Killington, VT, Report: Opening Day—Blue Skies and Good Times

Skiers and riders in line at the K-1 Gondola. Source: David Michael

Report from Thursday, November 14, 2024

Newly independent Killington Resort, Vermont, opened today for the 2024-25 season. The skis were blue, the temperatures were mid-20s, and the crowd was excited. The K-1 Gondola took skiers to the summit, where they would ski off the Northridge Chair. This early season sequence is a rite of passage for many Eastern skiers, and those who come out this early know what to expect. For today, conditions and weather exceeded expectations.

Buoyed by Killington’s snowmaking, both the North Ridge and Superstar have benefited from Killington’s investment in high-efficiency snow guns. The resort is busy opening terrain for its guests while also racing the clock and weather to make the snow necessary to pass the FIS snow inspection in a week for the Killington Cup Thanksgiving Weekend. With favorable temperatures, the guns will run around the clock.

Visitors to Killington know the early season drill: ride the Gondola to ski off the North Ridge and hike up the stairway to the Gondola to download at the end of the day. The Hill built a small terrain park on Reason for riders and park skiers. Snow guns were running on Upper East Fall all day, and hopefully, it will be open by the weekend.

Related Article: Sunday River, ME, Opens Today, November 14, for the Season

Eastern ski areas live and die by the quality of their snow-making and grooming. Killington excels at both. It has invested in high-efficiency snow guns and new groomers. It has years of experience with personnel who know the nuances of the hill. The resort has five snowcats with snow depth technology that provides detailed knowledge of snowpack spread and depth. Both trails were beautifully prepared with man-made, Eastern hardpack. There were no rocks or bare spots with side-to-side snow coverage. Killington advertises that skiing is restricted to advanced skiers; no beginner terrain is available, and skiers and riders are good to heed their warning. This was great skiing, but the conditions require good technical skills.

Rime was one of two trails open and is located underneath the North Ridge chairlift. The snow from top to bottom was firm underfoot and responded well to strong edging skills. The upper 35 percent of the trail has a small piece of medium pitch, which drops to a flat run out with small rollers. It’s early season, and the trail hasn’t been filled yet. A small bump line developed to the skier’s left during the morning. After one crosses over the Great Northern (traffic alert), the longer, lower section of the trail has a consistent medium pitch to the bottom. The skier’s left line was firm with a smooth surface; a small bump field developed during the morning on the far skier’s left. A more angular line combined with a small side hill on the skier’s right provided a new look and challenges to the trail. Alternating between the two major lines provided different ways to approach the same run.

Reason was the second open trail open today and runs parallel to Rime. It ends at the intersection with Great Northern; the terrain park was built on this trail. As a practice, I generally avoid skiing in the parks to give everyone their space, but I had heard there was good snow; the report was true. Skiers right along the tree line had the smoothest, nicest feeling snow I found all day. Halfway down the trail, there is a freestyle jump, but if you roll over the edge and absorb it, there is a nice lower pitch for carving turns. Everyone has to be super careful through here as there are jumps and pipes; there are plenty of folks on the obstacles and hiking back up the slope as well.

In addition to beautiful weather and great conditions, Killington celebrated Passholders’ Appreciation Day by providing lunch for everyone. One could eat the Peak or K-1 Lodges or the Subie Shack at the bottom of the North Ridge. This has become a much-appreciated yearly tradition at the mountain.

The start of the season can never come quickly enough. Other Eastern ski areas will start to open. The West is being pummeled with snow, and areas are opening. Skiers and riders are looking forward to a long season ahead. Killington, The Beast of the East, will do their best to be there until the very end.