Killington, Vermont — After nearly thirty years of service, the Superstar Express Quad has been decommissioned.
Yesterday, Killington Resort hosted a party for the final day of the Superstar Express Quad’s tenure with various festivities. The day started with a huge lift line at the base of the chairlift, as many were hoping to snag a free commemorative t-shirt. Some of the events included a photo booth, food specials at the Umbrella Bar, and a photo-op at the top of the chairlift following the last chair. The ski resort even kept the chairlift spinning an extra hour, with its official closing time being 5:00 p.m.
Removal of the chairlift began today, with the old chairs being removed.
Opened back during the 1987-88 season, the lift was originally manufactured by Yan, but the ski lift company met its demise due to a series of high-profile lift incidents at other ski resorts. This resulted in Superstar being retrofitted by Poma in 1997, and the chairlift ran without issue for its entire lifespan. The detachable high-speed quad became a staple piece of Killington’s spring skiing efforts and the Killington Cup. It services some of the best runs on the mountain, which includes Superstar, The old parts from the chairlift will be moved over to the Golden Express at Pico Mountain.
This retired chairlift will be replaced with a new detachable high-speed six-pack. This Doppelmayr UNI-G chairlift will feature a clockwise rotation (similar to the Snowdon Six), and its fourth lift tower will be placed further uphill to give more skiable area on Superstar. Other planned offseason projects include replacing the cabins on the Skyeship Gondola and the completion of a two-year snowmaking project.
In terms of spring skiing at Killington, they plan to remain open as long as possible. The K-1, Canyon, North Ridge, Snowdon, and Ramshead terrain pods remain open. Bear Mountain is currently closed, but the Vermont ski resort plans to reopen it this upcoming weekend. The ultimate plan is to conclude the season over in the Canyon, with the Upper and Lower Double Dipper trails likely being the last trail standing. However, with this new arrangement, June skiing doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
Image/Video Credits: Killington Resort
