Killington trail tips for advanced beginners?

[Marta_P]

Hi, I will be in Woodstock the first half of next week and am hoping to try Killington with my daughter. I've reviewed the trail map on their website and am a little overwhelmed! I am an advanced beginner and my daughter is a low intermediate. Can anyone suggest some trails to try (greens and easy blues), and also thoughts on where to start? We are planning to park at the skyship gondola. Thanks in advance!!

 

[marzNC]

Don't know Killington at all. If you have more than one day, consider checking out Pico next door. It's the type of place that's easy to figure out in just a few runs. Quite good for skiers working on moving up from greens and easy blues.

 

[RachelV]

...We are planning to park at the skyship gondola. ...

I don't think they always run Skyeship on weekdays, so double check that it'll be running when you're there.

Ramshead is probably a nice place to start, though it's not particularly close to Skyeship. Ramshead is the only place on the mountain that's all greens and easy blues, so it's a nice place to start if you don't want to worry about taking a wrong turn. I might recommend parking there, honestly.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Next week is school vacation week for many in the area so I'd expect it to be crowded and I'll bet the Skyeship will be running.
Yes, I'd suggest parking at Ramshead or Snowshed. You can park at either Ramshead or Snowshed and easily move between the 2 as there is a tunnel to ski through. Ramshead is a bit steeper than Snowshed but it has more trail options. Snowshed is really just the beginner area---but it has the advantage of being really wide open on the main slope. In fact Snowshed is my "go to" place if I want to practice drills since it's so wide open especially if you get there early.

After that, you could take the K1 gondola up and take Great Northern. It used to be labeled green but they relabeled it blue not because it's a hard trail but because it gets lots of traffic and they were trying to discourage mixed abilities on it, as it gets used as a connector and some people fly along on it. Next week is school vacation week so I'd expect it to be pretty crowded.
Great Eastern is another long winding green run that can be accessed off the Superstar chair or the Sky Peak quad--I think Great Eastern does not see quite as much traffic (as Great Northern)--especially as you get further toward the bottom.

I don't consider most of the blues at Killington all that steep, but advanced beginner can mean different things to different people so I didn't want to suggest specific ones as I'm not sure where you are along the progression----doing wedge turns?, skiing more or less parallel but just not confident? Might be best to start on the greens and then feel it out and go from there.

 

[ride_ski]

As others have suggested, Ramshead will be the best area to start on. You can see how you both are feeling then venture a bit more. I expect it will be crowded as it is a vacation week.

 

[Marta_P]

Thank you! I will plan to park at Ramshead and go from there. We are in the area for a few days so may try Pico too!!

 

[Bonnie2617]

I also highly recommend great northern. Love that trail! I went to killlington as a beginner and spent most of my time at the snow shed trails and once I was warmed up went to great northern and Eastern. Have fun!!

 

[Cyprissa]

I grew up in that area and agree whole heartedly with the suggestions. I really recommend Pico...it is underrated, lightly trafficked and an absolute pleasure to ski for someone who is an advanced beginner or low intermediate.

 

[nopoleskier]

I agree w/Pico review and fyi.. Okemo is about 40 min South on 7 to 103..LOTS of green and easy blue cruisers.. but will be busy with the holiday week
Have fun!!

 

[Snowmonkey]

Another vote for Pico over Killington! Avoid the crowds and long lift lines. It may be cheaper to eat at Pico as well... K-ton's food prices are ridiculously expensive, so try to pack your lunches if you end up at K-ton.

 

[ski diva]

Yep, thumbs up to Pico!

 

[4sherms]

Not trying to hijack the thread--but am wondering if any of you Vermont skiers know if it's possible to ski Pico in April? Considering an Easter trip.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

@4sherms Pico usually closes fairly early--Like even as early as the last weekend in march if I remember correctly. I think they may sometimes offer a "bonus" weekend if there is sufficient snow but it will likely be closed at Easter this year since the holiday comes mid April this year.

 

[4sherms]

@4sherms Pico usually closes fairly early--Like even as early as the last weekend in march if I remember correctly. I think they may sometimes offer a "bonus" weekend if there is sufficient snow but it will likely be closed at Easter this year since the holiday comes mid April this year.

Thank you! That explains why the lodging I was looking at was so affordable.

 

[Marta_P]

Update: we ended up going to Okemo and loved it! There were so many great runs and the people were fantastic. I was prepared for crazy lines as it was school vacation week, but they weren't bad at all. Certainly compared with Loon, where we've gone on past vaca weeks, it was a breeze. I'm so grateful for everyone's input, thanks again!