Killington, USA - Vermont

SirBubbsAlot from UNITED KINGDOM writes:

Just returned from a two week journey to Killington, USA. In a nutshell: big mountain, bad experience.

1.) 3000 vertical feet. Well kinda, the only way to ski 3000 feet is on beginner trails.

2.) 7 giant peaks. Well kinda, Killington Peak, Snowdon Peak, Bear Mountain, Sky Peak, Rams Head, and Pico. But Rams Head lift doesn't go to the top of that peak and the peak is 'closed'. You can't even get to Pico from Killington on skis. The rest of the giant peaks top out at 1000'-1500' of vertical at best, 1/3 to 1/2 the size Killington touts.

3.) 6 great lodges. Well kinda, Peak lodge (which I expected to be the cool spot to hang out) was closed 90% of the time. Food at Bear Mtn Lodge and Killington Lodge was nothing short of gross. Never made it to Ramshead, Snowshed had better food options, but you had to deal with skiing with all the beginners to get in and out of there. Skyship base wasn't much more than a convenience store. And you can't get to Pico from Killington.

4.) Largest snowmaking system on the planet. Well I guess so. we never saw it operate during our two week holiday.

5.) Most chairlift capacity in New England? Could be, except we never saw half of them run. More ran on Saturdays, but some never ran the whole time we were there.

6.) Best nightlife in NE ski country? God I hope not. The bars remind me of Bourbon St in New Orleans the week after Mardi Gras. Dirty, dingy, run down, stinking of old beer (or was that urine) and don't even bother if it's not Friday or Saturday nights. Week day nights are quiet. Venturing into the city of Rutland was scary, at least at the nudie clubs.

Overall, I give Killington a 4 out of 10. There is some good skiing, but it's not what they claim. If you are there for anything other than the skiing, you have made a mistake.

2009-03-16

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