Grab your skis! Vt. resort is first to open in N. America

KILLINGTON, Vt. — Skiers in a rush to get back on the mountain are in luck this fall.

Killington Resort, which opened two trails Monday, was the first ski mountain in North America to open to the public this season. Season-pass holders broke in the runs Sunday.

This is the first time in more than a decade that skiing has started this early at Killington, resort spokesman Michael Joseph said.

"It's always the goal to open before Halloween," he said. The resort opened Nov. 3 last year because of warm weather, but in years past Killington has opened as early as Oct. 1.

While early conditions still exist, the resort is operating two lifts that total about 600 vertical feet. One terrain park with six features, including multiple rails and boxes, is also open, Joseph said.

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Cold weekend weather in Vermont allowed for snow making, he said. About an inch of natural snow fell on the mountain, and snowmaking created a nice base for skiing with an average depth of 6 to 12 inches.

"We saw a window in the forecast where we could make some snow, and we decided to go for it," Joseph said.

Temperatures in the town of Killington, which is at about 1,240 feet above sea level, dropped below freezing at night on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, according to Weather Underground. And because Killington Peak is at 4,235 feet in altitude, it likely was 7 to 15 degrees cooler than the town, potentially more with wind gusts.

Staff at the resort plan to operate all week.

Sarah Wojcik, director of public affairs for the Ski Areas Association, said she is excited to see Vermont be the first state to open for skiing and riding.

"I think there's a pent up demand after a wonderful ski season last year," she said.

Last year was Vermont's best season on record with nearly 4.7 million skiers and riders on the slopes, Wojcik said

Other Vermont resorts have plans to open in November when nightly freezes are more consistent in the Green Mountain State.

Though it has been cold enough to make snow, Killington's neighbor Okemo Resort plans to open in mid-November, said Boonie MacPherson, director of public relations.

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"We're in it for the long haul. And once we open for the season, we want to be able to stay home and increase skiable terrain as we go further into the season," she said.

Recent snowmaking improvements have allowed Okemo to open with top-to-bottom skiing and riding the past two seasons, she said. The resort has the same goal this year with a target opening date of Nov. 14.

"We just need Mother Nature and Old Man Winter to cooperate with our plans," MacPherson said.

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Stowe Mountain Resort also has plans to open Nov. 14, but for season-pass holders only, said Jeff Wise, marketing and communications director. The mountain will be open to the public Nov. 21 with top-to-bottom skiing and riding.

Farther north at Jay Peak Resort, staff said they plan to open around Thanksgiving. The resort relies on natural snow every year rather than investing in snowmaking, said JJ Toland, director of communications.

Last season Jay Peak got the most snow of any resort in the U.S. south of Alaska, 373 inches, he said. To get the ski season going, the snowmaking team will turn on the guns around early November, but the resort has already seen several inches of snow this fall.

"Winter's coming," Toland said.