Killington - Infrastructure Collapse Pending

[ThinkSnow]

Sunrise was also good when coming from the north. When ASC still owned SB & K, and lift tickets were good at both I liked to stop by Sunrise for a few runs on my drive home from SB. Sure the lift sucked, but parking was just a few steps away.

 

[Smellytele]

Sun Dog was actually an awesome trail, as were the steeps off Hawk's Nest. The lift sucked for sure though.

Another boneheaded and short sighted ASC move to remove it.

Was Sun Dog the trail that had streams running across it that you had to jump over? If so I hated that trail. It was flat and was just a PIA. Actually think that was the Sunrise trail I am talking about

 

[Rogman]

James Niehaus, the trail map guy, did a version for Killington that had all of Northeast Passage, the Interconnect, and Pico. Obviously K wouldn't have had that made if they'd ceded the rights. What Les Otten gave up was developing in Parker's Gore (in particular he wanted the water), and what he got in return was the interconnect and the water from Woodward Reservoir. Obviously, it was a complicated deal, involving multiple parties; everyone got something, even the bears.

 

[steamboat1]

It takes all of 2 minutes to drive from where the base of Sunrise was to the base of Skyeship, if that.

 

[Highway Star]

James Niehaus, the trail map guy, did a version for Killington that had all of Northeast Passage, the Interconnect, and Pico.

I have a hard copy of this somewhere.

 

[Domeskier]

It takes all of 2 minutes to drive from where the base of Sunrise was to the base of Skyeship, if that.

Wasn't the Sunrise chair free, though? I know a guy who lapped it all day once because he didn't want to buy a lift ticket.

 

[deadheadskier]

It takes all of 2 minutes to drive from where the base of Sunrise was to the base of Skyeship, if that.

It does, but the facilities for families and parking were FAR better at Sunrise. It was also nice having the Back Behind Saloon to go to at the end of the day, get skis tuned up at First Stop etc. I have heard BBS is no longer a great place to go like it was 20 years ago.

Like I said though, I see why they abandoned that area; money loser.

 

[ThinkSnow]

Wasn't the Sunrise chair free, though? I know a guy who lapped it all day once because he didn't want to buy a lift ticket.

Wasn't free, they just never paid attention.

 

[Domeskier]

Wasn't free, they just never paid attention.

Ah. I might have to have a talk with him about a little thing call "theft of services." :-D

 

[joshua segal]

If I remember right, Sunrise was 9500' long and the longest fixed grip chair, at least in the east. It was not a fun lift to ride!

 

[skiNEwhere]

If I remember right, Sunrise was 9500' long and the longest fixed grip chair, at least in the east. It was not a fun lift to ride!

I've heard it was a 17 minute ride. I think I only rode it twice but I remember it being long. Last I saw, all the towers were still in place.

Still a shorter ride than the old orange Gondi though! (Albeit with a lot less vert)

 

[joshua segal]

I've heard it was a 17 minute ride. I think I only rode it twice but I remember it being long. Last I saw, all the towers were still in place.

Still a shorter ride than the old orange Gondi though! (Albeit with a lot less vert)

True, but you weren't exposed to the elements in the Orange Gondola! I know the towers were still standing as of a couple of years ago. But I pass the Sunrise base area on Rte. 100 when I go to Killington and when I looked up the lift line this spring, I thought the towers were gone. Perhaps someone could confirm that?

 

[skiadikt]

certainly had fun on sunrise and caught a few pow days but it was a bit of a pain that got old quick. if i remember you could only access those steeper runs by getting off at the mid-station and they were short. to get there from from the main mtn you had to waste a run and ski one of the long very flat runs to get to the bottom and then take the lift back up to the mid-station. leaving you had that 17 min lift to get back to bear. it was ok but haven't missed it.

 

[Newpylong]

Was Sun Dog the trail that had streams running across it that you had to jump over? If so I hated that trail. It was flat and was just a PIA. Actually think that was the Sunrise trail I am talking about

Yep that was the Sunrise trail that hooked around the shoulder of the hill below the condos. Sun Dog went on the opposite side of the hill and was intermediate. The bottom (Noreaster) had decent pitch and a lot of character.

Northeast Passage chair was 17 minutes confirmed by an old trail map.

When I drove by a few weeks ago I couldn't see the one tower you could still see from the road at the crest of the hill but my guess is it is just grown in vs removed.

 

[Quietman]

I skied Sunrise back in the day and it wasn't free but there was a cheaper Sunrise only ticket which my father took advantage of. Getting off at the mid-station provided a vert of about 1,100 and there were some nicely pitched cruizers, and we had fun. It's been at least 25 years since I've been to K, and I haven't missed it. Don't dislike it, just rather go to Canon or Wildcat if I want something bigger than the Crotch.

 

[steamboat1]

It does, but the facilities for families and parking were FAR better at Sunrise.

Not true anymore, especially weekdays, lodge is larger now. Pull right up to the stairs a little before 10am, I mean front row, boot up in the lodge, then hop on the gondi. Lucky to see a 1/2 dozen people in the lodge including employees. Do it all the time on the mornings of my drive up from NYC. Weekends are probably different.

Same deal at Bear, just a little longer drive up the road.

Love weekdays at K.

Just wish they'd run the Canyon chair everyday instead of just Mon, Wed, Fri. They do run Needles & Bear on Fri. but it's no big deal having them not running during the week. Terrain is easily accessible with no lines for the other lifts. Very rarely see a line for K-1 either, usually just walk on with maybe a cabin or two wait. Only use it to access the Peak Lodge for lunch usually. I'm not a fan of boxes, even on cold days.

Personally I don't see why they need more uphill capacity.

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

True, but you weren't exposed to the elements in the Orange Gondola! I know the towers were still standing as of a couple of years ago. But I pass the Sunrise base area on Rte. 100 when I go to Killington and when I looked up the lift line this spring, I thought the towers were gone. Perhaps someone could confirm that?

Still there last time I looked, I doubt they'll take them down anytime before the DevilsFiddle ones come down.

 

[skiur]

Not true anymore, especially weekdays, lodge is larger now. Pull right up to the stairs a little before 10am, I mean front row, boot up in the lodge, then hop on the gondi. Lucky to see a 1/2 dozen people in the lodge including employees. Do it all the time on the mornings of my drive up from NYC. Weekends are probably different.

Same deal at Bear, just a little longer drive up the road.

Love weekdays at K.

Just wish they'd run the Canyon chair everyday instead of just Mon, Wed, Fri. They do run Needles & Bear on Fri. but it's no big deal having them not running during the week. Terrain is easily accessible with no lines for the other lifts. Very rarely see a line for K-1 either, usually just walk on with maybe a cabin or two wait. Only use it to access the Peak Lodge for lunch usually. I'm not a fan of boxes, even on cold days.

Personally I don't see why they need more uphill capacity.

Name me one east coast ski resort that does need more uphill capacity midweek!

 

[Newpylong]

Here is a picture of Northeast Passage. The liftline trail is Noreaster and was the main run past Sun Dog and at the very top the Hawk's Nest midtation where the steeper runs started.

Regarding Skyeship vs Sunrise after they replaced the old gondy and the lodge was rebuilt it was like night and day better than it used to be: http://www.killingtonzone.com/forums...22266&start=90 (scroll down).

I live east of there so I always use Skyeship and I prefer it vs any other base area. I think Great Eastern is a pretty cool run to end the day with.

For me it's mostly nostalgia and the fact that the Big K has been shrinking from when I began skiing there in the late 80s. After about a 4 year hiattus from Killington I was back there in the early 2000s and did a serious WTF when I saw the chair was gone...

 

[cdskier]

Not true anymore, especially weekdays, lodge is larger now. Pull right up to the stairs a little before 10am, I mean front row, boot up in the lodge, then hop on the gondi. Lucky to see a 1/2 dozen people in the lodge including employees. Do it all the time on the mornings of my drive up from NYC. Weekends are probably different.

Name a lodge at any resort that is NOT like that weekdays... I'm sure most people would love to ski mid-week all the time (myself included), but it just isn't an option for most people.