*Update: May 28, 6pm: Killington is not open due the forecast. They will be making the call regarding opening on June 1 on Wednesday.
Killington will be the last one to close in the East for the third consecutive season (4th out of the last 5). After about a decade in the dark ages where K was no longer head and above the rest in term of early, late or length of ski season in the East, there is definitely no doubt now that the Beast is back!!!
The mighty K has renewed in tradition of being have the only lift spinning in the East for at least one weekend: Mont St-Sauveur didn’t reopen Canadian May long closing weekend, Victoria Day, which also marked the closing for the remaining Canadian ski resorts out the West (Grouse and Blackcomb BC* (reopening later in Summer), Sunshine AB).
It’s time for the US to have their May long weekend, US Memorial Day. Memorial Day is generally the closing day target among the major late-season ski areas in US, but this year has been abnormal out West: Mt Rose Nevada and Bachelor Oregon are the only two closing plus Aspen Colorado and Silver Mountain Idaho reopening for Memorial Day weekend. In Bachelor’s case, they will be reopening for early July turns. Seven other Western ski areas, like Killington, are looking into making it to June or beyond (Arapahoe Basin Colorado, Snowbird Utah, Beartooth Basin Montana, Donner, Mammoth, Squaw California and of course, Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, Oregon.
Killington VT – June weekend (tentative)
Lift : Superstar Express Quad (walk-on/walk-off)
Trails : Superstar
Time : 8am (9am on Friday and Monday) to 5pm*
Cost : $65US lift tickets – weekend 25%/midweek 50% with pass from another mountain.
To quote K:
Sunday, May 28 is day 200 of our winter season, and you’re invited to celebrate and share cake with us at the Roaring Brook Umbrella Bar around noon! This isn’t the end, though, we’ll reopen Thursday, June 1 and beyond if the snow is schussable – stay tuned!
A couple possible milestones for K and/or the East in the coming days:
– Biggest snow total (252″) since 2010-11 season
– 5th season in May: Ended in April 3-times from 2008-2012, just prior they had done 40 consecutive years starting in starting in May 1975.
– 5th consecutive year with 189+ operating days; More than 20 above the average days per season during the dark 2002-2012 period.
– 3rd consecutive year opening on Memorial Day weekend; Last time prior to the last 3 was in 2003. 31 out of 33 seasons (1981 to 2003)
– 1st time with 200 operating days since 2002-03 which marked the end of a 25-year streak at 200+ (1978-79 to 2002-03).
– IF they reopen on Thursday June 1: 1st time opening in June since 2002.
– IF they reopen on Friday June 2: 1st time opening later than June 1 since 1997.
((*
*))
((*
Turning off the chairlift one last time in 2017…
Mont Comi QC – May 1
Sunday River ME – May 1
Sugarloaf ME – May 1
Jay VT – May 1
Sugarbush VT – May 1
Mont St-Sauveur QC – May 13
Last chair in the East since 2006:
2006: May 5 – Bretton Woods
2007: May 6 – MSS, Killington, Sugarbush, Wildcat
2008: May 11 – MSS
2009: May 4? – Sugarloaf on Monday?, MSS, Jay and Sugarbush
2010: May 3? – Sugarloaf on Monday?, MSS and Jay
2011: May 22 – MSS
2012: May 6 – MSS
2013: May 26 – Killington
2014: May 19 – MSS
2015: May 25 – Killington
2016: May 29 – Killington
2017: June – Killington (tentative)
Latest per ski area since 2006:
Killington VT : May 29, 2016
MSS QC : May 23, 2016
Jay VT : May 15, 2011
Sugarloaf ME : May 9, 2011
Sugarbush VT : May 6, 2007
Wildcat NH : May 6, 2007
Bretton Woods NH : May 5, 2006
Mont Miller QC : May 3, 2015
Mont Comi QC : May 1, 2016
Saddleback ME : May 1, 2011
BUT the East has seen skiing later than the May days above. If we go back to the previous century, in this case the 1990s, at least 5 Eastern ski areas have offered liftserved skiing in JUNE: Sugarloaf (1997?), Sunday River (1995), Mont St-Sauveur (1997), Tremblant (1997), but only Killington has offered it numerous times: 14 times (1982-88, 1992-97, 2002). Killington is also the only ski area in the East to offer skiing in Summer, twice, JUNE 21, 1984 and JUNE 22, 1997. Only a handful of North American ski areas has offered Summer skiing without a natural glacier, all of them being in the West.
List of Killington Seasons since 1966-67
*** 2012/2013 : Appreciation Day for one October weekend, reopened on November 5. K record states season as “October 13-15, Nov 5 – May 26”
** 2005/2006 : Open for one weekend after huge October storm, reopen on November 19. K record states season as “October 29-30, Nov 19 – May 1”
* 2008/09 : Nov. 2-6, Nov. 19-May 2
Season Open – Close / Total Snowfall / Ski Days
2016/2017 October 25 – ??? / 252” / 200? *
2015/2016 October 19 – May 29 / 81” / 189
2014/2015 November 3 – May 24 / 197” / 192
2013/2014 October 23 – May 18 / 196” / 199
2012/2013*** October 13 – May 26 / 208” / 195
2011/2012 October 29 – April 22 / 152” / 176
2010/2011 November 2 – May 1 / 263” / 179
2009/2010 November 7 – April 25 / 230” / 153
2008/2009** November 2 – May 2 / 283” / 169
2007/2008 November 16 – April 20 / 282” / 157
2006/2007 November 23 – May 6 / 294” / 165
2005/2006* October 29 – May 1 / 191” / 166
2004/2005 November 9 – May 15 / 206” / 188
2003/2004 November 10 – May 12 / 215” / 184
2002/2003 October 25 – May 26 / 291” / 204
2001/2002 November 6 – June 1 / 192” / 202
2000/2001 October 29 – May 27 / 316” / 202
1999/2000 October 25 – May 29 / 209” / 205
1998/1999 October 22 – May 25 / 186” / 204
1997/1998 October 1 – May 25 / 242” / 205
1996/1997 October 4 – June 22 / 301” / 233
1995/1996 October 17 – June 10 / 307” / 224
1994/1995 October 3 – June 4 / 182” / 214
1993/1994 October 1 – June 9 / 279” / 243
1992/1993 October 1 – June 1 / 300” / 229
1991/1992 October 21 – June 14 / 198” / 226
1990/1991 October 27 – May 28 / 206” / 214
1989/1990 October 10 – May 28 / 249” / 208
1988/1989 October 13 – May 21 / 202” / 211
1987/1988 October 12 – June 1 / 238” / 227
1986/1987 October 10 – June 3 / 233” / 224
1985/1986 October 1- June 3 / 198” / 224
1984/1985 November 3 – June 2 / 220” / 212
1983/1984 October 20 – June 21 / 238” / 246
1982/1983 October 17 – June 16 / 197” / 240
1981/1982 October 20 – June 15 / 268” / 225
1980/1981 October 14 – May 27 / 257” / 226
1979/1980 October 10 – May 23 / 138” / 221
1978/1979 October 16 – May 22 / 292” / 219
1977/1978 October 24 – May 23 / 341” / 195
1976/1977 October 27 – May 15 / 346” / 201
1975/1976 October 30 – May 5 / 232” / 173
1974/1975 October 19 – May 12 / 307” / 190
1973/1974 November 5 – April 30 / 193” / 177
1972/1973 October 20 – April 15 / 267” / 184
1971/1972 November 9 – May 18 / 323” / 192
1970/1971 November 18 – May 21 / 334” / 184
1969/1970 October 24 – May 4 / NA” / 178
1968/1969 November 9 – May 10 / NA” / 183
1967/1968 November 5 – April 7 / NA” / 154
1966/1967 November 4 – May 2 / NA” / 180
((*
*))
((*
((*
*))
((*
Ski Mad World’s weekly Eastern Closing 2017 post:
Big Corn and Snow in April – Eastern Closing Thread 2017 – Part 1
April Snow, April Showers – Eastern Closing Thread 2017 – Week 2
Heading for late Easter skiing – Eastern Closing Update 2017 – Week 3
What’s left? Weekend after Easter – Eastern Closing Thread 2017 – Week 4
Almost May – Eastern Closing Thread 2017 – Week 5
How long May it last? – Eastern Closing Thread 2017 – Week 6
Consistent as a Mothers’ Day in May – Eastern Closing Thread 2017 – Past 7
May turns to V: Victoria and Very Hot – Eastern Closing Thread 2017 – Part 8
Leave a comment