Industry News
Killington Resort in Vermont is assisting local ski resorts through its Community Mountain Support Fund, which provides funding for critical infrastructure improvements to small community ski areas across the Northeast. The goal of the fund is to strengthen grassroots skiing and riding by helping smaller mountains invest in essential operational needs. Those include: lift maintenance and repairs, guest experience improvement projects, snowmaking infrastructure, grooming equipment, and other upgrades to mountain operations.
These smaller ski areas often serve as entry points to the sport for new skiers and riders, making them an important part of the broader ski ecosystem. “We know that not all skiers and riders at Killington started their journey at The Beast,” Josh Reed, Communications Manager at Killington Resort, wrote to SnowBrains in an email. “That’s why we’re committed to supporting smaller local resorts through our new Community Mountain Support Fund—because having more opportunities to get on the hill is a win for everyone.”
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Killington understands and acknowledges that small community ski areas play a vital role in the winter sports ecosystem. These ski areas often provide affordable access to skiing and riding, entry points for beginners and youth programs, local winter recreation opportunities, and training grounds for future skiers and riders. Supporting these mountains helps sustain participation in the sport across the region.
The Community Mountain Support Fund is being administered in partnership with the Killington World Cup Foundation. The $200,000 fund’s main source of funding was the proceeds from the Skyeship gondola cabin auction. Additional contributions came from the $50,000 provided by the Killington World Cup Foundation. The Foundation actively engages with local communities, providing grants for youth development through ski racing programs and supporting ski educational initiatives. The foundation is committed to the growth of the sport and fostering a sense of camaraderie within the ski racing community.
Killington recently upgraded its Skyeship Gondola and replaced the lift’s original gondola cabins with 116 new ones. The resort received community feedback that they would love to keep the gondolas local. “Rather than auctioning the retired cabins en masse to a corporate entity, we decided to auction them to the local community,” Reed said. “The gondolas sold out in less than 20 minutes.” The proceeds from the auction are being used to establish the Community Mountain Support Fund.
Killington Resort is providing a great opportunity for local ski hills and resorts that may need to improve their mountains but lack the financial ability to do so. The Killington World Cup Foundation will review applications and determine grant recipients. The foundation regularly supports winter sports initiatives and community programs across the region and will manage the evaluation and selection process for this program. The application process and timeline for the Community Mountain Support Fund are currently open to eligible ski areas.
The Community Mountain Support Fund aligns closely with Killington’s Upward & Outward initiative, which focuses on sustainability, community partnerships, and positive impact within the broader outdoor and winter sports community. Two key pillars of Upward & Outward connect directly to this initiative. The first is to strengthen the broader ski community by supporting regional mountains where many skiers and riders first learn the sport. The second is taking visible, meaningful action that demonstrates leadership in the ski industry and contributes to the sport’s long-term health. The mission of Killington’s Upward and Outward is to respect our people and our environment, make meaningful connections, and lead in doing good.
The Community Mountain Support Fund originated from the recent modernization of the Skyeship Gondola at Killington. As part of the project, 116 new gondola cabins were installed, the gondola service and storage barn were renovated, and the loading infrastructure was upgraded. The improvements were part of a broader $60 million investment in mountain infrastructure, of which $38 million has been completed to date. The original Skyeship cabins dated back to the lift’s opening in the mid-1990s.
This initiative from Killington supports, strengthens, and invests in local and regional resorts, while also using the sale of its gondolas creatively to help its community resorts. From the Skyeship Gondola cabin auction, $150,000 was allocated to the fund, with an additional $50,000 contribution from the Killington World Cup Foundation. The goals and mission are to help community mountains with their infrastructure projects. Eligible ski resorts are encouraged to apply for funding.
The application deadline is March 25, 2026, and will be reviewed by the foundation between late March and April. Funding will be awarded to selected community ski areas across the Northeast to support infrastructure improvements that strengthen their operations. Industry stewardship Upcoming Announcement Grant recipients for the Community Mountain Support Fund will be publicly announced on April 25, 2026, along with details about the infrastructure projects the funding will support.
