Skiing Killington wouldn't be a true experience without some good ol' East Coast moguls. Following the bump skiing guru himself, The Hammer, we explored what the largest ski resort back East had to offer.
It wouldn’t be a true east coast experience without one thing: bumps.
Ligare shredding some classic east coast bumps, "I had high hopes that conditions would be right for some bumps and the snow was primo." TGR Photo.
For this we looked to the guru. The legend. Our sensei with the most radical mullet, Randy Grasso, who you might know as "The Hammer.”
Apparently The Hammer didn't know what a mullet was until his nephew informed him that he had one. Legendary. TGR Photo.
He had never skied bumps until Killington opened its infamous mogul run—Outer Limits—and after one zipper lap was hooked. Flying through the bump filled, he hammered through them effortlessly, which garnered him his nickname. When he’s not competing or starring in ski films, he loves skiing Killington.
The Hammer loves skiing bumps because it's a never-ending challenge. TGR photo.
So with The Hammer leading the charge, we followed his crew for an epic mogul shred. However, there's more to this resort though than just primo bumps.
"Killington's crew was big and full of energy! I basically never stopped laughing. I didn't know any of them before today but I immediately felt like I'd known them for years! I suppose a great day of skiing will do that!" -Engerbretson. TGR photo.
“It’s my favorite place to ski because of the super long season we have—we kind of have it all,” The Hammer told us.
“We’re usually the first to open, last to close, and throughout that long season we go through a bunch of different phases. It’s not like most mountains. You get out here before all the other resorts open, mid-winter we’re chasing powder and hitting the trees, once we lose the trees we go to bump skiing in the springtime.”
“You can come out here any day of the week and ten minutes after you’re here you can easily find a big posse to ski with.”
Opening in 1958 with only two Poma lifts, a repurposed chicken coop for a ticket booth, and eight-hole outhouse—Killington has grown through the past 60 years to become the largest ski resort in Eastern North America. It also boasts the longest season back East, typically staying open from October to June some years.
The area was prospected by a young and ambitious entrepreneur—Preston Smith—who recognized an opportunity for the area to be a mountain haven for the metropolis of Boston and New York City. TGR photo.
The area has now grown to more than 1,500 acres of skiable terrain. Saying goodbye to the chicken coup, Killington has expanded to 21 lifts, five base lodges, and one incredible lodge atop its 4,241-foot summit.
Today the resort still maintains that same commitment to its first-time skiers and riders with its award winning Learn to Ski and Ride Programs. TGR photo.
From those humble beginnings, innovation shaped every facet of the resort. At one point in the '70s they even boasted the longest and highest capacity gondola in the world.
Killington is acclaimed as one of the best places to learn to ski. In the '60s they sought to make the sport easier to learn. They achieved this through the Uni-Ski Vacation—a weeklong series of lessons for first timers to progress into intermediate skiers—which served over 900 skiers weekly.
"Killington is full of dedicated skiers, seems like everyone we met made a specific effort to be up here as much as possible." -Ligare. TGR Photo.
In the '90s the resort also chose to keep its lift spinning during summer, becoming one of the first resorts back East to service mountain bikers and turning Killington into a year-round destination, particularly in the summer with mountain biking, equestrian, live music, and theatre.
We bonded quickly with The Hammer's crew—a group of dedicated skiers and snowboarders—who reflect the passion sustained by the mountain. It will be hard to go, but we're pretty excited for our next and first international stop in Canada.