Pico receives approval to connect into Killington water source

[KustyTheKlown]

ive only been to pico on weekends. often powder days or post storm skiing. i've never once felt that the lodge was crowded or the lift lines were substantial. never ever.

 

[bdfreetuna]

ive only been to pico on weekends. often powder days or post storm skiing. i've never once felt that the lodge was crowded or the lift lines were substantial. never ever.

Have been to both Pico and Burke on MLK Day and Burke had a worse lift line.

Lodge different story.. but when I've been it's either hit or miss. As in, pick your seat anywhere you want, or no seats at all.

That said I've always got good parking spaces even on the hard-to-sit-lodge days. Who the hell knows, I like to spread out and maintain a personal 20 foot radius bubble when booting up. Everyone is different I guess.

 

[skiur]

ive only been to pico on weekends. often powder days or post storm skiing. i've never once felt that the lodge was crowded or the lift lines were substantial. never ever.

Lodge/bar is always crowded on a Saturday, lift lines aren't.

 

[Smellytele]

Only have skied Pico on weekdays.

 

[SkiingInABlueDream]

I've only skied Pico on days when there was snow on the ground and only had lunch in the lodge on days when it was open.
I've only found it crowded when it was hard to find a seat.
And ive only used the bathrooms when I needed to and when the toilets were flushing properly. [emoji849][emoji849]

 

[deadheadskier]

Don't Killington, Pico
Don't Stowe, Smuggs

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[boston_e]

I think it would help anyone coming from Rutland or the NY Thruway. To go up the K access road up to K1 adds 10-15 minutes compared to just going to the Pico lot. I am always coming to K from 100 south and as long as they are open I go to Skyeship or Bear. I prefer less crowded lodges, ample parking, and most importantly 10-15 minutes less of driving rather than being at the "heart" of the resort by going to K1. If I came from Rutland I would go crazy trying to get to K1 or even Snowshed/Ramshead on a mid-winter weekend. Sometimes I will go to K1 on a Friday and that is pretty bad by its self.

However the Pico parking lot generally would not be able to handle this type of influx of added cars.

 

[thetrailboss]

However the Pico parking lot generally would not be able to handle this type of influx of added cars.

IIRC that lot is pretty big. And often not close to full.

 

[machski]

However the Pico parking lot generally would not be able to handle this type of influx of added cars.

Why would one think Killington would not do something to modify Pico parking should an interconnect ever happen? I would think they would upgrade Pico lifts in addition if they do an interconnect. Time will tell I suppose.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[boston_e]

IIRC that lot is pretty big. And often not close to full.

In my experience most mainstream weekends (barring crappy weather days) it is probably 75-80% full. If there is a race on B-Slope it can be more than that. It wouldn't take much of the Killington crowd to over run the parking lot.

 

[boston_e]

Why would one think Killington would not do something to modify Pico parking should an interconnect ever happen? I would think they would upgrade Pico lifts in addition if they do an interconnect. Time will tell I suppose.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using AlpineZone mobile app

Where would they add more parking? It isn't like there is a ton of extra un-used space there that I can think of anyway... maybe they could expand a bit next to Alpine Drive but not a ton of expansion room that I can think of

 

[deadheadskier]

They could add a parking deck or two to the existing lot. I absolutely hate the idea of parking garages at ski areas; it feels too much like a city, which is not the "feel/experience" I want at a ski area. That said, they are better for the environment than expansive, dirt ground lots.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[boston_e]

They could add a parking deck or two to the existing lot. I absolutely hate the idea of parking garages at ski areas; it feels too much like a city, which is not the "feel/experience" I want at a ski area. That said, they are better for the environment than expansive, dirt ground lots.

True... that would likely be a viable option to expand parking... although I agree not desirable.

 

[bdfreetuna]

In my experience most mainstream weekends (barring crappy weather days) it is probably 75-80% full. If there is a race on B-Slope it can be more than that. It wouldn't take much of the Killington crowd to over run the parking lot.

Maybe true but if you show up in time to ski when the lifts open you'll still be only a few rows away from the entrance.

I only ever see these overflow lots in use on the way out in the afternoon. If people are waiting until 11:00AM to get their ass out the door my sympathy level decreases since I've been awake for 6+ hours and already ready for a lunch/snack break by then.

That said the only solution I see for Pico is putting a fresh T-bar on the Poma Line and cutting new glades off the back side..

Just kidding. Pico's #1 issue is not running the outpost chair when they should be. Burns my britches when I show up hoping for hot laps on *whatever those trails are called + the glades*. "Easy hike" my ass... One of the main reasons I go there less frequently in recent years.

 

[boston_e]

Maybe true but if you show up in time to ski when the lifts open you'll still be only a few rows away from the entrance.

I only ever see these overflow lots in use on the way out in the afternoon. If people are waiting until 11:00AM to get their ass out the door my sympathy level decreases since I've been awake for 6+ hours and already ready for a lunch/snack break by then.

Well, this is the case for pretty much any ski resort parking lot. If you get there for first chair parking is easy.

That does not change the fact that the Pico lot could not handle the influx of Killington skiers on a typical weekend.

That said the only solution I see for Pico is putting a fresh T-bar on the Poma Line and cutting new glades off the back side..

Just kidding. Pico's #1 issue is not running the outpost chair when they should be. Burns my britches when I show up hoping for hot laps on *whatever those trails are called + the glades*. "Easy hike" my ass... One of the main reasons I go there less frequently in recent years.

I understand... although on the other hand, this has not been a big complaint by the Pico faithful.. and it truly is an easy hike.

 

[bdfreetuna]

I understand... although on the other hand, this has not been a big complaint by the Pico faithful.. and it truly is an easy hike.

Just wondering how you know it hasn't been a big complaint. I don't have any inside connections at Pico or anything... and the hike may be relatively easy, but consider time spent on the hill. I'm sweating most days just from skiing. Do I want to hike 10-15 minutes (and fully saturate my winter layers with sweat on a cold day) to ski a 2 minute trail/glade or should I just hop on the nearest lift (summit) and get a break between runs?

I'm surprised it's not a big complaint by the Pico faithful. I guess I've been to Pico a couple dozen times, and noticed Outpost being closed more in recent years. IMO it's false marketing to even list those trails as "open" on the snow report when the lift is closed (which they never will tell you in advance).

Not sure why the Pico faithful, whoever they are, wouldn't want to lap the Outpost pod via the double lift which is built for that very purpose.

If it weren't for the race teams I'm pretty sure A-Slope chair would almost never be open too and we'd be encouraged to skate uphill for a mile from mid mountain to get a quick run down that.

Showing up to find lifts not running that are needed to access terrain -- as a downhill skier -- one of the things that really turns me off from a ski area quickly. At least Bolton Valley lets you know ahead of time what will be spinning.

Edittt::: Boston_E is a good dude who PMd me with tips how to get to Outpost area w/o the major hike. I'm just editing this post to say yes it can be accessed more easily from Giant Killer > Poma Glades or via Poma Line or Busted from the top. That's fine but that's not my ideal way to ski the mountain especially every time I want to ski Sidewinder or just do some quick laps over there. Like, I might do this twice in a given day as I would be skiing those woods or Giant Killer anyway. It just seems like an unnecessary compromise compared to just operating their existing infrastructure as intended.

Maybe there is an even easier cut-across that doesn't require skiing <><> bumps and woods to get there... I don't have much skin in the game though and Pico's not really on my to-do list this year anyway. Lift tickets aren't cheap I want to see lifts running if the trails under them are open and redundancy isn't a factor.

 

[boston_e]

Edittt::: Boston_E is a good dude who PMd me with tips how to get to Outpost area w/o the major hike. I'm just editing this post to say yes it can be accessed more easily from Giant Killer > Poma Glades or via Poma Line or Busted from the top. That's fine but that's not my ideal way to ski the mountain especially every time I want to ski Sidewinder or just do some quick laps over there. Like, I might do this twice in a given day as I would be skiing those woods or Giant Killer anyway. It just seems like an unnecessary compromise compared to just operating their existing infrastructure as intended.

Maybe there is an even easier cut-across that doesn't require skiing <><> bumps and woods to get there... I don't have much skin in the game though and Pico's not really on my to-do list this year anyway. Lift tickets aren't cheap I want to see lifts running if the trails under them are open and redundancy isn't a factor.

I'm not sure it can be accessed this way...(at least I've never tried) i think there is a valley between Poma woods and the top of outpost... Poma woods brings you out at the top of the Golden Express...

Edit: And of course, bdfreetuna, I'd be happy to show you in person if we ever happen to be there on the same day when the outpost is closed and Bronco is worth skiing!!! :beer:

 

[bdfreetuna]

Suffice to say Boston_E is more clever and possibly adventurous than me and has figured out a way to access it with minimal effort and without having to ski absurd steeps like Poma Line / Busted just to access it. :lol:

I promised I wouldn't tell... he gives you a good clue in the last post though

 

[KustyTheKlown]

that is one of the easiest "hikes" in all eastern ski-dom. its a 5 minute walk up a barely uphill grade to get to the top of the chair. once you get there, you have your pick of runs and woods that 90%+ of the people at pico havent bothered to hit. that would all be tracked out in 30 min if they ran the chair. they can eliminate teh chair entirely and i'd be fine with it.

 

[skifree]

that is one of the easiest "hikes" in all eastern ski-dom. its a 5 minute walk up a barely uphill grade to get to the top of the chair. once you get there, you have your pick of runs and woods that 90%+ of the people at pico havent bothered to hit. that would all be tracked out in 30 min if they ran the chair. they can eliminate teh chair entirely and i'd be fine with it.

+1 million