Killington, Vermont — Thanksgiving Weekend just concluded, which typically features World Cup races at Killington Resort. However, that wasn’t the case this time around due to the construction of the Superstar Chairlift, and it may not be an annual thing going forward.
VTDigger reports that Killington is aiming to host World Cup events every other year. The new ownership group detailed this during a season preview event that was held in October.
The weekend, which costs $2 million to host, attracts tens of thousands of visitors. However, most are there to see the races, rather than ski or ride, making it more difficult for non-locals to ski that weekend.
“It’s an expensive operation,” said Phill Gross, one of the new owners of Killington Resort. “It takes cash flow away from the development of the mountain, as good as it is for the brand.”
It also hampers snowmaking efforts. During early seasons when Killington hosts the World Cup, Killington has to focus much of their early-season snowmaking efforts on Superstar to pass inspection. This leads to slower terrain buildout before, during, and after Thanksgiving weekend. In comparison, Killington had four terrain pods open for skiers last weekend: K-1 (North Ridge, Canyon), Snowdon, Superstar, and Snowshed.
However, other businesses hope the ski resort keeps holding the races. In a video by NBC 5, a couple of businesses spoke out on how it benefits them to have these World Cup races. These businesses benefit from the added traffic, as it’s more likely that people stop by during a not-as-busy peak period.
In the meantime, Killington’s new ownership team is pressing forward with $60 million in capital improvements. This has included the new Superstar chairlift, replacing the gondola cabins on Skyeship, rebuilding the mid-station shed that houses these cabins, adding roughly 1,000 snow guns, replacing the Ledgewood Yurt, and more.
The 2026 offseason will see the replacement of the Snowdon Triple with a new fixed-grip quad chairlift and the expansion of the Jamaican Jerk Grill.
Image/Video Credits: Killington Resort, NBC 5
