Highway Star
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Killington's Impending Infrastructure Collapse
All this talk about POWDR's Killington "capital improvements" (aka basic maintenance) lead me to ask the question:
The way Killington is going, where will they be in 10 years?
I first skied Killington in 1988, but started skiing there regularly in 2004. Ten years ago, in 2005, there was plenty of talk about neglect, old lifts and old lodges. Now ten years on, upkeep of the infrastructure has improved, but the rate of replacement is sorely lacking.
Since 2005, they have installed one new lift (reusing old towers), replaced a lodge and a section of a lodge. They have removed two lifts without replacing them. That is a net loss.
In the past 15 years (2000-2015), Killington has installed one lift (Skye Peak Quad).
In the 15 years prior (1985-2000), Killington installed 2 gondolas, 4 detachable quads, 3 fixed grip quads, and 2 doublechairs. In most cases, these lifts replaced existing lifts that were 20-25 years old and lacked capacity.
Does anybody else see a problem with Killington's current rate of re-investment?
Snowshed and Superstar Quads were built in 1987. They are 28 years old. They are two of the oldest HSQ in the country. Pico's two HSQ are from '87 and '88. Are there any plans to replace these aging primary lifts, like Killington's competitors have done? If these lifts are not replaced in the next ten years, they will be older than any of the oldest HSQ's operating today.
Here's an example of an old HSQ, that was removed from Breck and sold after 20 years in service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeCa3Ud5cps
Love the comment:
The only other detach quad in VT that is as old is Mount Snow's summit quad. Killington has FOUR of these lifts.
Stowe recently replaced it's 1986 ForeRunner quad, which was very well maintained. But it was 25 years old, so they replaced it. BAM. Looks nice, doesn't it...?
http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/lifts/viewlift.php?id=826
In the next ten years, Killington will have multiple lifts that will be getting dangerously old. We are already seeing an increased rate of failure with the rampant lift stopages. How are they possibly going to replace these lifts when they are not showing any willingness to spend real money on the mountain? What if someone is looking to buy property at Killington.......where will the mountain be in 10 years?
By the year 2025, what will the fate of these other lifts be?
Bear Quad (1979) - already Killington's oldest primary lift (chairs swapped to quad in 1984), will this still be in service in 10 years, at an astounding 45 years old? Will they drop $3m for a new fixed grip replacement?
Snowshed Doubles - Rebuilt in 1987, but the towers date from 1961. Will the towers make it past 60 years old, or will they be replaced by a new 6-pack lift on snowshed?
North Ridge Triple (1972) - Already appearing on lists of oldest chairlifts in operation, this lift will be 53 years old in 2025. It would have been replaced some time in the last 10 years by any other resort operator.
Snowdon Triple (1973) - Ditto.
Skyeship Gondola (1994) - Hard to imagine, but in 2025, the Skyeship will be 31 years old. That will make it one of the oldest operating Gondola's in the country. I'd be willing to bet Stowe replaces it's Gondola in the next 5 years, while Killington does not replace the Skyeship by 2025.
And lets not even get started with the Lodges. Killington is in serious trouble. If they don't get their act together and start spending some money, they will eventually run out of turd to polish.
All this talk about POWDR's Killington "capital improvements" (aka basic maintenance) lead me to ask the question:
The way Killington is going, where will they be in 10 years?
I first skied Killington in 1988, but started skiing there regularly in 2004. Ten years ago, in 2005, there was plenty of talk about neglect, old lifts and old lodges. Now ten years on, upkeep of the infrastructure has improved, but the rate of replacement is sorely lacking.
Since 2005, they have installed one new lift (reusing old towers), replaced a lodge and a section of a lodge. They have removed two lifts without replacing them. That is a net loss.
In the past 15 years (2000-2015), Killington has installed one lift (Skye Peak Quad).
In the 15 years prior (1985-2000), Killington installed 2 gondolas, 4 detachable quads, 3 fixed grip quads, and 2 doublechairs. In most cases, these lifts replaced existing lifts that were 20-25 years old and lacked capacity.
Does anybody else see a problem with Killington's current rate of re-investment?
Snowshed and Superstar Quads were built in 1987. They are 28 years old. They are two of the oldest HSQ in the country. Pico's two HSQ are from '87 and '88. Are there any plans to replace these aging primary lifts, like Killington's competitors have done? If these lifts are not replaced in the next ten years, they will be older than any of the oldest HSQ's operating today.
Here's an example of an old HSQ, that was removed from Breck and sold after 20 years in service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeCa3Ud5cps
Love the comment:
The only other detach quad in VT that is as old is Mount Snow's summit quad. Killington has FOUR of these lifts.
Stowe recently replaced it's 1986 ForeRunner quad, which was very well maintained. But it was 25 years old, so they replaced it. BAM. Looks nice, doesn't it...?
http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/lifts/viewlift.php?id=826
In the next ten years, Killington will have multiple lifts that will be getting dangerously old. We are already seeing an increased rate of failure with the rampant lift stopages. How are they possibly going to replace these lifts when they are not showing any willingness to spend real money on the mountain? What if someone is looking to buy property at Killington.......where will the mountain be in 10 years?
By the year 2025, what will the fate of these other lifts be?
Bear Quad (1979) - already Killington's oldest primary lift (chairs swapped to quad in 1984), will this still be in service in 10 years, at an astounding 45 years old? Will they drop $3m for a new fixed grip replacement?
Snowshed Doubles - Rebuilt in 1987, but the towers date from 1961. Will the towers make it past 60 years old, or will they be replaced by a new 6-pack lift on snowshed?
North Ridge Triple (1972) - Already appearing on lists of oldest chairlifts in operation, this lift will be 53 years old in 2025. It would have been replaced some time in the last 10 years by any other resort operator.
Snowdon Triple (1973) - Ditto.
Skyeship Gondola (1994) - Hard to imagine, but in 2025, the Skyeship will be 31 years old. That will make it one of the oldest operating Gondola's in the country. I'd be willing to bet Stowe replaces it's Gondola in the next 5 years, while Killington does not replace the Skyeship by 2025.
And lets not even get started with the Lodges. Killington is in serious trouble. If they don't get their act together and start spending some money, they will eventually run out of turd to polish.
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