Killington prepares for ski season with $15 million in lift work

One of the biggest pieces involves the K-1 gondola, which will receive a new control system to extend its service life.

Killington Resort is moving ahead with a $15 million round of lift improvements as it gets ready for winter and continues planning larger projects for the future.

The latest spending brings the resort’s total investment to $80 million over the past three years since new independent owners took over. Officials also say they are considering about $200 million more in long-range upgrades.

The work is aimed mainly at keeping the mountain’s transportation system dependable for guests. Jordan Spear said the resort does not see any single project as transformative on its own, but expects the combined efforts to improve how quickly and reliably visitors can get onto the slopes.

One of the biggest pieces involves the K-1 gondola, which will receive a new control system to extend its service life. That upgrade means summer scenic rides will not be available next year, a tradeoff the resort says is necessary to support both future summer operations and winter reliability.

The mountain is also preparing for this winter with construction of a new quad lift beside the K-1 base area. At the same time, snowmaking remains a major priority as Killington works to preserve its standing as the first resort in the East to open each season. Amy Laramie said snow guns will begin running this weekend, though the resort does not expect to open next week and instead is building snow stockpiles in advance.

Fall activities are still underway during what the resort calls crossover season. Spear said two lifts will be operating this weekend for mountain biking while snowmaking begins elsewhere on the mountain.

The earlier start also supports a major Thanksgiving weekend event. The FIS World Cup is set to return to Killington after being away for a year because of lift construction.