Killllington 🎿🏂🏂🎿🎿🏂🏂🎿😀

[deadheadskier]

I will say I'd rather Sunrise get restored than the interconnect ever happening.

It'll never happen, but that would be my preference. Don't Killington, Pico!

 

[ss20]

A surface lift from the current top of Ramshead to the true summit would be cool. Make it all natural terrain and no grooming. That area is surprisingly high elevation I think it could be pulled off.

But it ain't happening...so...I can dream on.

 

[thetrailboss]

Any more updates on the rumor about the sale of Killington?

 

[thetrailboss]

A surface lift from the current top of Ramshead to the true summit would be cool. Make it all natural terrain and no grooming. That area is surprisingly high elevation I think it could be pulled off.

But it ain't happening...so...I can dream on.

It's been over ten years since I hiked up there, but how much more vertical would it be above the current lift unload?

 

[Internet Ski Pro]

Any more updates on the rumor about the sale of Killington?

seems like it died off as soon as it got started. Personally i would love to know how these rumors get started and gain some traction. There is a rumor floating around that Elk in PA was sold as well.

i did ask "a long time season pass holder" and they could not confirm. and we all know, long time season passholders are always the first to know everything.

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Given the important role RH plays in providing progression for lower level skiers, I think the only realistic path to resuming lift service to the peak of RH would be if there was a lift coming out of the Pico Interconnect. That would serve some nice, NE facing terrain that holds its pitch longer than RH proper.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

It's been over ten years since I hiked up there, but how much more vertical would it be above the current lift unload?

Not a lot. Maybe 200. RH is a dedicated beginners and park rats pod. Adding 200 vertical of steep skiing at the very top would bring too many “good” skiers to the beginner pod, and the “good” terrain is really short

That said, I LOVE skiing the rams head poma line after a snow. No one goes over there.

 

[Newpylong]

No. Like many things ASC did, they took the easy/cheap way. A mid-unload is not required, and the skiing doesn't have to be "steep".

They terminated the lift where they did so that no wind engineering and mitigation expenses would be occurred and so that minimal terrain changes had to happen. The lift could have gone all the way up with a compression tower where the current lift ends and hugging the ground up Upper Header (which was the only steep trail and would close as a result). There is plenty of gentle pitch off to either side - Swirl, Ram's Head Road and Timberline could have been widened, regraded and snowmaking installed and the step up in difficulty would have been minimal.

There is also the long-standing rumor that this also was done to appease the Long trail people.

 

[thetrailboss]

No. Like many things ASC did, they took the easy/cheap way. A mid-unload is not required, and the skiing doesn't have to be "steep".

They terminated the lift where they did so that no wind engineering and mitigation expenses would be occurred and so that minimal terrain changes had to happen. The lift could have gone all the way up with a compression tower where the current lift ends and hugging the ground up Upper Header (which was the only steep trail and would close as a result). There is plenty of gentle pitch off to either side - Swirl, Ram's Head Road and Timberline could have been widened, regraded and snowmaking installed and the step up in difficulty would have been minimal.

There is also the long-standing rumor that this also was done to appease the Long trail people.

Didn’t SKI install the Rams Head HSQ before selling to ASC? The timing is close. I recall hearing that they wanted beginner/intermediate terrain to appeal to the market. Hence the lower terminus.

 

[urungus]

Agree on RH. That said, they turned that into basically the next level up terrain from Snowshed by terminating the HSQ where they did. Carrying a lift to the top wouldn't allow the same lower level so I'm guessing if they do right the wrong, we'd likely see a mid unload about where the quad now ends.

Here’s a map of the old double chair to the top of Ram’s Head, couldn’t “lower level” skiers take the green “Horn” trail down from the top ? I was under the impression that the issue was wind holds.

 

[urungus]

I LOVE skiing the rams head poma line after a snow. No one goes over there.

Huh. I tried that and they wouldn’t let me - KMS only.

 

[Newpylong]

Here’s a map of the old double chair to the top of Ram’s Head, couldn’t “lower level” skiers take the green “Horn” trail down from the top ? I was under the impression that the issue was wind holds.

View attachment 63097

Yes as I wrote above the terrain off to either side of the lift would have been conducive to regrading and widening and end up fairly close in pitch to the acreage served by the current chair. They didn't want to deal with wind or the expenditure of doing that and took the easy way to build the family pod.

 

[Newpylong]

Didn’t SKI install the Rams Head HSQ before selling to ASC? The timing is close. I recall hearing that they wanted beginner/intermediate terrain to appeal to the market. Hence the lower terminus.

S-K-I sold to ASC in winter of '96. New RH, Needle's Eye/Northbrook reconfiguration were for the first things ASC did that '96 off-season. A flurry of lift work that summer like when they did the 'Bush the previous year.

 

[thetrailboss]

No. Like many things ASC did, they took the easy/cheap way. A mid-unload is not required, and the skiing doesn't have to be "steep".

"Who are you calling cheap? And I've got some prime real estate available for you up here in the Great North Woods!"

(Boy the Balsams looks like it is in really bad shape)

 

[thetrailboss]

And speaking of ASC and LBO, this is a fascinating read from 2010 when LBO was running for "Gubner" of Maine.

Risky business: Les Otten and the rise and fall of American Skiing Company

Editor’s note: The following examination of gubernatorial candidate Leslie B. Otten’s role in American Skiing Co. by the nonprofit Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is the first in a

knox.villagesoup.com

 

[letitsnow1]

"Who are you calling cheap? And I've got some prime real estate available for you up here in the Great North Woods!"

(Boy the Balsams looks like it is in really bad shape)

Maybe he gave up on that and bought killington

 

[NYDB]

Man this ASC talk brings me back. I remember when all the managers at K thought they were going to get rich with all those ASC stock options.

 

[thetrailboss]

Maybe he gave up on that and bought killington

The Phoenix rises yet again!

 

[ss20]

Maybe he gave up on that and bought killington

The cool thing about Les is that's a possibility. A 1% possibility, but that's 1% more than any of us!

 

[thetrailboss]

The cool thing about Les is that's a possibility. A 1% possibility, but that's 1% more than any of us!