4241 Killington Magazine - 2019

2019 / 2020

COMPLIMENTARY

Made of Vermont

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY © 2019 Anheuser-Busch, Michelob Ultra® Light Beer, St. Louis, MO 95 calories, 2.6g carbs, 0.6g protein and 0.0g fat, per 12 oz.

SUPERIOR LIGHT BEER 2.6 CARBS 95 CALS

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY © 2019 Anheuser-Busch, Michelob Ultra® Light Beer, St. Louis, MO 95 calories, 2.6g carbs, 0.6g protein and 0.0g fat, per 12 oz.

SUPERIOR LIGHT BEER 2.6 CARBS 95 CALS

Insanely smooth video.

ROBIN VAN GYN YETI AMBASSADOR | PROFESSIONAL SNOWBOARDER

Insanely smooth video.

ROBIN VAN GYN YETI AMBASSADOR | PROFESSIONAL SNOWBOARDER

FROM FIRST CHAIR TO FINAL RUN.

NAVIGA TING L IFE AT 4241 ’

ver the last two years, we’ve made significant improvements at Killington. From installing new lifts to starting the construction of an entirely new base lodge to building new mountain bike trails and Adventure Center attractions, we’re transforming the way you experience the resort. With these exciting investments and infrastructure enhancements comes lots of work. So please excuse the mess while we continue to make Killington the best.

While we do our thing, we still want you to be able to do yours, so I’ve laid out some helpful navigation tips to use for the coming year.

B:11.125” T:10.875” S:10.625”

When you reach the base area, summer or winter, use the new signage to get around. Be cautious and stay alert when navigating the K-1 base area—there will be a blocked-off construction zone.

Let’s start at the beginning.

D

D

Check the conditions page before you set out on your next Killington adventure. It may be the most important page we have.

Not only does it list our lift and trail operations, but it also includes updates regarding activities and services. Sometimes a lodge has to close early due to a private event or an Adventure Center attraction has scheduled maintenance. We know how frustrating it can be to arrive expecting everything to be open only to find out it’s not. This is why we encourage you to make a habit of looking at the conditions page. We keep it up to date with this important information.

ChandlerBurgess Burgess Chandler

Accessing the K-1 Gondola is a bit different this summer and will be for the foreseeable future, until the new K-1 Lodge is completed. So here’s the lowdown on where to park and how to get there. Until we get closer to the winter season, the only way up to the base of Killington Peak, where the K-1 Gondola is located, is by using Vale Road. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of signage to lead the way. By opening day of winter 2019-20, the normal loop from Killington Road to Vale Road will be accessible again.

As construction progresses, some details on how and where to access the gondola and K-1 Base Lodge could change. Refer to tip #1 and check the conditions page this winter.

D

D

No one wants to wait in lines, so try these tips and get on the mountain faster: pre-purchase your tickets online (that means a discount, too!) and head to the ticket center early to pick them up; or skip the ticket center all together and stop by Killington Sports on Route 4 to get your tickets.

Start your day at Skyeship or Bear Mountain. This winter, there will be limited parking in the K-1 base area due to construction, making our other base areas a great choice to begin your day when we’re fully open.

Whether or not you take my advice, I’m excited to have you here checking out all the new stuff we’re doing. Killington is undeniably the Northeast’s best resort for year-round adventure and we plan to keep it that way for generations to come.

Mike Solimano President & General Manager Killington Resort & Pico Mountain

killington.com killington.com

welcome 5

FROM FIRST CHAIR TO FINAL RUN.

NAVIGA TING L IFE AT 4241 ’

ver the last two years, we’ve made significant improvements at Killington. From installing new lifts to starting the construction of an entirely new base lodge to building new mountain bike trails and Adventure Center attractions, we’re transforming the way you experience the resort. With these exciting investments and infrastructure enhancements comes lots of work. So please excuse the mess while we continue to make Killington the best.

While we do our thing, we still want you to be able to do yours, so I’ve laid out some helpful navigation tips to use for the coming year.

B:11.125” T:10.875” S:10.625”

When you reach the base area, summer or winter, use the new signage to get around. Be cautious and stay alert when navigating the K-1 base area—there will be a blocked-off construction zone.

Let’s start at the beginning.

D

D

Check the conditions page before you set out on your next Killington adventure. It may be the most important page we have.

Not only does it list our lift and trail operations, but it also includes updates regarding activities and services. Sometimes a lodge has to close early due to a private event or an Adventure Center attraction has scheduled maintenance. We know how frustrating it can be to arrive expecting everything to be open only to find out it’s not. This is why we encourage you to make a habit of looking at the conditions page. We keep it up to date with this important information.

ChandlerBurgess Burgess Chandler

Accessing the K-1 Gondola is a bit different this summer and will be for the foreseeable future, until the new K-1 Lodge is completed. So here’s the lowdown on where to park and how to get there. Until we get closer to the winter season, the only way up to the base of Killington Peak, where the K-1 Gondola is located, is by using Vale Road. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of signage to lead the way. By opening day of winter 2019-20, the normal loop from Killington Road to Vale Road will be accessible again.

As construction progresses, some details on how and where to access the gondola and K-1 Base Lodge could change. Refer to tip #1 and check the conditions page this winter.

D

D

No one wants to wait in lines, so try these tips and get on the mountain faster: pre-purchase your tickets online (that means a discount, too!) and head to the ticket center early to pick them up; or skip the ticket center all together and stop by Killington Sports on Route 4 to get your tickets.

Start your day at Skyeship or Bear Mountain. This winter, there will be limited parking in the K-1 base area due to construction, making our other base areas a great choice to begin your day when we’re fully open.

Whether or not you take my advice, I’m excited to have you here checking out all the new stuff we’re doing. Killington is undeniably the Northeast’s best resort for year-round adventure and we plan to keep it that way for generations to come.

Mike Solimano President & General Manager Killington Resort & Pico Mountain

killington.com killington.com

welcome 5

Opening Shots

Cold Snap

Color Coordinated

D

id you know trees can explode without the use of pyrotechnics? During spells of extreme cold or when trees haven’t had time to acclimate to frigid temperatures, the life-sustaining sap inside a tree can begin to freeze, reports the National Forest Foundation. Sap contains water so it expands when frozen, putting pressure on the bark, which can break and create an explosion.

G

reen chlorophyll dominates summer foliage, but as the days grow shorter and the temperatures cool, chlorophyll degrades and turns from green to colorless, allowing autumn’s color palette to shine through. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the yellows and oranges are derived from compounds called carotenoids (which are also responsible for the color of carrots). Red pigments, however, are not present in the leaf during summer— trees that turn red produce a pigment called anthocyanin that is believed to protect the leaves from harsh light and ward off pests.

— 4241’

Chandler Burgess

6 H Homegrown

killington.com

Chandler Burgess

Opening Shots

Homegrown H 7

Opening Shots

Cold Snap

Color Coordinated

D

id you know trees can explode without the use of pyrotechnics? During spells of extreme cold or when trees haven’t had time to acclimate to frigid temperatures, the life-sustaining sap inside a tree can begin to freeze, reports the National Forest Foundation. Sap contains water so it expands when frozen, putting pressure on the bark, which can break and create an explosion.

G

reen chlorophyll dominates summer foliage, but as the days grow shorter and the temperatures cool, chlorophyll degrades and turns from green to colorless, allowing autumn’s color palette to shine through. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the yellows and oranges are derived from compounds called carotenoids (which are also responsible for the color of carrots). Red pigments, however, are not present in the leaf during summer— trees that turn red produce a pigment called anthocyanin that is believed to protect the leaves from harsh light and ward off pests.

— 4241’

Chandler Burgess

6 H Homegrown

killington.com

Chandler Burgess

Opening Shots

Homegrown H 7

#simplyvolkl

volkl.com

BAVARIAN TO THE CORE.

NEW DEACON 84 WITH 3D RADIUS SIDECUT Völkl‘s Bavarian engineers have done more to support frontside skiers than any other design team in the industry.

The latest proof is the Deacon 84– light weight, lively, and versatile.

With Titanal Frame construction, 3D Radius Sidecut, and the new iPT LOWRIDE binding system from Marker, you‘ll be laying down the best arcs ever. See the new Deacons and the rest of the 19/20 lineup at volkl.com.

HIGH TECH MADE WHERE WE LIVE AND SKI: BAVA RI A , G ER M A N Y

#simplyvolkl

volkl.com

BAVARIAN TO THE CORE.

NEW DEACON 84 WITH 3D RADIUS SIDECUT Völkl‘s Bavarian engineers have done more to support frontside skiers than any other design team in the industry.

The latest proof is the Deacon 84– light weight, lively, and versatile.

With Titanal Frame construction, 3D Radius Sidecut, and the new iPT LOWRIDE binding system from Marker, you‘ll be laying down the best arcs ever. See the new Deacons and the rest of the 19/20 lineup at volkl.com.

HIGH TECH MADE WHERE WE LIVE AND SKI: BAVA RI A , G ER M A N Y

Open Daily at Noon

Happy Hour: 3:00-6:00

Killington Resort President | Mike Solimano Publisher | Chandler Burgess | Killington Resort Creative Direction |

| butteryagency.com

HIT THE ROAD

Editorial Director | Mike Horn | Buttery Art Director | Joe Polevy | Buttery Photo Editor | Justin Cash | Buttery Editor | Tyler Cohen

NEWS

Contributing Editors

SOUPS•SALADS

BURGERS•PASTA

SEAFOOD•BURRITOS Family Owned & Operated

BEST WINGS

Creative & Classic Soups, Salads, Entrées Sandwiches, Burgers & Kids Menu

Take-Out CRAFT BEER Available WINE AND Sports COCKTAILS in HD Seasonal Dining with a view on our COVERED DECK

Mike’s Letter

Courtney DiFiore Martha Howe Amy Laramie Dave Young Jordan Spear

Killington Resort

Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Adam Broderick Rachel Cohen Tyler Cohen Courtney DiFiore Randy Elles Kirk Kardashian Elicia Mailhiot Drew Pogge Peggy Shinn Dave Young

Chandler Burgess Justin Cash Brooks Curran Randy Elles John Everett Martha Howe Gabe L’Heureux Dave Young

Investments in Fun BIG upgrades on tap MORE Woodward Winter 2019-2020 debut Play Forever Waste not, want not The Castleton College Connection Resort management program blossoms Play in Tune Give your gear some love Bell to Bell A day in the life of an all-day skier

ADVERTISING Sales Team Chandler Burgess Scott Harrison | Killington Resort Jordan Spear Dave Young

Finding Flow Empowering women through mountain biking

FEATURES

40 48 56 05 62 12 70 18 80 20 86 22 102 26 110 30 120 32

CONTENTS

Ad Creative Kim Williamson Jess Curley | Killington Resort

The road to MORE. Photo by Justin Cash

To advertise in Killington 4241’ Magazine, Killington Pico Area Association members call (802) 422 4181. All other inquiries please email 4241magads@killington.com

132

IKONIC Road Trip Powder at nearly every turn

Lounge Lizards Stay. Play. Party. Chill.

Jeff Temple The wizard behind the MTN Ops curtain

Off the Clock Balancing work and play

The Show International field relishes Killington World Cup experience

Pico’s Arborists Into the deep woods

Photo Gallery Mountain Meadows Finding freedom on snow

Profile: Mazie Hayden All-season speedster

Made in Vermont Coffee + CBD

BaseCamp: Barnard All in a day’s tour

COVER Plaid is our favorite color. Photo by Justin Cash

The views expressed in Killington 4241’ Magazine are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the staff or Killington | Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC. Copyright ©2020 by Killington | Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. The content of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express consent of the publisher. Killington 4241’ Magazine is printed annually in the USA. Killington Resort 4763 Killington Road | Killington VT | 05751 (800) 621 MTNS | www.killington.com

WEEKEND SHUTTLE SERVICE

422-LOOK • LOOKOUTVT.COM 10 welcome

killington.com killington.com

welcome 11

Open Daily at Noon

Happy Hour: 3:00-6:00

Killington Resort President | Mike Solimano Publisher | Chandler Burgess | Killington Resort Creative Direction |

| butteryagency.com

HIT THE ROAD

Editorial Director | Mike Horn | Buttery Art Director | Joe Polevy | Buttery Photo Editor | Justin Cash | Buttery Editor | Tyler Cohen

NEWS

Contributing Editors

SOUPS•SALADS

BURGERS•PASTA

SEAFOOD•BURRITOS Family Owned & Operated

BEST WINGS

Creative & Classic Soups, Salads, Entrées Sandwiches, Burgers & Kids Menu

Take-Out CRAFT BEER Available WINE AND Sports COCKTAILS in HD Seasonal Dining with a view on our COVERED DECK

Mike’s Letter

Courtney DiFiore Martha Howe Amy Laramie Dave Young Jordan Spear

Killington Resort

Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Adam Broderick Rachel Cohen Tyler Cohen Courtney DiFiore Randy Elles Kirk Kardashian Elicia Mailhiot Drew Pogge Peggy Shinn Dave Young

Chandler Burgess Justin Cash Brooks Curran Randy Elles John Everett Martha Howe Gabe L’Heureux Dave Young

Investments in Fun BIG upgrades on tap MORE Woodward Winter 2019-2020 debut Play Forever Waste not, want not The Castleton College Connection Resort management program blossoms Play in Tune Give your gear some love Bell to Bell A day in the life of an all-day skier

ADVERTISING Sales Team Chandler Burgess Scott Harrison | Killington Resort Jordan Spear Dave Young

Finding Flow Empowering women through mountain biking

FEATURES

40 48 56 05 62 12 70 18 80 20 86 22 102 26 110 30 120 32

CONTENTS

Ad Creative Kim Williamson Jess Curley | Killington Resort

The road to MORE. Photo by Justin Cash

To advertise in Killington 4241’ Magazine, Killington Pico Area Association members call (802) 422 4181. All other inquiries please email 4241magads@killington.com

132

IKONIC Road Trip Powder at nearly every turn

Lounge Lizards Stay. Play. Party. Chill.

Jeff Temple The wizard behind the MTN Ops curtain

Off the Clock Balancing work and play

The Show International field relishes Killington World Cup experience

Pico’s Arborists Into the deep woods

Photo Gallery Mountain Meadows Finding freedom on snow

Profile: Mazie Hayden All-season speedster

Made in Vermont Coffee + CBD

BaseCamp: Barnard All in a day’s tour

COVER Plaid is our favorite color. Photo by Justin Cash

The views expressed in Killington 4241’ Magazine are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the staff or Killington | Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC. Copyright ©2020 by Killington | Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. The content of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express consent of the publisher. Killington 4241’ Magazine is printed annually in the USA. Killington Resort 4763 Killington Road | Killington VT | 05751 (800) 621 MTNS | www.killington.com

WEEKEND SHUTTLE SERVICE

422-LOOK • LOOKOUTVT.COM 10 welcome

killington.com killington.com

welcome 11

K π News

Workin’It

K π News

Killington

Killington is headed into the 2019-20 season with even more to talk about: more new lifts, greater snowmaking capacity and a brand-new base lodge in the works.

invests

in the ALL-MOUNTAIN experIeNce

Conceptual rendering of K-1 BASE LODGE. Courtesy of the Bread Loaf Corporation ©2019

by Drew Pogge

photos by Justin Cash

B

y almost any metric, Killington is King of the East when it comes to skiing and riding, but it’s no cakewalk to stay competitive, even when you’re at the top of your game—just ask Tom Brady, Megan Rapinoe or LeBron James. It takes work to remain competitive, and that’s just what Killington has been doing: working. Following hot on the heels of last season’s $15-million makeover (which included the Woodward Peace Park, the new Snowdon Six Express bubble lift, the return of South Ridge lift service, three tunnels to improve flow at busy trail intersections, new K-1 Express Gondola cabins and RFID ticketing), Killington is headed into the 2019-20 season with even more to talk about: more new lifts, greater snowmaking capacity and a brand-new base lodge in the works. “We’re always working to improve the on-mountain experience,” says Mike Solimano, Killington president and general manager. “To stay competitive, we have to keep investing.”

On the first day of the 2019-20 season (which is traditionally the earliest in the East, sometime in mid-October), eager skiers and riders will line up below a brand-new North Ridge lift. “North Ridge was an old but pretty important chair,” Solimano says. “It’s the first opened every year.” The new fixed-grip, four-seat Leitner-Poma lift replaces an aging triple, improving reliability and increasing capacity, solidifying Killington’s commitment to providing the longest season in the East.

The upgraded lift in the North Ridge area—servicing runs like Reason, Rime and Upper East Fall—also demonstrates Killington’s commitment to improving access to intermediate terrain. In fact, last season’s continued on p15 D

12

improvements

killington.com

improvements

13

K π News

Workin’It

K π News

Killington

Killington is headed into the 2019-20 season with even more to talk about: more new lifts, greater snowmaking capacity and a brand-new base lodge in the works.

invests

in the ALL-MOUNTAIN experIeNce

Conceptual rendering of K-1 BASE LODGE. Courtesy of the Bread Loaf Corporation ©2019

by Drew Pogge

photos by Justin Cash

B

y almost any metric, Killington is King of the East when it comes to skiing and riding, but it’s no cakewalk to stay competitive, even when you’re at the top of your game—just ask Tom Brady, Megan Rapinoe or LeBron James. It takes work to remain competitive, and that’s just what Killington has been doing: working. Following hot on the heels of last season’s $15-million makeover (which included the Woodward Peace Park, the new Snowdon Six Express bubble lift, the return of South Ridge lift service, three tunnels to improve flow at busy trail intersections, new K-1 Express Gondola cabins and RFID ticketing), Killington is headed into the 2019-20 season with even more to talk about: more new lifts, greater snowmaking capacity and a brand-new base lodge in the works. “We’re always working to improve the on-mountain experience,” says Mike Solimano, Killington president and general manager. “To stay competitive, we have to keep investing.”

On the first day of the 2019-20 season (which is traditionally the earliest in the East, sometime in mid-October), eager skiers and riders will line up below a brand-new North Ridge lift. “North Ridge was an old but pretty important chair,” Solimano says. “It’s the first opened every year.” The new fixed-grip, four-seat Leitner-Poma lift replaces an aging triple, improving reliability and increasing capacity, solidifying Killington’s commitment to providing the longest season in the East.

The upgraded lift in the North Ridge area—servicing runs like Reason, Rime and Upper East Fall—also demonstrates Killington’s commitment to improving access to intermediate terrain. In fact, last season’s continued on p15 D

12

improvements

killington.com

improvements

13

lift and trail improvements made the nearby Snowdon area, which features primarily intermediate terrain, one of the most popular places on the mountain. “I heard a lot of positive feedback,” Solimano says. “The 2018 infrastructure improvements really spread people out and changed the dynamic of how the mountain skis.”

In addition to the new North Ridge lift, Killington has installed another 120 new low-energy tower snow guns, replaced air and water piping and added new, semi-automatic water and air hydrants, which reduce the amount of time it takes to start making snow. “To stay competitive, we

continued on p17 D

© Amy Donohue Photography

“The 2018 infrastructure improvements really spread people out and changed the dynamic of how the mountain skis.”

The Perfect Setting for an Exquisite Wedding is Vermont’s Most Beautiful Address.

The Woodstock Inn & Resort, one of New England’s most scenic, romantic, and luxurious destinations for a Vermont wedding, is ready to make your celebration perfect in every way. Our experienced staff will assist you with every detail — from room reservations to dinner menus, wedding cakes to rehearsal dinners.

Personal Wedding Coordinator Customized Wedding Menus

•

•

Full Wedding Venue Services

Bridal Packages at The Spa

•

•

Exquisite Wedding Cakes

Year-round Recreational Activities

•

Exclusive Room Rates

The World’s Best Hotels ~ Travel + Leisure

Woodstock, Vermont | 802.457.6647 | www.woodstockinn.com

improvements

15

lift and trail improvements made the nearby Snowdon area, which features primarily intermediate terrain, one of the most popular places on the mountain. “I heard a lot of positive feedback,” Solimano says. “The 2018 infrastructure improvements really spread people out and changed the dynamic of how the mountain skis.”

In addition to the new North Ridge lift, Killington has installed another 120 new low-energy tower snow guns, replaced air and water piping and added new, semi-automatic water and air hydrants, which reduce the amount of time it takes to start making snow. “To stay competitive, we

continued on p17 D

© Amy Donohue Photography

“The 2018 infrastructure improvements really spread people out and changed the dynamic of how the mountain skis.”

The Perfect Setting for an Exquisite Wedding is Vermont’s Most Beautiful Address.

The Woodstock Inn & Resort, one of New England’s most scenic, romantic, and luxurious destinations for a Vermont wedding, is ready to make your celebration perfect in every way. Our experienced staff will assist you with every detail — from room reservations to dinner menus, wedding cakes to rehearsal dinners.

Personal Wedding Coordinator Customized Wedding Menus

•

•

Full Wedding Venue Services

Bridal Packages at The Spa

•

•

Exquisite Wedding Cakes

Year-round Recreational Activities

•

Exclusive Room Rates

The World’s Best Hotels ~ Travel + Leisure

Woodstock, Vermont | 802.457.6647 | www.woodstockinn.com

improvements

15

“We’re always working to improve the on-mountain experience.”

— Mike Solimano, Killington President & General Manager

have to keep investing in snowmaking,” Solimano says. “These are kind of invisible improvements for most people, but help a lot with snow surface reliability, efficiency and recovery after bad weather.”

Killington’s sister mountain, Pico, is also getting an enormous boost in snowmaking capability this season. Long hindered by an unreliable water supply, Pico now draws water directly from Killington via 16,850 feet of pipeline that runs up the interconnect and down into Pico’s ponds. This, combined with a new water pump and nearly 10,000 feet of new and repaired snowmaking pipe, will double Pico’s snowmaking capacity. The result will be more snow earlier in the season, faster recovery after inclement weather and an improved overall on-mountain experience.

Finally, workers broke ground in July on phase one of the longawaited new K-1 Base Lodge, which is slated to open for winter 2020-21. “We needed to elevate and compete,” Solimano says. “K-1 is our busiest lodge, and we need more of the experience like that of the popular Peak Lodge.” The building will feature many of the characteristics that make the Peak Lodge such a desirable destina-

killington.com

tion, including an open floor plan featuring mixed seating arrangements, floor-to-ceiling windows, a grand fireplace and an upscale food court set to offer fresh farm-to-table cuisine. When complete, the new three-story lodge will grow from 37,000 to 58,000 sq. ft. and include a full-service bar, upscale fine-china dining and unobstructed 180-degree views.

The new lodge will also be sited for easier access. “It will be built downhill of the existing lodge, at grade with the gondola,” Solimano explains, “so it’s less of a hike to the lift.” He says there will also be escalators, “rather than tons of stairs,” accessing the lodge from below. During spring 2020, the existing base lodge will be removed and phase two of the new building will be completed.

So what else can skiers and riders look forward to in the coming seasons? If the past several are any indication, you can count on continued investment in the on-mountain experience—along with amenities that are easy to enjoy once you’re off the slopes. One thing is certain: Killington shows no signs of slowing down—they just keep workin’ it.

N

improvements

17

“We’re always working to improve the on-mountain experience.”

— Mike Solimano, Killington President & General Manager

have to keep investing in snowmaking,” Solimano says. “These are kind of invisible improvements for most people, but help a lot with snow surface reliability, efficiency and recovery after bad weather.”

Killington’s sister mountain, Pico, is also getting an enormous boost in snowmaking capability this season. Long hindered by an unreliable water supply, Pico now draws water directly from Killington via 16,850 feet of pipeline that runs up the interconnect and down into Pico’s ponds. This, combined with a new water pump and nearly 10,000 feet of new and repaired snowmaking pipe, will double Pico’s snowmaking capacity. The result will be more snow earlier in the season, faster recovery after inclement weather and an improved overall on-mountain experience.

Finally, workers broke ground in July on phase one of the longawaited new K-1 Base Lodge, which is slated to open for winter 2020-21. “We needed to elevate and compete,” Solimano says. “K-1 is our busiest lodge, and we need more of the experience like that of the popular Peak Lodge.” The building will feature many of the characteristics that make the Peak Lodge such a desirable destina-

killington.com

tion, including an open floor plan featuring mixed seating arrangements, floor-to-ceiling windows, a grand fireplace and an upscale food court set to offer fresh farm-to-table cuisine. When complete, the new three-story lodge will grow from 37,000 to 58,000 sq. ft. and include a full-service bar, upscale fine-china dining and unobstructed 180-degree views.

The new lodge will also be sited for easier access. “It will be built downhill of the existing lodge, at grade with the gondola,” Solimano explains, “so it’s less of a hike to the lift.” He says there will also be escalators, “rather than tons of stairs,” accessing the lodge from below. During spring 2020, the existing base lodge will be removed and phase two of the new building will be completed.

So what else can skiers and riders look forward to in the coming seasons? If the past several are any indication, you can count on continued investment in the on-mountain experience—along with amenities that are easy to enjoy once you’re off the slopes. One thing is certain: Killington shows no signs of slowing down—they just keep workin’ it.

N

improvements

17

K π News

K π News

G. L’Heureux

WOODWARD mountain park

coming to killington

More Woodward John Everett

“The ultimate vision for a Woodward Killington experience is year-round.”

“There are a lot of professional athletes who have moved to or periodically lived at some of our Woodward destinations, so they can continuously hone their skills.”

— Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson first debuted at Killington in 2018-19. Killington’s Woodward Mountain Park will start with base area learning zones and gradually progress in size and difficulty, culminating in best-in-class terrain parks and elite athlete training zones.

Inspired by the opportunity to leverage Woodward, also part of the profile of POWDR, Killington’s parent company, Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson sees a future where the ski and snowboarding experience is different from what you’ve become accustomed to in the traditional mountain setting.

As POWDR’s senior vice president of youth development, Gunny is charged to work with each POWDR mountain resort to help it be the best version of itself by, in part, leveraging Woodward.

Woodward Killington enhances the mountain experience for the widest range of guests, from beginners to pros. “Woodward is for everyone!”

Gunny says. “There is a rich history of top-level athletes and performance that has taken place at Woodward properties, and because of the long-standing reputation for innovative environments there are a lot of professional athletes who have literally gone and moved to or periodically lived at some of our Woodward destinations, so they can continuously hone their skills.

But we’re not only designing Woodward Killington for pros and hopeful pros—we are creating Woodward Killington to be an ideal place to learn and try something new, from total beginners on up. The Killington team is striving to provide the perfect platform for those just starting off or finding their passion.”

Gunny has been sculpting the snowsports landscape for national events and resorts around the world for more than two decades. As the founder of Snow Park Technologies, he found himself at the forefront of developing event courses and terrain parks for the X Games, the US Open of Snowboarding and Dew Tour, as well as with mountain resorts all around the world. Now he is at the forefront of bringing Woodward’s next-generation-focused experiences to POWDR resorts.

If things go to plan, the fun won’t stop when the ski and ride season ends.

“The ultimate vision for a Woodward Killington experience is year-round,” Gunny explains. “At this point, though, Killington’s primary focus is on integrating Woodward on the mountain for winter. The Woodward Mountain Park coming this winter will build on the success of Woodward Peace Park from last season, and introduce new and exciting environments for all ages and abilities to enjoy.”

Coming this season, Killington will unveil Woodward Mountain Park, an on-mountain snow experience with sculpted and featured terrain for every level of skier and rider. Woodward Mountain Park will feature a network of terrain feature zones that will offer a fully balanced variety of on-mountain experiences—from Start Parks to a Peace Park, which

As of press time the intimate details behind Killington’s Woodward Mountain Park were still being fleshed out, but there is a lot to be excited about for this winter and those to follow.

G. L’Heureux

o

ver the course of the past two years, Killington has introduced Woodward, an experiential action sports company, to its guests and team members through the Woodward WreckTangle, a ninja obstacle challenge, and the Woodward Peace Park, a unique, ever-evolving terrain park. For more than 50 years, Woodward has stoked the most passionate athletes through innovative environments and intuitive programming. Woodward Killington will be unveiled this 2019-20 season.

N

18

Woodward!

— 4241’ N killington.com

killington.com

fine tuned

19

K π News

K π News

G. L’Heureux

WOODWARD mountain park

coming to killington

More Woodward John Everett

“The ultimate vision for a Woodward Killington experience is year-round.”

“There are a lot of professional athletes who have moved to or periodically lived at some of our Woodward destinations, so they can continuously hone their skills.”

— Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson first debuted at Killington in 2018-19. Killington’s Woodward Mountain Park will start with base area learning zones and gradually progress in size and difficulty, culminating in best-in-class terrain parks and elite athlete training zones.

Inspired by the opportunity to leverage Woodward, also part of the profile of POWDR, Killington’s parent company, Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson sees a future where the ski and snowboarding experience is different from what you’ve become accustomed to in the traditional mountain setting.

As POWDR’s senior vice president of youth development, Gunny is charged to work with each POWDR mountain resort to help it be the best version of itself by, in part, leveraging Woodward.

Woodward Killington enhances the mountain experience for the widest range of guests, from beginners to pros. “Woodward is for everyone!”

Gunny says. “There is a rich history of top-level athletes and performance that has taken place at Woodward properties, and because of the long-standing reputation for innovative environments there are a lot of professional athletes who have literally gone and moved to or periodically lived at some of our Woodward destinations, so they can continuously hone their skills.

But we’re not only designing Woodward Killington for pros and hopeful pros—we are creating Woodward Killington to be an ideal place to learn and try something new, from total beginners on up. The Killington team is striving to provide the perfect platform for those just starting off or finding their passion.”

Gunny has been sculpting the snowsports landscape for national events and resorts around the world for more than two decades. As the founder of Snow Park Technologies, he found himself at the forefront of developing event courses and terrain parks for the X Games, the US Open of Snowboarding and Dew Tour, as well as with mountain resorts all around the world. Now he is at the forefront of bringing Woodward’s next-generation-focused experiences to POWDR resorts.

If things go to plan, the fun won’t stop when the ski and ride season ends.

“The ultimate vision for a Woodward Killington experience is year-round,” Gunny explains. “At this point, though, Killington’s primary focus is on integrating Woodward on the mountain for winter. The Woodward Mountain Park coming this winter will build on the success of Woodward Peace Park from last season, and introduce new and exciting environments for all ages and abilities to enjoy.”

Coming this season, Killington will unveil Woodward Mountain Park, an on-mountain snow experience with sculpted and featured terrain for every level of skier and rider. Woodward Mountain Park will feature a network of terrain feature zones that will offer a fully balanced variety of on-mountain experiences—from Start Parks to a Peace Park, which

As of press time the intimate details behind Killington’s Woodward Mountain Park were still being fleshed out, but there is a lot to be excited about for this winter and those to follow.

G. L’Heureux

o

ver the course of the past two years, Killington has introduced Woodward, an experiential action sports company, to its guests and team members through the Woodward WreckTangle, a ninja obstacle challenge, and the Woodward Peace Park, a unique, ever-evolving terrain park. For more than 50 years, Woodward has stoked the most passionate athletes through innovative environments and intuitive programming. Woodward Killington will be unveiled this 2019-20 season.

N

18

Woodward!

— 4241’ N killington.com

killington.com

fine tuned

19

K π News

K π News

Want Not t times, sustainability is challenging to put into tangible terms. But when it comes to sourcing local ingredients and diverting waste from the landfill, the benefits are measured in pounds.

Because Killington and its parent company POWDR want you to Play Forever—as in help to foster a healthy environment so the next generations can have their own mountain experiences—it’s always looking at ways to reduce negative environmental impacts and increase resource and energy efficiencies. That includes taking a very detailed look at its waste stream, especially in the resort’s food and beverage facilities. Other initiatives like the reduction of single-use products and the advancement of farm-to-table sourcing are adding to the momentum.

Killington Resort Director of Hospitality Scott Harrison says composting is the flagship food and beverage program where they are seeing the most tangible results.

“By 2020, our goal is to divert all food products from the landfill,” he says.

“Right now we’re composting all the back-of-the-house food waste; the next step is to expand to the front of the house. We’re composting up to 2,000 pounds of food per month through a partnership with Grow Compost of Vermont.”

play 4-ever

SOLAR PANELS and COW POWER continue to offset a portion of the resort’s energy consumption.

“We’re COMPOSTING up to 2,000 pounds of food per month through a partnership with Grow Compost of Vermont.”

—Scott Harrison, Killington Resort Director of Hospitality

Being located in Vermont makes bringing ingredients from farm to table a whole lot easier than in most mountain locations. From craft cheesemakers to craft brewers and craft-just-about-everything-else, in Vermont and the Killington region there’s no shortage of suppliers and culinary creativity.

According to Harrison, he and his team work with as many as 50 vendors located within 150 miles of Killington, including Vermont Farmstead Cheese, Mission Farm, WhistlePig, Vermont Salumi and many others.

Across Killington’s campus, the resort grows some of its own herbs and has apiaries that house more than 200,000 bees, which produce honey for use in Preston’s recipes, as well as being for sale on its own. Solar panels and Cow Power continue to offset a portion of the resort’s energy consumption.

THE PLAY FOREVER PHILOSOPHY is being employed more and more, from the “green” features to be integrated into the design of the new K-1 Base Lodge to Play Forever coloring books, holiday ornaments and educational — 4241’ N touch points at the Grand Resort Hotel and beyond. killington.com

N Justin Cash

KILLINGTON is increasingly using washable dinnerware in place of single-use plastics and compostable or recyclable products when dishwashing is not an option. The resort has eliminated plastic straws and plastic souffle cups and replaced many disposable water cups with reusable ones. It’s all part of the larger, ongoing effort to divert Killington’s waste from the landfill.

20

PLAY FOREVER

John Everett

a

killington wants you to

killington.com

play 4-ever

21

K π News

K π News

Want Not t times, sustainability is challenging to put into tangible terms. But when it comes to sourcing local ingredients and diverting waste from the landfill, the benefits are measured in pounds.

Because Killington and its parent company POWDR want you to Play Forever—as in help to foster a healthy environment so the next generations can have their own mountain experiences—it’s always looking at ways to reduce negative environmental impacts and increase resource and energy efficiencies. That includes taking a very detailed look at its waste stream, especially in the resort’s food and beverage facilities. Other initiatives like the reduction of single-use products and the advancement of farm-to-table sourcing are adding to the momentum.

Killington Resort Director of Hospitality Scott Harrison says composting is the flagship food and beverage program where they are seeing the most tangible results.

“By 2020, our goal is to divert all food products from the landfill,” he says.

“Right now we’re composting all the back-of-the-house food waste; the next step is to expand to the front of the house. We’re composting up to 2,000 pounds of food per month through a partnership with Grow Compost of Vermont.”

play 4-ever

SOLAR PANELS and COW POWER continue to offset a portion of the resort’s energy consumption.

“We’re COMPOSTING up to 2,000 pounds of food per month through a partnership with Grow Compost of Vermont.”

—Scott Harrison, Killington Resort Director of Hospitality

Being located in Vermont makes bringing ingredients from farm to table a whole lot easier than in most mountain locations. From craft cheesemakers to craft brewers and craft-just-about-everything-else, in Vermont and the Killington region there’s no shortage of suppliers and culinary creativity.

According to Harrison, he and his team work with as many as 50 vendors located within 150 miles of Killington, including Vermont Farmstead Cheese, Mission Farm, WhistlePig, Vermont Salumi and many others.

Across Killington’s campus, the resort grows some of its own herbs and has apiaries that house more than 200,000 bees, which produce honey for use in Preston’s recipes, as well as being for sale on its own. Solar panels and Cow Power continue to offset a portion of the resort’s energy consumption.

THE PLAY FOREVER PHILOSOPHY is being employed more and more, from the “green” features to be integrated into the design of the new K-1 Base Lodge to Play Forever coloring books, holiday ornaments and educational — 4241’ N touch points at the Grand Resort Hotel and beyond. killington.com

N Justin Cash

KILLINGTON is increasingly using washable dinnerware in place of single-use plastics and compostable or recyclable products when dishwashing is not an option. The resort has eliminated plastic straws and plastic souffle cups and replaced many disposable water cups with reusable ones. It’s all part of the larger, ongoing effort to divert Killington’s waste from the landfill.

20

PLAY FOREVER

John Everett

a

killington wants you to

killington.com

play 4-ever

21

K π News

K π News

executing the resort’s signature events—and that’s just getting started. In addition to being paid for their time, students also earn academic credit for their experience.

Higher

Education

by Elicia Mailhiot

Castleton University’s bachelor’s degree program in Resort and Hospitality Management combines traditional classroom learning with realworld, on-mountain experience at The Beast of the East. Through a cooperative education model, students have the opportunity to apply concepts they’ve learned while working in a number of paid positions at both Killington and Pico Resorts. The accelerated program, which began its inaugural semester in August 2019, takes just three years to complete.

Castleton University’s School of Resort & Hospitality Management at Killington is filling an important gap in the region following the closure of Green Mountain College, which operated a similar program for nearly 18 years. Castleton’s program will be led by Business and Economics Professor Frank Pauze, who also served as the program director at Green Mountain College. Pauze is a respected leader with an extensive background in management, marketing, sales and food service.

s

tudents will live in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains at the newly renovated Castleton Lodge at Killington. The lodge is located on the Killington Access Road and is nestled among a variety of other businesses—a pizza shop, hotels, a coffeehouse. Adjacent to the Foundry and some of the best entertainment spots on the mountain, the Castleton Lodge at Killington is an extension of the Castleton University campus. In addition to being a full-service residence, the lodge will offer students access to a state-of-the-art conference space, computer lab, dining room and food service and recreation areas. Castleton will also host a number of classrooms and faculty workspace nearby.

Chandler Burgess

i

magine being a college student and living just minutes from the base of the largest ski resort in the eastern United States, spending your winter days on sun-kissed powder and mountain biking deep under the cool tree cover in the summer. Students with Castleton University’s School of Resort & Hospitality Management at Killington don’t have to imagine—that’s just life at the lodge.

— DR. KAREN M. SCOLFORO, Castleton University President Chandler Burgess

castleton university’s new program in resort & hospitality management brings learning from the classroom to the slopes

“This program provides a unique pathway for students who have always dreamt of working in the resort and hospitality industry.”

“We really can’t say enough about how valuable it is to have hands-on experience. Classroom teaching alone doesn’t prepare students as well as working at a resort,” says Scott Harrison, Killington Resort’s director of hospitality. “With this program, students are getting a great education, getting great hands-on experience and getting to enjoy the lifestyle.”

“We are excited to strengthen our partnership with Killington Resort while also providing our students with a high quality, affordable education in a field they are passionate about,” Scolforo says.

Many of the students in Green Mountain College’s program decided to call Killington home after graduation. Thirty-five alumni are currently employed by Killington Resort in roles such as the director of communications, events and special projects and director of marketing, sales and reservations.

In fact, 99 percent of graduates have found a job in the resort hospitality industry. Castleton University expects to see the same success.

“This program provides a unique pathway for students who have always dreamt of working in the resort and hospitality industry, but just couldn’t see how going to college would help them get there,” says Castleton President Dr. Karen M. Scolforo. “Students in our program will gain unparalleled experience that will immediately translate into the skills needed to succeed in the resort and hospitality industry.”

“Graduates of the program are our future ski industry leaders.

Two graduates have recently been promoted to our executive team,” SCOTT HARRISON said. “These students grow to become very qualified employees who love Killington like we do.”

Castleton’s curriculum—taught by dedicated professors and accomplished veterans of the ski industry (think: Killington’s recently retired Director of Sales, Marketing and Reservations, Rob Megnin)—will provide students with instruction in everything from financial management to event planning. This prepares students to work alongside industry leaders at the four-season resort during the winter and summer trimesters, when they transition from traditional coursework to immersive, hands-on experience in a variety of positions at the mountain.

They will work the front desk at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel, operate snowmaking machines and ski lifts and assist event staff in planning and 22

castleton college

N

Justin Cash

For more information or to apply, visit castleton.edu/killington

killington.com

killington.com

castleton college

23

K π News

K π News

executing the resort’s signature events—and that’s just getting started. In addition to being paid for their time, students also earn academic credit for their experience.

Higher

Education

by Elicia Mailhiot

Castleton University’s bachelor’s degree program in Resort and Hospitality Management combines traditional classroom learning with realworld, on-mountain experience at The Beast of the East. Through a cooperative education model, students have the opportunity to apply concepts they’ve learned while working in a number of paid positions at both Killington and Pico Resorts. The accelerated program, which began its inaugural semester in August 2019, takes just three years to complete.

Castleton University’s School of Resort & Hospitality Management at Killington is filling an important gap in the region following the closure of Green Mountain College, which operated a similar program for nearly 18 years. Castleton’s program will be led by Business and Economics Professor Frank Pauze, who also served as the program director at Green Mountain College. Pauze is a respected leader with an extensive background in management, marketing, sales and food service.

s

tudents will live in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains at the newly renovated Castleton Lodge at Killington. The lodge is located on the Killington Access Road and is nestled among a variety of other businesses—a pizza shop, hotels, a coffeehouse. Adjacent to the Foundry and some of the best entertainment spots on the mountain, the Castleton Lodge at Killington is an extension of the Castleton University campus. In addition to being a full-service residence, the lodge will offer students access to a state-of-the-art conference space, computer lab, dining room and food service and recreation areas. Castleton will also host a number of classrooms and faculty workspace nearby.

Chandler Burgess

i

magine being a college student and living just minutes from the base of the largest ski resort in the eastern United States, spending your winter days on sun-kissed powder and mountain biking deep under the cool tree cover in the summer. Students with Castleton University’s School of Resort & Hospitality Management at Killington don’t have to imagine—that’s just life at the lodge.

— DR. KAREN M. SCOLFORO, Castleton University President Chandler Burgess

castleton university’s new program in resort & hospitality management brings learning from the classroom to the slopes

“This program provides a unique pathway for students who have always dreamt of working in the resort and hospitality industry.”

“We really can’t say enough about how valuable it is to have hands-on experience. Classroom teaching alone doesn’t prepare students as well as working at a resort,” says Scott Harrison, Killington Resort’s director of hospitality. “With this program, students are getting a great education, getting great hands-on experience and getting to enjoy the lifestyle.”

“We are excited to strengthen our partnership with Killington Resort while also providing our students with a high quality, affordable education in a field they are passionate about,” Scolforo says.

Many of the students in Green Mountain College’s program decided to call Killington home after graduation. Thirty-five alumni are currently employed by Killington Resort in roles such as the director of communications, events and special projects and director of marketing, sales and reservations.

In fact, 99 percent of graduates have found a job in the resort hospitality industry. Castleton University expects to see the same success.

“This program provides a unique pathway for students who have always dreamt of working in the resort and hospitality industry, but just couldn’t see how going to college would help them get there,” says Castleton President Dr. Karen M. Scolforo. “Students in our program will gain unparalleled experience that will immediately translate into the skills needed to succeed in the resort and hospitality industry.”

“Graduates of the program are our future ski industry leaders.

Two graduates have recently been promoted to our executive team,” SCOTT HARRISON said. “These students grow to become very qualified employees who love Killington like we do.”

Castleton’s curriculum—taught by dedicated professors and accomplished veterans of the ski industry (think: Killington’s recently retired Director of Sales, Marketing and Reservations, Rob Megnin)—will provide students with instruction in everything from financial management to event planning. This prepares students to work alongside industry leaders at the four-season resort during the winter and summer trimesters, when they transition from traditional coursework to immersive, hands-on experience in a variety of positions at the mountain.

They will work the front desk at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel, operate snowmaking machines and ski lifts and assist event staff in planning and 22

castleton college

N

Justin Cash

For more information or to apply, visit castleton.edu/killington

killington.com

killington.com

castleton college

23

100 00 Club 2018/19

Schirm, Rick Schram, Nickolas Westburg, Rich Westburg, Patti Laurin, Robert Holmes, Paul Barrington, Bob Lange, Tucker A Johnson, Brandon Weiss, Ronald Peone, Matthew Golonka, Peggy Pencak, Benjamin Namkung, Young Lanahan, Charlotte Pencak, Greg Marshall, Barb Mcgrath, Joseph Marchesi, Chris Green, Jonathan Forest, Johnny Bergstrom, Mark Montemurro, Joseph Bloomer, John Padfield, Paul Golonka, Larry Sherman, Merisa Lewis, Charles Munsinger, Lynn Grimm, Jim Tomasi, Michael Robertson, Samantha Marchesi, Nate Celeste-Hahn, Elijah Strong, Piper Dore, Dennis Tener, Kinley Reimer, Joel Fournier, Mark Crowell, Peter Lanka, Maria Marshall, Donald Mulkern, Paul Tirella, Tricia Soderquist, Poopsie Soderquist, Chuteman Hirschbuhl, Wade Heffermehl, Birger Paquette, Mark Plourde, Jim Ruzicka, Robert Carine, Maxwell Lewis, Dave K Haffke, Gary Osnoe, Robert Joseph, Gary Burritt, Colleen Lash, Norman Hinkle, Brennan Tracey, John Labella, Greg Daily, Rick Paret, Richard Aguilar, German Johann, Peter Hilz, Gregory Root, Alan Zuckerman, Jack

Greve, Jonathan Cully, EJ Aguilar, Charity Sardelli, Bob Sharpe, John Meren, Eric Woods, Chuck Castle, Matthew Lee, Gilbert Clark, Peter Tretter, Cole Terjesen, Leif Anthony Skalski, Ted Fallo, Philip Krause, Allan Stangel, Timothy Hirschbuhl, Michael Paroline, Katie DiMascio, Paul Pelletier, John Cahill, Michael Jr. Lennon, Rich Goodwin, Carol Crowell, Philip Reck, Thomas Montag, Christopher Acernese, Chris Everett, John Zazzera, Robert Dalury, Karen Mielcarek, Daniel Hacker, Ron Lee, Jennifer Krinsky, Michael Huntley, William Brunner, Garecht Stamp, Eric Sporbert, Richard Reimer, Susan Myers, Andrew Bergstrom, Cynthia Leabourne, Bradley O'Neill, Steven Kogel, Michael Gold, Lawrence Straus, Larry Holland, Charlie Nielsen, David Johnson, Nicholas Martin, Pamela Bonczar, Cooper Paroline, Jesse Lim, Youn Isaacson, Alan Garrow, Tyler Taylor, Scott Namkung, Sara Hunt, Lynda Herrero, Manuel Guarino, Vito Billings, Steven Durney, Jack Howard, Scott Murphy, Paul Carter, Christopher Stearns, Ashley Aiken, Jane LaChance, Brian

The 100-day club holds a special place in skiing and snowboarding here. It’s the territory of the hardcore, the dedicated few who spend more time in the mountains in one season than most people do in a lifetime. killington.com

Krause, Barbara Lindner, David Stanton, John Schroeder, Derek Hazlett, Mike Bassett, Jesse Schneider, Lawrence Gonda, George Dwyer, Christopher Doheny, Paul Jr. Pluta, Jacob Schaffner, Robert Normand, Aaron Bragg, Donald Bennett, David Kelly, James Chimerane, Gary Hopkins, Keith Hurst, Connor Cummings, Robert Mielcarek, Patti Roldan Mayorga, Jantel Lafleur, Jeremy Giordano, Harrison Brooks, Thomas Pencak, Lucas Oakes, Daniel Reck, Donna Krevetski, Sean Parnell, David Grace-Rutledge, Elizabeth McNeill, Donald Wolford, Emily Clement, Olivia Dixon, Dave Stoodley, Lael Digioia, Suzanne Mcalpine, Jeremiah Adams, Jennifer Zara, Harvey Manning, Ted Rogers, Clarke Heck, Joseph Fischer, Karly Krevetski, Wayne Hall, Thomas Youngs, Ryan Levesque-Brant, Nicole Rice, Raymond Chessia, Amy Poppleton, Brad Nimal, Jim Nimal, Jackie Burns, Martin Smith, Tyler Baker, Forrest Svencer, Rick Maichen, Kevin Porubiansky, Matthew Aker, Cliff Schmitt, Judy Guggenberger, Josef Pytka, Ellen-Louise Schmitt, Bob Nelson, David Jr. Courcelle, David Gugliotta, Tyler Palmer, Gary

Nelb, Sharon Hall, John Fieldhouse, Simone Wood, Craig Atkinson, Scott DiMattia, Warren Charles, Jonathan Kovalesky, Rob Potter, Corey Scoville, Edward Stem, Rachel Gordon, Scott Coccia, Anthony Schindler, Mary Dunwoody, Philip Damore, Dylan Curtis, Jon Harris, Jim Tanguay, Blackie Jennings, Michael DeLong, Tracey Nelson, Adam Burke, Deborah Bartlett, Thomas Hackett, Richard Mead, Liz Richard, Christopher Stokey, Roger Klatt, Joshua Werner, Paul Bonomo, Michael Bellefeuille, Michael Barnett, Brent Cone, Kathleen Beaumont, Scott Verachtert, Ingrid Stolar, Paul Mahoney, Michael Giolito, Robert Gotthardt, Robert Jr. Mitchill, Sharon Wysocki, Jon Sullivan, Patrick Bernard, David Blumberg, Barbara Ehmann, William Welch, Colleen Weart, David Wysocki, Jennifer Fillmore, Walter Robb, John Theel, Karen Sardelli, Cameron Feenick, John French, Lee Shaw, Steve Steadman, Webb Phillips, Katelyn Porter, Ken Herbert, Katherine Carey, John Cardozo, Jason Brown, Daniel Sabataso, Chris Poplawski-Wilson, Debra Rubenson, Marc Magliano, Lisa Celauro, Jonathan

O'Connor, John Vannoni, Vincent Petricone, Neil Kotapka, Thomas Burke, Colin Moriarty, Carol Smith, Peter Sardelli, Jessica Camarota, Michael Kruger, William Siart, Lisa Adams, George Regan, Bruce Kilbride, Timothy Witalis, Carole Midgley, Amelia Larson, Karl Jerome, David Eckler, Ann Marie Dederer, Robert Thompson, Christopher Pressey, Bob Wilkins, Steven Sardelli, Phoebe Soriano, Tom Baldino, Leonard Kelly, Bruce Carlton, Brent Perrault, Robert Prendergast, Thomas Mattsson, Sawyer Zmurko, Michael Mckenna, Andrew Dwyer Lamlein, Margaret Feenick, Susan Barrington, Susan Norniella, Corsi Campbell, George Blackwood, Alex Mcgrath, Kyran Dalglish, Kevin Jardim, Oliver Hughes, Chuck Rosenberg, William Riback, Julia Cerri, Steven Carvill, Jean A Jajosky, Edward Vavolotis, Maureen Goldberg, William Rivera, Roger Blencowe, Elizabeth Gross, Bill Delles, J Michael Mackiewicz, Donna Simone, Catherine Keylin, Alex Beregi, William Coleman, Fletcher Beck, Curtis Handlin, Ashley Munoz Martinez, Luis Felipe Scomillio, Michael Howell, Ryan Eckler, Joshua Fennell, Jessica Levins, Heidi Deitch, Sandra

100 00 Club 2018/19

Schirm, Rick Schram, Nickolas Westburg, Rich Westburg, Patti Laurin, Robert Holmes, Paul Barrington, Bob Lange, Tucker A Johnson, Brandon Weiss, Ronald Peone, Matthew Golonka, Peggy Pencak, Benjamin Namkung, Young Lanahan, Charlotte Pencak, Greg Marshall, Barb Mcgrath, Joseph Marchesi, Chris Green, Jonathan Forest, Johnny Bergstrom, Mark Montemurro, Joseph Bloomer, John Padfield, Paul Golonka, Larry Sherman, Merisa Lewis, Charles Munsinger, Lynn Grimm, Jim Tomasi, Michael Robertson, Samantha Marchesi, Nate Celeste-Hahn, Elijah Strong, Piper Dore, Dennis Tener, Kinley Reimer, Joel Fournier, Mark Crowell, Peter Lanka, Maria Marshall, Donald Mulkern, Paul Tirella, Tricia Soderquist, Poopsie Soderquist, Chuteman Hirschbuhl, Wade Heffermehl, Birger Paquette, Mark Plourde, Jim Ruzicka, Robert Carine, Maxwell Lewis, Dave K Haffke, Gary Osnoe, Robert Joseph, Gary Burritt, Colleen Lash, Norman Hinkle, Brennan Tracey, John Labella, Greg Daily, Rick Paret, Richard Aguilar, German Johann, Peter Hilz, Gregory Root, Alan Zuckerman, Jack

Greve, Jonathan Cully, EJ Aguilar, Charity Sardelli, Bob Sharpe, John Meren, Eric Woods, Chuck Castle, Matthew Lee, Gilbert Clark, Peter Tretter, Cole Terjesen, Leif Anthony Skalski, Ted Fallo, Philip Krause, Allan Stangel, Timothy Hirschbuhl, Michael Paroline, Katie DiMascio, Paul Pelletier, John Cahill, Michael Jr. Lennon, Rich Goodwin, Carol Crowell, Philip Reck, Thomas Montag, Christopher Acernese, Chris Everett, John Zazzera, Robert Dalury, Karen Mielcarek, Daniel Hacker, Ron Lee, Jennifer Krinsky, Michael Huntley, William Brunner, Garecht Stamp, Eric Sporbert, Richard Reimer, Susan Myers, Andrew Bergstrom, Cynthia Leabourne, Bradley O'Neill, Steven Kogel, Michael Gold, Lawrence Straus, Larry Holland, Charlie Nielsen, David Johnson, Nicholas Martin, Pamela Bonczar, Cooper Paroline, Jesse Lim, Youn Isaacson, Alan Garrow, Tyler Taylor, Scott Namkung, Sara Hunt, Lynda Herrero, Manuel Guarino, Vito Billings, Steven Durney, Jack Howard, Scott Murphy, Paul Carter, Christopher Stearns, Ashley Aiken, Jane LaChance, Brian

The 100-day club holds a special place in skiing and snowboarding here. It’s the territory of the hardcore, the dedicated few who spend more time in the mountains in one season than most people do in a lifetime. killington.com

Krause, Barbara Lindner, David Stanton, John Schroeder, Derek Hazlett, Mike Bassett, Jesse Schneider, Lawrence Gonda, George Dwyer, Christopher Doheny, Paul Jr. Pluta, Jacob Schaffner, Robert Normand, Aaron Bragg, Donald Bennett, David Kelly, James Chimerane, Gary Hopkins, Keith Hurst, Connor Cummings, Robert Mielcarek, Patti Roldan Mayorga, Jantel Lafleur, Jeremy Giordano, Harrison Brooks, Thomas Pencak, Lucas Oakes, Daniel Reck, Donna Krevetski, Sean Parnell, David Grace-Rutledge, Elizabeth McNeill, Donald Wolford, Emily Clement, Olivia Dixon, Dave Stoodley, Lael Digioia, Suzanne Mcalpine, Jeremiah Adams, Jennifer Zara, Harvey Manning, Ted Rogers, Clarke Heck, Joseph Fischer, Karly Krevetski, Wayne Hall, Thomas Youngs, Ryan Levesque-Brant, Nicole Rice, Raymond Chessia, Amy Poppleton, Brad Nimal, Jim Nimal, Jackie Burns, Martin Smith, Tyler Baker, Forrest Svencer, Rick Maichen, Kevin Porubiansky, Matthew Aker, Cliff Schmitt, Judy Guggenberger, Josef Pytka, Ellen-Louise Schmitt, Bob Nelson, David Jr. Courcelle, David Gugliotta, Tyler Palmer, Gary

Nelb, Sharon Hall, John Fieldhouse, Simone Wood, Craig Atkinson, Scott DiMattia, Warren Charles, Jonathan Kovalesky, Rob Potter, Corey Scoville, Edward Stem, Rachel Gordon, Scott Coccia, Anthony Schindler, Mary Dunwoody, Philip Damore, Dylan Curtis, Jon Harris, Jim Tanguay, Blackie Jennings, Michael DeLong, Tracey Nelson, Adam Burke, Deborah Bartlett, Thomas Hackett, Richard Mead, Liz Richard, Christopher Stokey, Roger Klatt, Joshua Werner, Paul Bonomo, Michael Bellefeuille, Michael Barnett, Brent Cone, Kathleen Beaumont, Scott Verachtert, Ingrid Stolar, Paul Mahoney, Michael Giolito, Robert Gotthardt, Robert Jr. Mitchill, Sharon Wysocki, Jon Sullivan, Patrick Bernard, David Blumberg, Barbara Ehmann, William Welch, Colleen Weart, David Wysocki, Jennifer Fillmore, Walter Robb, John Theel, Karen Sardelli, Cameron Feenick, John French, Lee Shaw, Steve Steadman, Webb Phillips, Katelyn Porter, Ken Herbert, Katherine Carey, John Cardozo, Jason Brown, Daniel Sabataso, Chris Poplawski-Wilson, Debra Rubenson, Marc Magliano, Lisa Celauro, Jonathan

O'Connor, John Vannoni, Vincent Petricone, Neil Kotapka, Thomas Burke, Colin Moriarty, Carol Smith, Peter Sardelli, Jessica Camarota, Michael Kruger, William Siart, Lisa Adams, George Regan, Bruce Kilbride, Timothy Witalis, Carole Midgley, Amelia Larson, Karl Jerome, David Eckler, Ann Marie Dederer, Robert Thompson, Christopher Pressey, Bob Wilkins, Steven Sardelli, Phoebe Soriano, Tom Baldino, Leonard Kelly, Bruce Carlton, Brent Perrault, Robert Prendergast, Thomas Mattsson, Sawyer Zmurko, Michael Mckenna, Andrew Dwyer Lamlein, Margaret Feenick, Susan Barrington, Susan Norniella, Corsi Campbell, George Blackwood, Alex Mcgrath, Kyran Dalglish, Kevin Jardim, Oliver Hughes, Chuck Rosenberg, William Riback, Julia Cerri, Steven Carvill, Jean A Jajosky, Edward Vavolotis, Maureen Goldberg, William Rivera, Roger Blencowe, Elizabeth Gross, Bill Delles, J Michael Mackiewicz, Donna Simone, Catherine Keylin, Alex Beregi, William Coleman, Fletcher Beck, Curtis Handlin, Ashley Munoz Martinez, Luis Felipe Scomillio, Michael Howell, Ryan Eckler, Joshua Fennell, Jessica Levins, Heidi Deitch, Sandra

K π News

Fine Tuned

by Adam Broderick

T

why iT’sof important To take care your skis & boards

photos by Justin Cash

here are more reasons for a good tune than simply going fast and carving tight turns.

trick in a pinch. Hot wax, on the other hand, is the way to go nine times out of 10.

Like with most tools, poor maintenance doesn’t just mean bad performance—it can be dangerous. Edges that aren’t polished and finished properly can catch and throw you off balance. If you hit a rock and put a hole in your base, not only could it steer you wrong, but it can fill with moisture and cause corrosion. Unwaxed bases will dry out and won’t glide well, which will affect edge transitions and make the base more vulnerable to future damage.

Scott Watelet, a ski tech at Basin Sports, says their staff, which has a combined 50-plus years of tuning experience, works annually through more than 700 season tunes—skis or boards that undergo weekly maintenance throughout the season. Regardless of how long the to-be-tuned line gets, Watelet says that every piece of equipment receives the attention it deserves.

Waxing and tuning skis and snowboards, on the other hand, helps them glide better, which offers more control and smoother transitions between edges. And skiing and snowboarding aren’t the cheapest sports, so properly tuning equipment is like protecting an investment, and the more often they’re used, the more frequently they need upkeep.

Mike Aicher, the Vermont sales representative for Salomon and Swix, began tuning skis in his basement as a high school ski racer and knows how a bad tune can ruin a good day—and that a good tune can make the best day even better. “As a skier or rider,” Aicher explains, “your confidence, performance and control are all dependent on well-maintained equipment.

If your edges become dull or your base becomes damaged or dry, you may find that your skis/board becomes unpredictable, hard to control, hard to grip on firm snow or slow when gliding.”

Abrasive, man-made snow will scrape wax off a base faster than fluffy powder will, so skis and boards in the Northeast need to be waxed more often than in places like Colorado or Utah. Some skiers will rotate their planks halfway through the day to enjoy more laps with wax underfoot. Rub-on wax doesn’t usually last more than a few laps, but can do the 26

fine tuned

Chandler Burgess

K π News

“As a skier or rider, your confidence, performance and control are all dependent on well-maintained equipment.”

Instead of just roll-waxing something and handing it back to the customer, he believes it’s important to spend time dripping wax on by hand. “Even if we’re there until 2 a.m, it’s worth the extra effort,” he says. “I ski just about every day in the winter, and you’d be surprised how often I run into someone on a chair that is pumped about the job I did.”

T

o help get the job done, Basin Sports employs a $200,000, fully-automated Wintersteiger Mercury.

Watelet says the machine is capable of 150 different base structures, three of which he regularly uses.

“Ninety percent of the structures are predicated on race, so I focus on three or four that I like for the Northeast, and for our customers,” he says. “The mistake most shops make is they’ll overgrind a ski with a deep structure, which makes them ski so hooky and grabby and dangerous even. Most people just want something smooth and flat that will hold wax well. I tend to put on a smooth finish that skis great all-around.”

N

Watelet began tuning in 1987, when the process was done by hand. He says that even with modern machines, there is still a good level of handwork that goes into tuning. When appropriate, he’ll forego the automated tuner altogether: “It’s time consuming, but the customers appreciate it. It goes back to killington.com

killington.com

fine tuned

27

K π News

Fine Tuned

by Adam Broderick

T

why iT’sof important To take care your skis & boards

photos by Justin Cash

here are more reasons for a good tune than simply going fast and carving tight turns.

trick in a pinch. Hot wax, on the other hand, is the way to go nine times out of 10.

Like with most tools, poor maintenance doesn’t just mean bad performance—it can be dangerous. Edges that aren’t polished and finished properly can catch and throw you off balance. If you hit a rock and put a hole in your base, not only could it steer you wrong, but it can fill with moisture and cause corrosion. Unwaxed bases will dry out and won’t glide well, which will affect edge transitions and make the base more vulnerable to future damage.

Scott Watelet, a ski tech at Basin Sports, says their staff, which has a combined 50-plus years of tuning experience, works annually through more than 700 season tunes—skis or boards that undergo weekly maintenance throughout the season. Regardless of how long the to-be-tuned line gets, Watelet says that every piece of equipment receives the attention it deserves.

Waxing and tuning skis and snowboards, on the other hand, helps them glide better, which offers more control and smoother transitions between edges. And skiing and snowboarding aren’t the cheapest sports, so properly tuning equipment is like protecting an investment, and the more often they’re used, the more frequently they need upkeep.

Mike Aicher, the Vermont sales representative for Salomon and Swix, began tuning skis in his basement as a high school ski racer and knows how a bad tune can ruin a good day—and that a good tune can make the best day even better. “As a skier or rider,” Aicher explains, “your confidence, performance and control are all dependent on well-maintained equipment.

If your edges become dull or your base becomes damaged or dry, you may find that your skis/board becomes unpredictable, hard to control, hard to grip on firm snow or slow when gliding.”

Abrasive, man-made snow will scrape wax off a base faster than fluffy powder will, so skis and boards in the Northeast need to be waxed more often than in places like Colorado or Utah. Some skiers will rotate their planks halfway through the day to enjoy more laps with wax underfoot. Rub-on wax doesn’t usually last more than a few laps, but can do the 26

fine tuned

Chandler Burgess

K π News

“As a skier or rider, your confidence, performance and control are all dependent on well-maintained equipment.”

Instead of just roll-waxing something and handing it back to the customer, he believes it’s important to spend time dripping wax on by hand. “Even if we’re there until 2 a.m, it’s worth the extra effort,” he says. “I ski just about every day in the winter, and you’d be surprised how often I run into someone on a chair that is pumped about the job I did.”

T

o help get the job done, Basin Sports employs a $200,000, fully-automated Wintersteiger Mercury.

Watelet says the machine is capable of 150 different base structures, three of which he regularly uses.

“Ninety percent of the structures are predicated on race, so I focus on three or four that I like for the Northeast, and for our customers,” he says. “The mistake most shops make is they’ll overgrind a ski with a deep structure, which makes them ski so hooky and grabby and dangerous even. Most people just want something smooth and flat that will hold wax well. I tend to put on a smooth finish that skis great all-around.”

N

Watelet began tuning in 1987, when the process was done by hand. He says that even with modern machines, there is still a good level of handwork that goes into tuning. When appropriate, he’ll forego the automated tuner altogether: “It’s time consuming, but the customers appreciate it. It goes back to killington.com

killington.com

fine tuned

27

the ski culture—skiers servicing skiers and snowboarders servicing snowboarders. Help people have a better time, and they’ll keep our business, and our industry, alive.”

T

here are many different types of tunes, and preference can be very personal. Racers typically want sharp, aggressive edges, but that same tune would be too catchy for a beginner. An all-terrain rider might want sharp edges but a less aggressive shape that will allow some skidding through turns. Park riders often prefer dull edges that avoid getting hung up on rails and boxes.

Regardless of skier type, all edges eventually need burrs buffed and every base ultimately needs waxing. DIY tunes work to an extent, but only affect the edges, so a spe-

“If you can at least set people up on good equipment and have it tuned properly, they’ll have a much better time.”

cialty ski shop is always the best place to service gear. Bill Elles, who opened First Stop Board Barn almost 40 years ago, is committed to top-tier tunes and customer service and says that one of the easiest maintenance methods is simply wiping down your skis or board at the end of the day to avoid rust.

“If they’re ice cold, bring them inside, let them warm up, then wipe the moisture off the edges,” says Elles, under whom Watelet first studied tuning. “If the edges look rusty, it’s definitely time to have them tuned. But not just the edges—because then they will become lower than the base—and your transitions between turns will be slower and with less grip.”

Elles says he’ll notice people walking through the parking lot with their skis on, jam them in the snow, which can delaminate the tips, or throw them in the back of a car with salt and pine sap on them. A little care goes a long way, and he recommends Simple Green, in most cases, or a citrus cleaner to cut the pine sap.

As Elles says, “Some people won’t make an investment in tuning because a good tune might cost $60. They spend all this money on skiing, and skiing itself is difficult enough. If you can at least set people up on good equipment and have it tuned properly, they’ll have a much better time.”

N

28

fine tuned

killington.com

the ski culture—skiers servicing skiers and snowboarders servicing snowboarders. Help people have a better time, and they’ll keep our business, and our industry, alive.”

T

here are many different types of tunes, and preference can be very personal. Racers typically want sharp, aggressive edges, but that same tune would be too catchy for a beginner. An all-terrain rider might want sharp edges but a less aggressive shape that will allow some skidding through turns. Park riders often prefer dull edges that avoid getting hung up on rails and boxes.

Regardless of skier type, all edges eventually need burrs buffed and every base ultimately needs waxing. DIY tunes work to an extent, but only affect the edges, so a spe-

“If you can at least set people up on good equipment and have it tuned properly, they’ll have a much better time.”

cialty ski shop is always the best place to service gear. Bill Elles, who opened First Stop Board Barn almost 40 years ago, is committed to top-tier tunes and customer service and says that one of the easiest maintenance methods is simply wiping down your skis or board at the end of the day to avoid rust.

“If they’re ice cold, bring them inside, let them warm up, then wipe the moisture off the edges,” says Elles, under whom Watelet first studied tuning. “If the edges look rusty, it’s definitely time to have them tuned. But not just the edges—because then they will become lower than the base—and your transitions between turns will be slower and with less grip.”

Elles says he’ll notice people walking through the parking lot with their skis on, jam them in the snow, which can delaminate the tips, or throw them in the back of a car with salt and pine sap on them. A little care goes a long way, and he recommends Simple Green, in most cases, or a citrus cleaner to cut the pine sap.

As Elles says, “Some people won’t make an investment in tuning because a good tune might cost $60. They spend all this money on skiing, and skiing itself is difficult enough. If you can at least set people up on good equipment and have it tuned properly, they’ll have a much better time.”

N

28

fine tuned

killington.com

A ski day in the life

of Tommy Whiting “Skiing and spending time at KILLINGTON is something that makes me thoroughly happy.

I really feel like part of the community.”

6:00am | Whiting has a share in a ski house with five or six friends. He sets his alarm for six o’clock, making him the first one up in the morning.

He gets up early so he doesn’t feel rushed. “I like to ease into my morning, and if you have a half-dozen people descending on the kitchen at the same time to cook breakfast, it can be a little hectic,” he says. He makes coffee for himself and the rest of his housemates, who are usually rousing themselves by 6:30. For breakfast, Whiting cooks up a bacon-egg-and-cheese on a big English muffin. Sometimes he has enough time to eat it at the house. If not, he’s eating it in the car on the way to the lifts, or it’s in his pocket for the ride up the first chair.

7:40am | At this time of the morning, skiers have their pick of the parking lots. Whiting chooses a spot as close to the Superstar lift as he can get. A few minutes later, he’s rubbing elbows with a Killington cohort waiting for the lift to start spinning. “You see the same old-timers and retirees coming out for their one hour of skiing,” he says. “It’s kind of a cool vibe, and I know I don’t fit into their age bracket, but I try to keep the peace with them. They sometimes give me funny looks if I beat them to the first chair, like, ‘Who’s this young guy over here?’”

TOMMY WHITING is a work-hard, play-hard kind of guy.

During the week, he drives a tow truck that rescues tractor-trailers for a company based in Portsmouth, N.H. At the end of the day on Friday, the 35-year-old heads two-and-ahalf hours northwest to Killington, his home mountain since 2011. Whiting’s weekend ritual is pretty simple: ski as much as possible. Over the years, he’s established a plan of attack for making the most of his time on snow. It might not work for everyone, but those who are serious about milking the ski day for all it’s worth would be wise to follow his tracks.

8:07am

by Kirk Kardashian

photos by Justin Cash

15 to 60—he’s noticed a marked improvement in his skiing. “I’ve become a lot more aggressive with my carving and turning, powering into turns more where I used to wash through them,” he says. For the past few years, he’s been on the Nordica Enforcer 93. “I’d keep buying that ski forever,” he notes.

12:00pm

| Whiting carries a few Clif Bars in his pockets to stay energized, but he does need to stop for water. He usually swings into the Mahogany Ridge Bar in the K-1 Base Lodge and downs a few cups on his way over to the Snowdon Six Express. “That lift is so awesome,” he says. “It puts so many people up the hill quickly, and it’s changed the dynamic of Snowdon for the better.” He likes to rip runs right under the chairlift, on Chute and Bunny Buster, and then work his way across the mountain on the gladed trails, skiing Lowrider, Patsy’s, Tin Man and Scarecrow.

1:30pm

| From the top of Snowdon, the easy call is to ski to the North Ridge Quad and descend Rime, Reason and East Fall. Then Whiting goes down to the Canyon Quad and skis Double Dipper, Big Dipper and Cascade. If he’s with a friend and they’re feeling thirsty, they might stop into the Peak Lodge for a quick beer and a snack. He also likes to show Killington newbies the way up to Catwalk and the short walk to the summit. “You feel very seclud“This is why I’m getting up early, to do this ed up there, you get some amazing and ENJOY THIS MOMENT.” views, and Catwalk is a really fun, technical chute,” he says.

| Gliding off the ramp, Whiting follows the sun toward Bear Mountain. He takes Gateway to Great Eastern to Skyeburst.

Somewhere in those first few hundred feet of skiing, he looks north and east to the pastel Vermont skyline, to the soft sun on the horizon, and feels himself become immersed in the present. “This is why I’m getting up early, to do this and enjoy this moment,” he says. The rewards are more tangible when he carves the first lines of the day into the steep and fresh corduroy of Skyeburst, sometimes getting heckled by riders on the Skye Peak Express, who haven’t reached the top yet. He laps the Skye Peak Express a couple of times, taking quick and empty runs down Skyeburst, Wildfire and Outer Limits.

3:00pm | At this point in the day, every extra run is a bonus for Whiting. He skis a little more conservatively because his legs are a bit tired and he doesn’t want to get hurt. He goes back to whatever run skied best earlier in the day. If he’s skiing from the peak, he’ll take Great Northern to Highline.

And, one more time, he’ll take note of his surroundings and feel a sense of gratitude. “I look around and appreciate how big this place is, and spy the woods runs I skied earlier,” he says.

9:00am | Whiting’s friends are now meeting up with him, and together they head over to Needle’s Eye to ski Panic Button and Cruise Control.

Sometimes they race the clock. Can they get 10 runs by 10 a.m.? Or 12 runs?

4:00pm

10:30am

KILLINGTON has become Whiting’s second home. In October, his friends in Portsmouth say, “See you in six months.” “And that’s about right,” Whiting says. “Skiing and spending time at Killington is something that makes me thoroughly happy. I really feel like part of the community.”

N

| From Needle’s Eye, Whiting skis back toward Superstar, which is now lit with morning sun, and laps Skyelark, Superstar and Ovation. If he’s by himself, he takes some time to think about his form and his turns. Since renting a ski house—and increasing his ski days per season from

| Whiting hops the last chair at Superstar and enjoys an easy cruise down Skyelark and Bittersweet, right to the Mahogany Ridge Bar, where he meets up with his friends for après-ski drinks and food.

“I look around and appreciate how BIG this place is.”

D 30

bell to bell

killington.com

killington.com

bell to bell

31

A ski day in the life

of Tommy Whiting “Skiing and spending time at KILLINGTON is something that makes me thoroughly happy.

I really feel like part of the community.”

6:00am | Whiting has a share in a ski house with five or six friends. He sets his alarm for six o’clock, making him the first one up in the morning.

He gets up early so he doesn’t feel rushed. “I like to ease into my morning, and if you have a half-dozen people descending on the kitchen at the same time to cook breakfast, it can be a little hectic,” he says. He makes coffee for himself and the rest of his housemates, who are usually rousing themselves by 6:30. For breakfast, Whiting cooks up a bacon-egg-and-cheese on a big English muffin. Sometimes he has enough time to eat it at the house. If not, he’s eating it in the car on the way to the lifts, or it’s in his pocket for the ride up the first chair.

7:40am | At this time of the morning, skiers have their pick of the parking lots. Whiting chooses a spot as close to the Superstar lift as he can get. A few minutes later, he’s rubbing elbows with a Killington cohort waiting for the lift to start spinning. “You see the same old-timers and retirees coming out for their one hour of skiing,” he says. “It’s kind of a cool vibe, and I know I don’t fit into their age bracket, but I try to keep the peace with them. They sometimes give me funny looks if I beat them to the first chair, like, ‘Who’s this young guy over here?’”

TOMMY WHITING is a work-hard, play-hard kind of guy.

During the week, he drives a tow truck that rescues tractor-trailers for a company based in Portsmouth, N.H. At the end of the day on Friday, the 35-year-old heads two-and-ahalf hours northwest to Killington, his home mountain since 2011. Whiting’s weekend ritual is pretty simple: ski as much as possible. Over the years, he’s established a plan of attack for making the most of his time on snow. It might not work for everyone, but those who are serious about milking the ski day for all it’s worth would be wise to follow his tracks.

8:07am

by Kirk Kardashian

photos by Justin Cash

15 to 60—he’s noticed a marked improvement in his skiing. “I’ve become a lot more aggressive with my carving and turning, powering into turns more where I used to wash through them,” he says. For the past few years, he’s been on the Nordica Enforcer 93. “I’d keep buying that ski forever,” he notes.

12:00pm

| Whiting carries a few Clif Bars in his pockets to stay energized, but he does need to stop for water. He usually swings into the Mahogany Ridge Bar in the K-1 Base Lodge and downs a few cups on his way over to the Snowdon Six Express. “That lift is so awesome,” he says. “It puts so many people up the hill quickly, and it’s changed the dynamic of Snowdon for the better.” He likes to rip runs right under the chairlift, on Chute and Bunny Buster, and then work his way across the mountain on the gladed trails, skiing Lowrider, Patsy’s, Tin Man and Scarecrow.

1:30pm

| From the top of Snowdon, the easy call is to ski to the North Ridge Quad and descend Rime, Reason and East Fall. Then Whiting goes down to the Canyon Quad and skis Double Dipper, Big Dipper and Cascade. If he’s with a friend and they’re feeling thirsty, they might stop into the Peak Lodge for a quick beer and a snack. He also likes to show Killington newbies the way up to Catwalk and the short walk to the summit. “You feel very seclud“This is why I’m getting up early, to do this ed up there, you get some amazing and ENJOY THIS MOMENT.” views, and Catwalk is a really fun, technical chute,” he says.

| Gliding off the ramp, Whiting follows the sun toward Bear Mountain. He takes Gateway to Great Eastern to Skyeburst.

Somewhere in those first few hundred feet of skiing, he looks north and east to the pastel Vermont skyline, to the soft sun on the horizon, and feels himself become immersed in the present. “This is why I’m getting up early, to do this and enjoy this moment,” he says. The rewards are more tangible when he carves the first lines of the day into the steep and fresh corduroy of Skyeburst, sometimes getting heckled by riders on the Skye Peak Express, who haven’t reached the top yet. He laps the Skye Peak Express a couple of times, taking quick and empty runs down Skyeburst, Wildfire and Outer Limits.

3:00pm | At this point in the day, every extra run is a bonus for Whiting. He skis a little more conservatively because his legs are a bit tired and he doesn’t want to get hurt. He goes back to whatever run skied best earlier in the day. If he’s skiing from the peak, he’ll take Great Northern to Highline.

And, one more time, he’ll take note of his surroundings and feel a sense of gratitude. “I look around and appreciate how big this place is, and spy the woods runs I skied earlier,” he says.

9:00am | Whiting’s friends are now meeting up with him, and together they head over to Needle’s Eye to ski Panic Button and Cruise Control.

Sometimes they race the clock. Can they get 10 runs by 10 a.m.? Or 12 runs?

4:00pm

10:30am

KILLINGTON has become Whiting’s second home. In October, his friends in Portsmouth say, “See you in six months.” “And that’s about right,” Whiting says. “Skiing and spending time at Killington is something that makes me thoroughly happy. I really feel like part of the community.”

N

| From Needle’s Eye, Whiting skis back toward Superstar, which is now lit with morning sun, and laps Skyelark, Superstar and Ovation. If he’s by himself, he takes some time to think about his form and his turns. Since renting a ski house—and increasing his ski days per season from

| Whiting hops the last chair at Superstar and enjoys an easy cruise down Skyelark and Bittersweet, right to the Mahogany Ridge Bar, where he meets up with his friends for après-ski drinks and food.

“I look around and appreciate how BIG this place is.”

D 30

bell to bell

killington.com

killington.com

bell to bell

31

F I N D I N G “So, are there going to be any beginners in this group?”

Divas of Dirt and Gravity Camps offer women more than just skills instruction at the Killington Bike Park

THE QUESTION posed by the woman to my left brings me immediate re-

lief. As I scan the small group of ladies gathering around the Umbrella Bar, I can’t help but notice the diversity among us. Some women appear to be in their 20s and others into their 60s; some are large and others are petite; several have clearly done this before, while others, like me, are getting their knee pads dirty for the first time. One thing is abundantly clear, though—I’m in the right place for the Divas of Dirt women’s ride.

THE SUN DANCES across the top of Killington Peak, bouncing off wet leaves

and transforming each raindrop into a tiny fleck of late-afternoon glitter.

Humidity sits heavy, not unlike the purple storm clouds that linger far in the distance. It’s nearly 4 p.m., the time when I’d expect a rush for last chair during winter. But it’s mid-July, and a steady stream of riders push muddy full-suspension bikes toward the lift, eager for a few after-work, pre-happy-hour runs.

, “YEAH, I M PRETTY NEW TO THIS, TOO,” I respond, turning to my neigh-

by Rachel Cohen 32 dirt divas

bor and happy to not be the only first-timer in the crowd. My walk from the parking lot to the Snowshed chairlift had felt clunky at best. Do I need goggles? I’d wondered. Where should I put my wallet and cell phone? Oh my God, all this padding is going to be hot.

photos by Brooks Curran killington.com

killington.com

, RIDING ISN T NEW TO ME—I regularly mountain bike near my home

in northern Vermont and have competed in a handful of long-distance cross-country races over the last few years. But donning a full-face helmet and knee and elbow pads to take a chairlift to the top of the mountain and descend it as fast as possible is a completely different—and intimidating—experience. As I start to measure my lack of bike-park experience with that of the women around me, however, Amy Alton, the founder of Divas of Dirt and our ride leader tonight, chimes in to the small group that’s gathered.

“IF YOU ARE TOTALLY NEW or a beginner, that’s super rad,” she says. “I also see some locals and past Divas in the crowd—what’s up ladies?”

As the start time approaches and our group size grows to 10, then 15, then more than 20, Amy assures us that this ride, and the bike park for that matter, is for everyone. “Just relax,” she says. “This is about dancing on your bike, chilling out, dealing with fear and being in community.” As more and more ladies approach, the mood shifts. Our nervous small talk evolves into friendly chatter and easy laughter. Our collective anxieties transform into calm.

D dirt divas 33

F I N D I N G “So, are there going to be any beginners in this group?”

Divas of Dirt and Gravity Camps offer women more than just skills instruction at the Killington Bike Park

THE QUESTION posed by the woman to my left brings me immediate re-

lief. As I scan the small group of ladies gathering around the Umbrella Bar, I can’t help but notice the diversity among us. Some women appear to be in their 20s and others into their 60s; some are large and others are petite; several have clearly done this before, while others, like me, are getting their knee pads dirty for the first time. One thing is abundantly clear, though—I’m in the right place for the Divas of Dirt women’s ride.

THE SUN DANCES across the top of Killington Peak, bouncing off wet leaves

and transforming each raindrop into a tiny fleck of late-afternoon glitter.

Humidity sits heavy, not unlike the purple storm clouds that linger far in the distance. It’s nearly 4 p.m., the time when I’d expect a rush for last chair during winter. But it’s mid-July, and a steady stream of riders push muddy full-suspension bikes toward the lift, eager for a few after-work, pre-happy-hour runs.

, “YEAH, I M PRETTY NEW TO THIS, TOO,” I respond, turning to my neigh-

by Rachel Cohen 32 dirt divas

bor and happy to not be the only first-timer in the crowd. My walk from the parking lot to the Snowshed chairlift had felt clunky at best. Do I need goggles? I’d wondered. Where should I put my wallet and cell phone? Oh my God, all this padding is going to be hot.

photos by Brooks Curran killington.com

killington.com

, RIDING ISN T NEW TO ME—I regularly mountain bike near my home

in northern Vermont and have competed in a handful of long-distance cross-country races over the last few years. But donning a full-face helmet and knee and elbow pads to take a chairlift to the top of the mountain and descend it as fast as possible is a completely different—and intimidating—experience. As I start to measure my lack of bike-park experience with that of the women around me, however, Amy Alton, the founder of Divas of Dirt and our ride leader tonight, chimes in to the small group that’s gathered.

“IF YOU ARE TOTALLY NEW or a beginner, that’s super rad,” she says. “I also see some locals and past Divas in the crowd—what’s up ladies?”

As the start time approaches and our group size grows to 10, then 15, then more than 20, Amy assures us that this ride, and the bike park for that matter, is for everyone. “Just relax,” she says. “This is about dancing on your bike, chilling out, dealing with fear and being in community.” As more and more ladies approach, the mood shifts. Our nervous small talk evolves into friendly chatter and easy laughter. Our collective anxieties transform into calm.

D dirt divas 33

was held in July, offering a full weekend of coaching, on-mountain lunch and discounts on lodging and bike rentals. Twenty-five women attended the inaugural camp, hailing from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Montreal and, of course, Vermont.

G “EVERY ONE OF US HAD TO START FROM ZERO,” Ella Skalwold

risk. Instead, they’ve elevated it, making it clear that downhilling is a progressive sport with innate risk—and huge rewards.

, “WE RE NOT HERE FOR COMFORT,” Amy says as she preps us for

the day in our on-mountain classroom. “If you’re here for comfort, sorry, because we’re about to make you very, very uncomfortable.

What we want to do here is move from comfort to thrill, and that requires dancing toward fear. We’re always going to have fear—but we’re going to move toward that fear and smile at it.”

says during the Gravity Camp’s Saturday morning welcome session.

Even though she’s fresh off a win at the Eastern States Cup Enduro at Burke Mountain, Vt. and placed second in the downhill at last summer’s US Open of Mountain Biking at Killington, Ella radiates sincerity, and her words serve as a comforting reminder that, at one point, each of these accomplished riders was just like me. Then they got hooked, kept at it, fell a lot and literally got back on the bike.

, AMY S HONESTY IS REFRESHING. Being supportive enough to en-

BETWEEN THE FOUR COACHES there is nearly a century of riding experience, but unlike how I felt before last night’s group ride, I now feel completely at ease. These women are approachable and supportive, and they haven’t watered down or tried to hide the sport’s

I LEARN, first and foremost, that the attitude I bring to the sport

gage each participant at her readiness level, while also pushing riders beyond their comfort zones, seems like a difficult and delicate balance to strike. One way the Gravity Camp accomplishes this is through a curriculum grounded in three major areas: mindset, skillset and toolkit.

is my number-one limiting factor—by doubting my abilities and harboring fear about what others might think of me when I mess up, I risk missing the opportunity to move into self-discovery; I risk

I‘m not a minute into my first run when I realize how much I love this style of riding.

, THE EXPLOSION OF WOMEN S MOUNTAIN BIKING at Killington can be

largely credited to Amy Alton, a professional rider in cross-country, enduro and downhill and two-time USA Cycling National Champion. In 2016, along with her husband, Amy relocated from the Washington, D.C. area to Vermont and quickly made it her mission to create an accessible entry point and inclusive atmosphere for women to explore downhill riding. So, in collaboration with the Killington Bike Park, she founded Divas of Dirt, a ride that meets every other Friday evening from June until early October.

The group rides are not intended to serve as formal lessons but an opportunity for ladies to try new terrain, meet riders from across New England, receive a few informal pointers and enjoy community over an après-ride happy hour.

AFTER A TUTORIAL on how to load our bikes onto the lift, we ride up and gather at the top of Snowshed, where Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer blares from trailside speakers. Our group weaves around hoards of fullface-helmet-wearing kids who can’t possibly be older than 10 and regroups at the top of Easy Street, from where several trails fan out below. If these little kids can send it, I think to myself, so can I. , I M NOT A MINUTE into my first run when I realize how much I love this

style of riding. My long-travel demo bike floats effortlessly over the trail’s intermittent rocks and braided roots, a totally different feeling from any other bike or terrain I’ve ever ridden. I grow comfortable picking up speed, completely absorbed by the task of navigating the trail’s contours until the sound of laughter from the rider behind me brings my attention back to the group.

34 dirt divas

I SLOW TO A STOP at the intersection ahead, where women are gathering off their bikes to scout a sequence of windy, bermed turns, the apex of each towering over my head where the trail seemingly folds back onto itself and snakes through the shaded forest. Amy suggests where to aim our bikes as we enter each curve, how to lean our handlebars into the berm and what optimal body position looks like: low and flow, heels down, knees wide like a cowgirl on a horse. I head back to my bike to apply what she just instructed, and with my heels pressed firmly downward and my back angled flat, I can feel my confidence improving as I float through the woods back to the Snowshed lift.

FROM JUST A FEW MINUTES OF RIDING WITH AMY, it’s clear that her holistic mind-and-body approach is one of the reasons why Divas of Dirt has become so popular so quickly. Sure, she’s committed to fostering a community of female ridership, but beyond just getting a bunch of women together to ride bikes, Amy is intentional and transparent about the fundamentals necessary to create the ideal downhilling experience. This includes self awareness, the ability to concentrate and the capacity to manage fear in a productive way. Whereas many group rides and instructional clinics skip over these essentials, Amy puts them front and center.

THESE SKILLS are also the cornerstones of part two of Amy Alton’s vision: the Divas of Dirt Gravity Camps. Building on the success of her Friday evening group rides and a resounding desire for more skill development among participants, Amy recruited three Vermont pros—Clarissa Finks, Alison Zimmer and Ella Skalwold—to teach a full weekend of technical instruction that’s differentiated to all ability levels. The first of these camps killington.com

killington.com

dirt divas 35

was held in July, offering a full weekend of coaching, on-mountain lunch and discounts on lodging and bike rentals. Twenty-five women attended the inaugural camp, hailing from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Montreal and, of course, Vermont.

G “EVERY ONE OF US HAD TO START FROM ZERO,” Ella Skalwold

risk. Instead, they’ve elevated it, making it clear that downhilling is a progressive sport with innate risk—and huge rewards.

, “WE RE NOT HERE FOR COMFORT,” Amy says as she preps us for

the day in our on-mountain classroom. “If you’re here for comfort, sorry, because we’re about to make you very, very uncomfortable.

What we want to do here is move from comfort to thrill, and that requires dancing toward fear. We’re always going to have fear—but we’re going to move toward that fear and smile at it.”

says during the Gravity Camp’s Saturday morning welcome session.

Even though she’s fresh off a win at the Eastern States Cup Enduro at Burke Mountain, Vt. and placed second in the downhill at last summer’s US Open of Mountain Biking at Killington, Ella radiates sincerity, and her words serve as a comforting reminder that, at one point, each of these accomplished riders was just like me. Then they got hooked, kept at it, fell a lot and literally got back on the bike.

, AMY S HONESTY IS REFRESHING. Being supportive enough to en-

BETWEEN THE FOUR COACHES there is nearly a century of riding experience, but unlike how I felt before last night’s group ride, I now feel completely at ease. These women are approachable and supportive, and they haven’t watered down or tried to hide the sport’s

I LEARN, first and foremost, that the attitude I bring to the sport

gage each participant at her readiness level, while also pushing riders beyond their comfort zones, seems like a difficult and delicate balance to strike. One way the Gravity Camp accomplishes this is through a curriculum grounded in three major areas: mindset, skillset and toolkit.

is my number-one limiting factor—by doubting my abilities and harboring fear about what others might think of me when I mess up, I risk missing the opportunity to move into self-discovery; I risk

I‘m not a minute into my first run when I realize how much I love this style of riding.

, THE EXPLOSION OF WOMEN S MOUNTAIN BIKING at Killington can be

largely credited to Amy Alton, a professional rider in cross-country, enduro and downhill and two-time USA Cycling National Champion. In 2016, along with her husband, Amy relocated from the Washington, D.C. area to Vermont and quickly made it her mission to create an accessible entry point and inclusive atmosphere for women to explore downhill riding. So, in collaboration with the Killington Bike Park, she founded Divas of Dirt, a ride that meets every other Friday evening from June until early October.

The group rides are not intended to serve as formal lessons but an opportunity for ladies to try new terrain, meet riders from across New England, receive a few informal pointers and enjoy community over an après-ride happy hour.

AFTER A TUTORIAL on how to load our bikes onto the lift, we ride up and gather at the top of Snowshed, where Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer blares from trailside speakers. Our group weaves around hoards of fullface-helmet-wearing kids who can’t possibly be older than 10 and regroups at the top of Easy Street, from where several trails fan out below. If these little kids can send it, I think to myself, so can I. , I M NOT A MINUTE into my first run when I realize how much I love this

style of riding. My long-travel demo bike floats effortlessly over the trail’s intermittent rocks and braided roots, a totally different feeling from any other bike or terrain I’ve ever ridden. I grow comfortable picking up speed, completely absorbed by the task of navigating the trail’s contours until the sound of laughter from the rider behind me brings my attention back to the group.

34 dirt divas

I SLOW TO A STOP at the intersection ahead, where women are gathering off their bikes to scout a sequence of windy, bermed turns, the apex of each towering over my head where the trail seemingly folds back onto itself and snakes through the shaded forest. Amy suggests where to aim our bikes as we enter each curve, how to lean our handlebars into the berm and what optimal body position looks like: low and flow, heels down, knees wide like a cowgirl on a horse. I head back to my bike to apply what she just instructed, and with my heels pressed firmly downward and my back angled flat, I can feel my confidence improving as I float through the woods back to the Snowshed lift.

FROM JUST A FEW MINUTES OF RIDING WITH AMY, it’s clear that her holistic mind-and-body approach is one of the reasons why Divas of Dirt has become so popular so quickly. Sure, she’s committed to fostering a community of female ridership, but beyond just getting a bunch of women together to ride bikes, Amy is intentional and transparent about the fundamentals necessary to create the ideal downhilling experience. This includes self awareness, the ability to concentrate and the capacity to manage fear in a productive way. Whereas many group rides and instructional clinics skip over these essentials, Amy puts them front and center.

THESE SKILLS are also the cornerstones of part two of Amy Alton’s vision: the Divas of Dirt Gravity Camps. Building on the success of her Friday evening group rides and a resounding desire for more skill development among participants, Amy recruited three Vermont pros—Clarissa Finks, Alison Zimmer and Ella Skalwold—to teach a full weekend of technical instruction that’s differentiated to all ability levels. The first of these camps killington.com

killington.com

dirt divas 35

BEAST 365 ALL-SEASONS PASS Skiing/Riding + Mountain Biking + Adventure Center + Golfing + Scenic Lift Rides

MORE of every season at Killington.

“I just love the community atmosphere of mountain biking. Everyone is just so cool about it.”

Unlimited winter access to the longest ski + snowboard season in the East.

Unlimited access to Mountain Bike lifts and trails.

building up more fear in my life, rather than breaking it down.

AMY RESPONDS to a question about falling off the bike: “Look, falling, like failure, is a necessity in life…. You have to rewire your mind to associate biking in a new way. It is your choice to rewire with positive things, so ask for help.” She points to the three coaches behind her, and they nod in agreement. “Say, ‘Hey, can you help me with this?’” she continues. “That is your opportunity here this weekend, and we have tools that can help.”

G ON THE CHAIRLIFT, I talk with Cathy, a healthcare professional who works

in Rutland and started mountain biking two years ago. “I love it,” she says.

“I just turned 40 this year, and I had to switch from running due to arthritis in my hands, feet and back. But this is not intimidating at all. Especially this ride and the weekend clinic. I just love the community atmosphere of mountain biking. Everyone is just so cool about it.”

PROGRESSING THROUGH FEAR feels like a common goal here. Back in the classroom I get chatting with Jen, a participant from Wilmington, N.Y. who tells me she signed up at midnight the other night when she felt an overwhelming need for adventure. “I’m here because it’s women and instruction,” she says. “I know I need more foundational skills to get to the next level, and I want to rip hard.”

36 dirt divas

THE MORNING CONTINUES with skills drills and on-mountain sessioning,

focused on body position and individual feedback. At one point, Ali Zimmer pulls me aside and helps adjust the position of my torso and rear over my back wheel for steep descending. “There’s no perfection in riding,” she tells me. “We’re all learning all the time; just keep open to suggestions and you’ll get it.” They key is to embrace the process, to hone the basics and to follow the lead of those more experienced around me.

AS THE DAY CONTINUES, I find myself on the chairlift among women with

Unlimited Adventure Center access, including the Woodward WreckTangle.

Unlimited Golf Course greens fees.

Visit killington.com/beast365pass

various backgrounds, levels of experience and motivations for attending the camp. I share my last run of the day with two who exemplify this range perfectly. To my right is a woman in her 20s with a lot of riding experience—whereas I was hoping to keep both wheels on the ground all weekend, she came to work on jumping. “I love it,” she says, “but I can’t always clear the table, so I really hope to learn how to do that this weekend.”

ON MY LEFT IS KIM, a 40-year-old season passholder from Manchester, N.H. who, along with her husband, started riding just three years ago.

Now they come to the bike park every Saturday. “I’m the one who wanted to start this for years, not my husband,” she says. “He said no, so I waited.

Now it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever done.”

WHAT AMY SAID at the very beginning has become clear all around me: this really is for everybody.

N killington.com

by Tyler Cohen

photos by Justin Cash

BEAST 365 ALL-SEASONS PASS Skiing/Riding + Mountain Biking + Adventure Center + Golfing + Scenic Lift Rides

MORE of every season at Killington.

“I just love the community atmosphere of mountain biking. Everyone is just so cool about it.”

Unlimited winter access to the longest ski + snowboard season in the East.

Unlimited access to Mountain Bike lifts and trails.

building up more fear in my life, rather than breaking it down.

AMY RESPONDS to a question about falling off the bike: “Look, falling, like failure, is a necessity in life…. You have to rewire your mind to associate biking in a new way. It is your choice to rewire with positive things, so ask for help.” She points to the three coaches behind her, and they nod in agreement. “Say, ‘Hey, can you help me with this?’” she continues. “That is your opportunity here this weekend, and we have tools that can help.”

G ON THE CHAIRLIFT, I talk with Cathy, a healthcare professional who works

in Rutland and started mountain biking two years ago. “I love it,” she says.

“I just turned 40 this year, and I had to switch from running due to arthritis in my hands, feet and back. But this is not intimidating at all. Especially this ride and the weekend clinic. I just love the community atmosphere of mountain biking. Everyone is just so cool about it.”

PROGRESSING THROUGH FEAR feels like a common goal here. Back in the classroom I get chatting with Jen, a participant from Wilmington, N.Y. who tells me she signed up at midnight the other night when she felt an overwhelming need for adventure. “I’m here because it’s women and instruction,” she says. “I know I need more foundational skills to get to the next level, and I want to rip hard.”

36 dirt divas

THE MORNING CONTINUES with skills drills and on-mountain sessioning,

focused on body position and individual feedback. At one point, Ali Zimmer pulls me aside and helps adjust the position of my torso and rear over my back wheel for steep descending. “There’s no perfection in riding,” she tells me. “We’re all learning all the time; just keep open to suggestions and you’ll get it.” They key is to embrace the process, to hone the basics and to follow the lead of those more experienced around me.

AS THE DAY CONTINUES, I find myself on the chairlift among women with

Unlimited Adventure Center access, including the Woodward WreckTangle.

Unlimited Golf Course greens fees.

Visit killington.com/beast365pass

various backgrounds, levels of experience and motivations for attending the camp. I share my last run of the day with two who exemplify this range perfectly. To my right is a woman in her 20s with a lot of riding experience—whereas I was hoping to keep both wheels on the ground all weekend, she came to work on jumping. “I love it,” she says, “but I can’t always clear the table, so I really hope to learn how to do that this weekend.”

ON MY LEFT IS KIM, a 40-year-old season passholder from Manchester, N.H. who, along with her husband, started riding just three years ago.

Now they come to the bike park every Saturday. “I’m the one who wanted to start this for years, not my husband,” she says. “He said no, so I waited.

Now it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever done.”

WHAT AMY SAID at the very beginning has become clear all around me: this really is for everybody.

N killington.com

by Tyler Cohen

photos by Justin Cash

An Ikonic Trip

words + photos by Randy Elles

From Jackson, Wyoming to Salt Lake City, Utah, six friends learn there’s more to a vacation than finding deep snow

The debate of “where should we take our trip next year?” always starts at the end of the previous year’s trip. In 2018 I traveled twice to Colorado and twice found myself high and dry in Summit County. Don’t get me wrong—vacation is vacation, and I’m happy to ski anywhere, but one of the main reasons for a ski trip is to enjoy great snow. And if conditions aren’t great, I’d rather ski Killington, my home mountain.

As the early-bird pass-purchase deadlines approached last April, I hemmed and hawed about which pass to purchase—Epic vs. Mountain Collective vs. M.A.X. Pass—then BOOM, like a perfect storm, the resorts formerly on the M.A.X. Pass, along with many others, came together to form the new Ikon Pass, offering unlimited skiing at 14 resorts and up to seven days at 24 more for less than the cost of a nice ski setup. At a fraction of that price, the Ikon Base offered unlimited skiing at a dozen resorts and up to five days at a massive selection of others, which, with its blackout dates, would complement my Killington pass perfectly.

I texted a crew to get their Ikon passes so we could start planning a trip, and we floated ideas about flying into Tahoe to ski Squaw and Mammoth, as well as a Rocky Mountain trip to Jackson Hole and several Utah resorts. We decided on the latter and made plans to fly into Salt Lake City in January.

The crew brought together a group us who grew up skiing and riding at Killington, including Kelsey, a former Team USA mogul skier and first-year resident at Albany Med; Andy, a

40 Ikonic! 40 Ikonic!

D

killington.com

An Ikonic Trip

words + photos by Randy Elles

From Jackson, Wyoming to Salt Lake City, Utah, six friends learn there’s more to a vacation than finding deep snow

The debate of “where should we take our trip next year?” always starts at the end of the previous year’s trip. In 2018 I traveled twice to Colorado and twice found myself high and dry in Summit County. Don’t get me wrong—vacation is vacation, and I’m happy to ski anywhere, but one of the main reasons for a ski trip is to enjoy great snow. And if conditions aren’t great, I’d rather ski Killington, my home mountain.

As the early-bird pass-purchase deadlines approached last April, I hemmed and hawed about which pass to purchase—Epic vs. Mountain Collective vs. M.A.X. Pass—then BOOM, like a perfect storm, the resorts formerly on the M.A.X. Pass, along with many others, came together to form the new Ikon Pass, offering unlimited skiing at 14 resorts and up to seven days at 24 more for less than the cost of a nice ski setup. At a fraction of that price, the Ikon Base offered unlimited skiing at a dozen resorts and up to five days at a massive selection of others, which, with its blackout dates, would complement my Killington pass perfectly.

I texted a crew to get their Ikon passes so we could start planning a trip, and we floated ideas about flying into Tahoe to ski Squaw and Mammoth, as well as a Rocky Mountain trip to Jackson Hole and several Utah resorts. We decided on the latter and made plans to fly into Salt Lake City in January.

The crew brought together a group us who grew up skiing and riding at Killington, including Kelsey, a former Team USA mogul skier and first-year resident at Albany Med; Andy, a

40 Ikonic! 40 Ikonic!

D

killington.com

scientist who studies vaccines; Lizzy, a construction project manager in Saratoga, N.Y.; Victoria, a wedding and event planner in Connecticut; my younger brother, Maxwell; and me, who worked in New York City as an art director before coming home to help run my family’s ski, bike, snowboard and paddle shop, First Stop Board Barn.

30 inches had fallen since our arrival and, when we got to the base of Jackson Hole, we were surprised to see another 12 inches.

Two days before the trip, I found myself skiing 18 inches of blower at Killington with my dad and a few of his Ikon passholder friends.

We cut fresh tracks down Lowrider, Catwalk and Double Dipper woods, and I hoped we would be skiing snow as good over the following week. Then, that night before our 7 a.m. flight out of Albany, Maxwell and I were hanging with Lizzy in Saratoga, chasing Korean BBQ with shots of tequila as our six-person group text counted down the hours until we’d be making turns together in Jackson.

and visitors alike. As we shared stories of bottomless turns, I knew that no matter how the rest of the trip played out, this day would be a high point.

SUNDAY After five hours of flying and a small oversized baggage fiasco, we landed in Salt Lake, where Andy was waiting curbside in a big, white SUV, an upgrade he proudly said he squeezed at no extra charge. We packed the car like it was a great game of Tetris, and I hopped into the passenger seat, directing the way past industrial and commercial buildings toward I-15 that stretches into Idaho. Light drizzle became heavy snowfall as northbound hours ticked by and, as we headed east toward Wyoming, the storm developed into a blizzard.

TUESDAY The snow was stacked even deeper on the deck—30 inches had fallen since our arrival and, when we got to the base of Jackson Hole, we were surprised to see another 12 inches. We lapped the Bridger Gondola and traversed farther out The Nose in search for fresh tracks to celebrate Andy’s 33rd birthday. He was smiling face shot after face shot.

That afternoon the snow cleared, and Kelsey and Victoria’s flight got in— Kristen picked them up, and they changed in the parking lot to ski the last two hours of the day with us before we headed to The Spur, a restaurant and bar in the Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa. We enjoyed spicy margaritas, fried brussel sprouts and fries smothered in elk gravy, cheese and bacon.

Back at the condos, the girls made tacos as Victoria mixed up a pitcher of Killigton’s classic Goombay Smash for Andy’s birthday party.

WEDNESDAY

“Slow and steady wins the race,” I repeated to Andy as he tightly grasped the wheel. We didn’t see another car for what felt like hours and, with each switchback, I couldn’t help but pump the floor brakes as we slid into Freedom, Wyoming. When we finally saw the signs for Jackson, relief overcame us—the drive was nearing an end and the following day would definitely be great.

MONDAY We eagerly awoke at 6:30 a.m., greeted by fresh snow stacked thigh high on the deck of our condo. We cooked eggs, burned bagels and downed coffee before getting dressed.

We left by 7:30 and crept our way from town to the resort, the drive that normally takes 20 minutes taking nearly an hour. Our friends, Nick and Kristen, who live over Teton Pass in Idaho, called to tell us an avalanche had shut down the pass and advised us to look for another friend, Patrick, at the Teewinot chair.

The six-foot-five Californian proceeded to lead us down runs off the Teton lift and Après Vous, where the snow continued to pile up with drifts so deep it felt like an explosion every time I slashed into one.

The snow fell heavily throughout the day as we traversed the mountain to the Casper chair and Sweetwater Gondola, where Patrick led us through trees he dubbed “Japan 1” in reference to the saplings we’d skied together three years earlier, halfway around the world.

We stopped midday to meet up with Nick and Kristen for lunch at The Alpenhof, a 50-year-old bierhaus, and checked in with Kelsey and Victoria, who were flying in from Chicago, only to find the snow had forced their plane back to The Windy City. As the day closed, Nick led us through The Stash Park, where snow was stacked so high that it was hard to hit the natural terrain features. We ended the day with one last steep pitch known as Beaver Tooth before finishing at the Mangy Moose, an iconic dive bar frequented by locals 42 Ikonic!

killington.com

killington.com

The sun came glaring through the windows on our third morning, and cold, dry snow gave way to bumped-up conditions. We spent the entire day exploring the rest of the mountain off the Tram, searching the Hobacks, a series of gullies and ridgelines that sprawl across the lower half of the mountain, for hidden, soft turns. That evening we went to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Wyoming’s self-proclaimed “Landmark Watering Hole,” with genuine leather saddle barstools, live country music and dancing. A real-live cowboy, dressed to impress in a hat, boots, bolo tie and belt buckle so big you could have seen it from Montana, even asked Victoria to dance.

She declined his offer, but we couldn’t figure out if she was too embarrassed to dance or to tell him his fly was down. Yeehaw!

THURSDAY We skied a half day on Thursday through packed powder and soft bumps before making our way over Teton Pass and back to Utah, our legs shot and the highway straightaways feeling like they would last forever. We watched the sun set as we arrived in Utah and found our Airbnb in Salt Lake City, where our friend Tucker met us for the world’s largest take-out pizza. With no snow in the forecast, we all agreed to sleep in the next morning.

FRIDAY After stopping for croissants and bagels, we arrived at Solitude to a “LOT FULL” sign, but found a spot beside some of Solitude’s finest ski bums.

The first thing Lizzy did was crack open a Bud Light, and the group of baby

D

I understand how hard it is for many people to earn a living and, in my opinion, the more skiers there are, the better the state of skiing.

Ikonic! 43

scientist who studies vaccines; Lizzy, a construction project manager in Saratoga, N.Y.; Victoria, a wedding and event planner in Connecticut; my younger brother, Maxwell; and me, who worked in New York City as an art director before coming home to help run my family’s ski, bike, snowboard and paddle shop, First Stop Board Barn.

30 inches had fallen since our arrival and, when we got to the base of Jackson Hole, we were surprised to see another 12 inches.

Two days before the trip, I found myself skiing 18 inches of blower at Killington with my dad and a few of his Ikon passholder friends.

We cut fresh tracks down Lowrider, Catwalk and Double Dipper woods, and I hoped we would be skiing snow as good over the following week. Then, that night before our 7 a.m. flight out of Albany, Maxwell and I were hanging with Lizzy in Saratoga, chasing Korean BBQ with shots of tequila as our six-person group text counted down the hours until we’d be making turns together in Jackson.

and visitors alike. As we shared stories of bottomless turns, I knew that no matter how the rest of the trip played out, this day would be a high point.

SUNDAY After five hours of flying and a small oversized baggage fiasco, we landed in Salt Lake, where Andy was waiting curbside in a big, white SUV, an upgrade he proudly said he squeezed at no extra charge. We packed the car like it was a great game of Tetris, and I hopped into the passenger seat, directing the way past industrial and commercial buildings toward I-15 that stretches into Idaho. Light drizzle became heavy snowfall as northbound hours ticked by and, as we headed east toward Wyoming, the storm developed into a blizzard.

TUESDAY The snow was stacked even deeper on the deck—30 inches had fallen since our arrival and, when we got to the base of Jackson Hole, we were surprised to see another 12 inches. We lapped the Bridger Gondola and traversed farther out The Nose in search for fresh tracks to celebrate Andy’s 33rd birthday. He was smiling face shot after face shot.

That afternoon the snow cleared, and Kelsey and Victoria’s flight got in— Kristen picked them up, and they changed in the parking lot to ski the last two hours of the day with us before we headed to The Spur, a restaurant and bar in the Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa. We enjoyed spicy margaritas, fried brussel sprouts and fries smothered in elk gravy, cheese and bacon.

Back at the condos, the girls made tacos as Victoria mixed up a pitcher of Killigton’s classic Goombay Smash for Andy’s birthday party.

WEDNESDAY

“Slow and steady wins the race,” I repeated to Andy as he tightly grasped the wheel. We didn’t see another car for what felt like hours and, with each switchback, I couldn’t help but pump the floor brakes as we slid into Freedom, Wyoming. When we finally saw the signs for Jackson, relief overcame us—the drive was nearing an end and the following day would definitely be great.

MONDAY We eagerly awoke at 6:30 a.m., greeted by fresh snow stacked thigh high on the deck of our condo. We cooked eggs, burned bagels and downed coffee before getting dressed.

We left by 7:30 and crept our way from town to the resort, the drive that normally takes 20 minutes taking nearly an hour. Our friends, Nick and Kristen, who live over Teton Pass in Idaho, called to tell us an avalanche had shut down the pass and advised us to look for another friend, Patrick, at the Teewinot chair.

The six-foot-five Californian proceeded to lead us down runs off the Teton lift and Après Vous, where the snow continued to pile up with drifts so deep it felt like an explosion every time I slashed into one.

The snow fell heavily throughout the day as we traversed the mountain to the Casper chair and Sweetwater Gondola, where Patrick led us through trees he dubbed “Japan 1” in reference to the saplings we’d skied together three years earlier, halfway around the world.

We stopped midday to meet up with Nick and Kristen for lunch at The Alpenhof, a 50-year-old bierhaus, and checked in with Kelsey and Victoria, who were flying in from Chicago, only to find the snow had forced their plane back to The Windy City. As the day closed, Nick led us through The Stash Park, where snow was stacked so high that it was hard to hit the natural terrain features. We ended the day with one last steep pitch known as Beaver Tooth before finishing at the Mangy Moose, an iconic dive bar frequented by locals 42 Ikonic!

killington.com

killington.com

The sun came glaring through the windows on our third morning, and cold, dry snow gave way to bumped-up conditions. We spent the entire day exploring the rest of the mountain off the Tram, searching the Hobacks, a series of gullies and ridgelines that sprawl across the lower half of the mountain, for hidden, soft turns. That evening we went to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Wyoming’s self-proclaimed “Landmark Watering Hole,” with genuine leather saddle barstools, live country music and dancing. A real-live cowboy, dressed to impress in a hat, boots, bolo tie and belt buckle so big you could have seen it from Montana, even asked Victoria to dance.

She declined his offer, but we couldn’t figure out if she was too embarrassed to dance or to tell him his fly was down. Yeehaw!

THURSDAY We skied a half day on Thursday through packed powder and soft bumps before making our way over Teton Pass and back to Utah, our legs shot and the highway straightaways feeling like they would last forever. We watched the sun set as we arrived in Utah and found our Airbnb in Salt Lake City, where our friend Tucker met us for the world’s largest take-out pizza. With no snow in the forecast, we all agreed to sleep in the next morning.

FRIDAY After stopping for croissants and bagels, we arrived at Solitude to a “LOT FULL” sign, but found a spot beside some of Solitude’s finest ski bums.

The first thing Lizzy did was crack open a Bud Light, and the group of baby

D

I understand how hard it is for many people to earn a living and, in my opinion, the more skiers there are, the better the state of skiing.

Ikonic! 43

Patrol went first, then we entered—the ladies leaving us in their tracks, skiing one of the steepest chutes we’d skied all week.

boomers beside us cheered and welcomed us to the party. They told us stories of how, before the Ikon Pass, Solitude really did live up to its name, which got me thinking: Are we ruining skiing for lucky Western skiers? Or are they just being pretentious?

Having grown up in the ski business, I understand how hard it is for many people to earn a living and, in my opinion, the more skiers there are, the better the state of skiing. There will always be first turns, fresh tracks and secret stashes, and if passes like the Ikon continue to exist we’ll be able to share those experiences with more people.

Mark, one of the tailgaters, told us that they might open Honeycomb Canyon later that day.

“It hasn’t been open in a week, and we’ve had about 48 inches of fresh snow since it was last opened,” he said, offering to take a run with us. As we rode the lift, Mark, a former park ranger, mentioned how the Ikon Pass was bringing people from all over…but that Solitude was still Solitude and if anyone asked how the skiing was to “tell them Vail was way better.”

As we ascended toward the top of Honeycomb Canyon my eyes lit up upon seeing patrol about to open the gates. Patrol went first, then we entered—fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth—the ladies leaving us in their tracks, skiing one of the steepest chutes we’d skied all week. Andy, Mark and I picked another line, plunging into feathery snow so deep that every turn billowed over my shoulders.

We lapped Honeycomb Canyon for hours, finding bottomless turns run after run before taking a 3 p.m. lunch at Roundhouse Lodge’s outdoor deck. Later, we found ourselves at Porcupine Pub at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon in Cottonwood Heights, where the atmosphere was comfortable even for those of us still in our ski gear.

SATURDAY We took our time getting up to Snowbird on the final day of the trip. After bumping into some friends in the tramline, we rose through clouds so thick I could barely see a few feet ahead. After a half-dozen runs, we decided to call it.

As we made our way back to Salt Lake City, I reflected upon how lucky we were to have experienced great snow on almost every single day of the week and how close we had become over seven days of traveling together. We joked and laughed as we sat around the airport lounge. Then, before our flight departed, I started to scroll through the conditions reports at Squaw, Mammoth, Big Sky, Banff, Revelstoke and Niseko, wondering where our passes would take us next year.

N

44 Ikonic!

killington.com

killington.com

world cup 45

Patrol went first, then we entered—the ladies leaving us in their tracks, skiing one of the steepest chutes we’d skied all week.

boomers beside us cheered and welcomed us to the party. They told us stories of how, before the Ikon Pass, Solitude really did live up to its name, which got me thinking: Are we ruining skiing for lucky Western skiers? Or are they just being pretentious?

Having grown up in the ski business, I understand how hard it is for many people to earn a living and, in my opinion, the more skiers there are, the better the state of skiing. There will always be first turns, fresh tracks and secret stashes, and if passes like the Ikon continue to exist we’ll be able to share those experiences with more people.

Mark, one of the tailgaters, told us that they might open Honeycomb Canyon later that day.

“It hasn’t been open in a week, and we’ve had about 48 inches of fresh snow since it was last opened,” he said, offering to take a run with us. As we rode the lift, Mark, a former park ranger, mentioned how the Ikon Pass was bringing people from all over…but that Solitude was still Solitude and if anyone asked how the skiing was to “tell them Vail was way better.”

As we ascended toward the top of Honeycomb Canyon my eyes lit up upon seeing patrol about to open the gates. Patrol went first, then we entered—fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth—the ladies leaving us in their tracks, skiing one of the steepest chutes we’d skied all week. Andy, Mark and I picked another line, plunging into feathery snow so deep that every turn billowed over my shoulders.

We lapped Honeycomb Canyon for hours, finding bottomless turns run after run before taking a 3 p.m. lunch at Roundhouse Lodge’s outdoor deck. Later, we found ourselves at Porcupine Pub at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon in Cottonwood Heights, where the atmosphere was comfortable even for those of us still in our ski gear.

SATURDAY We took our time getting up to Snowbird on the final day of the trip. After bumping into some friends in the tramline, we rose through clouds so thick I could barely see a few feet ahead. After a half-dozen runs, we decided to call it.

As we made our way back to Salt Lake City, I reflected upon how lucky we were to have experienced great snow on almost every single day of the week and how close we had become over seven days of traveling together. We joked and laughed as we sat around the airport lounge. Then, before our flight departed, I started to scroll through the conditions reports at Squaw, Mammoth, Big Sky, Banff, Revelstoke and Niseko, wondering where our passes would take us next year.

N

44 Ikonic!

killington.com

killington.com

world cup 45

Brewed on the grounds of Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, these lagers are crafted with the finest traditional ingredients and our pure Vermont spring water. Prost!

Have Fun. Stay Hydrated.

The Coca-Cola Company is proudly the official beverage partner of Killington Resort

“A little of Austria...a lot of Vermont” 46 Ikonic!

1-800-826-7000 | vonTrappBrewing.com 1333 Luce Hill Road, Stowe, VT, 05672 ©2018 The Coca-Cola Company. “POWERADE” are trademarks of the Coca-Cola Company. ©2018 glacéau. glacéau®, vitaminwater® smartwater® bottle designs and labels are registered trademark of glacéau.

Brewed on the grounds of Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, these lagers are crafted with the finest traditional ingredients and our pure Vermont spring water. Prost!

Have Fun. Stay Hydrated.

The Coca-Cola Company is proudly the official beverage partner of Killington Resort

“A little of Austria...a lot of Vermont” 46 Ikonic!

1-800-826-7000 | vonTrappBrewing.com 1333 Luce Hill Road, Stowe, VT, 05672 ©2018 The Coca-Cola Company. “POWERADE” are trademarks of the Coca-Cola Company. ©2018 glacéau. glacéau®, vitaminwater® smartwater® bottle designs and labels are registered trademark of glacéau.

Point of Distinction | The View I’d have to say, there’s no other place on the mountain where you can sit and look out the window and see the entire mountain right in front of you while the steam from the heated outdoor pool—that’s open year-round—is right outside the window. It’s a pretty amazing view to have…I don’t think anybody else can even come close to it.

Location, Location | Killington’s Grand Summit Hotel We provide accommodations and hospitality for a wide range of people, everything from families with kids to hardcore skiers to world travelers just looking to get away. So we try to accommodate that in the restaurant. We have a very casual dress code and feel to the place, but we try to put out highquality, “ramped-up” American cuisine.

When you sleep where you drink and dine, it’s just a short walk home

Signature Drink(s) | Cocktail Party We do a cocktail called the Fiona, which is a spritzer-type drink that’s quite tasty. We have our Great Eastern Manhattan, which is quite popular, as well.

During the summer, we do our Beast Punch. The Escapade, which is named after one of our trails, is a berry-infused martini.

D

Wearing your slippers to the bar is frowned upon in most establishments. But when it comes to living #lodgelife (think #vanlife, minus the wheels, plus a lot more room and atmosphere), that’s just a taste of the comfort and casual vibe of the mountain lodge and lounge experience.

Local Flavor | Taste the Vermont I’ve purposely set up the bar with a lot of Vermont distilleries and Vermont products. We work with local breweries, von Trapp and Long Trail Brewery, pretty extensively. We’ll be setting up more beer dinners and things like that.

So, we do quite a bit of work with the local alcohol producers, as well as the local farms and food producers.

Preston’s at the Killington Grand Hotel As told by Food & Beverage Manager Garrett Mead

Atmosphere | Casual is Classy We have people that come in for a drink so that they can have it out by the pool, and they might be in a bathrobe and flip-flops. But we have other people that come in shirt and tie and want to have a nice dinner. So, it’s interesting—the mix and being able to accommodate that range of guest.

It’s pretty energizing, the bar itself. It’s usually a scene. We do serve our full menu at the bar, so there’s quite a few people that come and have dinner, but there’s also people that are just coming in, having some drinks and having some good times.

Work to Live | Fun is Contagious I’m a lifer in the food business and have owned my own restaurants and worked in quite a few. The thing I find that I really love about working here is that we get to work in a place where people vacation and holiday. Everybody is in a really great mood. They come in here, and we feed them, we take care of them, we get them their drinks, and they seem to leave even happier and even more turned on by Killington and everything else that’s going on up here.

D

Quintessential Killington establishments like the Summit Lodge, Birch Ridge Inn, Highline Lodge, Preston’s at the Killington Grand Hotel and McGrath’s Irish Pub at the Inn at Long Trail all provide their own take on the stay-andplay experience. We went behind the bar with the owners and their bartenders to learn about signature cocktails, historic highlights and other points of distinction.

by Mike Horn photos by Justin Cash

48 lounge

killington.com

lizards 49

Point of Distinction | The View I’d have to say, there’s no other place on the mountain where you can sit and look out the window and see the entire mountain right in front of you while the steam from the heated outdoor pool—that’s open year-round—is right outside the window. It’s a pretty amazing view to have…I don’t think anybody else can even come close to it.

Location, Location | Killington’s Grand Summit Hotel We provide accommodations and hospitality for a wide range of people, everything from families with kids to hardcore skiers to world travelers just looking to get away. So we try to accommodate that in the restaurant. We have a very casual dress code and feel to the place, but we try to put out highquality, “ramped-up” American cuisine.

When you sleep where you drink and dine, it’s just a short walk home

Signature Drink(s) | Cocktail Party We do a cocktail called the Fiona, which is a spritzer-type drink that’s quite tasty. We have our Great Eastern Manhattan, which is quite popular, as well.

During the summer, we do our Beast Punch. The Escapade, which is named after one of our trails, is a berry-infused martini.

D

Wearing your slippers to the bar is frowned upon in most establishments. But when it comes to living #lodgelife (think #vanlife, minus the wheels, plus a lot more room and atmosphere), that’s just a taste of the comfort and casual vibe of the mountain lodge and lounge experience.

Local Flavor | Taste the Vermont I’ve purposely set up the bar with a lot of Vermont distilleries and Vermont products. We work with local breweries, von Trapp and Long Trail Brewery, pretty extensively. We’ll be setting up more beer dinners and things like that.

So, we do quite a bit of work with the local alcohol producers, as well as the local farms and food producers.

Preston’s at the Killington Grand Hotel As told by Food & Beverage Manager Garrett Mead

Atmosphere | Casual is Classy We have people that come in for a drink so that they can have it out by the pool, and they might be in a bathrobe and flip-flops. But we have other people that come in shirt and tie and want to have a nice dinner. So, it’s interesting—the mix and being able to accommodate that range of guest.

It’s pretty energizing, the bar itself. It’s usually a scene. We do serve our full menu at the bar, so there’s quite a few people that come and have dinner, but there’s also people that are just coming in, having some drinks and having some good times.

Work to Live | Fun is Contagious I’m a lifer in the food business and have owned my own restaurants and worked in quite a few. The thing I find that I really love about working here is that we get to work in a place where people vacation and holiday. Everybody is in a really great mood. They come in here, and we feed them, we take care of them, we get them their drinks, and they seem to leave even happier and even more turned on by Killington and everything else that’s going on up here.

D

Quintessential Killington establishments like the Summit Lodge, Birch Ridge Inn, Highline Lodge, Preston’s at the Killington Grand Hotel and McGrath’s Irish Pub at the Inn at Long Trail all provide their own take on the stay-andplay experience. We went behind the bar with the owners and their bartenders to learn about signature cocktails, historic highlights and other points of distinction.

by Mike Horn photos by Justin Cash

48 lounge

killington.com

lizards 49

Summit Lodge & O’Dwyer’s Public House As told by owner/operator Emmett O’Dwyer Point of Distinction | The History The Summit was built in 1958 by the Zabski family, who had come over from Austria. Tom Zabski was a carpenter. He and his family built the building, including the bar, at the same time as the Wobbly Barn and just before Killington opened. Tom not only built the Lodge but also most of the furniture, some of which is still in use today. A lot of the wood was actually milled on site by a local family in Rutland.

The goal for the place when I took it over was to bring it up to date, but to keep the heart and soul, like the exposed hand-hewn beams. Most of the furniture in the bar I made from old material and repurposed furniture Zabski had built himself.

I’ve got some family’s second and third generations, where their parents brought them and they’ve been coming and coming and coming.

And now the adults, they’re bringing their own kids. The history is still very much alive, and a lot of people know it.

Signature Drink | Guinness. Duh. One thing I did when I bought the place was put in a brand-new nitro beer system so we could pour a Guinness the same way we do it at home. You are going to wait two minutes for your pint to make sure it’s right.

Overall Flavor | Classic Irish Pub I think the main difference is we are small. We’re only 45 rooms. The staff is small. But people put on their dressing gown in the room; they’ll go to the hot tub; they’ll sit at the bar in their dressing gown; they walk around in their slippers; they go and sit by the fireplace.

It’s really a home. It’s not check into your room, go skiing, check out.

It really is a home, especially for families. We end up with herds of kids here in the winter season running around. Because we’re kind of stand-alone, they’re safe. You don’t have to worry about them. They’re all running around the place from the hot tub to the pool to the Green Mountain Room, and it’s just home.

Legend | O’Dwyer’s grandfather’s sword My grandfather was a general in the Irish Republican Army, back when it was soldiers in uniforms. It’s the only thing I had left from him. He died when I was young. He watches over us.

D

50 lounge

killington.com

killington.com

world lizards cup 51

Summit Lodge & O’Dwyer’s Public House As told by owner/operator Emmett O’Dwyer Point of Distinction | The History The Summit was built in 1958 by the Zabski family, who had come over from Austria. Tom Zabski was a carpenter. He and his family built the building, including the bar, at the same time as the Wobbly Barn and just before Killington opened. Tom not only built the Lodge but also most of the furniture, some of which is still in use today. A lot of the wood was actually milled on site by a local family in Rutland.

The goal for the place when I took it over was to bring it up to date, but to keep the heart and soul, like the exposed hand-hewn beams. Most of the furniture in the bar I made from old material and repurposed furniture Zabski had built himself.

I’ve got some family’s second and third generations, where their parents brought them and they’ve been coming and coming and coming.

And now the adults, they’re bringing their own kids. The history is still very much alive, and a lot of people know it.

Signature Drink | Guinness. Duh. One thing I did when I bought the place was put in a brand-new nitro beer system so we could pour a Guinness the same way we do it at home. You are going to wait two minutes for your pint to make sure it’s right.

Overall Flavor | Classic Irish Pub I think the main difference is we are small. We’re only 45 rooms. The staff is small. But people put on their dressing gown in the room; they’ll go to the hot tub; they’ll sit at the bar in their dressing gown; they walk around in their slippers; they go and sit by the fireplace.

It’s really a home. It’s not check into your room, go skiing, check out.

It really is a home, especially for families. We end up with herds of kids here in the winter season running around. Because we’re kind of stand-alone, they’re safe. You don’t have to worry about them. They’re all running around the place from the hot tub to the pool to the Green Mountain Room, and it’s just home.

Legend | O’Dwyer’s grandfather’s sword My grandfather was a general in the Irish Republican Army, back when it was soldiers in uniforms. It’s the only thing I had left from him. He died when I was young. He watches over us.

D

50 lounge

killington.com

killington.com

world lizards cup 51

Point of Distinction | Real Vermont Found Here I think what keeps people coming back is that we’re very real about Killington. My partner Mary and I have been in the area for well over 30 years.

We’re trying to live in the mountains and enjoy people who come and visit us because we live in the mountains.

Location, Location | Right in the Thick of It The beauty of our place is that we are literally right in the middle of the Killington Access Road. If they’re just in the mood to kick back and relax, they don’t have to go anywhere. But it’s also quite nice that they can just literally walk across the street to the Wobbly Barn or down the road to the Pickle Barrel and have a good time and listen to some music, as well.

Signature Drinks Classic Cocktails with a Vermont Twist Vermont Rye Hattan Vermont Old Fashioned Vermont Tinis Bonus Round: Hot & Sexy Gentleman The Crowd | Common Threads The majority of our guests are up here to enjoy the outdoors of Vermont. Obviously in the wintertime, they focus on the ski resort. In the summertime, the resort has a lot of activities going on, but people are also up here to just enjoy the Green Mountains in general. So the people that we attract, the one thing that unites them, is they pretty much enjoy the outdoors. You don’t come to Killington to go to the theater.

As told by owner/operator Bill Vines

Birch Ridge Inn

Overall Flavor | Intimate Setting, Ideal Location We are a small inn. We have 10 guest rooms. We have a small, really nice dining room—seats 24 people and has a small bar. We do attract a pretty wide portfolio of guests.

You can come back, you can relax, you can take your ski nap, so to speak.

And you don’t have to bother with the hustle and bustle, if that’s what you want, while you’re up here to ski for a weekend. The flip side is we’re right across the street from the Wobbly Barn. So if you want to go out dancing at night....

Atmosphere | Crafty Meets Classic We’re basically the bar where people can come and they can have a conversation, whether it’s about what’s going on in the mountains or what’s going on in the world. We do serve very nice handcrafted cocktails, so we are somewhat of an upscale bar from that standpoint. I wouldn’t go so far to say we’re a hoity-toity mixology bar. We’re regular people.

Highlight Reel | World Cup Reflections Speaking to the World Cup events that have gone on in Killington over Thanksgiving weekend…there’s just a small hill between us and the mountain. When you hear that roar of the crowd…that energy is really something to behold.

D

52 lounge

killington.com

killington.com

lizards 53

Point of Distinction | Real Vermont Found Here I think what keeps people coming back is that we’re very real about Killington. My partner Mary and I have been in the area for well over 30 years.

We’re trying to live in the mountains and enjoy people who come and visit us because we live in the mountains.

Location, Location | Right in the Thick of It The beauty of our place is that we are literally right in the middle of the Killington Access Road. If they’re just in the mood to kick back and relax, they don’t have to go anywhere. But it’s also quite nice that they can just literally walk across the street to the Wobbly Barn or down the road to the Pickle Barrel and have a good time and listen to some music, as well.

Signature Drinks Classic Cocktails with a Vermont Twist Vermont Rye Hattan Vermont Old Fashioned Vermont Tinis Bonus Round: Hot & Sexy Gentleman The Crowd | Common Threads The majority of our guests are up here to enjoy the outdoors of Vermont. Obviously in the wintertime, they focus on the ski resort. In the summertime, the resort has a lot of activities going on, but people are also up here to just enjoy the Green Mountains in general. So the people that we attract, the one thing that unites them, is they pretty much enjoy the outdoors. You don’t come to Killington to go to the theater.

As told by owner/operator Bill Vines

Birch Ridge Inn

Overall Flavor | Intimate Setting, Ideal Location We are a small inn. We have 10 guest rooms. We have a small, really nice dining room—seats 24 people and has a small bar. We do attract a pretty wide portfolio of guests.

You can come back, you can relax, you can take your ski nap, so to speak.

And you don’t have to bother with the hustle and bustle, if that’s what you want, while you’re up here to ski for a weekend. The flip side is we’re right across the street from the Wobbly Barn. So if you want to go out dancing at night....

Atmosphere | Crafty Meets Classic We’re basically the bar where people can come and they can have a conversation, whether it’s about what’s going on in the mountains or what’s going on in the world. We do serve very nice handcrafted cocktails, so we are somewhat of an upscale bar from that standpoint. I wouldn’t go so far to say we’re a hoity-toity mixology bar. We’re regular people.

Highlight Reel | World Cup Reflections Speaking to the World Cup events that have gone on in Killington over Thanksgiving weekend…there’s just a small hill between us and the mountain. When you hear that roar of the crowd…that energy is really something to behold.

D

52 lounge

killington.com

killington.com

lizards 53

Inn at Long Trail &

McGrath’s Irish Pub

Point of Distinction | The Staff I would say we are definitely a hands-on family-run business, and our employees are part of our extended family because they’ve been here for so long. We have people who have worked for us for a minimum of 15 years.

So everybody just feels that welcoming and warmth when they come in.

Signature Drinks | Guinness, Irish Whiskey We pour a really good pint of Guinness. People go out of their way to drink Guinness here. It’s just chilled, not super cold; we throw a shamrock in every head. We have a really good Irish whiskey selection, so people will come in and find more obscure whiskeys that they can’t find other places.

Backstory | Through the Long Lens Where we are in our building was the Deer Leap Chalet, the winter annex of the original Long Trail Lodge. It was built back in 1938 when Pico first opened and they needed lodging for skiers. It was the only insulated building up here at the time. Everybody else had to stay in Rutland. My family purchased it in 1977.

The Scene | A Lodge for All Ages In the summer we get a lot of Appalachian Trail and Long Trail hikers and just regular day hikers. In the winter it’s obviously a lot of skiers. In the fall it’s, you know, the leaf peepers, so it definitely has a seasonal aspect to

As told by owner/operator Murray McGrath

it, but the pub’s kinda unique, because we as a pub draw everybody from grandkids to grandparents. It’s a unique crowd. And even when we do our live music on the weekends, we still have a vast array of ages listening to the music, which is a lot of fun. It’s cool it works that way. It’s fun; you meet a lot of interesting people.

Atmosphere | Time Travel The stuff on the walls has been accumulated over time. And it’s not like a forced, “OK, this is our theme. We’re gonna go with a theme park atmosphere, and this is what we’re gonna do.” It’s constantly evolving, almost a living thing that works so well because we get people who come up and they feel very comfortable, at ease. And you get to see them just relax when they come in and be like, “Ahhh, this place is real.”

Memory Lane | The Logbook We have the guest registers going back to 1977, from when we opened.

And so people will come through, and they say, “Oh, I think I signed it. I think I walked through here in 1979.” We’ll pull it out for them: “Oh, yeah I signed it. There’s my name.” So that’s kinda cool. People come back 30 years later....

N

VERMONT RENTAL DELIVERY SKI • SNOWBOARD • SNOWSHOE PADDLE BOARD • KAYAK • BIKE

PREMIUM RENTAL DELIVERY SERVICE OR IN-STORE PICK UP

15% OFF WITH ONLINE RESERVATION ENTER DISCOUNT CODE: 4241

www.firststopboardbarn.com 802-422-9050 First Stop Board Barn 8474 Rt. 4 Killington, VT 05751 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

54 lounge

killington.com

lizards 55

Inn at Long Trail &

McGrath’s Irish Pub

Point of Distinction | The Staff I would say we are definitely a hands-on family-run business, and our employees are part of our extended family because they’ve been here for so long. We have people who have worked for us for a minimum of 15 years.

So everybody just feels that welcoming and warmth when they come in.

Signature Drinks | Guinness, Irish Whiskey We pour a really good pint of Guinness. People go out of their way to drink Guinness here. It’s just chilled, not super cold; we throw a shamrock in every head. We have a really good Irish whiskey selection, so people will come in and find more obscure whiskeys that they can’t find other places.

Backstory | Through the Long Lens Where we are in our building was the Deer Leap Chalet, the winter annex of the original Long Trail Lodge. It was built back in 1938 when Pico first opened and they needed lodging for skiers. It was the only insulated building up here at the time. Everybody else had to stay in Rutland. My family purchased it in 1977.

The Scene | A Lodge for All Ages In the summer we get a lot of Appalachian Trail and Long Trail hikers and just regular day hikers. In the winter it’s obviously a lot of skiers. In the fall it’s, you know, the leaf peepers, so it definitely has a seasonal aspect to

As told by owner/operator Murray McGrath

it, but the pub’s kinda unique, because we as a pub draw everybody from grandkids to grandparents. It’s a unique crowd. And even when we do our live music on the weekends, we still have a vast array of ages listening to the music, which is a lot of fun. It’s cool it works that way. It’s fun; you meet a lot of interesting people.

Atmosphere | Time Travel The stuff on the walls has been accumulated over time. And it’s not like a forced, “OK, this is our theme. We’re gonna go with a theme park atmosphere, and this is what we’re gonna do.” It’s constantly evolving, almost a living thing that works so well because we get people who come up and they feel very comfortable, at ease. And you get to see them just relax when they come in and be like, “Ahhh, this place is real.”

Memory Lane | The Logbook We have the guest registers going back to 1977, from when we opened.

And so people will come through, and they say, “Oh, I think I signed it. I think I walked through here in 1979.” We’ll pull it out for them: “Oh, yeah I signed it. There’s my name.” So that’s kinda cool. People come back 30 years later....

N

VERMONT RENTAL DELIVERY SKI • SNOWBOARD • SNOWSHOE PADDLE BOARD • KAYAK • BIKE

PREMIUM RENTAL DELIVERY SERVICE OR IN-STORE PICK UP

15% OFF WITH ONLINE RESERVATION ENTER DISCOUNT CODE: 4241

www.firststopboardbarn.com 802-422-9050 First Stop Board Barn 8474 Rt. 4 Killington, VT 05751 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

54 lounge

killington.com

lizards 55

Over Jeff Temple’s 40-year career, the passion and profession of Killington’s director of mountain operations have become one

Justin Cash

Vintage Jeff Temple (R), steeplejack.

56 man of the mountain

killington.com

killington.com

Over Jeff Temple’s 40-year career, the passion and profession of Killington’s director of mountain operations have become one

Justin Cash

Vintage Jeff Temple (R), steeplejack.

56 man of the mountain

killington.com

killington.com

interview by Dave Young first came to Killington in November 1980 to take a position as lift operations supervisor—a job he thought would be a good way to fill a few idle winter months between summer jobs. But the work suited him, and he never went back to that summer job. By the mid-1990s, he had risen through a number of management roles to become the director of mountain operations. In the years since, as additional departments have come under his purview, Temple’s responsibilities have grown, and he now oversees as many as 400 employees at the height of the winter season.

Jeff Temple

Raised by parents who instilled in him their own love of the outdoors, Temple reached his first summit—New Hampshire’s Mt. Monadnock—at age three and developed a passion for the mountains that would eventually define his professional life.

Throughout his nearly 40 years at Killington, Temple has witnessed—and had a hand in implementing—many of the technological advances that skiers and snowboarders benefit from today. From the first quad chairlift at Killington in 1983 to the six-passenger Snowdon Six Express in 2018; from the arrival of snowboarding and terrain parks to the development of snowmaking and grooming technology, Jeff Temple has helped usher in the modern era of both Killington Resort and the mountain resort business as a whole.

I sat down with Temple to learn about what brought him to Killington, what keeps him motivated after all these years and how he chooses to play on this mountain playground he’s called home for so long.

4241’ I know it’s a busy time for you with the new K-1 Base Lodge in the works, among other projects. What does the director of mountain operations at Killington Resort and Pico Mountain do? What aspects of the resort do you oversee?

Jeff Temple: I usually say I’m responsible for most everything outside at the resorts. That includes operation and maintenance of lifts, trails, snowmaking, grooming, ski patrol, terrain parks, mountain biking, facilities, parking, waste water, vehicles, roads, dispatch, planning/permits and construction.

That covers a lot of ground. How would you describe your job to someone who is unfamiliar with mountain destinations like Killington?

It typically starts with the question, “What do you do in the summer?”

Most people think ski areas close up shop in April. But not here; my team is involved in every project, from the planning and permitting all the way through to completion.

Did you ever imagine when you were starting out that you would still be working at Killington?

Yes! I fell in love with mountain operations from the day I started. I loved it then and still love the challenge of operating the resort in this spectacular mountain environment. I love the technical aspects of mountain operations as well as being a steward of the environment we operate in.

There’s no such thing as a typical day in the ski business, but take me through a day in the life of Jeff Temple during peak winter season.

I’m usually on my way into the resort by 6 a.m. I’ve already checked weather and overnight snow production remotely. If it’s a good day, I didn’t hear any half-frozen particles hitting the bedroom skylight.

On the drive, I’ll call the snowmaking control room and the snow surfaces manager to check on grooming timelines. If it snowed, I make a quick call to the roads crew to check progress on getting roads and lots plowed.

“Snow is my team’s purpose.

We plan it, make it, plow it, groom it, refresh it and of course, hope for it.”

Once on site, I stop at the snowmaking control room and lift operations office to see if there are any issues that put timely lift openings at risk. If weather or some other constraint will impact lift opening, a small group assembles in the snowplan room. Together, we break down the situation and direct all mountain operating departments so that energy is focused in unison on the problem. The communications team is involved, pushing out minute-by-minute updates to frontline staff and the public.

When the mountain’s up and running, it’s time for capital planning, which begins for the coming year by mid-winter. During each day there are design and permitting sessions with the planning/engineering manager looking at ideas and solutions for new trail flow and projects coming online for the following summer.

Although we’ve already planned out four to five days of snowmaking production, I’ll meet with our snow surfaces leadership team to review results, progress, problems and production capacity. Some days my whole routine gets upended, and I drop what I’m doing to immediately assist the team with an issue such as a power outage, lift issue or weather event.

I maintain communication for lift downtimes, if significant, and support the team as needed from the dispatch area.

A quick ski midday to look at conditions and how the current snow surfaces plan is working is followed by a daily group snowplanning meeting.

Here I get input from all areas, such as snowmaking production, grooming, racing, events and snow sports. They all have unique needs that are

D 58 man of the mountain

killington.com

Chandler Burgess

OK, let’s jump back to the beginning. You came to Killington in 1980. What were you doing prior to that?

I had funded an education at the University of Massachusetts working as a steeplejack. I continued that for a year or so right after school. Although my degree was in natural resources with a strong interest in forestry, I loved climbing steeples and towers, and I loved the associated travel. We only had about five weeks of work in the winter, though—after that I was on my own.

And that’s when you ended up here in Killington?

Yes, I believe it was meant to be. My mother always read The Boston Globe and one Sunday, I picked up the back section of the paper. There were a million little ads, and one was for Lift Mechanic, Mount Snow. With my climbing experience, I applied. Killington and Mount Snow were owned by the same company at that time, and two weeks later my résumé brought me to Killington as lift operations supervisor. I never looked back.

D

interview by Dave Young first came to Killington in November 1980 to take a position as lift operations supervisor—a job he thought would be a good way to fill a few idle winter months between summer jobs. But the work suited him, and he never went back to that summer job. By the mid-1990s, he had risen through a number of management roles to become the director of mountain operations. In the years since, as additional departments have come under his purview, Temple’s responsibilities have grown, and he now oversees as many as 400 employees at the height of the winter season.

Jeff Temple

Raised by parents who instilled in him their own love of the outdoors, Temple reached his first summit—New Hampshire’s Mt. Monadnock—at age three and developed a passion for the mountains that would eventually define his professional life.

Throughout his nearly 40 years at Killington, Temple has witnessed—and had a hand in implementing—many of the technological advances that skiers and snowboarders benefit from today. From the first quad chairlift at Killington in 1983 to the six-passenger Snowdon Six Express in 2018; from the arrival of snowboarding and terrain parks to the development of snowmaking and grooming technology, Jeff Temple has helped usher in the modern era of both Killington Resort and the mountain resort business as a whole.

I sat down with Temple to learn about what brought him to Killington, what keeps him motivated after all these years and how he chooses to play on this mountain playground he’s called home for so long.

4241’ I know it’s a busy time for you with the new K-1 Base Lodge in the works, among other projects. What does the director of mountain operations at Killington Resort and Pico Mountain do? What aspects of the resort do you oversee?

Jeff Temple: I usually say I’m responsible for most everything outside at the resorts. That includes operation and maintenance of lifts, trails, snowmaking, grooming, ski patrol, terrain parks, mountain biking, facilities, parking, waste water, vehicles, roads, dispatch, planning/permits and construction.

That covers a lot of ground. How would you describe your job to someone who is unfamiliar with mountain destinations like Killington?

It typically starts with the question, “What do you do in the summer?”

Most people think ski areas close up shop in April. But not here; my team is involved in every project, from the planning and permitting all the way through to completion.

Did you ever imagine when you were starting out that you would still be working at Killington?

Yes! I fell in love with mountain operations from the day I started. I loved it then and still love the challenge of operating the resort in this spectacular mountain environment. I love the technical aspects of mountain operations as well as being a steward of the environment we operate in.

There’s no such thing as a typical day in the ski business, but take me through a day in the life of Jeff Temple during peak winter season.

I’m usually on my way into the resort by 6 a.m. I’ve already checked weather and overnight snow production remotely. If it’s a good day, I didn’t hear any half-frozen particles hitting the bedroom skylight.

On the drive, I’ll call the snowmaking control room and the snow surfaces manager to check on grooming timelines. If it snowed, I make a quick call to the roads crew to check progress on getting roads and lots plowed.

“Snow is my team’s purpose.

We plan it, make it, plow it, groom it, refresh it and of course, hope for it.”

Once on site, I stop at the snowmaking control room and lift operations office to see if there are any issues that put timely lift openings at risk. If weather or some other constraint will impact lift opening, a small group assembles in the snowplan room. Together, we break down the situation and direct all mountain operating departments so that energy is focused in unison on the problem. The communications team is involved, pushing out minute-by-minute updates to frontline staff and the public.

When the mountain’s up and running, it’s time for capital planning, which begins for the coming year by mid-winter. During each day there are design and permitting sessions with the planning/engineering manager looking at ideas and solutions for new trail flow and projects coming online for the following summer.

Although we’ve already planned out four to five days of snowmaking production, I’ll meet with our snow surfaces leadership team to review results, progress, problems and production capacity. Some days my whole routine gets upended, and I drop what I’m doing to immediately assist the team with an issue such as a power outage, lift issue or weather event.

I maintain communication for lift downtimes, if significant, and support the team as needed from the dispatch area.

A quick ski midday to look at conditions and how the current snow surfaces plan is working is followed by a daily group snowplanning meeting.

Here I get input from all areas, such as snowmaking production, grooming, racing, events and snow sports. They all have unique needs that are

D 58 man of the mountain

killington.com

Chandler Burgess

OK, let’s jump back to the beginning. You came to Killington in 1980. What were you doing prior to that?

I had funded an education at the University of Massachusetts working as a steeplejack. I continued that for a year or so right after school. Although my degree was in natural resources with a strong interest in forestry, I loved climbing steeples and towers, and I loved the associated travel. We only had about five weeks of work in the winter, though—after that I was on my own.

And that’s when you ended up here in Killington?

Yes, I believe it was meant to be. My mother always read The Boston Globe and one Sunday, I picked up the back section of the paper. There were a million little ads, and one was for Lift Mechanic, Mount Snow. With my climbing experience, I applied. Killington and Mount Snow were owned by the same company at that time, and two weeks later my résumé brought me to Killington as lift operations supervisor. I never looked back.

D

presented and folded into the production plan.

hosting World Cup ski races, construction of the Peak Lodge, numerous chairlift and gondola installations. What’s the most memorable project you’ve worked on?

So many to choose from, but from concept through completion, the implementation of summer attractions at Killington is most memorable to me.

Lots of resorts got on the bandwagon and put up some amusements for summer. My goal was to totally integrate all the summer element ideas from our management team and install them in such a way that they instantly became part of the fabric of our resort.

The alarm will go off soon: time to get into work and help the team start it all over again.

If I can, I’ll grab a late lunch or latte from the Grand Hotel.

If it’s snowing and there are cars in the lots, the management team and staff gather at the end of the day to help clean vehicles in the lots; we call it team building.

There’s always a sense of relief when all lifts are cleared. Time to check in with grooming and vehicle maintenance on grooming fleet availability.

I might have an hour or so of down time to catch up on email, work on ideas and read feedback before I check in with snowmaking—their shift change is at 7 p.m. I listen to the crews’ issues as they gear up for an intense all-night timeline. Sometimes there’s a nighttime operation at the Peak with the Gondola operating, so I’ll monitor that.

At this point, operations have moved into the dark 12 hours; time to head home. Any lost skier calls will come to our team, and that’s a phone call that’s tough to get after 9 p.m. The calls continue, and some are good: the snowmaking plan is in full gear and all the grooming tractors are on the hill. Others are not so good: the 3 a.m. call about a broken-down winch cat or the call about a power outage on a brutally cold night.

That’s an exhausting routine. With the demands, responsibilities and long hours required by this job, how do you decompress?

While the kids were growing up, I would night bike after they went to bed.

Nowadays it is a significant amount of time on the mountain hiking and biking. After hours there is a different and refreshing connection to the mountain; the mountain takes on a different look and feel.

My family has always been important when it comes to decompressing.

Whether it’s skiing and biking together, camping or sharing a hug after the first World Cup and letting the emotions out, my family has made this lifestyle possible.

I wrote a story for the construction team before we started about what the experience would be, from the moment a family drove into the parking lot. Throughout a very discouraging, challenging and muddy construction period, we kept that vision. We talked often about what the result would be; summer is memorable to me as we successfully met that vision.

Lots of constant music helps…after 5 p.m. you might hear some Stevie Ray Vaughan cranking outside my office.

How would you describe your relationship with snow?

We’re on a first-name basis. Maybe the best way to put it is this: snow is my team’s purpose. We plan it, make it, plow it, groom it, refresh it and of course, hope for it.

What is the single biggest change you’ve seen in the ski resort business?

Can I pick two? Length of skis and cost of energy. One helped me at least look like I can ski. The other changed the snowmaking world….

There are rumors that retirement is in your future. Care to confirm or deny?

I get asked that a lot, and it catches me off guard. I describe my role at Kil-

You’ve been involved in some historic projects at Killington, including

I am excited and proud that our company recognizes its responsibility in partnering with a very environmentally conscious state to protect this awesome mountain environment. We collectively stand on a mission of protecting this “playground” forever. How can we not feel good about that?

I am so excited that we are building a legacy of experience, great service and fun. Building towards those goals is what keeps me here. With that said, I realize I will go on to another chapter in my life at some point and will watch from afar, but with the satisfaction that I gave it all I had and, with the great support of family and along with the best mountain team there is, we made Killington and Pico better.

N

Chandler Burgess

Dave Young

killington.com

What are you most excited about when you look ahead to Killington’s future?

Where do I start? It’s the continued redesign of mountain flows with trail improvements, the replacement of lodges, new lift infrastructure and a village that complements it all. It’s the growth of our mountain biking product and becoming the biking capital of the east.

“I am so excited that we are building a legacy of experience, great service and fun.”

Jeff Temple has helped usher in the modern era of both Killington Resort and the mountain resort business as a whole.

60 man of the mountain

lington/Pico as “a way of life” and have never subscribed to an age scale controlling what I do with my life or how I should feel about myself. My life is a constantly unfolding experience, some great experiences, some tough experiences, but always new experiences. As long as I am challenged, still learning and can give back toward moving us ahead, I won’t start counting days.

killington.com

world cup 61

presented and folded into the production plan.

hosting World Cup ski races, construction of the Peak Lodge, numerous chairlift and gondola installations. What’s the most memorable project you’ve worked on?

So many to choose from, but from concept through completion, the implementation of summer attractions at Killington is most memorable to me.

Lots of resorts got on the bandwagon and put up some amusements for summer. My goal was to totally integrate all the summer element ideas from our management team and install them in such a way that they instantly became part of the fabric of our resort.

The alarm will go off soon: time to get into work and help the team start it all over again.

If I can, I’ll grab a late lunch or latte from the Grand Hotel.

If it’s snowing and there are cars in the lots, the management team and staff gather at the end of the day to help clean vehicles in the lots; we call it team building.

There’s always a sense of relief when all lifts are cleared. Time to check in with grooming and vehicle maintenance on grooming fleet availability.

I might have an hour or so of down time to catch up on email, work on ideas and read feedback before I check in with snowmaking—their shift change is at 7 p.m. I listen to the crews’ issues as they gear up for an intense all-night timeline. Sometimes there’s a nighttime operation at the Peak with the Gondola operating, so I’ll monitor that.

At this point, operations have moved into the dark 12 hours; time to head home. Any lost skier calls will come to our team, and that’s a phone call that’s tough to get after 9 p.m. The calls continue, and some are good: the snowmaking plan is in full gear and all the grooming tractors are on the hill. Others are not so good: the 3 a.m. call about a broken-down winch cat or the call about a power outage on a brutally cold night.

That’s an exhausting routine. With the demands, responsibilities and long hours required by this job, how do you decompress?

While the kids were growing up, I would night bike after they went to bed.

Nowadays it is a significant amount of time on the mountain hiking and biking. After hours there is a different and refreshing connection to the mountain; the mountain takes on a different look and feel.

My family has always been important when it comes to decompressing.

Whether it’s skiing and biking together, camping or sharing a hug after the first World Cup and letting the emotions out, my family has made this lifestyle possible.

I wrote a story for the construction team before we started about what the experience would be, from the moment a family drove into the parking lot. Throughout a very discouraging, challenging and muddy construction period, we kept that vision. We talked often about what the result would be; summer is memorable to me as we successfully met that vision.

Lots of constant music helps…after 5 p.m. you might hear some Stevie Ray Vaughan cranking outside my office.

How would you describe your relationship with snow?

We’re on a first-name basis. Maybe the best way to put it is this: snow is my team’s purpose. We plan it, make it, plow it, groom it, refresh it and of course, hope for it.

What is the single biggest change you’ve seen in the ski resort business?

Can I pick two? Length of skis and cost of energy. One helped me at least look like I can ski. The other changed the snowmaking world….

There are rumors that retirement is in your future. Care to confirm or deny?

I get asked that a lot, and it catches me off guard. I describe my role at Kil-

You’ve been involved in some historic projects at Killington, including

I am excited and proud that our company recognizes its responsibility in partnering with a very environmentally conscious state to protect this awesome mountain environment. We collectively stand on a mission of protecting this “playground” forever. How can we not feel good about that?

I am so excited that we are building a legacy of experience, great service and fun. Building towards those goals is what keeps me here. With that said, I realize I will go on to another chapter in my life at some point and will watch from afar, but with the satisfaction that I gave it all I had and, with the great support of family and along with the best mountain team there is, we made Killington and Pico better.

N

Chandler Burgess

Dave Young

killington.com

What are you most excited about when you look ahead to Killington’s future?

Where do I start? It’s the continued redesign of mountain flows with trail improvements, the replacement of lodges, new lift infrastructure and a village that complements it all. It’s the growth of our mountain biking product and becoming the biking capital of the east.

“I am so excited that we are building a legacy of experience, great service and fun.”

Jeff Temple has helped usher in the modern era of both Killington Resort and the mountain resort business as a whole.

60 man of the mountain

lington/Pico as “a way of life” and have never subscribed to an age scale controlling what I do with my life or how I should feel about myself. My life is a constantly unfolding experience, some great experiences, some tough experiences, but always new experiences. As long as I am challenged, still learning and can give back toward moving us ahead, I won’t start counting days.

killington.com

world cup 61

KillingtonCharacters

Which waters do you fish? | The main lake I like to fish is Lake Champlain.

We have some smaller lakes nearby, like Silver Lake. And the Connecticut River. Those are the three core, local areas.

“Whenever you’re on the ice, it’s the peacefulness. The views around you.

The mountains everywhere you look and trees that surround you. It’s what’s ingrained in me.”

Do you enjoy having company on the ice? | Oh yeah. Every year I try to bring someone new. I’ve taught a lot of people the craft of it, and I’ve brought out quite a few kids through the years. I get a lot of enjoyment from bringing kids because they’re ecstatic when they get something on the ice. We’ve won some ice fishing derbies, too. Getting a trophy means a lot to them.

Gary Laperle — Dropping Lines

How long do you usually spend out there? | All day, if I can. Sunup to sundown. I’ll tow out a sled with gear. We’ll set up a shelter and put a heater in, if need be. Bring a grill to BBQ on the ice and throw the football around. You never know when something’s going to trip your flag.

Gary Laperle plays a serious role at Killington as manager of the IT Department. So it’s important that he also makes time to unwind and chill out. Long days outside and the stillness of Vermont winters are two of his favorite things.

When he and his kids aren’t skiing or playing hockey, they’re ice fishing.

What’s your Killington history? | I grew up in central Vermont and have been here my whole life. I’m going on my fourth season managing IT for Killington. Before this I was a network administrator at a printing firm.

When did you start ice fishing? | During my college days a buddy brought me out, and I got hooked. It’s morphed over the years to where I get out on the ice during any free time I have. My two young kids also bug me to go whenever we can. We’re big into hockey, skiing, camping, and we ice fish.

What’s the lure of the sport? | It’s a way to get some fresh air, and it’s quiet on the lake. Whenever you’re on the ice, it’s the peacefulness. The views around you. The mountains everywhere you look and trees that surround you. It’s what’s ingrained in me.

by Adam Broderick

What goes into the actual fishing part? | I’ll use a power auger to drill the hole [in the ice], then a scoop to get the slush out. We’ll put live bait on the hook and set the tip-up. We’re typically fishing in eight to 10 feet of water.

If we get action, we’ll have a flag. We’ll go grab the tip-up out of the water, grab the line, then gently tug on it to set the hook. It’s a pretty easy process.

Everything is a hand line when you ice fish. Once the fish sees the hole, it bugs out and rips the line out of your hand. When you get a big fish on, you get one hell of a fight. The fish we’re targeting are northern pike. They’re aggressive to begin with, so getting them out of the hole can be tricky. They’ll destroy your hand with their teeth, so you have to grab them, but not by the mouth.

Any advice for first-timers? | If the fish wants to run, let it run. And try to be as gentle as you can when you get it on the ice. I do pretty much 100-percent catch-and-release. Unless they’re bleeding real bad, then I’ll keep it.

I’m almost afraid to ask...do you get cold? | Suck it up, buttercup. It’s not for everybody.

D

| |

photos by Chandler Burgess

by Peggy Shinn

62 killington

killington.com

killington.com

characters 63

KillingtonCharacters

Which waters do you fish? | The main lake I like to fish is Lake Champlain.

We have some smaller lakes nearby, like Silver Lake. And the Connecticut River. Those are the three core, local areas.

“Whenever you’re on the ice, it’s the peacefulness. The views around you.

The mountains everywhere you look and trees that surround you. It’s what’s ingrained in me.”

Do you enjoy having company on the ice? | Oh yeah. Every year I try to bring someone new. I’ve taught a lot of people the craft of it, and I’ve brought out quite a few kids through the years. I get a lot of enjoyment from bringing kids because they’re ecstatic when they get something on the ice. We’ve won some ice fishing derbies, too. Getting a trophy means a lot to them.

Gary Laperle — Dropping Lines

How long do you usually spend out there? | All day, if I can. Sunup to sundown. I’ll tow out a sled with gear. We’ll set up a shelter and put a heater in, if need be. Bring a grill to BBQ on the ice and throw the football around. You never know when something’s going to trip your flag.

Gary Laperle plays a serious role at Killington as manager of the IT Department. So it’s important that he also makes time to unwind and chill out. Long days outside and the stillness of Vermont winters are two of his favorite things.

When he and his kids aren’t skiing or playing hockey, they’re ice fishing.

What’s your Killington history? | I grew up in central Vermont and have been here my whole life. I’m going on my fourth season managing IT for Killington. Before this I was a network administrator at a printing firm.

When did you start ice fishing? | During my college days a buddy brought me out, and I got hooked. It’s morphed over the years to where I get out on the ice during any free time I have. My two young kids also bug me to go whenever we can. We’re big into hockey, skiing, camping, and we ice fish.

What’s the lure of the sport? | It’s a way to get some fresh air, and it’s quiet on the lake. Whenever you’re on the ice, it’s the peacefulness. The views around you. The mountains everywhere you look and trees that surround you. It’s what’s ingrained in me.

by Adam Broderick

What goes into the actual fishing part? | I’ll use a power auger to drill the hole [in the ice], then a scoop to get the slush out. We’ll put live bait on the hook and set the tip-up. We’re typically fishing in eight to 10 feet of water.

If we get action, we’ll have a flag. We’ll go grab the tip-up out of the water, grab the line, then gently tug on it to set the hook. It’s a pretty easy process.

Everything is a hand line when you ice fish. Once the fish sees the hole, it bugs out and rips the line out of your hand. When you get a big fish on, you get one hell of a fight. The fish we’re targeting are northern pike. They’re aggressive to begin with, so getting them out of the hole can be tricky. They’ll destroy your hand with their teeth, so you have to grab them, but not by the mouth.

Any advice for first-timers? | If the fish wants to run, let it run. And try to be as gentle as you can when you get it on the ice. I do pretty much 100-percent catch-and-release. Unless they’re bleeding real bad, then I’ll keep it.

I’m almost afraid to ask...do you get cold? | Suck it up, buttercup. It’s not for everybody.

D

| |

photos by Chandler Burgess

by Peggy Shinn

62 killington

killington.com

killington.com

characters 63

KillingtonCharacters

Barb Wood — Paddling On

D

What is it that you love so much about kayaking? | Every day is different— and magnificent—on this tiny little pond that I honestly drove past for 20 years and hardly even looked at [before learning to kayak]. Being in my kayak allows me to escape the everyday stresses of life, as I find tremendous peace in gliding across the water. During one late summer sunrise on Kent Pond, a friend and I watched an osprey catch a fish right in front of us, and then sat in awe as a bald eagle tried to steal it away. I’ve seen adult snapping turtles wrestling while a blue heron stood above watching.

How were you introduced to the sport? | I won a kayak from a local beer distributor 15-plus years ago, but my kids were young and I was working full time, so rarely used it. Once the kids were on their own, one little post on social media—“Who wants to join me?”—opened up my kayaking experience tenfold. An acquaintance responded, “Yes,” and we now we kayak regularly.

For 30 years, Barb Wood has been showing others a good time outside. Since her first ski instructing gig, and now in her Owner Services role at the Killington Grand, she gets a boat-load of satisfaction from work. But what really floats her boat is when she checks out, pushes off the shore and cuts gracefully across the glassy water in a kayak.

How often do you paddle with a partner? | I would say 50/50. I start my season much earlier than most sane people. In 2017 I started on April 17 when Kent Pond was 30-percent clear of ice. As summer gets warmer I can typically find someone to join me. If it’s a hot day, swimming from remote beaches and islands becomes part of the mix. Quiet time on the water is really special, and experiencing it with others is truly a gift. I love to teach people how to get in and out, how to launch, how to put the boat on the car, all the little things that go into making something magnificent happen.

Let’s hear about your favorite activity outside of work. | I love to ski. There’s an exhilaration that comes with skiing downhill in conditions that make you happy. But I’m in an office from 8 to 4, and the mountain isn’t open when I get off. So in the summer, the exhilaration comes from nature. I kayak as much as possible; whenever it’s not raining or too windy. My yard and home only get attention when the weather is poor.

What is the best part about kayaking in Vermont? | There are lakes and ponds everywhere! There are nearly 200 maintained boat launches around the state. My goal each summer is to expand the number of new places I visit. I purchased a second kayak rack so I can drag friends along for the fun, and my ventures on the water have encouraged others to dust off their kayaks or to buy one and get out there.

Which waters do you frequent? | I drive by Kent Pond in Killington to and from work, so it’s easy to squeeze in morning and late-day paddles. I’m heading there after this interview. It’s late in the day, but it’s easy. On warm, sunny days, I’ve been known to hit four or five ponds around the region. I call it “Pond Hopping.” Last summer I paddled 107 times in 17 bodies of water in three states.

Where do you see this passion taking you? | I love to inspire people to get outside and on the water. That’s why I love my job. I’ve been in hospitality since I was 18. I love sunny weather during peak season because I know how many people are here having fun. My mission is to have people discover they can do more, all while enjoying nature and everything that being on peaceful D waters can bring.

D

64 killington

“I love to inspire people to get outside and on the water. That’s why I love my job.”

killington.com

killington.com

characters 65

KillingtonCharacters

Barb Wood — Paddling On

D

What is it that you love so much about kayaking? | Every day is different— and magnificent—on this tiny little pond that I honestly drove past for 20 years and hardly even looked at [before learning to kayak]. Being in my kayak allows me to escape the everyday stresses of life, as I find tremendous peace in gliding across the water. During one late summer sunrise on Kent Pond, a friend and I watched an osprey catch a fish right in front of us, and then sat in awe as a bald eagle tried to steal it away. I’ve seen adult snapping turtles wrestling while a blue heron stood above watching.

How were you introduced to the sport? | I won a kayak from a local beer distributor 15-plus years ago, but my kids were young and I was working full time, so rarely used it. Once the kids were on their own, one little post on social media—“Who wants to join me?”—opened up my kayaking experience tenfold. An acquaintance responded, “Yes,” and we now we kayak regularly.

For 30 years, Barb Wood has been showing others a good time outside. Since her first ski instructing gig, and now in her Owner Services role at the Killington Grand, she gets a boat-load of satisfaction from work. But what really floats her boat is when she checks out, pushes off the shore and cuts gracefully across the glassy water in a kayak.

How often do you paddle with a partner? | I would say 50/50. I start my season much earlier than most sane people. In 2017 I started on April 17 when Kent Pond was 30-percent clear of ice. As summer gets warmer I can typically find someone to join me. If it’s a hot day, swimming from remote beaches and islands becomes part of the mix. Quiet time on the water is really special, and experiencing it with others is truly a gift. I love to teach people how to get in and out, how to launch, how to put the boat on the car, all the little things that go into making something magnificent happen.

Let’s hear about your favorite activity outside of work. | I love to ski. There’s an exhilaration that comes with skiing downhill in conditions that make you happy. But I’m in an office from 8 to 4, and the mountain isn’t open when I get off. So in the summer, the exhilaration comes from nature. I kayak as much as possible; whenever it’s not raining or too windy. My yard and home only get attention when the weather is poor.

What is the best part about kayaking in Vermont? | There are lakes and ponds everywhere! There are nearly 200 maintained boat launches around the state. My goal each summer is to expand the number of new places I visit. I purchased a second kayak rack so I can drag friends along for the fun, and my ventures on the water have encouraged others to dust off their kayaks or to buy one and get out there.

Which waters do you frequent? | I drive by Kent Pond in Killington to and from work, so it’s easy to squeeze in morning and late-day paddles. I’m heading there after this interview. It’s late in the day, but it’s easy. On warm, sunny days, I’ve been known to hit four or five ponds around the region. I call it “Pond Hopping.” Last summer I paddled 107 times in 17 bodies of water in three states.

Where do you see this passion taking you? | I love to inspire people to get outside and on the water. That’s why I love my job. I’ve been in hospitality since I was 18. I love sunny weather during peak season because I know how many people are here having fun. My mission is to have people discover they can do more, all while enjoying nature and everything that being on peaceful D waters can bring.

D

64 killington

“I love to inspire people to get outside and on the water. That’s why I love my job.”

killington.com

killington.com

characters 65

“The ski and garden communities here, they’re tight communities where everyone knows everyone. We have a big local food movement here.

It’s attractive to people in the region to be a part of that community.”

KillingtonCharacters Matt Poli — Pollinating Change

Matt Poli handles budgets for the Mountain Operations group: lifts, snowmaking, grooming, road maintenance and other projects. When he’s not managing budgets and finance, he’s probably gardening. As a team member

with POWDR’s Play Forever environmental initiative, Poli focuses on sustainability projects, both on and off the clock.

Has gardening always been a part of your life? | Growing up, I had a big garden in the backyard. My dad got me into it when I was young. My wife is a soil-water technician and has experience working on a vegetable farm. We’ve been serious gardeners since we bought our house in Rutland over three years ago. It’s nice to have a hobby that results in a punchbowl full of strawberries.

Is gardening a favorite family activity outside of work? | We have two little kids, so I don’t ski much anymore. They’re into the gardening thing, so more muck boots than ski boots. We get them out skiing in winter, and when it warms up we spend most of our time in the garden. The kids have continued on p68

D

D

66 killington

killington.com

killington.com

characters 67

“The ski and garden communities here, they’re tight communities where everyone knows everyone. We have a big local food movement here.

It’s attractive to people in the region to be a part of that community.”

KillingtonCharacters Matt Poli — Pollinating Change

Matt Poli handles budgets for the Mountain Operations group: lifts, snowmaking, grooming, road maintenance and other projects. When he’s not managing budgets and finance, he’s probably gardening. As a team member

with POWDR’s Play Forever environmental initiative, Poli focuses on sustainability projects, both on and off the clock.

Has gardening always been a part of your life? | Growing up, I had a big garden in the backyard. My dad got me into it when I was young. My wife is a soil-water technician and has experience working on a vegetable farm. We’ve been serious gardeners since we bought our house in Rutland over three years ago. It’s nice to have a hobby that results in a punchbowl full of strawberries.

Is gardening a favorite family activity outside of work? | We have two little kids, so I don’t ski much anymore. They’re into the gardening thing, so more muck boots than ski boots. We get them out skiing in winter, and when it warms up we spend most of our time in the garden. The kids have continued on p68

D

D

66 killington

killington.com

killington.com

characters 67

do what you love, do it forever

apres inspired // performance based // apparel

tillidie.com | @tillidieofficial

Alpine bike works

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK IN SEASON DOWNHILL & TRAIL BIKE RENTALS

FULL SERVICE BIKE SHOP Free lifetime adjustments with bike purchase

sales · service · parts · accessories · apparel custom wheel building · suspension repairs E A SwYw wT .Oa l pU iSn eE b i· k eFwUoNr k sF .Oc oR m E V E R Y O N E 2326 US Route 4 Killington, VT · 802-773-0000 · info@alpinebikeworks.com 68 killington

their own little plot. They pick what they want to grow, start their own seeds and harvest their own foods.

Are you involved in the local gardening community? | I wanted to be a part of the local food scene here before we even got into gardening. I’ve been on the board of directors of our food co-op for three to four years now, trying to help more people eat local food. There are two farmers’ markets [in Rutland] each week during summer, and there’s even a winter market. If they can, restaurants want to offer local ingredients. We’re also members of the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (VVBGA), but people regularly contribute from neighboring states.

Do you grow anything outside of your personal beds? | We plant a lot of stuff for the bugs as well as for ourselves. When we lived slopeside at Pico, we planted a bunch of native wildflowers on the ski trail. Since you can’t grow much at 2,200 feet on the north side of the mountain, we took on that part of Killington’s sustainability project and planted for the native bees and common pollinators. There aren’t a lot of flowers for the bees, so in the springtime, when we sell plant starters, we encourage people to also take pollinator flowers for free.

What’s the best part about growing in your neck of the woods? | My wife and I are from major metro areas where you don’t necessarily know your neighbors. The killington.com

ski and garden communities here, they’re tight communities where everyone knows everyone. We have a big local food movement here. It’s attractive to people in the region to be a part of that community. People constantly bounce ideas off one another. Someone just the other day asked how to mulch a blueberry field and then got feedback from the group.

What do you do with your extra produce? | We did the Killington Farmers’ Market last year, and we were selling at that. We also grew some stuff for the Grand Hotel. They bought mostly tomatoes and peas. Preston’s featured some of our veggies a few nights.

COMMITTED TO Protecting the Environment and Inspiring Participation AT POWDR, WE INTEND TO PLAY FOREVER. We believe there is nothing better for the soul than to live a balanced life full of adventure, and we believe future souls should have the same opportunities we have today. To make this happen, POWDR is committed to doing all we can to protect our environment and inspire participation in adventure.

My wife and I are probably headed toward having a garden that people can check out. The chef likes that idea because we’d be growing stuff for them in town.

The stretch of highway where the Mission Farm is— in the valley along Route 100—it’s a scenic highway that gets a lot of exposure by the bottom of Skyeship Gondola. They used to grow veggies years ago, and we’ve been talking to them about getting that land back into production.

How long is your average growing season? | April through October. It actually fits opposite the ski season pretty well. Greens can go out early, so we start seeds in January in our basement and then we’re harvesting through when the snow starts to fly. We’ll be pulling carrots out of the snow.

N killington.com

POWDR.COM/PLAYFOREVER

characters 69

do what you love, do it forever

apres inspired // performance based // apparel

tillidie.com | @tillidieofficial

Alpine bike works

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK IN SEASON DOWNHILL & TRAIL BIKE RENTALS

FULL SERVICE BIKE SHOP Free lifetime adjustments with bike purchase

sales · service · parts · accessories · apparel custom wheel building · suspension repairs E A SwYw wT .Oa l pU iSn eE b i· k eFwUoNr k sF .Oc oR m E V E R Y O N E 2326 US Route 4 Killington, VT · 802-773-0000 · info@alpinebikeworks.com 68 killington

their own little plot. They pick what they want to grow, start their own seeds and harvest their own foods.

Are you involved in the local gardening community? | I wanted to be a part of the local food scene here before we even got into gardening. I’ve been on the board of directors of our food co-op for three to four years now, trying to help more people eat local food. There are two farmers’ markets [in Rutland] each week during summer, and there’s even a winter market. If they can, restaurants want to offer local ingredients. We’re also members of the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (VVBGA), but people regularly contribute from neighboring states.

Do you grow anything outside of your personal beds? | We plant a lot of stuff for the bugs as well as for ourselves. When we lived slopeside at Pico, we planted a bunch of native wildflowers on the ski trail. Since you can’t grow much at 2,200 feet on the north side of the mountain, we took on that part of Killington’s sustainability project and planted for the native bees and common pollinators. There aren’t a lot of flowers for the bees, so in the springtime, when we sell plant starters, we encourage people to also take pollinator flowers for free.

What’s the best part about growing in your neck of the woods? | My wife and I are from major metro areas where you don’t necessarily know your neighbors. The killington.com

ski and garden communities here, they’re tight communities where everyone knows everyone. We have a big local food movement here. It’s attractive to people in the region to be a part of that community. People constantly bounce ideas off one another. Someone just the other day asked how to mulch a blueberry field and then got feedback from the group.

What do you do with your extra produce? | We did the Killington Farmers’ Market last year, and we were selling at that. We also grew some stuff for the Grand Hotel. They bought mostly tomatoes and peas. Preston’s featured some of our veggies a few nights.

COMMITTED TO Protecting the Environment and Inspiring Participation AT POWDR, WE INTEND TO PLAY FOREVER. We believe there is nothing better for the soul than to live a balanced life full of adventure, and we believe future souls should have the same opportunities we have today. To make this happen, POWDR is committed to doing all we can to protect our environment and inspire participation in adventure.

My wife and I are probably headed toward having a garden that people can check out. The chef likes that idea because we’d be growing stuff for them in town.

The stretch of highway where the Mission Farm is— in the valley along Route 100—it’s a scenic highway that gets a lot of exposure by the bottom of Skyeship Gondola. They used to grow veggies years ago, and we’ve been talking to them about getting that land back into production.

How long is your average growing season? | April through October. It actually fits opposite the ski season pretty well. Greens can go out early, so we start seeds in January in our basement and then we’re harvesting through when the snow starts to fly. We’ll be pulling carrots out of the snow.

N killington.com

POWDR.COM/PLAYFOREVER

characters 69

John Everett

Here for the Show

The international field loves the Killington World Cup as much as the fans

by Peggy Shinn Justin Cash

70 women’s world cup

killington.com

killington.com

women’s world cup 71

John Everett

Here for the Show

The international field loves the Killington World Cup as much as the fans

by Peggy Shinn Justin Cash

70 women’s world cup

killington.com

killington.com

women’s world cup 71

“This is not normal for us, this big crowd.”

She heeded her own advice, winning her third consecutive World Cup slalom at Killington by more than a half-second. In fact, Shiffrin is undefeated in slalom in the Killington World Cups, and she credited her fans for all those wins. “The crowd really carried me down the hill,” she said after last year’s slalom win. “It’s amazing to race here; the atmosphere is so incredible. It’s a really, really special race.”

It’s understandable that the 30,000-plus fans who have attended the Killington World Cups each year would cheer for Shiffrin. A former resident of nearby New Hampshire and then a student at Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy, Shiffrin is almost a local, as far as her Killington fans are concerned. But the 60-plus other World

So what makes the Killington World Cup a favorite stop for the international field?

Is it the free concerts? The fireworks?

The F-16s doing a roaring fly-by before the giant slalom? Perhaps. But mostly, it’s the happy, cheering crowd. They clang cowbells, blow airhorns, wave flags from several countries and cheer wildly. And not just for Shiffrin and the other American ski racers. Several fans waved Swedish flags for Frida Hansdotter, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in slalom. A group of kids from Rutland held a New Zealand banner at the finish.

At least one fan wore Norwegian Viking horns on his head. And several Canadians zipped down from north of the border to cheer for their country’s racers.

“This is not normal for us, this big crowd,” said Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel, who won two Olympic silver medals in PyeongChang and finished second in the 2018 Killington giant slalom. “Once you come down to the finish, it’s full of color, and you know it’s all full of people. And the best part is you feel like everyone is cheering, it doesn’t matter if you’re not from the States. Everybody cheers for you, and that’s really cool being a foreigner here.”

hen the women first came to Vermont in 2016 for the inaugural Killington World Cup, they did not know what to expect. It was a “fresh event,” said Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami, unlike some

D

As one fan said, “We just love to have the best racers in the world here.”

Dave Young

But as Shiffrin skied onto Preston’s Pitch in last year’s slalom, the 23-year-old phenom sensed a silence. Her timing splits on the jumbotron monitor showed that she was losing her half-second lead, and the crowd had gone quiet. “Uh oh, that’s not a very good sign,” thought Shiffrin. “Go faster, go faster!”

W

John Everett

E

very year that Killington has hosted the FIS World Cup, D Mikaela Shiffrin has heard the hometown crowd cheering for her. Last year, she held the lead going into her second slalom run, and thousands of American fans wanted her to stay there. The roar was deafening—so loud that Shiffrin could even hear it in the start house.

Cup ski racers who come to Killington— most from Europe—also love the vibrant atmosphere. After three years, the twoday race has become a favorite on the women’s World Cup tour. As one fan said, “We just love to have the best racers in the world here.”

D

killington.com

Justin Cash

Justin Cash

John Everett

72 women’s world cup

killington.com

women’s world cup 73

“This is not normal for us, this big crowd.”

She heeded her own advice, winning her third consecutive World Cup slalom at Killington by more than a half-second. In fact, Shiffrin is undefeated in slalom in the Killington World Cups, and she credited her fans for all those wins. “The crowd really carried me down the hill,” she said after last year’s slalom win. “It’s amazing to race here; the atmosphere is so incredible. It’s a really, really special race.”

It’s understandable that the 30,000-plus fans who have attended the Killington World Cups each year would cheer for Shiffrin. A former resident of nearby New Hampshire and then a student at Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy, Shiffrin is almost a local, as far as her Killington fans are concerned. But the 60-plus other World

So what makes the Killington World Cup a favorite stop for the international field?

Is it the free concerts? The fireworks?

The F-16s doing a roaring fly-by before the giant slalom? Perhaps. But mostly, it’s the happy, cheering crowd. They clang cowbells, blow airhorns, wave flags from several countries and cheer wildly. And not just for Shiffrin and the other American ski racers. Several fans waved Swedish flags for Frida Hansdotter, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in slalom. A group of kids from Rutland held a New Zealand banner at the finish.

At least one fan wore Norwegian Viking horns on his head. And several Canadians zipped down from north of the border to cheer for their country’s racers.

“This is not normal for us, this big crowd,” said Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel, who won two Olympic silver medals in PyeongChang and finished second in the 2018 Killington giant slalom. “Once you come down to the finish, it’s full of color, and you know it’s all full of people. And the best part is you feel like everyone is cheering, it doesn’t matter if you’re not from the States. Everybody cheers for you, and that’s really cool being a foreigner here.”

hen the women first came to Vermont in 2016 for the inaugural Killington World Cup, they did not know what to expect. It was a “fresh event,” said Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami, unlike some

D

As one fan said, “We just love to have the best racers in the world here.”

Dave Young

But as Shiffrin skied onto Preston’s Pitch in last year’s slalom, the 23-year-old phenom sensed a silence. Her timing splits on the jumbotron monitor showed that she was losing her half-second lead, and the crowd had gone quiet. “Uh oh, that’s not a very good sign,” thought Shiffrin. “Go faster, go faster!”

W

John Everett

E

very year that Killington has hosted the FIS World Cup, D Mikaela Shiffrin has heard the hometown crowd cheering for her. Last year, she held the lead going into her second slalom run, and thousands of American fans wanted her to stay there. The roar was deafening—so loud that Shiffrin could even hear it in the start house.

Cup ski racers who come to Killington— most from Europe—also love the vibrant atmosphere. After three years, the twoday race has become a favorite on the women’s World Cup tour. As one fan said, “We just love to have the best racers in the world here.”

D

killington.com

Justin Cash

Justin Cash

John Everett

72 women’s world cup

killington.com

women’s world cup 73

Justin Cash

E R HE FOR

of the World Cups in Europe, which have been held in the same mountain towns for the past 50 years (and often longer). In the United States, Colorado’s Aspen Mountain had hosted the most recent women’s alpine World Cup races before the tour came to Killington. But the crowds in Aspen had been sparse. Most of the European racers figured that ski racing just wasn’t a big spectator sport in the United States. Maybe a few thousand would show at Killington, they thought before they set foot in Vermont; no way would they get as many fans as they do for the night slalom in Flachau, Austria, where 18,000 to 20,000 (often crazed) fans line the course.

B

ut European ski-racing fans are fickle. They like D their heroes and typically just stick around to watch those skiers race. These heroes are often the best in the field, meaning they run in the top 30.

E H T

There’s not a single person in the stands [when the 66th racer comes down the course in a European World Cup].

Here, you come to the bottom and everyone cares. It’s amazing and powerful and inspirational.

SHOW

“In Austria, the sport is the top 15, maybe the top 30, then the spectators all have some place to go,” explained Warner Nickerson, a former World Cup racer turned MC, chief cheerleader at Killington and one of a handful of men dressed as Captain America. “They leave the stands and go have lunch or dinner or whatever. Here, everyone is here to watch every racer.”

“The 66th racer, they never get this,” Nickerson continued, gesturing to the raucous stands at Killington. “There’s not a single person in the stands [when the 66th racer comes down the course in a European World Cup]. Here, you come to the bottom and everyone cares. It’s amazing and powerful and inspirational.”

74 women’s world cup

Justin Cash

Tiger Shaw, the CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, credits that enthusiasm to the passion of New England sports fans who want to see world-class ski racing live and in person. They come to Killington ready to watch every single racer and to cheer for her.

D killington.com

D killington.com

women’s world cup 75

Justin Cash

E R HE FOR

of the World Cups in Europe, which have been held in the same mountain towns for the past 50 years (and often longer). In the United States, Colorado’s Aspen Mountain had hosted the most recent women’s alpine World Cup races before the tour came to Killington. But the crowds in Aspen had been sparse. Most of the European racers figured that ski racing just wasn’t a big spectator sport in the United States. Maybe a few thousand would show at Killington, they thought before they set foot in Vermont; no way would they get as many fans as they do for the night slalom in Flachau, Austria, where 18,000 to 20,000 (often crazed) fans line the course.

B

ut European ski-racing fans are fickle. They like D their heroes and typically just stick around to watch those skiers race. These heroes are often the best in the field, meaning they run in the top 30.

E H T

There’s not a single person in the stands [when the 66th racer comes down the course in a European World Cup].

Here, you come to the bottom and everyone cares. It’s amazing and powerful and inspirational.

SHOW

“In Austria, the sport is the top 15, maybe the top 30, then the spectators all have some place to go,” explained Warner Nickerson, a former World Cup racer turned MC, chief cheerleader at Killington and one of a handful of men dressed as Captain America. “They leave the stands and go have lunch or dinner or whatever. Here, everyone is here to watch every racer.”

“The 66th racer, they never get this,” Nickerson continued, gesturing to the raucous stands at Killington. “There’s not a single person in the stands [when the 66th racer comes down the course in a European World Cup]. Here, you come to the bottom and everyone cares. It’s amazing and powerful and inspirational.”

74 women’s world cup

Justin Cash

Tiger Shaw, the CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, credits that enthusiasm to the passion of New England sports fans who want to see world-class ski racing live and in person. They come to Killington ready to watch every single racer and to cheer for her.

D killington.com

D killington.com

women’s world cup 75

Dave Young

‘‘L

crowds like this at World Cup races in our day,” said two-time Olympic medalist Phil Mahre, who visited Killington as part of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team being honored by the Killington World Cup Committee. “Most skiers, they like to ski, they don’t like to watch skiing.”

ook at the major sports teams we have here in New England and how intense people are about that,” he said on the eve of Killington’s third World Cup. “It’s like following the Red Sox, and now we’re following Mikaela and all the other international athletes here.”

This passion is not lost on the World Cup skiers. “They cheer for us from number one to the last racer; that’s the American style,” said Katharina Gallhuber, the Austrian who won a surprise Olympic bronze medal in slalom in 2018.

“They cheer for us from number one to the last racer; — Katharina Gallhuber that’s the American style.”

Justin Cash

For Petra Vlhova, the Slovakian skier who is an almost perpetual runner-up to Shiffrin in slalom, the crowd made her feel at home. It carried her back to a World Cup event in 2016 in Jasna, Slovakia. Like in Austria, the crowd at Killington pushed her to the finish, even as she threatened to unseat the hometown favorite, Mikaela Shiffrin, in her best event.

Plainfield, NH | 603.675.6347 AND

D

Pittsford, VT | 802.483.6464

TownlineEquipment.com 76 women’s world cup

a nightmare,” she joked. In 2016, she crashed in the GS and hurt her knee.

The past two years, she hasn’t cracked the top 15 in the GS. Still, she has taken time to sign autographs for fans because she knows how important it is to inspire them and give them something to cheer for in a world of negative news.

“It’s important to teach kids that there’s something important in real life,” Gut-Behrami said. “There’s family, there’s sports. It’s not just social media and stupid things on the Internet. Kids can ski on the weekend and try to do something with their lives.”

Italy’s Federica Brignone—the 2018 Killington GS champion—was also impressed with the number of young fans who cheered for her, and she wanted

Photo © Atelier Busche | Mikaela Shiffrin with LEKI poles

The atmosphere at the Killington World Cup even amazed ski-racing’s old guard who competed in World Cups in the 1970s and 1980s. “We never had

Swiss racer Gut-Behrami has a huge fan base in Europe but also likes the Killington World Cup, even though racing here the past three years is “always

killington.com

“I remember when I was a kid, and I was going to races and I wanted to get autographs from the winner, for sure, but also the last racer,” Brignone said. “So today, I tried to stop with each little guy and little girl who wanted my autograph. I hope I did it for everyone.”

“It’s important to teach kids that there’s something important in real life. There’s family, there’s sports. It’s not just social media and stupid things on the Internet.

— Gut-Behrami

Dave Young

Gallhuber, who scored her first top-10 finish in Killington in 2017, credits the race with giving her confidence throughout the Olympic season—confidence she carried into the Olympic slalom.

“But this is the way it should be,” he added, looking around at the mass of fans in the finish area. “You’re here to watch an event. Obviously, you want to cheer louder for the Americans. But you should cheer for everyone.”

to give back to them. Some of the World Cup racers gave their autographed race bibs to kids in the crowd. Others, like Brignone and Shiffrin, lingered in the crowd long after the races had finished, signing autographs and taking selfies with young fans. They appreciated the fans’ fortitude, showing up in sub-freezing temperatures to cheer during the bib draw on Friday night, then arriving again in the rain on Sunday for the GS. It took the World Cup racers back to their youth, when they were aspiring ski racers, too.

The Killington crowd has also helped Brignone realize that sport is as much show as it is competition. She was second after the first run of GS last year. As she took the chairlift back to the top of Superstar for her second run, she looked back at the crowd. “Wow, that’s a lot of people,” she thought. She wanted to put on a good show for them. And she did, grabbing her first giant slalom win of last season.

The idea that ski racing is entertainment has helped Shiffrin overcome some of the nerves that have gripped her at Killington. The hometown crowd once gave her such anxiety—she didn’t want to disappoint everyone.

Now she allows the cheering fans to inspire her.

“Yesterday, I didn’t get on the podium, and it could have easily been disappointing for everyone,” she said about the 2018 giant slalom, where she finished fourth. “But they were still like, ‘That was amazing!’ So I was like, ‘Who cares? It doesn’t matter if I win. The fans, they’re just here for the show.’” N

VENOM GS

Aluminum HTS 6.5 / Aramid-Carbon | weight: 288 g (120 cm) | length: 110 - 135 cm

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN (USA)

killington.com

WWW.LEKI.COM

women’s world cup 77

Dave Young

‘‘L

crowds like this at World Cup races in our day,” said two-time Olympic medalist Phil Mahre, who visited Killington as part of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team being honored by the Killington World Cup Committee. “Most skiers, they like to ski, they don’t like to watch skiing.”

ook at the major sports teams we have here in New England and how intense people are about that,” he said on the eve of Killington’s third World Cup. “It’s like following the Red Sox, and now we’re following Mikaela and all the other international athletes here.”

This passion is not lost on the World Cup skiers. “They cheer for us from number one to the last racer; that’s the American style,” said Katharina Gallhuber, the Austrian who won a surprise Olympic bronze medal in slalom in 2018.

“They cheer for us from number one to the last racer; — Katharina Gallhuber that’s the American style.”

Justin Cash

For Petra Vlhova, the Slovakian skier who is an almost perpetual runner-up to Shiffrin in slalom, the crowd made her feel at home. It carried her back to a World Cup event in 2016 in Jasna, Slovakia. Like in Austria, the crowd at Killington pushed her to the finish, even as she threatened to unseat the hometown favorite, Mikaela Shiffrin, in her best event.

Plainfield, NH | 603.675.6347 AND

D

Pittsford, VT | 802.483.6464

TownlineEquipment.com 76 women’s world cup

a nightmare,” she joked. In 2016, she crashed in the GS and hurt her knee.

The past two years, she hasn’t cracked the top 15 in the GS. Still, she has taken time to sign autographs for fans because she knows how important it is to inspire them and give them something to cheer for in a world of negative news.

“It’s important to teach kids that there’s something important in real life,” Gut-Behrami said. “There’s family, there’s sports. It’s not just social media and stupid things on the Internet. Kids can ski on the weekend and try to do something with their lives.”

Italy’s Federica Brignone—the 2018 Killington GS champion—was also impressed with the number of young fans who cheered for her, and she wanted

Photo © Atelier Busche | Mikaela Shiffrin with LEKI poles

The atmosphere at the Killington World Cup even amazed ski-racing’s old guard who competed in World Cups in the 1970s and 1980s. “We never had

Swiss racer Gut-Behrami has a huge fan base in Europe but also likes the Killington World Cup, even though racing here the past three years is “always

killington.com

“I remember when I was a kid, and I was going to races and I wanted to get autographs from the winner, for sure, but also the last racer,” Brignone said. “So today, I tried to stop with each little guy and little girl who wanted my autograph. I hope I did it for everyone.”

“It’s important to teach kids that there’s something important in real life. There’s family, there’s sports. It’s not just social media and stupid things on the Internet.

— Gut-Behrami

Dave Young

Gallhuber, who scored her first top-10 finish in Killington in 2017, credits the race with giving her confidence throughout the Olympic season—confidence she carried into the Olympic slalom.

“But this is the way it should be,” he added, looking around at the mass of fans in the finish area. “You’re here to watch an event. Obviously, you want to cheer louder for the Americans. But you should cheer for everyone.”

to give back to them. Some of the World Cup racers gave their autographed race bibs to kids in the crowd. Others, like Brignone and Shiffrin, lingered in the crowd long after the races had finished, signing autographs and taking selfies with young fans. They appreciated the fans’ fortitude, showing up in sub-freezing temperatures to cheer during the bib draw on Friday night, then arriving again in the rain on Sunday for the GS. It took the World Cup racers back to their youth, when they were aspiring ski racers, too.

The Killington crowd has also helped Brignone realize that sport is as much show as it is competition. She was second after the first run of GS last year. As she took the chairlift back to the top of Superstar for her second run, she looked back at the crowd. “Wow, that’s a lot of people,” she thought. She wanted to put on a good show for them. And she did, grabbing her first giant slalom win of last season.

The idea that ski racing is entertainment has helped Shiffrin overcome some of the nerves that have gripped her at Killington. The hometown crowd once gave her such anxiety—she didn’t want to disappoint everyone.

Now she allows the cheering fans to inspire her.

“Yesterday, I didn’t get on the podium, and it could have easily been disappointing for everyone,” she said about the 2018 giant slalom, where she finished fourth. “But they were still like, ‘That was amazing!’ So I was like, ‘Who cares? It doesn’t matter if I win. The fans, they’re just here for the show.’” N

VENOM GS

Aluminum HTS 6.5 / Aramid-Carbon | weight: 288 g (120 cm) | length: 110 - 135 cm

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN (USA)

killington.com

WWW.LEKI.COM

women’s world cup 77

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS ONE LIFT AT A TIME

Photo by Judy Laliberte, Quechee, VT

MA K E R S O F H A N D C RA F T E D G L ASS A N D P OT T E RY PROUD SPONSOR OF THE NOVEMBER 2019

78 women’s world cup

Located just 27 miles from Killington Resort Glassblowing | Restaurant + Bar | Shop 1760 Quechee Main Street, Quechee, VT 05059 | simonpearce.com | 802.295.2711

women’s world cup 79

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS ONE LIFT AT A TIME

Photo by Judy Laliberte, Quechee, VT

MA K E R S O F H A N D C RA F T E D G L ASS A N D P OT T E RY PROUD SPONSOR OF THE NOVEMBER 2019

78 women’s world cup

Located just 27 miles from Killington Resort Glassblowing | Restaurant + Bar | Shop 1760 Quechee Main Street, Quechee, VT 05059 | simonpearce.com | 802.295.2711

women’s world cup 79

For st e for

At Pico, a tour through the glades is what you make of it.

the

On the map, Pico lists 58 trails and 468 skiable acres. But these stats only tell part of the story. For skiers and riders who like to search out the forest nymphs among the evergreens and birches, the ribbons of white spilling from Pico’s summit, as well as the mountain’s three sub-peaks, serve merely as boundaries for Pico’s abundant glades. Some of these glades are named. Others are not. As Rich McCoy, Pico’s director of operations, says in an understated way, “We’re known for our tree skiing.”

by Peggy Shinn

Chandler Burgess

80 pico glades

killington.com

s e e r T But ask any Pico loyalist to show you his or her favorite glade, and the question will be met with silence. The most ardent tree-skiing enthusiasts would sooner give you the last four digits of their social security number than reveal a secret stash. I’ve skied Pico for 23 years, and every winter, I find something new—like Sunset Woods a few years ago, and this past winter, a little stash between…oh, never mind.

It’s fun to slide into a worm hole in the woods and poke around on your own, like you’re a kid again out exploring with your friends.

Within Pico’s boundaries, the resort has eight named glades, plus Summit Glade and Birch Glade, which are trails dotted with islands of trees. But below the summit’s uppermost cone, you can ski or ride anywhere in the trees inbounds when there is enough snow. It’s an additional 203 acres of terrain. Just beware of topographic dips and forest debris in unnamed sections of the woods.

D

killington.com

pico glades 81

For st e for

At Pico, a tour through the glades is what you make of it.

the

On the map, Pico lists 58 trails and 468 skiable acres. But these stats only tell part of the story. For skiers and riders who like to search out the forest nymphs among the evergreens and birches, the ribbons of white spilling from Pico’s summit, as well as the mountain’s three sub-peaks, serve merely as boundaries for Pico’s abundant glades. Some of these glades are named. Others are not. As Rich McCoy, Pico’s director of operations, says in an understated way, “We’re known for our tree skiing.”

by Peggy Shinn

Chandler Burgess

80 pico glades

killington.com

s e e r T But ask any Pico loyalist to show you his or her favorite glade, and the question will be met with silence. The most ardent tree-skiing enthusiasts would sooner give you the last four digits of their social security number than reveal a secret stash. I’ve skied Pico for 23 years, and every winter, I find something new—like Sunset Woods a few years ago, and this past winter, a little stash between…oh, never mind.

It’s fun to slide into a worm hole in the woods and poke around on your own, like you’re a kid again out exploring with your friends.

Within Pico’s boundaries, the resort has eight named glades, plus Summit Glade and Birch Glade, which are trails dotted with islands of trees. But below the summit’s uppermost cone, you can ski or ride anywhere in the trees inbounds when there is enough snow. It’s an additional 203 acres of terrain. Just beware of topographic dips and forest debris in unnamed sections of the woods.

D

killington.com

pico glades 81

TF

Justin Cash

here are rogue glades all over the mountain—I’ve heard of Fruitopia, Nirvana and the Japanese Garden from my daughter, who grew up exploring the arboreal side of Pico with her Pico Ski Team friends. But for safety’s sake—and so as not to put myself on the true arborists’ hit list—I will only talk about the marked tree skiing and riding.

For those who have never ventured off piste before, a good place to start is Birch Glades—because it’s wide open and has a gentler grade. Navigate around the tree islands or through them for that “I’m a kid again” feeling. You’ll often find untracked snow in Birch Glades for hours (even days) after a storm, and with such a forgiving pitch, you can set it on cruise control and just enjoy the turns and baby bumps.

It’s one of my happy places— a phrase often heard among Pico skiers and not just about Birch Glades.

Mid Pike Glades. These are true woods—not wide-open ski trails—but have the same forgiving pitch as Birch Glades and plenty of space between the trees. As with most tree skiing and riding, the first few turns are often the hardest. Keep going, and you’ll find a rhythm.

Also, here’s a tree skiing tip: Look at the spaces, not the trees. It’s a good metaphor for life.

Another tip: Remove pole straps from your wrists. If you catch a pole on a tree or the underbrush, better to lose a pole than pull your shoulder from its joint.

Feeling more adventurous? Cut over to Poma Woods, a favorite of Darby Simonds, who’s skied Pico since age six and is now retail inventory manager for Killington and Pico. These low-angle woods, mostly of white-bark birch trees, feel like a fairyland after a storm and lead to the top of the Golden Express chair. From here, you can get what Simonds calls a twofor-one run. Head over to the Outpost—often closed midweek—and find a line through Outlaw.

Summit Glades offers the same wide-open turns with tree islands. But it has a steeper pitch than Birch Glades and gets bumped up. If it’s too much of a rodeo, bail out to Forty Niner, which is always groomed. Or keep going, and Summit Glades starts to feel like your own secret.

Mid-mountain, it splits into Summit Glade East and West, where first tracks abound with nary another skier or rider.

82 pico glades

Upper Pike Woods is perhaps the least skied glade on Pico—because the entrance is daunting. Head about two-thirds of the way down Upper KA and after the steepest pitch, where the trail bends toward Upper Pike and then turns to the right, look for an opening in the woods on your left (there’s a sign). Drop into the throat of this glade, then it opens delightfully as it drops down the mountain.

Doozie and Outlaw off the Outpost chair also offer a steeper pitch. But Doozie, in particular, has room to maneuver. Head here on a powder day— it’s worth the short hike if the Outpost chair is not running.

It takes some route-finding to reach Poma Woods—take Upper Pike to Birch Glades’ uppermost entrance, then ride out the first left off Birch

“Even at the end of the day,” Simonds notes,“you can still find fresh turns here.”

Chandler Burgess

Another Pico secret lies off Lower Sunset 71 about 200 yards below Easy Street. Look for an opening in the woods on the right. Here, in this quiet spot, sits the old Mead headstone, marking where Pico founders Brad and Janet Mead lie in peace. As longtime Pico skier Tim Stangel says, “I’d like to think that brushing the snow off [the headstone] and respecting the people who started the epic resort known to us as Pico had a vision—to share the mountain experience with people who love some crisp mountain air

When you are ready to eat a bit more bark, check out Upper KA Woods or Upper Pike Woods. The two glades frame Upper KA (which stands for Karl Acker). To get into Upper KA Woods, drop through the chute on Upper KA, then stop at the cutover to Forty Niner. Drop in off this cutover. Or make one turn below the cutover on KA and look for a wormhole on skier’s right. This evergreen forest starts out tight but opens up as the grade becomes steeper.

Pico’s real tree skiers head for Busted off the old Poma line. But beware: it’s a bear to get into this glade, which drops into Poma Woods for some mellower turns.

Glades, cutting across Giant Killer to the bottom of the old Poma lift, a relic that guards Poma Woods. Or take Giant Killer to the Poma entrance. A rope marks Pico’s west boundary. Abandon all hope ye who duck it.

At the end of the day, head home via Exhibition Woods—either off C Slope or through a little troll trail off Lower Pike. Stick to the line that’s as wide as a road. Or find your own line through the trees down to Exhibition.

If your skis feel comfortable beneath you, try Sunset Woods—on the lower mountain, off Sunset Schuss. These woods lure you in with a gentle grade that gets progressively steeper. But not too steep.

Pico seems to add something new to its arboreal offerings just about every season. And even if you don’t find something that’s signed, pick your own trail through the woods. You might just find your inner child.

“People kind of forget about this area because not many go down Sunset Schuss,” says Simonds.

N

and legendary views of Killington and its valleys.”

Once you’re ready for tighter trees, venture into either Birch Woods or killington.com

D killington.com

pico glades 83

TF

Justin Cash

here are rogue glades all over the mountain—I’ve heard of Fruitopia, Nirvana and the Japanese Garden from my daughter, who grew up exploring the arboreal side of Pico with her Pico Ski Team friends. But for safety’s sake—and so as not to put myself on the true arborists’ hit list—I will only talk about the marked tree skiing and riding.

For those who have never ventured off piste before, a good place to start is Birch Glades—because it’s wide open and has a gentler grade. Navigate around the tree islands or through them for that “I’m a kid again” feeling. You’ll often find untracked snow in Birch Glades for hours (even days) after a storm, and with such a forgiving pitch, you can set it on cruise control and just enjoy the turns and baby bumps.

It’s one of my happy places— a phrase often heard among Pico skiers and not just about Birch Glades.

Mid Pike Glades. These are true woods—not wide-open ski trails—but have the same forgiving pitch as Birch Glades and plenty of space between the trees. As with most tree skiing and riding, the first few turns are often the hardest. Keep going, and you’ll find a rhythm.

Also, here’s a tree skiing tip: Look at the spaces, not the trees. It’s a good metaphor for life.

Another tip: Remove pole straps from your wrists. If you catch a pole on a tree or the underbrush, better to lose a pole than pull your shoulder from its joint.

Feeling more adventurous? Cut over to Poma Woods, a favorite of Darby Simonds, who’s skied Pico since age six and is now retail inventory manager for Killington and Pico. These low-angle woods, mostly of white-bark birch trees, feel like a fairyland after a storm and lead to the top of the Golden Express chair. From here, you can get what Simonds calls a twofor-one run. Head over to the Outpost—often closed midweek—and find a line through Outlaw.

Summit Glades offers the same wide-open turns with tree islands. But it has a steeper pitch than Birch Glades and gets bumped up. If it’s too much of a rodeo, bail out to Forty Niner, which is always groomed. Or keep going, and Summit Glades starts to feel like your own secret.

Mid-mountain, it splits into Summit Glade East and West, where first tracks abound with nary another skier or rider.

82 pico glades

Upper Pike Woods is perhaps the least skied glade on Pico—because the entrance is daunting. Head about two-thirds of the way down Upper KA and after the steepest pitch, where the trail bends toward Upper Pike and then turns to the right, look for an opening in the woods on your left (there’s a sign). Drop into the throat of this glade, then it opens delightfully as it drops down the mountain.

Doozie and Outlaw off the Outpost chair also offer a steeper pitch. But Doozie, in particular, has room to maneuver. Head here on a powder day— it’s worth the short hike if the Outpost chair is not running.

It takes some route-finding to reach Poma Woods—take Upper Pike to Birch Glades’ uppermost entrance, then ride out the first left off Birch

“Even at the end of the day,” Simonds notes,“you can still find fresh turns here.”

Chandler Burgess

Another Pico secret lies off Lower Sunset 71 about 200 yards below Easy Street. Look for an opening in the woods on the right. Here, in this quiet spot, sits the old Mead headstone, marking where Pico founders Brad and Janet Mead lie in peace. As longtime Pico skier Tim Stangel says, “I’d like to think that brushing the snow off [the headstone] and respecting the people who started the epic resort known to us as Pico had a vision—to share the mountain experience with people who love some crisp mountain air

When you are ready to eat a bit more bark, check out Upper KA Woods or Upper Pike Woods. The two glades frame Upper KA (which stands for Karl Acker). To get into Upper KA Woods, drop through the chute on Upper KA, then stop at the cutover to Forty Niner. Drop in off this cutover. Or make one turn below the cutover on KA and look for a wormhole on skier’s right. This evergreen forest starts out tight but opens up as the grade becomes steeper.

Pico’s real tree skiers head for Busted off the old Poma line. But beware: it’s a bear to get into this glade, which drops into Poma Woods for some mellower turns.

Glades, cutting across Giant Killer to the bottom of the old Poma lift, a relic that guards Poma Woods. Or take Giant Killer to the Poma entrance. A rope marks Pico’s west boundary. Abandon all hope ye who duck it.

At the end of the day, head home via Exhibition Woods—either off C Slope or through a little troll trail off Lower Pike. Stick to the line that’s as wide as a road. Or find your own line through the trees down to Exhibition.

If your skis feel comfortable beneath you, try Sunset Woods—on the lower mountain, off Sunset Schuss. These woods lure you in with a gentle grade that gets progressively steeper. But not too steep.

Pico seems to add something new to its arboreal offerings just about every season. And even if you don’t find something that’s signed, pick your own trail through the woods. You might just find your inner child.

“People kind of forget about this area because not many go down Sunset Schuss,” says Simonds.

N

and legendary views of Killington and its valleys.”

Once you’re ready for tighter trees, venture into either Birch Woods or killington.com

D killington.com

pico glades 83

1 7 4 1 K I L L I N G TO N R D •

WWW . P I C K L E B A R R E L N I G H TC L U B . CO M

• (802) 422-3035

4 Bars • 3 levels • 2 stages

1 LEGENDARY party

Always Good Times

WINGMAN 86 CTI _STABILITY _REBOUND & ENERGY _ALL TERRAIN VERSATILITY

open daily 3pm » ser ving food until last call

Feel the freedom to explore, because Wingman has your back. The Wingman is built with a woodcore, state of the art carbon rods, and titanium construction allowing you to leave nothing but a vapor trail in your wake. It’s the perfect allmountain companion for any terrain, any condition, Wingman is cleared for takeoff!

ELANSKIS.COM 84 pico glades

1 6 6 7 K I L L I N G TO N R D •

CALL THE killington.com

killington.com

WWW . J AX F O O DA N D G A M E S . CO M

(802) 422-RIDE

• (802) 422-5334

FREE RIDES WITHIN A SIX-MILE RADIUS pico glades 85

1 7 4 1 K I L L I N G TO N R D •

WWW . P I C K L E B A R R E L N I G H TC L U B . CO M

• (802) 422-3035

4 Bars • 3 levels • 2 stages

1 LEGENDARY party

Always Good Times

WINGMAN 86 CTI _STABILITY _REBOUND & ENERGY _ALL TERRAIN VERSATILITY

open daily 3pm » ser ving food until last call

Feel the freedom to explore, because Wingman has your back. The Wingman is built with a woodcore, state of the art carbon rods, and titanium construction allowing you to leave nothing but a vapor trail in your wake. It’s the perfect allmountain companion for any terrain, any condition, Wingman is cleared for takeoff!

ELANSKIS.COM 84 pico glades

1 6 6 7 K I L L I N G TO N R D •

CALL THE killington.com

killington.com

WWW . J AX F O O DA N D G A M E S . CO M

(802) 422-RIDE

• (802) 422-5334

FREE RIDES WITHIN A SIX-MILE RADIUS pico glades 85

P H

P H O T O

T

G A L L E R Y

G A L L E R Y

Skier: Randy Elles World Cup gear prep photo Chandler photo: Justin Cash Burgess 86

killington.com

Dylan DaMore photo John Everett killington.com

P H

P H O T O

T

G A L L E R Y

G A L L E R Y

Skier: Randy Elles World Cup gear prep photo Chandler photo: Justin Cash Burgess 86

killington.com

Dylan DaMore photo John Everett killington.com

Jake Tucker Fournier Zink photo John Everett 88

killington.com

Wil Klinkenberger punches Dave through Spory the photo pow. Chandler photo: Justin Burgess Cash

Jake Tucker Fournier Zink photo John Everett 88

killington.com

Wil Klinkenberger punches Dave through Spory the photo pow. Chandler photo: Justin Burgess Cash

Jordan Newth photo Justin Cash

Tucker Zink photo Chandler Burgess

Rider Unknown photo Chandler Burgess 90

killington.com

killington.com

Rider Name. photo: Dave Young 91

Jordan Newth photo Justin Cash

Tucker Zink photo Chandler Burgess

Rider Unknown photo Chandler Burgess 90

killington.com

killington.com

Rider Name. photo: Dave Young 91

Jesse Paroline photo Chandler Burgess

killington.com

93

Jesse Paroline photo Chandler Burgess

killington.com

93

World Cup photo Justin Cash

killington.com

World Cup photo Justin Cash

killington.com

Above: Jordan Newth @ US Open. photo: Justin Cash

Below: Spring session at Bear Mountain. Rider: Tucker Zink photo: Dave Young

All eyes on Alexandra Tilley, World Cup Slalom racer from Great Jake Fournier Britain. photo: photoDave John Everett Young.

96

killington.com

Martha Howe photo Chandler Burgess Up in the air, down in the dirt. photo: Brooks Curran killington.com

97

Above: Jordan Newth @ US Open. photo: Justin Cash

Below: Spring session at Bear Mountain. Rider: Tucker Zink photo: Dave Young

All eyes on Alexandra Tilley, World Cup Slalom racer from Great Jake Fournier Britain. photo: photoDave John Everett Young.

96

killington.com

Martha Howe photo Chandler Burgess Up in the air, down in the dirt. photo: Brooks Curran killington.com

97

Tim Stangel photo Martha Howe Last run photo Justin Cash

NoTown Music Festival in Stockbridge, Vt. photo: Chandler Burgess

Torin Tofferi photo Dave Young 98 World

Cup skier Adriana Jelinkova photo: Chandler Burgess

N

Tim Stangel photo Martha Howe Last run photo Justin Cash

NoTown Music Festival in Stockbridge, Vt. photo: Chandler Burgess

Torin Tofferi photo Dave Young 98 World

Cup skier Adriana Jelinkova photo: Chandler Burgess

N

REVOLUTION

VISUAL

A

EXPERIENCE

Experience a Visual Revolution

We set out on a journey to pioneer a new perspective.

BirdsEye Vision™ featuring ChromaPop™ lens technology increases your field of view by 25%.

INTRODUCING 4D MAG™

SKI MAGAZINE

GEAR OF THE YEAR 2020

REVOLUTION

VISUAL

A

EXPERIENCE

Experience a Visual Revolution

We set out on a journey to pioneer a new perspective.

BirdsEye Vision™ featuring ChromaPop™ lens technology increases your field of view by 25%.

INTRODUCING 4D MAG™

SKI MAGAZINE

GEAR OF THE YEAR 2020

f ree you r m i nd How Base Camp Outfitters and Mountain Meadows Cross-Country Ski Center have shaped freeheel skiing around Killington

Gliding around frozen Kent Pond, I felt like a sailboat skimming across the surface at top speed. Pico Mountain and the top of Killington’s Superstar trail were visible from the pond’s far edge. But it was hard to take my eyes off the pond, which is, honestly, more the size of a lake, the perimeter of which is ringed by a groomed crosscountry ski trail that forms a two-or-so-kilometer loop. With the sun glinting off the snow, it felt like winter’s beach. And there’s no place I’d rather be on a sunny winter day.

words by Peggy Shinn

photos by Justin Cash

D 102 mtn meadows

killington.com

killington.com

xc 103

f ree you r m i nd How Base Camp Outfitters and Mountain Meadows Cross-Country Ski Center have shaped freeheel skiing around Killington

Gliding around frozen Kent Pond, I felt like a sailboat skimming across the surface at top speed. Pico Mountain and the top of Killington’s Superstar trail were visible from the pond’s far edge. But it was hard to take my eyes off the pond, which is, honestly, more the size of a lake, the perimeter of which is ringed by a groomed crosscountry ski trail that forms a two-or-so-kilometer loop. With the sun glinting off the snow, it felt like winter’s beach. And there’s no place I’d rather be on a sunny winter day.

words by Peggy Shinn

photos by Justin Cash

D 102 mtn meadows

killington.com

killington.com

xc 103

“Mazie likes to take her time during her practice runs,”

With Pico visible through the trees and set against a vivid, blue sky, this glade is scenic and peaceful, a meditative glide through the Vermont woods.

Except maybe in the trees. And Mountain Meadows has plenty of those, too. The cross-country touring center’s 34 kilometers of trail twist through the forests around Kent Pond. At one point, the Black Trail descends gently through a hardwood and birch glade. With Pico visible through the trees and set against a vivid, blue sky, this glade is scenic and peaceful, a meditative glide through the Vermont woods.

Mountain Meadows Touring Center—or, as it’s known now, Mountain Meadows at Base Camp—offers the only cross-country ski trails in Killington. It’s a nice change of pace from the busier alpine scene, and a reprieve on cold, windy days. As owner Diane Miller likes to say, “It’s nice and warm in the trees.”

Diane and husband Mike Miller own Base Camp Outfitters and Mountain Meadows. And the two have their place in Killington’s history. Not only have they offered cross-country skiing for more than 30 years, but they have been on the cutting edge of everything freeheel—from telemark skiing in the 1980s to the burgeoning alpine–touring movement this century. Today, anyone looking for a pure alpine touring setup, or even to just try the sport, stops at Base Camp Outfitters, where Killington Road meets U.S. Route 4.

The Millers opened Base Camp in December 2005, but they had been in business long before then. Mike moved to Killington when he was 19 years old as a ski bum looking to make a life around skiing. He was an alpine skier with a job at Aspen East, and the Killington retail shop dispatched him to New Hampshire’s Wildcat Mountain for a trade show. At Wildcat, Mike 104 mtn meadows

saw a fellow named Winslow Ayer rip down the mountain on telemark skis, gracefully genuflecting from knee to knee.

“I remember sitting there going I am not worthy until I can ski like that,” Mike says.

Back home, Mike—a gifted athlete with the build of a football player—found an old pair of cross-country skis and set about teaching himself to telemark ski. Except it wasn’t easy. “I couldn’t ski down a hill, not even a little hill,” Mike remembers. “I was so mad. I stayed up until two o’clock in the morning playing with telemark turns in the driveway, falling and crashing but having so much fun.”

Mike soon mastered telemark skiing and began teaching his friends. One of those friends was Diane Sargent, daughter of Killington cofounders Joe and Mary Sargent. An alpine ski racer, Diane was coaching at the Killington Mountain School but had seen people telemark ski and wanted to try it. For a longtime alpine skier, the style looked like a good challenge and something to keep skiing interesting during lean snow years.

“The first day, he takes me to Outer Limits,” Diane recalls with a laugh.

“Then two weeks later, [I took her to] Left Gully at Tuckerman Ravine,” Mike says.

D killington.com

D killington.com

xc 105

“Mazie likes to take her time during her practice runs,”

With Pico visible through the trees and set against a vivid, blue sky, this glade is scenic and peaceful, a meditative glide through the Vermont woods.

Except maybe in the trees. And Mountain Meadows has plenty of those, too. The cross-country touring center’s 34 kilometers of trail twist through the forests around Kent Pond. At one point, the Black Trail descends gently through a hardwood and birch glade. With Pico visible through the trees and set against a vivid, blue sky, this glade is scenic and peaceful, a meditative glide through the Vermont woods.

Mountain Meadows Touring Center—or, as it’s known now, Mountain Meadows at Base Camp—offers the only cross-country ski trails in Killington. It’s a nice change of pace from the busier alpine scene, and a reprieve on cold, windy days. As owner Diane Miller likes to say, “It’s nice and warm in the trees.”

Diane and husband Mike Miller own Base Camp Outfitters and Mountain Meadows. And the two have their place in Killington’s history. Not only have they offered cross-country skiing for more than 30 years, but they have been on the cutting edge of everything freeheel—from telemark skiing in the 1980s to the burgeoning alpine–touring movement this century. Today, anyone looking for a pure alpine touring setup, or even to just try the sport, stops at Base Camp Outfitters, where Killington Road meets U.S. Route 4.

The Millers opened Base Camp in December 2005, but they had been in business long before then. Mike moved to Killington when he was 19 years old as a ski bum looking to make a life around skiing. He was an alpine skier with a job at Aspen East, and the Killington retail shop dispatched him to New Hampshire’s Wildcat Mountain for a trade show. At Wildcat, Mike 104 mtn meadows

saw a fellow named Winslow Ayer rip down the mountain on telemark skis, gracefully genuflecting from knee to knee.

“I remember sitting there going I am not worthy until I can ski like that,” Mike says.

Back home, Mike—a gifted athlete with the build of a football player—found an old pair of cross-country skis and set about teaching himself to telemark ski. Except it wasn’t easy. “I couldn’t ski down a hill, not even a little hill,” Mike remembers. “I was so mad. I stayed up until two o’clock in the morning playing with telemark turns in the driveway, falling and crashing but having so much fun.”

Mike soon mastered telemark skiing and began teaching his friends. One of those friends was Diane Sargent, daughter of Killington cofounders Joe and Mary Sargent. An alpine ski racer, Diane was coaching at the Killington Mountain School but had seen people telemark ski and wanted to try it. For a longtime alpine skier, the style looked like a good challenge and something to keep skiing interesting during lean snow years.

“The first day, he takes me to Outer Limits,” Diane recalls with a laugh.

“Then two weeks later, [I took her to] Left Gully at Tuckerman Ravine,” Mike says.

D killington.com

D killington.com

xc 105

“On that setup,” adds Diane, pointing to a pair of skinny, wooden skis mounted on the wall at Base Camp. “And wearing leather boots. Suddenly Outer Limits looked a lot different!”

Diane survived the steeps with a free heel and, in 1988, she married Mike.

That same year, they also bought Mountain Meadows, a cross-country ski center started by a man named Joe Pete Wilson, who’d opened crosscountry ski centers at Mountain Top Lodge in nearby Chittenden and in Woodstock in the 1970s. In Killington, the touring center was based out of Mountain Meadows Lodge on Thundering Brook Road (thus the name).

John Tidd, another freeheel legend, had purchased the cross-country operation from Wilson in the late 1970s, and Mike and Diane purchased it from Tidd in 1988. A few years later, the Millers moved the touring center to a building beside to the lodge and opened the Telemark Ski Shop, sell-

ing cross-country and telemark skis. The whole enterprise was under one company: Free Heel, Inc.

among alpine touring, or AT, purists. Base Camp sells lightweight boots, skis, bindings and skins made specifically for going uphill.

With area college cross-country ski teams

using the trails to train early season, Mountain Meadows boomed in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mike and Diane installed snowmaking and employed a manure spreader to move snow around the first year. Mike even started a cross-country pro tour in the U.S., using a new format that he and four-time Olympian Mike Gallagher created: the sprint. In the late 1990s, the U.S.’s best crosscountry skiers, including Olympians and World Cup racers, came to Killington for the race.

“We’re like no other shop in Killington,” Diane says.

Mike also ran a telemark school at Killington —called

Mountain Meadows, which received a new base lodge/trailhead with the move in December 2005. But skiers are now joined by snowshoers. And dogs are welcome, too, after 1 p.m. They also will not turn away fat bikers, but they no longer rent bikes nor groom for the sport. Instead, they refer people to Pine Hill Park in Rutland, where trails are groomed specifically for fat biking.

“We are truly the AT people—anything freeheel,” Mike adds. “We’re known in the industry for it. At the trade shows, they call us out.”

They also have a consignment shop in the basement and offer ski tuning and rentals of cross-country ski and snowshoe equipment.

Down behind Base Camp, cross-country skiers still congregate at

(what else?) Mike Miller’s Telemark School—and offered a tour from the top of Killington down the Juggernaut trail. That enterprise only lasted a few years though.

“We were about 30 years ahead of our time,” Mike says.

As for the trails, they are the same as they have always been—long, looping tracks through the hardwood forests and groomed by the new Kubota that Mike and Diane purchased in 2018. Bring water and a snack; picnic benches await by the Mountain Meadows Lodge and out on the Purple trail, unless it’s buried in snow.

In 2005, the Millers had the opportunity to purchase land at the base of Killington Road that abutted the Mountain Meadows trail system and offered a better location for drive-by business on U.S. Route 4. They built a large retail establishment, moved the ski shop into the new building, began selling a full gamut of freeheel equipment and changed their name from the Telemark Ski Shop to Base Camp Outfitters.

And don’t forget the sunscreen for laps around the lake.

Base Camp is a specialty mountain sports store that caters to alpine touring, telemark and cross-country skiers, as well as snowshoers—although their softgoods selection, from high-loft puffy coats to breathable softshell jackets, are good for just about any winter sport. The shop is particularly valuable

Base Camp Outfitters 2363 Route 4 Killington, VT basecampvt.com (802) 775 0166

Mountain Meadows Cross-Country (just below Base Camp Outfitters) xcskiing.net (802) 775 0166 N

PLAY. VOLUNTEER. DONATE. THANKS TO PICO MOUNTAIN & KILLINGTON RESORT

Local Farms Local Food Local Flavor

Taconic Pkwy, 10 miles north of I-84 1 mile south of Route 55

FOR YOUR LOYALTY & SUPPORT FOR OUR PROGRAMS, ATHLETES, VOLUNTEERS & STAFF.

Mon, Wed, Thu and Sat: 8AM–6PM Fri: 8AM–8PM and Sun: 9AM–7PM, Closed Tue

WINTER

• Snowshoeing • Skiing • Snowboarding • Nordic Skiing

@tastenytoddhill tastenytoddhill.com | 845-849-0247

106 mtn meadows

Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County

killington.com

SUMMER

• Biking • Environmental & Wellness • Canoeing/Kayaking • Stand-up Paddling Boarding • Hiking • Programs/Camps • Sailing

Providing year-round sports & recreational programs throughout Vermont to people with disabilities since 1987.

YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE killington.com

xc 107

“On that setup,” adds Diane, pointing to a pair of skinny, wooden skis mounted on the wall at Base Camp. “And wearing leather boots. Suddenly Outer Limits looked a lot different!”

Diane survived the steeps with a free heel and, in 1988, she married Mike.

That same year, they also bought Mountain Meadows, a cross-country ski center started by a man named Joe Pete Wilson, who’d opened crosscountry ski centers at Mountain Top Lodge in nearby Chittenden and in Woodstock in the 1970s. In Killington, the touring center was based out of Mountain Meadows Lodge on Thundering Brook Road (thus the name).

John Tidd, another freeheel legend, had purchased the cross-country operation from Wilson in the late 1970s, and Mike and Diane purchased it from Tidd in 1988. A few years later, the Millers moved the touring center to a building beside to the lodge and opened the Telemark Ski Shop, sell-

ing cross-country and telemark skis. The whole enterprise was under one company: Free Heel, Inc.

among alpine touring, or AT, purists. Base Camp sells lightweight boots, skis, bindings and skins made specifically for going uphill.

With area college cross-country ski teams

using the trails to train early season, Mountain Meadows boomed in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mike and Diane installed snowmaking and employed a manure spreader to move snow around the first year. Mike even started a cross-country pro tour in the U.S., using a new format that he and four-time Olympian Mike Gallagher created: the sprint. In the late 1990s, the U.S.’s best crosscountry skiers, including Olympians and World Cup racers, came to Killington for the race.

“We’re like no other shop in Killington,” Diane says.

Mike also ran a telemark school at Killington —called

Mountain Meadows, which received a new base lodge/trailhead with the move in December 2005. But skiers are now joined by snowshoers. And dogs are welcome, too, after 1 p.m. They also will not turn away fat bikers, but they no longer rent bikes nor groom for the sport. Instead, they refer people to Pine Hill Park in Rutland, where trails are groomed specifically for fat biking.

“We are truly the AT people—anything freeheel,” Mike adds. “We’re known in the industry for it. At the trade shows, they call us out.”

They also have a consignment shop in the basement and offer ski tuning and rentals of cross-country ski and snowshoe equipment.

Down behind Base Camp, cross-country skiers still congregate at

(what else?) Mike Miller’s Telemark School—and offered a tour from the top of Killington down the Juggernaut trail. That enterprise only lasted a few years though.

“We were about 30 years ahead of our time,” Mike says.

As for the trails, they are the same as they have always been—long, looping tracks through the hardwood forests and groomed by the new Kubota that Mike and Diane purchased in 2018. Bring water and a snack; picnic benches await by the Mountain Meadows Lodge and out on the Purple trail, unless it’s buried in snow.

In 2005, the Millers had the opportunity to purchase land at the base of Killington Road that abutted the Mountain Meadows trail system and offered a better location for drive-by business on U.S. Route 4. They built a large retail establishment, moved the ski shop into the new building, began selling a full gamut of freeheel equipment and changed their name from the Telemark Ski Shop to Base Camp Outfitters.

And don’t forget the sunscreen for laps around the lake.

Base Camp is a specialty mountain sports store that caters to alpine touring, telemark and cross-country skiers, as well as snowshoers—although their softgoods selection, from high-loft puffy coats to breathable softshell jackets, are good for just about any winter sport. The shop is particularly valuable

Base Camp Outfitters 2363 Route 4 Killington, VT basecampvt.com (802) 775 0166

Mountain Meadows Cross-Country (just below Base Camp Outfitters) xcskiing.net (802) 775 0166 N

PLAY. VOLUNTEER. DONATE. THANKS TO PICO MOUNTAIN & KILLINGTON RESORT

Local Farms Local Food Local Flavor

Taconic Pkwy, 10 miles north of I-84 1 mile south of Route 55

FOR YOUR LOYALTY & SUPPORT FOR OUR PROGRAMS, ATHLETES, VOLUNTEERS & STAFF.

Mon, Wed, Thu and Sat: 8AM–6PM Fri: 8AM–8PM and Sun: 9AM–7PM, Closed Tue

WINTER

• Snowshoeing • Skiing • Snowboarding • Nordic Skiing

@tastenytoddhill tastenytoddhill.com | 845-849-0247

106 mtn meadows

Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County

killington.com

SUMMER

• Biking • Environmental & Wellness • Canoeing/Kayaking • Stand-up Paddling Boarding • Hiking • Programs/Camps • Sailing

Providing year-round sports & recreational programs throughout Vermont to people with disabilities since 1987.

YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE killington.com

xc 107

JOIN OUR TRIBE. We offer a fun working environment with flexible schedules. We’re all about having a good time and experiencing all these mountains have to offer, while providing the best possible experience for our guests. Indoor and Outdoor positions are available.

Visit www.killington.com/jobs for a complete listing and to apply.

JOIN OUR TRIBE. We offer a fun working environment with flexible schedules. We’re all about having a good time and experiencing all these mountains have to offer, while providing the best possible experience for our guests. Indoor and Outdoor positions are available.

Visit www.killington.com/jobs for a complete listing and to apply.

Downhill Focus

Mazie Hayden’s competitive drive is pulling her in two different directions. Both involve racing down mountains fast.

by Tyler Cohen photos by Justin Cash

110 mazie

killington.com

D

Downhill Focus

Mazie Hayden’s competitive drive is pulling her in two different directions. Both involve racing down mountains fast.

by Tyler Cohen photos by Justin Cash

110 mazie

killington.com

D

F

our years before Mazie Hayden won the 2018 collegiate club national championships for downhill and dual-slalom mountain biking, the 18-year-old had never raced a bike.

But Hayden was no stranger to standing atop podiums. Since the age of nine, the Pittsfield native had been racing and winning in another high-intensity gravity sport: ski cross.

liked the relaxed vibe and found the air time and speed she was looking for in the race format, in which four competitors descend the same jump- and turn-ridden course at the same time. She earned a spot at that year’s USA Snowboard and Freeski Association national championships at Copper Mountain, Colorado and placed second in the nine-andunder age group.

Hayden started skiing and mountain biking at an early age—about two and a half and six, respectively. And just as growing up in the shadow of Killington introduced her to those sports, one thing led to the next with her interest in competition. Skiing while at daycare quickly turned into enrollment with the Killington Ski Club, which soon led to competing with their moguls program. But the drills and structure didn’t fit with Hayden’s interests, which she’s always considered a little non-conformist.

“I really wanted to get that first place, and that moment really motivated me,” she says. Two years later, at age 11, she won the national title, and she earned it again over the next three years.

At age nine, Hayden tagged along with her brother, Sam, to a snowboard competition and participated in her first ski cross race. She

I

C

ome high school, Hayden began racing ski cross at Killington Mountain School, and the results continued to stack up—in the U.S., Canada and overseas.

In her junior year, she was chosen to represent the U.S. at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, where she placed 11th. But along the way, she found another sport where she began to excel just as quickly. Her ski cross coach had introduced downhill mountain biking into her training program, and Hayden had begun training with a teammate from Canada.

courtesy of Hayden family

“I just liked to bomb through the woods and do jumps,” she says. “I realized that my favorite part of moguls was going real fast, so I tried to find something that suited that better.”

“I was impressed by how [good] she was at jumping,” Hayden says. “I became motivated about going up on my own because I couldn’t jump at all, and it frustrated me. I was motivated by that competitive element.” t didn’t take long for her confidence at speed and her understanding of body mechanics when turning or flying through the air to translate from snow to soil. She soon found herself atop podiums in the amateur division of New England’s enduro and downhill series before joining the pro category in 2017, where the podiums kept coming. Last September, closing out her first season of racing on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, she placed third in the junior division on Mont-Sainte Anne, Canada’s legendary Velirium downhill track. Two weeks later, she stood atop another podium in another hemisphere—in Cardrona, New Zealand, where she earned an impressive silver medal in ski cross at the FIS Junior World Championships.

F

or Hayden, riding and skiing complement one another perfectly, from the seasonality to the competitive vibe to the athleticism involved.

“I think I’ve noticed more crossover from downhill to ski cross,” she says. “For me,

D

PUSH YOUR LIMITS

SUMMER BIKE CAMPS

Kids learn MORE in our immersive mountain biking camps, while enjoying all the Green Mountains and Killington Resort have to offer. New this year, camps are available as single, three and five day options and even with overnight lodging.

PREMIUM DEMOS • BOOT FITTING LAB • WORLD CLASS TUNING

Learn more at killington.com/bikepark

112 mazie

superior service and selection right on the mountain in the snowshed lodge

killington.com

killington.com

potterbrothers.com

hayden 113

F

our years before Mazie Hayden won the 2018 collegiate club national championships for downhill and dual-slalom mountain biking, the 18-year-old had never raced a bike.

But Hayden was no stranger to standing atop podiums. Since the age of nine, the Pittsfield native had been racing and winning in another high-intensity gravity sport: ski cross.

liked the relaxed vibe and found the air time and speed she was looking for in the race format, in which four competitors descend the same jump- and turn-ridden course at the same time. She earned a spot at that year’s USA Snowboard and Freeski Association national championships at Copper Mountain, Colorado and placed second in the nine-andunder age group.

Hayden started skiing and mountain biking at an early age—about two and a half and six, respectively. And just as growing up in the shadow of Killington introduced her to those sports, one thing led to the next with her interest in competition. Skiing while at daycare quickly turned into enrollment with the Killington Ski Club, which soon led to competing with their moguls program. But the drills and structure didn’t fit with Hayden’s interests, which she’s always considered a little non-conformist.

“I really wanted to get that first place, and that moment really motivated me,” she says. Two years later, at age 11, she won the national title, and she earned it again over the next three years.

At age nine, Hayden tagged along with her brother, Sam, to a snowboard competition and participated in her first ski cross race. She

I

C

ome high school, Hayden began racing ski cross at Killington Mountain School, and the results continued to stack up—in the U.S., Canada and overseas.

In her junior year, she was chosen to represent the U.S. at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, where she placed 11th. But along the way, she found another sport where she began to excel just as quickly. Her ski cross coach had introduced downhill mountain biking into her training program, and Hayden had begun training with a teammate from Canada.

courtesy of Hayden family

“I just liked to bomb through the woods and do jumps,” she says. “I realized that my favorite part of moguls was going real fast, so I tried to find something that suited that better.”

“I was impressed by how [good] she was at jumping,” Hayden says. “I became motivated about going up on my own because I couldn’t jump at all, and it frustrated me. I was motivated by that competitive element.” t didn’t take long for her confidence at speed and her understanding of body mechanics when turning or flying through the air to translate from snow to soil. She soon found herself atop podiums in the amateur division of New England’s enduro and downhill series before joining the pro category in 2017, where the podiums kept coming. Last September, closing out her first season of racing on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, she placed third in the junior division on Mont-Sainte Anne, Canada’s legendary Velirium downhill track. Two weeks later, she stood atop another podium in another hemisphere—in Cardrona, New Zealand, where she earned an impressive silver medal in ski cross at the FIS Junior World Championships.

F

or Hayden, riding and skiing complement one another perfectly, from the seasonality to the competitive vibe to the athleticism involved.

“I think I’ve noticed more crossover from downhill to ski cross,” she says. “For me,

D

PUSH YOUR LIMITS

SUMMER BIKE CAMPS

Kids learn MORE in our immersive mountain biking camps, while enjoying all the Green Mountains and Killington Resort have to offer. New this year, camps are available as single, three and five day options and even with overnight lodging.

PREMIUM DEMOS • BOOT FITTING LAB • WORLD CLASS TUNING

Learn more at killington.com/bikepark

112 mazie

superior service and selection right on the mountain in the snowshed lodge

killington.com

killington.com

potterbrothers.com

hayden 113

FIND A TOUR STOP NEAR YOU

WESTPHALEN PHOTOGRAPHY

TETONGRAVITY.COM/TOURS

Enhance your stay, know where to play!

Mazie Hayden: FUTURE OLYMPIAN? downhill is so much scarier—it feels so much more high risk. So having that same feeling of going fast and getting air and having to get into that competitive mindset when I’m biking has really helped me stay calm while skiing.”

F Serving Central Vermont Since 1970 Vermont’s First Solar Powered Lumberyard and Hardware Store

Route 4 Killington, VT 802-422-3469 goodrolumber.com 114 mazie

ollowing her strong 2018 results on the bike and skis, a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery halted Hayden’s schedule of winter competition last season, which allowed her to focus on her freshman year studying public health at the University of Vermont. But she returned to the downhill and enduro track over the summer—her first season no longer racing as a junior—and plans to head to Europe to race several ski cross World Cups and other events come winter. Which sport will she excel at most and which will occupy most of her energy in the future? For now, she can’t say.

“It’s very complicated. I think about it a lot, and I hope after this year it will be more clear what the game plan is,” Hayden says. But, she adds, “I’ve been a lot more motivated because I missed the whole ski season. My brain is fresh and ready to go.”

Plus local tips, community news, deals and so much more!

ONLY ONE of Mazie Hayden’s two competitive sports is currently an Olympic event: ski cross, which has been part of the Olympics since the 2010 Vancouver Games. The U.S. chose to not send any ski cross athletes— male or female—to PyeongChang in 2018, but what does Hayden have in mind for the 2022 Beijing Games?

“IT’S DEFINITELY something I have my sights set on,” she says modestly. “I’m not 100-percent sure, especially after missing last season [due to injury] and given that I’m a relative rookie and will be the youngest U.S. athlete by far. We’ll be able to better tell after next season.”

AS FOR DOWNHILL mountain biking, the conversation about its inclusion in the Olympics comes up every few years. “I think some people would like it to be [an Olympic sport], and I know some people don’t see a need for it to be in the Olympics,” Hayden says.

“I personally don’t see a need for it to be in the Olympics, but I would be happy if it was.

With how big and popular the World Cup is, it’s already really exciting.”

MT

MOUNTAIN TIMES Pick up your FREE newspaper at local shops or visit mountaintimes.info

N killington.com

200+ local events each week

killington.com

hayden 115

FIND A TOUR STOP NEAR YOU

WESTPHALEN PHOTOGRAPHY

TETONGRAVITY.COM/TOURS

Enhance your stay, know where to play!

Mazie Hayden: FUTURE OLYMPIAN? downhill is so much scarier—it feels so much more high risk. So having that same feeling of going fast and getting air and having to get into that competitive mindset when I’m biking has really helped me stay calm while skiing.”

F Serving Central Vermont Since 1970 Vermont’s First Solar Powered Lumberyard and Hardware Store

Route 4 Killington, VT 802-422-3469 goodrolumber.com 114 mazie

ollowing her strong 2018 results on the bike and skis, a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery halted Hayden’s schedule of winter competition last season, which allowed her to focus on her freshman year studying public health at the University of Vermont. But she returned to the downhill and enduro track over the summer—her first season no longer racing as a junior—and plans to head to Europe to race several ski cross World Cups and other events come winter. Which sport will she excel at most and which will occupy most of her energy in the future? For now, she can’t say.

“It’s very complicated. I think about it a lot, and I hope after this year it will be more clear what the game plan is,” Hayden says. But, she adds, “I’ve been a lot more motivated because I missed the whole ski season. My brain is fresh and ready to go.”

Plus local tips, community news, deals and so much more!

ONLY ONE of Mazie Hayden’s two competitive sports is currently an Olympic event: ski cross, which has been part of the Olympics since the 2010 Vancouver Games. The U.S. chose to not send any ski cross athletes— male or female—to PyeongChang in 2018, but what does Hayden have in mind for the 2022 Beijing Games?

“IT’S DEFINITELY something I have my sights set on,” she says modestly. “I’m not 100-percent sure, especially after missing last season [due to injury] and given that I’m a relative rookie and will be the youngest U.S. athlete by far. We’ll be able to better tell after next season.”

AS FOR DOWNHILL mountain biking, the conversation about its inclusion in the Olympics comes up every few years. “I think some people would like it to be [an Olympic sport], and I know some people don’t see a need for it to be in the Olympics,” Hayden says.

“I personally don’t see a need for it to be in the Olympics, but I would be happy if it was.

With how big and popular the World Cup is, it’s already really exciting.”

MT

MOUNTAIN TIMES Pick up your FREE newspaper at local shops or visit mountaintimes.info

N killington.com

200+ local events each week

killington.com

hayden 115

CRAFT

BEER

WHILE ALSO RECEIVING AN INCREDIBLE

ta c o s #KMSMAKESITHAPPEN

116 mazie

2708 Killington Road, Killington, Vt. 802.422.5671 • killingtonmountainschool.org admissions @ killingtonmountainschool.org

W W W . CH killington.com

(802) 422-RIDE

A R I T Y S K I L L I N G T O N . CO M

FREE RIDES WITHIN A SIX-MILE RADIUS

hayden 117

CRAFT

BEER

WHILE ALSO RECEIVING AN INCREDIBLE

ta c o s #KMSMAKESITHAPPEN

116 mazie

2708 Killington Road, Killington, Vt. 802.422.5671 • killingtonmountainschool.org admissions @ killingtonmountainschool.org

W W W . CH killington.com

(802) 422-RIDE

A R I T Y S K I L L I N G T O N . CO M

FREE RIDES WITHIN A SIX-MILE RADIUS

hayden 117

in partnership with

THIS IS YOUR CLASSROOM

CASTLETON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF RESORT & HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AT KILLINGTON

CASTLETON.EDU/RESORT-MANAGEMENT

118 mazie

hayden 119

in partnership with

THIS IS YOUR CLASSROOM

CASTLETON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF RESORT & HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AT KILLINGTON

CASTLETON.EDU/RESORT-MANAGEMENT

118 mazie

hayden 119

today,

Vermont has more than 50 craft breweries. Numerous dairies throughout the state are producing cheeses that are gaining recognition across the country and beyond. And the vast majority of towns surrounding the Green Mountains offer farm shares and community supported agriculture programs that fill refrigerators and plates with fresh produce. Vermont’s fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and beer have long been threaded through the state’s fabric, integral to the area economy, small–town health and the image of quality and wholesome character for which this place is known. But just as the seasons change, so to do the types of products and produce crafted here.

the fix With their sustainably sourced coffee and burgeoning hemp-farming business, two Vermont producers represent the state’s changing craft landscape

Two such companies in the Killington area are putting a fresh spin on Vermont-made goods. And while the coffee they’re roasting and the hemp they’re farming may represent new commodities being crafted in the state, the quality, commitment to community and belief in collaboration behind their brands is as timeless as the dairy cows and farm fields that dot the landscape.

by Tyler Cohen | photos by Justin Cash

120 Made in VT

killington.com

killington.com

D

today,

Vermont has more than 50 craft breweries. Numerous dairies throughout the state are producing cheeses that are gaining recognition across the country and beyond. And the vast majority of towns surrounding the Green Mountains offer farm shares and community supported agriculture programs that fill refrigerators and plates with fresh produce. Vermont’s fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and beer have long been threaded through the state’s fabric, integral to the area economy, small–town health and the image of quality and wholesome character for which this place is known. But just as the seasons change, so to do the types of products and produce crafted here.

the fix With their sustainably sourced coffee and burgeoning hemp-farming business, two Vermont producers represent the state’s changing craft landscape

Two such companies in the Killington area are putting a fresh spin on Vermont-made goods. And while the coffee they’re roasting and the hemp they’re farming may represent new commodities being crafted in the state, the quality, commitment to community and belief in collaboration behind their brands is as timeless as the dairy cows and farm fields that dot the landscape.

by Tyler Cohen | photos by Justin Cash

120 Made in VT

killington.com

killington.com

D

Luce Farm Wellness In order to restore a Stockbridge farm, a family turns from growing vegetables to harvesting Vermont’s new cash crop—cannabis

In 2014, the Obama administration signed a major piece of legislation that would pivotally change the future of a husband-and-wife-owned farm in Pittsfield, Vermont. At the time, Joe and Rebecca Pimentel were operating Sweet Georgia P’s, a farm named for one of their daughters that supplied their community-supported agriculture (CSA) with produce that spread across the northeast. Section 7606 of the United States farm bill signed that year defined hemp, distinguished it from marijuana and authorized states to regulate, research and pilot its production. Vermont jumped in, and so did the Pimentels.

Around that time, Joe was helping a friend set up an apiary and found himself driving over Music Mountain Road, a narrow corridor that quickly turns to dirt as it climbs northward from Stockbridge. There, he saw Luce Farm, a 200-year-old farmstead that stood frozen in its 1900s stature after being maintained in the ’80s by two historians. The Pimentels began to wonder: could they own and restore this historic property and could farming hemp provide them with the means to do so?

Following the passage of the farm bill, hemp quickly became seen as a cash crop. By differentiating it from marijuana, the bill determined that any cannabis plant or part thereof that tested with less than 0.3% THC— the psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis—could be cultivated under the guidelines of a state research program. This enabled farmers to grow cannabis that contained high amounts of terpenes and other cannabinoids, including CBD (cannabidiol), the component well known in medical marijuana research for its anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and sleep-improving effects.

“Vermont, being an extremely agriculturally driven state and always having its eye on cannabis, endorsed the hemp program in a pretty big way,” Joe Pimentel says. And while a bill to legalize marijuana (THC) failed to pass the Vermont House of Representatives in 2016, lobbying on its behalf provided the Pimentels with a networking opportunity in Montpelier. “We met a group investors who introduced us to hemp and a cannabis sativa that has been bred to have less than 0.3% THC and high amounts of CBD,” Joe continues. “Lots of people who were looking that way turned toward hemp-produced CBD.” Those investors hired the Pimentels, who earned one of a handful of permits the state gave out that first year and tapped into their long-time 122 Made in VT

cont p128 D

D killington.com

D killington.com

Made in VT 123

Luce Farm Wellness In order to restore a Stockbridge farm, a family turns from growing vegetables to harvesting Vermont’s new cash crop—cannabis

In 2014, the Obama administration signed a major piece of legislation that would pivotally change the future of a husband-and-wife-owned farm in Pittsfield, Vermont. At the time, Joe and Rebecca Pimentel were operating Sweet Georgia P’s, a farm named for one of their daughters that supplied their community-supported agriculture (CSA) with produce that spread across the northeast. Section 7606 of the United States farm bill signed that year defined hemp, distinguished it from marijuana and authorized states to regulate, research and pilot its production. Vermont jumped in, and so did the Pimentels.

Around that time, Joe was helping a friend set up an apiary and found himself driving over Music Mountain Road, a narrow corridor that quickly turns to dirt as it climbs northward from Stockbridge. There, he saw Luce Farm, a 200-year-old farmstead that stood frozen in its 1900s stature after being maintained in the ’80s by two historians. The Pimentels began to wonder: could they own and restore this historic property and could farming hemp provide them with the means to do so?

Following the passage of the farm bill, hemp quickly became seen as a cash crop. By differentiating it from marijuana, the bill determined that any cannabis plant or part thereof that tested with less than 0.3% THC— the psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis—could be cultivated under the guidelines of a state research program. This enabled farmers to grow cannabis that contained high amounts of terpenes and other cannabinoids, including CBD (cannabidiol), the component well known in medical marijuana research for its anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and sleep-improving effects.

“Vermont, being an extremely agriculturally driven state and always having its eye on cannabis, endorsed the hemp program in a pretty big way,” Joe Pimentel says. And while a bill to legalize marijuana (THC) failed to pass the Vermont House of Representatives in 2016, lobbying on its behalf provided the Pimentels with a networking opportunity in Montpelier. “We met a group investors who introduced us to hemp and a cannabis sativa that has been bred to have less than 0.3% THC and high amounts of CBD,” Joe continues. “Lots of people who were looking that way turned toward hemp-produced CBD.” Those investors hired the Pimentels, who earned one of a handful of permits the state gave out that first year and tapped into their long-time 122 Made in VT

cont p128 D

D killington.com

D killington.com

Made in VT 123

Abracadabra Coffee In Woodstock, three friends are rewriting the understanding of coffee the only way they know how—with fun vibes and exacting quality

Coffee associated with Vermont is practically ubiquitous in workplaces and convenient stores across the East Coast, never mind throughout the country.

That’s thanks to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the 38-year-old, publically traded mega-corporation that seems to sell every couple years for several billions of dollars. But when Sarah Yetter joined Antoinette and Clint Hunt in 2016 to make a major leap into the coffee industry, the trio had a different vision in mind. They sought to source, roast and sell the absolute best coffee they could find. And under the name Abracadabra from a small café just off Route 4 on the east end of Woodstock, they’re working to redefine the quality standard for coffee in a fun, refreshing way.

When Antoinette and Clint Hunt moved to Vermont from Columbus, Ohio about nine years ago, they didn’t plan to work in the coffee business. Instead, the couple, then in their late 20s, arrived with a plan to take a chance on rural living and farmsteading in the state that Antoinette had been visiting since she was a child. She began focusing on developing a goat dairy and cheesemaking operation while managing a beer, wine and specialty food shop. He transitioned his background working in coffee—wholesaling, running a café, managing distribution—into a hobby to meet a personal need.

“I couldn’t find really good, specialty coffee anywhere, and it didn’t seem like it had reached Vermont,” says Clint, now 36. “Maybe in Burlington it was around, but it was scattered.”

So he took his knowledge of coffee from working in Columbus and began sourcing his own from farms in countries like Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru and Honduras. He started roasting at home, giving coffee to friends and taking it to farmers’ markets to see if there was an interest in paying more money for higher quality. “You know, that typical story,” he says. “When we decided to not go forward with a dairy, we decided to put more effort and money into coffee and realized we had a pretty strong brand and a nice vicont p126 D sion that we could push pretty far,” he says.

124 Made in VT

killington.com

killington.com

Made in VT 125

Abracadabra Coffee In Woodstock, three friends are rewriting the understanding of coffee the only way they know how—with fun vibes and exacting quality

Coffee associated with Vermont is practically ubiquitous in workplaces and convenient stores across the East Coast, never mind throughout the country.

That’s thanks to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the 38-year-old, publically traded mega-corporation that seems to sell every couple years for several billions of dollars. But when Sarah Yetter joined Antoinette and Clint Hunt in 2016 to make a major leap into the coffee industry, the trio had a different vision in mind. They sought to source, roast and sell the absolute best coffee they could find. And under the name Abracadabra from a small café just off Route 4 on the east end of Woodstock, they’re working to redefine the quality standard for coffee in a fun, refreshing way.

When Antoinette and Clint Hunt moved to Vermont from Columbus, Ohio about nine years ago, they didn’t plan to work in the coffee business. Instead, the couple, then in their late 20s, arrived with a plan to take a chance on rural living and farmsteading in the state that Antoinette had been visiting since she was a child. She began focusing on developing a goat dairy and cheesemaking operation while managing a beer, wine and specialty food shop. He transitioned his background working in coffee—wholesaling, running a café, managing distribution—into a hobby to meet a personal need.

“I couldn’t find really good, specialty coffee anywhere, and it didn’t seem like it had reached Vermont,” says Clint, now 36. “Maybe in Burlington it was around, but it was scattered.”

So he took his knowledge of coffee from working in Columbus and began sourcing his own from farms in countries like Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru and Honduras. He started roasting at home, giving coffee to friends and taking it to farmers’ markets to see if there was an interest in paying more money for higher quality. “You know, that typical story,” he says. “When we decided to not go forward with a dairy, we decided to put more effort and money into coffee and realized we had a pretty strong brand and a nice vicont p126 D sion that we could push pretty far,” he says.

124 Made in VT

killington.com

killington.com

Made in VT 125

MAKE FIRST TRACKS In addition to improving the availability of first-class coffee, the Hunts saw another opportunity in bucking the industry’s stuffy air with a vibe all their own—relaxed and casual, bringing together their interest in music and art with the drink they loved. Everything about Abracadabra would focus on fun, from their artwork and marketing to their events and partnerships.

They wouldn’t take anything too seriously—except their drive to produce a superior beverage and positively represent the farmers with whom they work.

ABRACADARA focuses exclusively on single-origin coffee, meaning, quite simply, that a batch of coffee can be traced to a single farm and, in their case, is purchased directly from a farmer or through a distribution company that’s often a collaboration among farmers. These relationships and agreements result in more income for the farmers, which, in turn, can result in higher quality coffee. “We pay way beyond what is normal in coffee to make sure that those farmers are not only living a good life but they’re putting enough money back into their farm so the next year’s crop can be better,” Clint says. “It’s not easy, but building relationships to that level takes time, and it’s worth it.”

Once they began sourcing and roasting their own coffee, Abracadabra beans became available for purchase through their website and in the Woodstock area, and they began selling hot coffee and cold brew locally.

But Abracadabra really landed on the map in 2015, when they began canning their nitro cold brew—coldbrewed coffee infused with nitrogen for a creamier texture—which wasn’t widely available anywhere at the time, never mind using high-quality beans.

“Launching the cold brew cans was a very eye-opening experience and put us into these other arenas beyond specialty coffee,” says Sarah, who moved from Columbus to Vermont in 2016 to join her long-time friends’ quickly growing business.

126 Made in VT

killington.com

“Really seeing the amount of support from the community and building wholesale showed me that if we could do it the right way, we could make a living from it,” Clint says. “But, like Sarah said, what made us more nationally known was launching our cans.”

LIVE SIX PEAKS

“It just sort of took off from there,” Antoinette adds.

“It is kind of like craft beer, in a way. There’d been cold brew around, but it was not very high quality. We wanted to enter something into the market that was really high quality, single origin and traceable. That’s been a huge benefit to our company.”

About a year after they launched their nitro cold brew in fall 2017, Abracadabra paired with Luce Farm Wellness to debut Chill Brew, a canned CBD-infused cold brew coffee, which further catapulted their recognition. Distribution of their canned coffee now covers most of the Northeast, and they plan to spread it across the East Coast before stretching across the country.

That partnership with Luce Farm is one of many that are integral in Abracadabra’s philosophy, which aims to work with and celebrate likeminded businesses, including producing collab drinks with craft breweries throughout the region. And every Saturday and Sunday during the summer, they raise their café’s garage door, welcoming vintage clothing retailers, artists and a rotating cast of food trucks to throw a coffee-centric party all their own.

“That vibe that you see on the website and Instagram— we want to present that in real time. We want to make it real because it’s a real thing. It’s who we are,” Sarah says. “You have to create your own fun, your own reality, your own collaborations, your own community.”

“We know we’ll all survive if we work together,” Clint says, speaking to Abracadabra’s interest in working alongside other new and unique startups in the Upper Valley and Killington area. But that sentiment also extends far beyond Vermont. Like with Luce Farm Wellness, the farmers with whom they have relationships will benefit in a significant and positive way from their success, too.

N killington.com

LIVE KILLINGTON.COM A Development by

Made in VT 127

MAKE FIRST TRACKS In addition to improving the availability of first-class coffee, the Hunts saw another opportunity in bucking the industry’s stuffy air with a vibe all their own—relaxed and casual, bringing together their interest in music and art with the drink they loved. Everything about Abracadabra would focus on fun, from their artwork and marketing to their events and partnerships.

They wouldn’t take anything too seriously—except their drive to produce a superior beverage and positively represent the farmers with whom they work.

ABRACADARA focuses exclusively on single-origin coffee, meaning, quite simply, that a batch of coffee can be traced to a single farm and, in their case, is purchased directly from a farmer or through a distribution company that’s often a collaboration among farmers. These relationships and agreements result in more income for the farmers, which, in turn, can result in higher quality coffee. “We pay way beyond what is normal in coffee to make sure that those farmers are not only living a good life but they’re putting enough money back into their farm so the next year’s crop can be better,” Clint says. “It’s not easy, but building relationships to that level takes time, and it’s worth it.”

Once they began sourcing and roasting their own coffee, Abracadabra beans became available for purchase through their website and in the Woodstock area, and they began selling hot coffee and cold brew locally.

But Abracadabra really landed on the map in 2015, when they began canning their nitro cold brew—coldbrewed coffee infused with nitrogen for a creamier texture—which wasn’t widely available anywhere at the time, never mind using high-quality beans.

“Launching the cold brew cans was a very eye-opening experience and put us into these other arenas beyond specialty coffee,” says Sarah, who moved from Columbus to Vermont in 2016 to join her long-time friends’ quickly growing business.

126 Made in VT

killington.com

“Really seeing the amount of support from the community and building wholesale showed me that if we could do it the right way, we could make a living from it,” Clint says. “But, like Sarah said, what made us more nationally known was launching our cans.”

LIVE SIX PEAKS

“It just sort of took off from there,” Antoinette adds.

“It is kind of like craft beer, in a way. There’d been cold brew around, but it was not very high quality. We wanted to enter something into the market that was really high quality, single origin and traceable. That’s been a huge benefit to our company.”

About a year after they launched their nitro cold brew in fall 2017, Abracadabra paired with Luce Farm Wellness to debut Chill Brew, a canned CBD-infused cold brew coffee, which further catapulted their recognition. Distribution of their canned coffee now covers most of the Northeast, and they plan to spread it across the East Coast before stretching across the country.

That partnership with Luce Farm is one of many that are integral in Abracadabra’s philosophy, which aims to work with and celebrate likeminded businesses, including producing collab drinks with craft breweries throughout the region. And every Saturday and Sunday during the summer, they raise their café’s garage door, welcoming vintage clothing retailers, artists and a rotating cast of food trucks to throw a coffee-centric party all their own.

“That vibe that you see on the website and Instagram— we want to present that in real time. We want to make it real because it’s a real thing. It’s who we are,” Sarah says. “You have to create your own fun, your own reality, your own collaborations, your own community.”

“We know we’ll all survive if we work together,” Clint says, speaking to Abracadabra’s interest in working alongside other new and unique startups in the Upper Valley and Killington area. But that sentiment also extends far beyond Vermont. Like with Luce Farm Wellness, the farmers with whom they have relationships will benefit in a significant and positive way from their success, too.

N killington.com

LIVE KILLINGTON.COM A Development by

Made in VT 127

Ski hard...

Eat well...

Sleep sound...

The future of snow sports progression Mobile Ski Lesson Video Feedback

cont from p122

Lodging - Dining - Beverages Birch Ridge Inn 37 Butler Road, Killington VT

birchridge.com 800.435.8566

farming knowledge to grow 100 cannabis clones. They had, after all, been farming since 2007, when they’d moved from Beacon Hill, the neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, to a farmhouse in Scituate, a town on the south shore, where they had started growing vegetables, raising chickens and operating a small dairy.

“There weren’t really farms down there, and people weren’t really connected to their food, and it was super bothersome to us,” Rebecca says. “We found a real passion to correct that.”

People began traveling to their farm from an hour away to purchase fresh, raw milk that otherwise wasn’t widely available, and the Pimentels began to realize the demand for healthier foods and a connection to farms.

“We turned our little hobby farm into a CSA,” Rebecca continues. “Over the course of a couple years, we grew out of our small farm in Scituate and moved to Pittsfield. One of our friends had a farm there for lease, and we expanded our growing operation and networking with lots of other growers and producers.” Their Sweet Georgia P’s CSA swelled to nearly 400 weekly members, and they delivered produce to pickup points on the South Shore and in Boston, Connecticut and New York City. “You would open the truck, and people would ravage it,” Rebecca jokes about the demand for quality Vermont produce. But back to that first year growing cannabis.

That fall, the Pimentels harvested enormous plants.

But they found themselves with no market to which to sell it. CBD was a relatively new commodity, and the Pimentels met with the investors who’d hired them and agreed to split the product in half while they figured out their next move. They spent the winter reading and learning about CBD’s properties and how to extract the lipids that they began mixing with butter and coconut oil in their home kitchen. They produced a highly powerful substance that looked like a thick sludge.

“We thought, what if we blended this with honey and made the taste more favorable?” recalls Rebecca, who began taking it and started to notice that her fingers weren’t as stiff as usual. They started giving it to neighbors, who’d return with positive feedback, and improved

128 Made in VT

killington.com

their lipid extraction process to refine each batch’s consistency in CBD concentration before they began to sell their hemp-infused honey at area farmers’ markets.

“That was when it clicked in our minds that we had something that was actually of interest to people,” Rebecca says. “We were having a crazy amount of sales, and people were driving two hours to pick up products from us, which was really exciting.” It was 2017, and Luce Farm’s entire marketing and online presence consisted of a Facebook page.

Through 2018, their sales increased tenfold, and Luce Farm Wellness products—which now span from fullspectrum hemp extract to hemp-infused honey, coconut oil, body balm and a variety of other herbs—are today available in more than 200 stores. The business has swelled beyond just Joe and Rebecca—they have a CEO, David Barash, who’s worked with mission-driven businesses like Ben & Jerry’s, Stonyfield Yogurt and Outward Bound; a board of advisors that includes Jerry Greenfield (half of the duo behind the eponymous ice-cream brand); and partnerships with seven other Vermont farms to grow their hemp, with whom they guarantee a buy back of their harvest. Eight of Luce Farm’s 206 acres are being cultivated to grow hemp in Stockbridge, and the Pimentels are investing in the property’s agricultural future, with plans to raise other medicinal herbs, including arnica, calendula, lemon balm and more.

Value Ad For Ski School & Race School

For more info or to book a demo visit us at snofolio.com @snofolioUSA

WINTER CARNIVALS  TORCHLIGHT PARADES  WEDDINGS PRIVATE PARTIES  CORPORATE EVENTS  AND MORE! There’s something magical about the way fireworks fill the sky with exploding shapes, luminous

As Luce Farm Wellness grows, Joe and Rebecca find themselves focusing more energy on the business than on farming, but they know they’ll transition back to working more in their fields in the future. “Startup business is one of the most stressful things in life,” Joe says, “but all of that magic that happens around it is what keeps us working 18 hours a day.”

“We’ve definitely made some decision that have made it a little more difficult, but we think they have generally been for the good,” Rebecca says, speaking to their focus on top-quality product and their honest, transparent approach to business. And, she jokes, “It’s way better than selling tomatoes.”

N killington.com

colors and triumphant finales full of

crackles, booms and whistles.

Fireworks are surprisingly more affordable than you think!

Contact us today for your free site visit and consultation!

(802) 229-9690 WWW.NORTHSTARFIREWORKS.COM P.O. BOX 65, EAST MONTPELIER, VT

Made in VT 129

Ski hard...

Eat well...

Sleep sound...

The future of snow sports progression Mobile Ski Lesson Video Feedback

cont from p122

Lodging - Dining - Beverages Birch Ridge Inn 37 Butler Road, Killington VT

birchridge.com 800.435.8566

farming knowledge to grow 100 cannabis clones. They had, after all, been farming since 2007, when they’d moved from Beacon Hill, the neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, to a farmhouse in Scituate, a town on the south shore, where they had started growing vegetables, raising chickens and operating a small dairy.

“There weren’t really farms down there, and people weren’t really connected to their food, and it was super bothersome to us,” Rebecca says. “We found a real passion to correct that.”

People began traveling to their farm from an hour away to purchase fresh, raw milk that otherwise wasn’t widely available, and the Pimentels began to realize the demand for healthier foods and a connection to farms.

“We turned our little hobby farm into a CSA,” Rebecca continues. “Over the course of a couple years, we grew out of our small farm in Scituate and moved to Pittsfield. One of our friends had a farm there for lease, and we expanded our growing operation and networking with lots of other growers and producers.” Their Sweet Georgia P’s CSA swelled to nearly 400 weekly members, and they delivered produce to pickup points on the South Shore and in Boston, Connecticut and New York City. “You would open the truck, and people would ravage it,” Rebecca jokes about the demand for quality Vermont produce. But back to that first year growing cannabis.

That fall, the Pimentels harvested enormous plants.

But they found themselves with no market to which to sell it. CBD was a relatively new commodity, and the Pimentels met with the investors who’d hired them and agreed to split the product in half while they figured out their next move. They spent the winter reading and learning about CBD’s properties and how to extract the lipids that they began mixing with butter and coconut oil in their home kitchen. They produced a highly powerful substance that looked like a thick sludge.

“We thought, what if we blended this with honey and made the taste more favorable?” recalls Rebecca, who began taking it and started to notice that her fingers weren’t as stiff as usual. They started giving it to neighbors, who’d return with positive feedback, and improved

128 Made in VT

killington.com

their lipid extraction process to refine each batch’s consistency in CBD concentration before they began to sell their hemp-infused honey at area farmers’ markets.

“That was when it clicked in our minds that we had something that was actually of interest to people,” Rebecca says. “We were having a crazy amount of sales, and people were driving two hours to pick up products from us, which was really exciting.” It was 2017, and Luce Farm’s entire marketing and online presence consisted of a Facebook page.

Through 2018, their sales increased tenfold, and Luce Farm Wellness products—which now span from fullspectrum hemp extract to hemp-infused honey, coconut oil, body balm and a variety of other herbs—are today available in more than 200 stores. The business has swelled beyond just Joe and Rebecca—they have a CEO, David Barash, who’s worked with mission-driven businesses like Ben & Jerry’s, Stonyfield Yogurt and Outward Bound; a board of advisors that includes Jerry Greenfield (half of the duo behind the eponymous ice-cream brand); and partnerships with seven other Vermont farms to grow their hemp, with whom they guarantee a buy back of their harvest. Eight of Luce Farm’s 206 acres are being cultivated to grow hemp in Stockbridge, and the Pimentels are investing in the property’s agricultural future, with plans to raise other medicinal herbs, including arnica, calendula, lemon balm and more.

Value Ad For Ski School & Race School

For more info or to book a demo visit us at snofolio.com @snofolioUSA

WINTER CARNIVALS  TORCHLIGHT PARADES  WEDDINGS PRIVATE PARTIES  CORPORATE EVENTS  AND MORE! There’s something magical about the way fireworks fill the sky with exploding shapes, luminous

As Luce Farm Wellness grows, Joe and Rebecca find themselves focusing more energy on the business than on farming, but they know they’ll transition back to working more in their fields in the future. “Startup business is one of the most stressful things in life,” Joe says, “but all of that magic that happens around it is what keeps us working 18 hours a day.”

“We’ve definitely made some decision that have made it a little more difficult, but we think they have generally been for the good,” Rebecca says, speaking to their focus on top-quality product and their honest, transparent approach to business. And, she jokes, “It’s way better than selling tomatoes.”

N killington.com

colors and triumphant finales full of

crackles, booms and whistles.

Fireworks are surprisingly more affordable than you think!

Contact us today for your free site visit and consultation!

(802) 229-9690 WWW.NORTHSTARFIREWORKS.COM P.O. BOX 65, EAST MONTPELIER, VT

Made in VT 129

LISTEN LIKE

A LOCAL

Buy your My Pico Season Pass and get a

FREE YOUTH PASS for ages 12 and under with the purchase of an adult pass.

Check out our Podcast

KILLINGTON PICO

Lifeat4241.libsyn.com

AREA ASSOCIATION

KILLINGTONPICO.ORG

(866) 667 PICO

[VIVID] Local color. picomountain.com/tickets

LISTEN LIKE

A LOCAL

Buy your My Pico Season Pass and get a

FREE YOUTH PASS for ages 12 and under with the purchase of an adult pass.

Check out our Podcast

KILLINGTON PICO

Lifeat4241.libsyn.com

AREA ASSOCIATION

KILLINGTONPICO.ORG

(866) 667 PICO

[VIVID] Local color. picomountain.com/tickets

D

132 BaseCamp

killington.com

killington.com

Barnard 133

D

132 BaseCamp

killington.com

killington.com

Barnard 133

Barnard doesn’t look like much more than a postWoodstock and Bethel on Route 12 and only about five miles northeast of Killington, as the crow flies.

Fable Farm Fermentory grew out of a CSA that’s now known as Heartwood Farm and today—in addition to hosting events—focuses on fermenting unfiltered, unpasteurized wines made from apples, grapes and other fruits and flavors grown on their Barnard farm. Their wines are available in many states across the U.S., as well as each Thursday night throughout the summer at the Feast & Field Markets hosted at their farm on Royalton Turnpike.D

ter of this 900-person town are the threads that knit together Vermont’s pastoral fabric. Between

Silver Lake and Barnard’s town green and among the narrow and dirt roads that wind away from the original-as-can-be general store lie the essential ingredients of Green Mountain charm. It’s not a quick

D

Fable Farm Fermentory

But miniature villages like that which lie at the cen-

embraCe the nightliFe | Feast & Field Market

Drink it in

age-stamp-sized crossroads, equidistant between

Every Thursday from late spring through mid autumn, Feast & Field Market welcomes farmers and artisans from Barnard and the surrounding area to gather at the historic Clark Farm. The event begins each week at 5 p.m., with live music beginning shortly thereafter and prepared food and drink served until nightfall, followed by a campfire jam that welcomes all types of musicians.

From the village green, head east on Stage Road, and as it turns southward after about a mile, bear left onto Royalton Turnpike. Continue north for another 1.5 miles.

drive from Killington, but both the trip and the destination are worth it.

Feel the l anDSCape | Sabra Field Gallery Stay Cool | Silver Lake State Park

Sabra Field’s artwork is well known throughout Vermont, with her bold lines capturing farmlands and mountainous landscapes in signature bright, lively colors—she’s illustrated calendars, stamps, books and posters. Field moved to East Barnard nearly 50 years ago, and the area surrounding her home has served as constant inspiration that’s made many a Vermonter into a collector of her prints.

On a warm summer day, Silver Lake simply begs passersby to jump in. Many people will do so from the lawn opposite the Barnard General Store, where a handful of picnic tables sit roadside next to a small parking area. About a quarter mile up North Road lies 34-acre Silver Lake State Park, known for its sandy beachfront. At the waterfront, boat and SUP rentals are available, and Silver Lake offers pike, perch and bass fishing. Want to soak it in for a few days? The park encompasses 39 campsites and seven lean-to shelters and like with all Vermont State Parks, there’s a nominal day-use fee.

Sure, Vermont’s general stores are practically a dime a dozen. But the Barnard General Store? It’s all that and more, which is easy to see upon sidling up to the vintage ice cream parlor counter for a sundae, a stack of pancakes or a deli lunch. In addition to the made-to-order food, craft beer selection, baked goods and more, the Barnard General Store’s history alone makes it worth a visit, founded in the 1830s, shuddered in 2012 and then revitalized thanks to new, young managers and a heroic fundraising effort by the Barnard Community Trust and the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

D

D

D 134 BaseCamp

Field’s gallery lies about 15 minutes east of Barnard village on East Barnard Road. Gallery tours can be scheduled through her website.

reFuel | Barnard General Store

killington.com

D

killington.com

Barnard 135

Barnard doesn’t look like much more than a postWoodstock and Bethel on Route 12 and only about five miles northeast of Killington, as the crow flies.

Fable Farm Fermentory grew out of a CSA that’s now known as Heartwood Farm and today—in addition to hosting events—focuses on fermenting unfiltered, unpasteurized wines made from apples, grapes and other fruits and flavors grown on their Barnard farm. Their wines are available in many states across the U.S., as well as each Thursday night throughout the summer at the Feast & Field Markets hosted at their farm on Royalton Turnpike.D

ter of this 900-person town are the threads that knit together Vermont’s pastoral fabric. Between

Silver Lake and Barnard’s town green and among the narrow and dirt roads that wind away from the original-as-can-be general store lie the essential ingredients of Green Mountain charm. It’s not a quick

D

Fable Farm Fermentory

But miniature villages like that which lie at the cen-

embraCe the nightliFe | Feast & Field Market

Drink it in

age-stamp-sized crossroads, equidistant between

Every Thursday from late spring through mid autumn, Feast & Field Market welcomes farmers and artisans from Barnard and the surrounding area to gather at the historic Clark Farm. The event begins each week at 5 p.m., with live music beginning shortly thereafter and prepared food and drink served until nightfall, followed by a campfire jam that welcomes all types of musicians.

From the village green, head east on Stage Road, and as it turns southward after about a mile, bear left onto Royalton Turnpike. Continue north for another 1.5 miles.

drive from Killington, but both the trip and the destination are worth it.

Feel the l anDSCape | Sabra Field Gallery Stay Cool | Silver Lake State Park

Sabra Field’s artwork is well known throughout Vermont, with her bold lines capturing farmlands and mountainous landscapes in signature bright, lively colors—she’s illustrated calendars, stamps, books and posters. Field moved to East Barnard nearly 50 years ago, and the area surrounding her home has served as constant inspiration that’s made many a Vermonter into a collector of her prints.

On a warm summer day, Silver Lake simply begs passersby to jump in. Many people will do so from the lawn opposite the Barnard General Store, where a handful of picnic tables sit roadside next to a small parking area. About a quarter mile up North Road lies 34-acre Silver Lake State Park, known for its sandy beachfront. At the waterfront, boat and SUP rentals are available, and Silver Lake offers pike, perch and bass fishing. Want to soak it in for a few days? The park encompasses 39 campsites and seven lean-to shelters and like with all Vermont State Parks, there’s a nominal day-use fee.

Sure, Vermont’s general stores are practically a dime a dozen. But the Barnard General Store? It’s all that and more, which is easy to see upon sidling up to the vintage ice cream parlor counter for a sundae, a stack of pancakes or a deli lunch. In addition to the made-to-order food, craft beer selection, baked goods and more, the Barnard General Store’s history alone makes it worth a visit, founded in the 1830s, shuddered in 2012 and then revitalized thanks to new, young managers and a heroic fundraising effort by the Barnard Community Trust and the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

D

D

D 134 BaseCamp

Field’s gallery lies about 15 minutes east of Barnard village on East Barnard Road. Gallery tours can be scheduled through her website.

reFuel | Barnard General Store

killington.com

D

killington.com

Barnard 135

LEITWOLF

RACE-READY GROOMING

SAY I DO WITH A VIEW The place you love with the people you love most.

Begin your next chapter at Killington and ski for the season on us. killington.com/weddings

Bonus Barnard Hot Spots LEARN Charles B. Danforth Library facebook.com/charlesbdanforthlibrary BarnArts Center for the Arts barnarts.org EAT The Barnard Inn Restaurant & Max’s Tavern barnardinn.com Kiss the Cow Farm Store kissthecowfarm.com/farm-store

THE IDEAL COMBINATION OF PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY The LEITWOLF is the undisputed champion when it comes to delivering perfect results without compromise. Featuring state-of-the-art controls, optimal in-cab operator comfort and a powerful Tier4 523 hp engine (390 kW), it is the ideal solution for any ski resort needing to push large amounts of snow on steep terrain.

Now also available with the proven POSIFLEX tiller, the LEITWOLF generates that perfect corduroy finish your guests are longing for. Contact your PRINOTH representative now to learn how the POSIFLEX-equiped LEITWOLF is the best option for your mountain.

prinoth.com

STAY Maple Leaf Inn mapleleafinn.com

Twin Farms twinfarms.com

Fun Facts Barnard was originally called Bernard, but neither was a typo. The town was first named for Sir Francis Bernard, a grantee of the town, when chartered in 1761.

The name was formally changed sometime before 1810 for reasons unknown.

Silver Lake has also gone by more than one name, including Barnard Pond and Stebbings’ Pond. It’s held its current name, however, since 1869.

Barnard’s town center is at least a 35-minute drive from the nearest stoplight, by all accounts located 24 miles away in White River Junction.

888-644-7263 weddings@killington.com

Of Vermont’s 251 towns, Barnard ranks among the 65 percent with fewer than 1,000 residents, according to the 2010 census.

N killington.com

Barnard 137

LEITWOLF

RACE-READY GROOMING

SAY I DO WITH A VIEW The place you love with the people you love most.

Begin your next chapter at Killington and ski for the season on us. killington.com/weddings

Bonus Barnard Hot Spots LEARN Charles B. Danforth Library facebook.com/charlesbdanforthlibrary BarnArts Center for the Arts barnarts.org EAT The Barnard Inn Restaurant & Max’s Tavern barnardinn.com Kiss the Cow Farm Store kissthecowfarm.com/farm-store

THE IDEAL COMBINATION OF PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY The LEITWOLF is the undisputed champion when it comes to delivering perfect results without compromise. Featuring state-of-the-art controls, optimal in-cab operator comfort and a powerful Tier4 523 hp engine (390 kW), it is the ideal solution for any ski resort needing to push large amounts of snow on steep terrain.

Now also available with the proven POSIFLEX tiller, the LEITWOLF generates that perfect corduroy finish your guests are longing for. Contact your PRINOTH representative now to learn how the POSIFLEX-equiped LEITWOLF is the best option for your mountain.

prinoth.com

STAY Maple Leaf Inn mapleleafinn.com

Twin Farms twinfarms.com

Fun Facts Barnard was originally called Bernard, but neither was a typo. The town was first named for Sir Francis Bernard, a grantee of the town, when chartered in 1761.

The name was formally changed sometime before 1810 for reasons unknown.

Silver Lake has also gone by more than one name, including Barnard Pond and Stebbings’ Pond. It’s held its current name, however, since 1869.

Barnard’s town center is at least a 35-minute drive from the nearest stoplight, by all accounts located 24 miles away in White River Junction.

888-644-7263 weddings@killington.com

Of Vermont’s 251 towns, Barnard ranks among the 65 percent with fewer than 1,000 residents, according to the 2010 census.

N killington.com

Barnard 137

EVERYDAY GEAR. Make every day a great day with the right gear from Killington Sports. Our team works, lives, and plays in outdoor gear. From instore purchases to online orders, get the best gear and advice at Killington Sports.

Located in every base lodge and at the corner of Killington Road and Route 4. www.killingtonsports.com

GOLF

BIKE

PARK

BIKE PARK

GOLF

COURSE

PEAK LODGE

PEAK

LODGE

SNOW SPORTS SCHOOL

SNOW

SPORTS SCHOOL

EVERYDAY GEAR. Make every day a great day with the right gear from Killington Sports. Our team works, lives, and plays in outdoor gear. From instore purchases to online orders, get the best gear and advice at Killington Sports.

Located in every base lodge and at the corner of Killington Road and Route 4. www.killingtonsports.com

GOLF

BIKE

PARK

BIKE PARK

GOLF

COURSE

PEAK LODGE

PEAK

LODGE

SNOW SPORTS SCHOOL

SNOW

SPORTS SCHOOL

SHE WAS 5.

YOU WERE DOING 50.

UA SPORTSTYLE DOWN PARKA

SO WARM, YOU WON’T WANT TO COME IN Our down jackets are built with 100% real down from Allied down – so you know they’ll keep you warm and that they’re

responsibly-sourced, traceable, and sustainably processed.

Elise Johnson was just learning to ski when an out-of-control 23 year-old struck and killed her.

Learn more at nsaa.org/safety-programs/collisions And remember — safe skiing saves lives.

#R I D E ANOTHER DAY

SHE WAS 5.

YOU WERE DOING 50.

UA SPORTSTYLE DOWN PARKA

SO WARM, YOU WON’T WANT TO COME IN Our down jackets are built with 100% real down from Allied down – so you know they’ll keep you warm and that they’re

responsibly-sourced, traceable, and sustainably processed.

Elise Johnson was just learning to ski when an out-of-control 23 year-old struck and killed her.

Learn more at nsaa.org/safety-programs/collisions And remember — safe skiing saves lives.

#R I D E ANOTHER DAY

Parting Shots Gravity Fed

S

pring snowmelt feeds innumerable waterfalls around the state of Vermont. Waterfalls are synonymous with the idyllic Vermont mountain landscape, but most are relatively small by global standards. Angel Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall, plummets 3,212 feet into a remote canyon in a rainforest in Venezuela, according to National Geographic. The water, from the Gauja River, often does not reach the bottom. The fall is so long, and so steep, that air pressure is often stronger than the water pressure of the falls, causing the water to turn to mist before it ever reaches the small tributary below.

Parting Shots

Via Lactea

he Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, about 100,000 light-years across. If you could look down on it from the top, you would see a central bulge surrounded by four large spiral arms that wrap around it. It contains over 200 billion stars, and enough dust and gas to make billions more. More than half the stars found in the Milky Way are older than the 4.5-billion-year-old sun.

Dave Young

Chandler Burgess

T

— 4241’ killington.com

shot 143

Parting Shots Gravity Fed

S

pring snowmelt feeds innumerable waterfalls around the state of Vermont. Waterfalls are synonymous with the idyllic Vermont mountain landscape, but most are relatively small by global standards. Angel Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall, plummets 3,212 feet into a remote canyon in a rainforest in Venezuela, according to National Geographic. The water, from the Gauja River, often does not reach the bottom. The fall is so long, and so steep, that air pressure is often stronger than the water pressure of the falls, causing the water to turn to mist before it ever reaches the small tributary below.

Parting Shots

Via Lactea

he Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, about 100,000 light-years across. If you could look down on it from the top, you would see a central bulge surrounded by four large spiral arms that wrap around it. It contains over 200 billion stars, and enough dust and gas to make billions more. More than half the stars found in the Milky Way are older than the 4.5-billion-year-old sun.

Dave Young

Chandler Burgess

T

— 4241’ killington.com

shot 143

FARM TO NIGHTCLUB For 55 years this Killington icon has served up more fresh food and good times than we can count. From local ingredients to craft beer and cocktails, the Wobbly serves up the best of Killington and MORE.

Killington.com/wobbly

Steakhouse & Nightclub

Steakhouse & Nightclub

FARM TO NIGHTCLUB For 55 years this Killington icon has served up more fresh food and good times than we can count. From local ingredients to craft beer and cocktails, the Wobbly serves up the best of Killington and MORE.

Killington.com/wobbly

Steakhouse & Nightclub

Steakhouse & Nightclub

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

LUNCH • DINNER • MUSIC • WEDDINGS • EVENTS

6 3 S U M M I T PAT H , K I L L I N G T O N , V T • 8 0 2 - 4 2 2 - 5 3 3 5 •

W W W . F O U N D RY K I L L I N G T O N . C O M