Killington skyship base lodge?

[Brn4353]

Have the ASC bronze this year, drove by Kmart today and couldn't help but notice the Skyship base lodge on the highway...seems like a pretty good set up...don't have to deal with the 5 mile trek thru the restaurants and stuff. What's the real deal though?.Is there a catch? Do they not make snow over there...or does the sky ship not come along often?

Any input would help...thanks in advance!

 

[Joshua]

well, no real catch, but skyship is a two stage Gondola. It services easier terrain at the bottom and takes longer to get to the harder stuff. Once you get to Sky Peak, you can then get over to some of the harder stuff on Killington Peak etc.

You can also go from Sky to Bear if you want bumps on steap slopes.

On Route 100, at the bottom, there isnt a ton of parking and generally at the lower elevation there is less snow.

 

[snoseek]

I always park there. saves 15 minutes of driving and its pretty fun ending the day cruising great eastern from the top.

 

[andyzee]

And no problem finding a parking spot close to the lodge if you arrive late.

 

[Newpylong]

Great place to park and hop on!

 

[thebigo]

I always park at skyebase. It changes kton for me for a number of reasons:

-saves 10-15 minutes of driving time, thats not counting the time saved by avoiding the crowds and easy parking
-skyebase is never crowded; you can always find easy parking and a table
-you can literally be on the lift within 10 minutes of parking, i typically finish gearing up and have a snack on the lift
-puts you in a great spot on the mountain
-some people hate the runout but personally i find a 3000 vert unending cruiser a great way to finish the day

-the only major catch is that the season down there is relatively short, it usually opens the week before christmas and its done after the bmmc, about the same season as pico

 

[2knees]

Just park at bear. Its only 5 more minutes and you dont have to drudge your way back down at the end of the day. If they would open valley plunge it might be more tempting but i havent seen that one in a long time.

Skyship usually closes before bmmc i think.

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

Easy parking without extra driving and walking to another lodge, however it can be a drag to go back to if you left something there that you may want later...

I like to park there leaving it for the last run of the day from Killington Peak...

 

[Rushski]

Quieter down there yes, but it is kind of a pain in the ass to get back to. After skiing, a drink is tougher to come by down there...

 

[tree_skier]

I use it. quick access, drops you off at the top of skye peak, I have allways been able to park right by the lodge (not accross the road), and they fly down great eastern is a great way to end the day.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Skyship Base.

Yes, yes, park at Skyship and ride up. Definitely stay away from Bear. Old people like me, two lifts to grab, no crowd, large parking lot. Don't go to Bear...you won't like it.

 

[Joshua]

How do you know he won't like Bear? If he goes later in the year, he can get huge soft bumps to play around on (size of VW Beatles).

 

[Brn4353]

I thank everyone for their input! It sounds like a pretty good match for me. I'll have to go somewhere else early/late season...perhaps I'll try Bear mt. then. I have only been to Killington once and it was crowded enough...if I can avoid some of that in the lodge sounds good to me. Think that I'll like hitting Pico just down the road as well...looks like a nice place.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Skyship Base.

How do you know he won't like Bear? If he goes later in the year, he can get huge soft bumps to play around on (size of VW Beatles).

That's the point. He probably will like Bear, and then it will be more crowded!

 

[BeanoNYC]

Another thing to consider is that less expensive lodging can be found around that gondola.

 

[maplevalleymaster]

Whenever I go to K i park there. Easy on and off the gondola and takes you way up the mountain. It is a limited lodge, but it still has your basic cafeteria and small ski shop.

 

[Joshua]

That's the point. He probably will like Bear, and then it will be more crowded!

there is plenty of mountain for everyone

 

[Geoff]

If you plan to return to your car at all during the day, Bear is a much better option. You can park in the lots to the left of the base lodge and ski to your car. It gets the morning sun so it's a good place to start your day and it's usually out of the wind. With the Falls Brook Trail and Bearly, even a novice can use Bear.