Killington And Pico Annouce Expanded $25 Million In Improvement Projects

All Images: Courtesy of Killington Resort

Yesterday, the owners of Killington and Pico Mountain in Vermont announced an added $25 million improvement plan for both mountains this summer. After two years of being independently owned by the Killington Independence Group, which bought the resort from POWDR in 2024, this is the first major multimillion-dollar project the mountain has seen in years. The improvement plan includes multiple summer and winter projects, with some ready this summer and others projected to be ready by the beginning of the winter 2027/28 season. Last fall, the mountain announced $22 million in total improvement funds, but since then, after a two-year investment total, that sum has now reached over $65 million under independent ownership.

Pico Mountain was founded in 1937, and Killington was founded in 1958, about 38 years after Pico Mountain. Killington's parent company acquired Pico in 1996 as the two are neighboring resorts. Then in 2007, POWDR, a massive ski company that owns resorts like Copper Mountain and Snowbird, bought the two mountains. While POWDR invested in multiple improvement projects for the resorts, this recently announced project is special because it is the first multi-million-dollar project that has been undertaken by independent owners in decades. 

Summer projects 

Killington has invested $215,000 in this summer's attractions, one of the mountain's largest investments for summer activities in the past decade. These investments include additions to the Adventure Center and improvements for the trail crew and bike park. The Adventure Center is adding a beast tower, a climbing wall, a trampoline jump, and a new and improved playground. The mountain hopes to have these attractions open to the public ahead of 4th of July weekend. The number of attractions available with Adventure Center access is now up to nine, thanks to the investments. 

Trail and crew

The trail crew is getting a new $237,000 friend, a remote-controlled Moritz crawler carrier. The machine is set to arrive this Sunday and will be used to help maintain the bike park and trails. According to Killington's website, when the crew can’t reach locations with their larger machinery, the Traill Crusher (the machine's name) will be sent out, equipped with special attachments for trail maintenance and construction. Big picture-wise, this machine will be a helpful friend for the crew to restore washed-out sections of trails, build new lines, and clear, shape, open, and maintain bike park trails. 

Bike park

Other than Trail Crusher coming, the bike park is getting some major improvements, like opening sooner and adding new trails. On June 11, the Ramshead Express opened with service to the bike park. To ensure the terrain is prepared more quickly, the mountain has enlisted a third party to assist with Ramshead's most popular trail. According to Killington's Website, the added support is helping them prepare Black Magic, their 2+ mile-long jump trail, as well as Blue Magic, another popular trail. The mountain hopes to have both trails open to the public by early July. Due to permitting delays, the new trail that was supposed to get started last summer has been moved to start later this month. The new trail will be a single-track hybrid trail accessible from Lower Blue Magic on Ramshead. 

Winter projects 

As you can see, Killington has been busy with its summer improvements, but they have not stopped there; even more winter improvements are on the way. The improvements include new lifts, expanded snowmaking, and upgraded dining experiences. 

Ski lifts

One of the biggest winter improvements is the replacement of the Snowdon Triple lift with the Snowdon Quad lift. The new lift will remain a fixed-grip lift, as these lifts tend to work better in more varied weather conditions, even though they are a bit slower. The lift is being manufactured by Doppelmayr, the same company that built the Superstar six. But the new lift will provide a 33% increase in capacity and a slightly faster ride than its predecessor, according to Killington's website. The lift is expected to be completed by the start of winter 2026-27. 

This past winter, Pico Mountain's Outpost Double lift suffered a mechanical failure that could not be repaired. But a two-year solution has been implemented. Permitting and lift procurement are underway for a new lift to be installed by the 2027-28 winter season, replacing Outpost. For the 2026-27 season, a temporary rope has been put in place to allow skiers access to all of Outpost’s terrain. 

The mountain is also investing $1.3 million in lift maintenance projects this summer, with a primary focus on Needles Eye Quad, Skye Peak Quad, Skyeship Gondola, K-1 Gondola, Bear Mountain Quad, and the Summit Quad at Pico. 

Snowmaking

After holding the title for delivering the longest season in the East, the resort is doubling down on snowmaking. After installing 1,044 low-energy snowguns, the mountain is installing a new pipeline and around 23 more new low-energy snowguns along the Conclusion Trail. According to Killington's website, this trail hasn’t seen active snowmaking in around a decade. Additionally, some pipeline replacements are underway, as is the installation of high-capacity fan guns. 

Lodge and dining

Besides snow stuff, the mountain also has an $8.5 million lodge/restaurant improvement project expected to be fully open during the winter 2027/28 ski season. An expansion to Jerk Jamaican Grill will take a new name after work is complete: the Needle’s Eye Lodge. The project includes an expanded deck with 100 outdoor seats, additional indoor bathrooms, a full-service bar, and improved food preparation and storage spaces for staff. The project will be 4x the size of the current building. According to the website, Killington says not to worry, as the Jerk Jamaican Mountain Grill will still serve food at the upgraded lodge, and the grill is expected to remain unaffected during the 2026/27 season. 

In an Instagram video posted by Killington Resort, the resort's President and CEO, Mike Solimano, said that being independent has exceeded their expectations and allowed the resort to be nimble and make decisions quickly based on what’s important to guests locally and in the market. He ended the video by saying that the future of Killington has never been brighter and that they are just getting started.