Killington Resort
Overview
Killington opened in December 1958, developed by Perry Merrill and Preston Leete Smith, and expanded fast enough through the 1960s that it earned the nickname “Beast of the East,” one it still uses in its own marketing. Ownership changed hands again in September 2024, when Powdr Corporation sold the resort to the Killington Independence Group, a consortium of local passholders and community members, ending decades of corporate ownership.
At 907.1 meters of vertical, Killington has the biggest drop of any ski area in New England and ranks second across the whole Northeast, behind Whiteface Mountain in New York. The terrain spreads across six interconnected peaks, including neighboring Pico Mountain, reachable via 22 lifts: four gondolas, fourteen chairlifts, a platter lift, and three magic carpets. Its 184 runs cover 107.03 kilometers, split fairly evenly between intermediate (43.53 km) and easy (37.09 km) terrain, with 19.67 km rated advanced and 6.52 km expert.
Vermont’s natural snowfall runs lighter than out west, averaging around 250 inches a year, so Killington leans on snowmaking that covers roughly 71% of its trails, a large part of why it has traditionally run the longest ski season in eastern North America, historically stretching from late October into May, though recent seasons have come in somewhat shorter. The closest airport is Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional, about 15.5 km away, though it has limited commercial service; most visitors fly into Albany International, around 126 km southwest, or Burlington, about 100 km north. By road, the nearest sizeable cities are all well outside New England’s ski country proper: Manchester, New Hampshire (population 110,229) sits roughly 128.3 km away, Albany, New York (population 101,228) is about 132.2 km, and Lowell, Massachusetts (population 110,699) is the furthest of the three at around 162 km, distances that make most trips here a deliberate multi-hour drive rather than an easy day trip from a major metro.
Killington is covered by the Ikon Pass with seven blackout-free days, while the Ikon Base Pass includes five days here subject to blackout dates. The passholder-owned structure that took over in 2024 is a notable shift for a resort of this size, and it puts day-to-day decisions in the hands of people who ski there regularly rather than a national resort operator. The purchase followed a season-long fundraising and membership drive among skiers who wanted to keep the resort under local rather than out-of-state corporate control, a structure that remains uncommon among resorts of Killington’s size in the eastern United States. In imperial terms, that vertical drop is roughly 2,976 feet across about 66.5 miles of marked trail. OpenStreetMap-based mapping of Killington’s terrain counts 184 runs across its 22 lifts, matching the resort’s own published trail count closely, and neighboring Pico Mountain, connected into Killington’s trail network, adds further terrain accessible on the same lift ticket for most visitors.
Key stats
Official website — Last checked 2026-09-14
Lifts by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| gondola | 4 |
| platter | 1 |
| chair lift | 14 |
| magic carpet | 3 |
Runs by difficulty
| Difficulty | Distance |
|---|---|
| easy | 37.09 km |
| expert | 6.52 km |
| novice | 0.24 km |
| advanced | 19.67 km |
| intermediate | 43.53 km |
Maps
View official Killington Resort trail map (PDF) →
Run & lift overview
Killington Resort: 184 runs, 22 lifts. Reflects OpenStreetMap's run and lift mapping for Killington Resort, not the resort's own trail map graphic. © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenSkiMap (ODbL).
Typical conditions by month
Monthly conditions data for Killington Resort is not yet available.
Lift tickets & passes
- Ikon Pass — 7 days, no blackout
- Ikon Base Pass — 5 days, blackout dates apply
Getting there
Nearest airports
- Rutland - Southern Vermont Regional Airport (RUT) — 15.5 km straight-line
- Lebanon Municipal Airport (LEB) — 39.5 km straight-line
- Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) — 99.8 km straight-line
Nearest cities
- Manchester, New Hampshire — 128.3 km straight-line
- Albany, New York — 132.2 km straight-line
- Lowell, Massachusetts — 162 km straight-line
Also covered by
Where to stay
A dedicated lodging guide for Killington Resort is not yet available.
Nearby resorts
- Pico Mountain Resort — 6 km straight-line, 588.8 m vertical
- Okemo Mountain — 23 km straight-line, 659.7 m vertical
- Middlebury College Snow Bowl — 38 km straight-line, 290.3 m vertical
- Bromley Mountain Ski Resort — 45 km straight-line, 393.1 m vertical
- Magic Mountain Ski Area — 46 km straight-line, 449.5 m vertical
FAQ
- How big is Killington Resort?
- Killington has 907.1 meters of vertical drop, the largest in New England, spread across six interconnected peaks reachable by 22 lifts. Its 184 runs cover 107.03 kilometers of trail, split fairly evenly between intermediate (43.53 km) and easy (37.09 km) terrain.
- Which pass covers Killington?
- Killington is on the Ikon Pass, with seven blackout-free days included. The Ikon Base Pass covers five days here, subject to blackout dates.
- Is Killington good for beginners or experts?
- The trail mix is close to even between intermediate (43.53 km) and easy (37.09 km) terrain, with 19.67 km rated advanced and 6.52 km expert. Its nickname, the Beast of the East, comes more from its scale and snowmaking-driven conditions than from an unusually expert-heavy trail map.
- What's the nearest airport to Killington?
- Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport is about 15.5 km away but has limited commercial service. Most visitors fly into Albany International in New York, roughly 126 km southwest, or Burlington International, about 100 km north.
- How old is Killington Resort?
- Killington opened in December 1958, developed by Perry Merrill and Preston Leete Smith. Ownership changed again in September 2024, when Powdr Corporation sold the resort to the Killington Independence Group, a consortium of local passholders and community members.
- Why is Killington called the Beast of the East?
- The nickname reflects its size and reach: it's the largest ski area in the eastern United States, with the biggest vertical drop in New England (second only to Whiteface Mountain in New York across the whole Northeast). Heavy snowmaking, covering roughly 71% of its trails, has also historically given it the longest ski season in eastern North America.
- Is Killington good for a long ski season?
- Yes, historically more than most eastern resorts. Vermont's natural snowfall averages around 250 inches a year, lighter than western resorts, but Killington's snowmaking coverage has traditionally let it run from late October into May, though recent seasons have come in somewhat shorter.
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-15
Base facts from OpenSkiMap (ODbL), OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata (CC0), OurAirports (public domain) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). See /data-sources/.