Killington among New England resorts welcoming winter’s approach

While those of us down at sea level are just getting used to the frigid temperatures and shorter days, winter is in full swing at ski resorts like Killington in Vermont and at other resorts in New Hampshire and Maine. Snow sports enthusiasts from all over New England and many from New York packed lift lines at Killington for opening day on Nov. 16. Those who made the trek were treated to some of the best terrain open on the East Coast.The Johnson family of Hamilton was up for opening weekend, and all were impressed by Killington’s size and open terrain so early in the season. Marc Johnson said, “We came because I got an email from Killington saying they were opening. I haven’t been here since my high school ski club and my family has never been. We usually go to New Hampshire but decided to try somewhere that might have more terrain open, and we were all surprised when we saw how big Killington is and how much intermediate and expert terrain is open.”In an interview at Killington on Nov. 17, Killington Communications Manager Tom Horrocks explained, “Usually we concentrated our snow-making efforts early in the season on Snowdon and Ramshead, which at lower elevations don’t always offer optimal snowmaking conditions, so we were always fighting to keep enough snow on those peaks. This year, we changed our business model and we concentrated our efforts on the basin area of our highest peak, K1. The snow stays better because of the higher elevation and we are serving our core customers that crave intermediate and expert terrain.”Killington, which opened in Dec. 1958, has had only four owners, most recently Powdr Corp., which bought the property from The American Skiing Company last spring. Powdr Corp is a Utah-based holding company headed by CEO John S. Cumming and COO Herwig Demschar, former coach of the US and Austrian ski teams. Powdr also owns Park City Mountain in Utah; Mt. Bachelor in Oregon; Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort in Nevada; Alpine Meadows at Lake Tahoe; and Boreal Mountain Resort and Soda Springs in California.Horrocks clarified the relationship between Powdr and Killington by saying, “They are a holding company like GE is to NBC. We have our own company, Killington Pico Resort Partners, LLC. They invested $5.3 million in resort upgrades and refurbishments for the 2007-2008 season. Upgrades include $2 million for the Killington Grand Resort and Hotel for new paint, fixtures, carpet and trim for all 200 guest rooms. Snowmaking system improvements, day lodge upgrades, and we mowed and trimmed 600 acres over the summer to reclaim the original width of our ski terrain. We also are focusing on improved guest experience and new learn-to-ski and ride programs.”Killington is open this weekend with 31 trails, seven lifts and pre-season lift ticket prices starting at $60 per day for adults. Visit www.killington.com for more info.In addition to Killington, these are the other resorts open in New England this weekend.MassachusettsWachusett Mountain, 4 trails and 3 lifts, www.wachusett.comNashoba Valley, scheduled to open today, www.skinashoba.comVermontStratton Mountain, 17 trails and 4 lifts, www.stratton.comJay Peak, 13 trails and 3 lifts, www.jaypeakresort.comMount Snow, 19 trails and 6 lifts, www.mountsnow.comSmugglers’ Notch, 4 trails and 1 lift, www.smuggs.comOkemo, 19 trails and 6 lifts, www.okemo.comStowe, 7 trails and 3 lifts, www.stowe.comSugarbush, 8 trails and 2 lifts, www.sugarbush.comNew HampshireWaterville Valley, 6 trails and 3 lifts, www.waterville.comBretton Woods, 11 trails, www.brettonwoods.comAttitash, 10 trails and 4 lifts, www.attitash.comLoon Mountain, 5 trails and 3 lifts, www.loonmtn.comMount Sunapee, 2 trails and 1 lift, www.mountsunapee.comCannon, 3 trails and 2 lifts, www.cannonmt.comMaineSunday River, 21 trails and 4 lifts, www.sundayriver.comSugarloaf, 9 trails and 4 lifts, www.sugarloaf.com