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Killington Ski Resort history
Killington Ski Resort company history timeline
Initially called Killington Basin Ski Area, the resort opened for business on December 13, 1958.
UPPER SNOWDON POMA (POMA) - Built in 1958, this is one of the mountains original 2 lifts.
KILLINTON PEAK CHAIR (POMA) - built in 1960 this was the original summit lift.
More trails were cut, additional lifts were installed (the first chair lift came in 1960), and the state again supported the resort by constructing a large day lodge and expanding the parking lot.
Throughout the 1960’s, ski areas including Big Bromley and Killington began to install snowmaking systems.
One of Smith's most significant early decisions, in 1963, was to install a snowmaking system, which was unheard of in Vermont, where there was much natural snow.
Beginning in the 1967-68 season, skiers could also ski the first hour at Killington without a charge, allowing them to test conditions before buying a ticket.
By 1968 the resort was recording more than 300,000 annual skier visits, providing $2 million in revenue.
Killington would not install any more lifts until the late 1970’s.
The area grew significantly, and bought the nearby Glen Ellen ski area during the late 1970’s.
Founded in 1971, the paper has gone through many transitions, now expanding into web and mobile platforms in addition to its weekly newspaper and semi-annual magazines. – See more at: Here
NORTH RIDGE TRIPLE (HERON-POMA) - Built in 1972 and originally called the Glades Triple, this chair replaced the Glades Poma.
In 1972 the company purchased a 52 percent share of Sunday River, a ski resort in western Maine, which had many weaknesses, including a poor marketing program and a shortage of indoor space.
Carroll, Hanson. "They Call it Snow Farming." Vermont Life Winter 1972: 11-13.
SNOWDON TRIPLE (HERON-POMA) - A 1973 Poma Heron chair that follows the line of Killington's orignal pomalift.
Sherburne raised its share of ownership in Sunday River to 67 percent in 1973.
KILLINGTON DOUBLE (HALL/YAN/CTEC) - Built by Hall in 1975 the second Killington peak chair was modified later by Yan with a new top drive terminal and later by CTEC with new chair frames and grips.
SOUTH RIDGE TRIPLE (YAN) - Built by Yan in 1977, this lift forms a triangle with seperate tower going up and down.
In 1977 Lyndon drugstore owner Dennis Stevens commented "I’ve been burned too many times with this mountain," (English 22). Ambitious plans have always been in the works, but lack of money had prompted owners to scale back any developments.
He sold it to manager Les Otten, in 1980.
Permits have been provided for expansion, including "Six new top to bottom trails, new quad chair in East Bowl (originally planned for 1980)!, high speed quad to summit, and 90% snowmaking
In 1982, Okemo was unable to borrow money to install a needed chairlift (banks were not in the lending mood-sound familiar?), so stockholders/owners decided to sell the area to someone with the wherewithal to update the mountain.
DEVIL'S FIDDLE (YAN) - Built in 1983 by Yan this was killington's first quad.
SKYE PEAK QUAD (YAN) - Built in 1984 this was Killington's second Quad.
Do you have any way of finding out what restaurants were open in 1984? And if so is there any record of employees? My parents used to work on the mountain and it would be cool to find this kind of information.
SUPERSTAR (YAN/POMA) - The superstar quad was built by Yan in 1987.
In 1987 it recorded some 1.6 million skier visits, bringing in revenues of $66.1 million.
By 1987, only 39 ski areas were in operation (Lorentz 249). However, to offset these losses, larger mountains began to explode.
The purchase of Goldmine (Bear Mountain) in January 1988 was part of an aggressive acquisitions strategy to continue that growth.
The company also continued to make large investments, including the installation of "high-speed quads" (introduced at Killington in 1988), which were faster, four-person chair lifts.
Snow would be increased in size during the early 1990’s with the purchase of Haystack, just three miles down the road.
The early 1990’s saw several poor snow seasons, which brought the need for continuing snowmaking expansion and improvements.
But when permit conditions proved “too onerous,” Killington backed out (July 1991).
Tales From the Mountain: Mount Snow’s First 40 Years, 1993. (video)
During 1994, Sunday River Ski Resort purchased Sugarbush.
The line for the third section is still visable yet narrower as a powerline. It ran until 1994 when it was replaced by the Skyeship gondola.
In 1995 it completed its 36th year of consecutive profitability.
But in 1995 they also sold Bear Mountain (CA) after a Mexican Spotted Owl allegedly settled in between two ski trails.
On February 20, 1996, the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) announced that the State and Killington had signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” to explore a land exchange.
NEEDLES EYE QUAD (POMA) - Built by Poma in 1996 this high speed quad replaced the Needles Eye double following a new line slightly to the right.
In the summer of 1996, a startling event in the history of skiing happened.
Along with this purchase came more benefits for Vermont areas - in 1996 Sugarbush gained a new glade, Mt.
Also, Killington bought Pico Mountain in December, 1997, and plans are in place that will eventually connect the mountain to Killington via lifts and trails.
SUPERSTAR (YAN/POMA) - The superstar quad was built by Yan in 1987. It was later modified by Poma in 1997 with new grips, sheaves and line equiptment.
It was replaced by the K-1 gondola in 1998.
SUPERSTAR (YAN/POMA) - The superstar quad was built by Yan in 1987. It was modified by Poma again in 2004 with new chairs.
SKYE PEAK QUAD (Leitner-Poma) - Built in 2008 this high speed quad replaced the fixed grip Yan Quad of the same name.
Asked in 2008 why they sold, Smith had to think – there was no single answer but a myriad of factors.
It was removed from its original location summer of 2018 but will live on as the KMS Poma relocated to the Rams Head area. and going!
It was replaced with a fixed grip Leitner-Poma quad chair in 2019.
10 towns respond to Killington forest fire May 19, 2021
Safe practices for plant sales May 19, 2021
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Killington Ski Resort competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Snow | 1954 | $21.4M | 420 | - |
| Okemo Mountain Resort | - | $31.6M | 261 | - |
| Smugglers' Notch Resort | 1956 | $26.6M | 200 | 20 |
| Waterville Valley New Hampshire | 1829 | $96.0M | 50 | - |
| Loon Mountain Resort | 1966 | $40.0M | 750 | - |
| Summit at Snoqualmie | - | $49.9M | 780 | - |
| Jiminy Peak | 1948 | $57.0M | 750 | 7 |
| Telluride Ski Resort | 1972 | $20.9M | 200 | - |
| Jackson Hole Mountain Resort | 1963 | $140.0M | 1,400 | 13 |
| Aspen Ski Tours | 1971 | $9.7M | 121 | - |
Killington Ski Resort history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Killington Ski Resort, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Killington Ski Resort. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Killington Ski Resort. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Killington Ski Resort. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Killington Ski Resort and its employees or that of Zippia.
Killington Ski Resort may also be known as or be related to Killington Pico Ski Resorts Partners LLC, Killington Ski Area, Killington Ski Resort, Killington, Ltd., Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners LLC, Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners, LLC and Killington/pico Ski Resort Partners, Llc.