Killington Resort is known as “the Beast of the East” or, as locals call it, “the Beast.” Killington earns this daunting nickname by offering 92 miles of trails, 28 lifts, and seven peaks to explore. It’s a winter wonderland that draws in skiers and boarders from New England and beyond.
If it’s your first trip to Killington, the sheer quantity of terrain can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, we have you covered. Here is how to navigate your way around the Beast’s nearly 2,000 acres of snowy trails.
Pick Your Base Lodge
Killington has five base lodges, and each offers a unique suite of amenities that will help you decide which lodge to call your own.
If you’re traveling with kids, head to Ramshead Lodge on Killington Road. Ramshead is a hot spot for gently graded learning terrain and is the home base for children’s lessons. Even if green runs and lessons aren’t what the family needs, you’ll all be grateful for the kid-friendly food court. Mac n’ cheese, anyone?
All levels of skiers and riders will find terrain to enjoy at the Snowshed Lodge, also on Killington Road. Snowshed is the starting point for all private lessons and group lessons for those over 15 years old. It also has the food court with the most variety and houses Killington’s favorite happy hour spot, the Long Trail Pub.
The K-1 Lodge is best for skiers at an intermediate level and above who want to get into the highest terrain at Killington. If blue square and black diamond fall-line slopes are what you’re after, the K-1 Lodge is for you. The lodge serves breakfast, lunch, and happy hour bites daily.
The other two lodges, Bear Lodge and Skyeship Lodge, are the least crowded at Killington, making them perfect for busy weekends and holidays. Bear Lodge is designed for the tricksters—steeps, bumps, trees, and terrain parks can be accessed from here. Skyeship Lodge serves all ability levels via an 11-minute gondola ride that brings you to the heart of Skye Peak.
Bonus tip for finding your way back to your car: each lodge is color-coded, and signage on the mountain will help you get back to where you started. Memorize your lodge’s color, and you’ll never get lost!
Navigate the Beast
The Beast of the East is big enough that, if you get off course, you could find yourself wasting time simply getting from where you are to where you meant to go. The resort wants to make sure this doesn’t happen to you, so they stock the mountains with Mountain Ambassadors.
Dressed in lime green jackets and sporting broad smiles, Mountain Ambassadors are hard to miss. Start your day off by meeting a team of Ambassadors outside the Showshed Lodge (daily at 10:00 am and 11:00 am) for an orientation tour of Killington Mountain. The tour is best suited for experienced novices and above, as there may be brief runs on intermediate terrain.
While on the slopes, you can always flag down a Mountain Ambassador for advice and directions, or head to the top of the K-1 Express Gondola between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm daily to ask an Ambassador questions while perusing a large outdoor trail map.
Best Spots to Ski and Board
Killington offers big mountain skiing, and intermediate level and above skiers and riders enjoy the majority of the terrain. But don’t think that beginners are left out in the cold. First-time skiers can head to the Snowshed Slope, where the trails are wide enough to make those big, slow turns that are the key to gaining confidence.
To bump it up a notch, make your way to Ramshead Mountain. Ramshead has a mix of green and blue runs and features easy skills progression parks for aspiring daredevils. This area is designated a “slow zone,” perfect for families and those getting used to a day on the slopes. From Ramshead, you can also nudge your way over to next-door Snowdon Mountain for shorter, steeper intermediate runs.
Other great runs for intermediate skiers include Skyeburst on Skye Peak and Pipe Dream from the Killington Peak summit.
Killington Peak is the center of the resort, and expert skiers will want to try their mettle on the mountain’s mix of black and double-black runs, like Cascade and Ridge Run. Cut into the well-spaced glades if you’re feeling it or fly down the groomers if you’re not.
Looking to play, and have the skills in place to do it? Make your way to “The Stash” on Bear Mountain. Designed in collaboration with Burton, The Stash has over 65 medium and large features to jump, wind, and trick your way down the slope.
Navigating Killington may take a little getting used to, but by the end of your trip, you’ll be an expert at finding hidden pockets of terrain and gliding with ease from mountain to mountain. You can count your explorations as a point of pride…after all, you’ll have tamed the Beast!