and resturants are scattered along the approach road. It's quite a hike from top to bottom, did i mention its bloody cold !! However there are some top bars and eatery's. The Wobbly Barn, The Outback , Casey's Caboose, Peppers etc Fine dining at The Birch Ridge Inn. All highly recommended.
We loved the place, and it's a great introduction to sking State side. Only 6 hours flight time to Boston and a 3 hour transfer. The locals said the best time to come is in early March as its warmer and gets big dumps. Avoid M.L.K weekend as it gets absolutely mobbed ( i speak from bitter experience Sad

)

Hope some of the above 'blurb' helps. wink

Book it and enjoy it.

excitableboy,

As I said in the earlier post, conditions in NE are variable. I wish we'd get some of that cold you're talking about. We had about the warmest November on record, and December looks like it's going to be close. None of the areas in the North East are very big by European standards. We went to Saalbach last year and nothing in the North East comes anywhere close. Killington probably has the most terrain of any single resort in NE, Sunday River in Maine might come close. I prefer Stowe, but I'm probably biased. I don't think Killington village compares with Stowe village. Killington village basically stretchs out along a road. There is little center and it certainly isn't what Vermont is like. But Killington is a better apres ski, late night party place. I think of Killington more as a party atmosphere that appeals more to the early 20s folks who want a real party atmosphere. Stowe, OTH, is very pretty and has great restaurants but not much late night party action. Outside of Boston and Providence, one can make a strong argument that Stowe has the best collection of restuarants in New England. My other gripe about Killington is that there are lots of cross cutting trails and intersections. Even though Killington has more terrain and more total vertical (from highest peak to lowest lift), Stowe gives longer uninteruppted runs. Killington has more extensive snowmaking. Stowe probably gets better natural snow. Right now, I'm just hoping for some decent snowmaking weather.

You know it makes sense.

Stowe is very overrated. Tiny ski area that barely stretches a weekend. Bland town that is up to 10 miles from the slopes. Killington town is a bit pikey. Modest nightlife and poor restaurants. Great ski area, though. Very picturesque. Lots of cool tree runs. Defo one of my favorite stations, despite the downsides.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I'm in Killington, and at the moment it doesn't feel much like a ski-resort! However, it has got noticably colder today and it is snowing (just!) at the moment.

I've not bothered skiing the mountain since I got here, because there is hardly any snow on the slopes. It's only snowed once, to any great degree, since the beginning of December and it's been too warm to make the artificial stuff.

It's not the prettiest place in the world but the nightlife is, or certainly will be, some of the best in a North American ski resort. Americans just don't do apres like the Europeans, most of them seem to be in bed by 9pm.

The accommodation all looks fairly decent. The one drawback is that if your self-catering the nearest shopping, of any decent size, is in Rutland, some 14 miles away.

Come on snow

A snowHead

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Killington

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