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Killington Ski Resort, Vermont: from Sherburne Corporation to passholder ownership

Killington, VT

Part of Skiing and Snowboarding in the United States

Part of Skiing New England

Killington opened for skiing on December 13, 1958, after Preston Leete Smith, then 24, approached Vermont officials in 1954 about leasing Killington Peak land for a ski area, per Killington Resort's own "Our History" page. The resort's original corporate developer was the Sherburne Corporation, which restructured and renamed itself S-K-I Limited in 1984. On September 27, 2024, the Killington Independence Group — made up of local passholders and community members — purchased the resort from Powdr, beginning what the resort calls its "independent era."

  1. A gondola- and chairlift-served resort opened in 1958, now owned by a group of local passholders.

  2. A state park with an old-growth forest stand, a CCC-built historic area, and Appalachian Trail access.

  3. A ski-country inn at Sherburne Pass, owned by the McGrath family since 1977.

Ownership, from Sherburne to the passholders

American Skiing Company acquired Killington in February 1996, per Wikipedia's Killington Ski Resort article. Powdr Corporation, together with SP Land Company, took over operation of Killington on May 11, 2007. On September 27, 2024, the Killington Independence Group purchased the resort from Powdr, beginning its "independent era," according to Killington Resort's own "Our History" page.

Firsts and innovations

Killington introduced the "ticket wicket," an early device attached to lift tickets to prevent sharing among skiers, credited to Charlie Hanley over his tenure at the resort, per Killington's own "Our History" page. Artist James Niehues hand-painted a Killington trail map. Killington achieved lift-served skiing into June for the first time in 1982, operating until June 15 that year. The K-1 gondola replaced an older double chairlift in 1997, and the K-1 Lodge, a three-story base lodge of roughly 58,000 square feet, opened for the 2022-23 season.

Irene, and the Killington Cup

Flooding from Tropical Storm Irene in late August 2011 damaged the resort and led to the condemnation of the Superstar Pub building, per Killington's own "Our History" page. Killington has hosted a women's FIS Alpine Ski World Cup technical event, branded the Killington Cup, on Thanksgiving weekend annually starting in November 2016.

Nearby

Gifford Woods State Park, established in 1931 on the northeast slope of Pico Peak in Killington, contains an old-growth forest stand designated a National Natural Landmark in 1980, per Wikipedia's Gifford Woods State Park article. A 40-acre area of the park built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 for its CCC association. The Appalachian Trail runs through the park's campground, and the park provides boating access to adjacent Kent Pond. The Inn at Long Trail opened in 1938 to serve Vermont's early ski community, and has been owned by the McGrath family since 1977, per the inn's own website; it sits at Sherburne Pass, where the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail cross, and includes McGrath's Irish Pub.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Killington now?
On September 27, 2024, the Killington Independence Group — local passholders and community members — purchased the resort from Powdr Corporation, beginning what the resort calls its "independent era," per Killington's own "Our History" page.
When did Killington first open?
Killington opened for skiing on December 13, 1958, after Preston Leete Smith, then 24, approached Vermont officials in 1954 about leasing Killington Peak land, per Killington's own "Our History" page.

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