It had been over a decade since we last spent Christmas Day at mom’s. James and I returned to Western New York for Christmas in 2025. It was such a joy to spend time with my mom and step-dad, my brother’s family, and also reconnect with friends from high school. We were also lucky enough to get a few snowfalls— which made the holidays more magical and created excitement for our upcoming ski holiday in Vermont.
Since we had already made the journey to North America to visit my family, we decided to explore more of New England while we were there. After some research, we chose to spend a couple of days skiing at Killington Resort in Vermont, staying in nearby Rutland. Known as the “Beast of the East,” Killington is the largest ski resort in the eastern United States and a year-round destination for outdoor lovers. Here is my Killington ski resort review.
Returning to Killington After Nearly 20 Years
The last time I skied Killington was back in 2006, and prior to that one day during university. Honestly, the only thing I remembered was navigating across a massive mogul field—so this trip felt like visiting for the first time.
We booked our lift tickets early in October to help manage costs. Skiing in the U.S. is noticeably more expensive than in Europe, and the rise of the Ikon Pass and Epic Pass has made season-long passes a better value if you ski frequently. Since we were only skiing for a few days, we opted for Killington’s K-Day passes, which are available in 2–5 day options, do not have blackout days, are non-refundable, and cannot be transferred to another person. You can also buy transferable passes, called K-Tickets which are like gift vouchers for a lift pass. We paid $119/day/person to ski with the K-Day pass, rather than $145 if we had bought K-Tickets before 16 October. If you bought K-Tickets in December, they would have been $194 each. Note that children under 6 years old and adults over 80 are eligible for free lift tickets. If you want to buy your lift tickets now, there are different prices depending on the day of the week and how far ahead you buy the tickets.
As I mentioned, our tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, so we were definitely rolling the dice on snow conditions. Thankfully, Vermont delivered.
Staying Near Killington & Vermont Winter Mornings
We brought our own ski equipment and stayed about 20 minutes from the mountain. Normally, I want to be the first one up the chairlift for some fresh tracks but the weather was so cold at 8am when the lifts opened, we went for breakfast instead at Maple Syrup and Vermont Spice each morning on the way to the resort—an ideal way to fuel up before cold days on the slopes. These big breakfasts helped us avoid stopping for a big lunch. We spent about six hours each day at Killington.
Rutland has a cute main street with locally-owned businesses. We went out for pizza to watch the end of the Bills game one night. James also visited a tea shop to do some work on the rainy day.
Ski Conditions: Cold, Windy, and Classic Vermont
There was snow—but wow, was it cold. Temperatures stayed around 0°C, and between the strong winds and fully exposed chairlifts, we had to duck inside to warm up every few runs on our second ski day. My Tog24 ski jacket*, ironically called Vermont, kept me nice and warm but my fingers and toes were a bit chilly.
Killington’s sheer size is impressive:
- 1,509 skiable acres
- 72 miles of trails
- 20 lifts and 3 gondolas
- 4,241 ft peak elevation
- ~250 inches of snow annually
With only two days at the resort, we didn’t have enough time to visit each peak and/or Pico Mountain. Even though it snowed daily while we were there, I was amazed by how much snowmaking was happening to build and maintain the base. The Killington app featured daily updates from the snow team and they were making snow every night, and even during our second day. This massive effort one of the reasons Killington is such a reliable early- and late-season resort.
Ski and snowboard lessons are available for people ages 3 and up. If you need daycare for kids ages 12 weeks to 12 years, head over to Ramshead Lodge. Ski lessons can be arranged from the day care so parents can focus on getting some runs in. Note that day care costs over $200/day.
Blue Runs, Gondolas & Bubble Lifts (My Ideal Setup)
I’d consider myself an intermediate skier. I’m happiest cruising blue runs rather than tackling steep or fast terrain. Luckily, Killington caters extremely well to this skill level with 40% of the ski trails deemed ‘more difficult’.
James and I stuck mostly to blue trails accessed by gondolas and newer lifts, including one with a bubble cover—a lifesaver in freezing, windy conditions. This made skiing far more enjoyable and gave us a chance to explore multiple peaks without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. If the lift line was too long, we headed to the singles line to skip ahead.
Weather Challenges & Making the Most of It
Our second planned ski day was hit with heavy rain, and skiing while wet and cold just isn’t fun. We spent the day souvenior shopping, relaxing at the hotel, and hoping conditions would improve. I wanted to go for a run but the roads were too icy for me to do so. Since we had prepaid lift passes, we still headed up the following day.
We stayed at the resort for about six hours but spent more time indoors warming up than skiing. Every three or four runs, we headed inside, which is not something I would normally do. My goal is to maximize my ski time and use the strategy of eating on the chairlift to stay out as long as possible. But that wouldn’t work on this freezing cold day. I even had to buy new ski socks because my feet were so cold (naturally, I chose Darn Tough, a Vermont-based company known for their merino wool socks designed for skiing, hiking, running, and everyday wear). James bought hand warmers.
Après Ski & Lodge Life at Killington
The K-1 Lodge, which opened for the 2022/2023 season, is a major hub at the resort. It features:
- A restaurant, bar, and cafeteria
- Lockers and free bag storage
- A large gift shop
- A heated outdoor patio with fire pits (and s’mores—weather permitting. I am so disappointed I didn’t get a chance to try them)
The bar is clearly the spot for après ski, with live bands daily. Other lodges across the resort also host live music throughout the week, giving Killington a lively, social atmosphere. This is the only lodge we spent time in during our visit. Again, the resort is so vast, you need at least a week to explore everything on the mountain (maybe more?).
if you just need a quick snack or bottle of water before heading back up the mountain, Waffle Cabins can be spotted at most chair lifts. I assume by the number of Waffle Cabins stickers I saw on helmets and snowboards, it must have a cult following. From their website, it looks like they got their big break at Killington nearly 30 years ago.
Why Killington Earns the Title “Beast of the East”
Between its size, snow reliability, terrain variety, and year-round activities, it’s easy to see why Killington stands out. In addition to winter skiing, the resort offers:
- Extensive mountain biking trails
- Hiking and outdoor summer activities
- Family-friendly amenities across seasons
James is already talking about coming back for mountain biking, so I suspect this won’t be our last visit.
Is Killington Worth Visiting?
If you find yourself in New England during winter and are looking for reliable snow, Killington is a solid choice. It’s easily accessible from New York City and Boston, offers terrain for a wide range of abilities, and has plenty to do both on and off the slopes.
Cold, yes—but undeniably impressive.
If you’d like to read more about my skiing adventures, check out this post describing our trip to Cervinia, Italy in 2024, my ski gift guide, and my adventure to Avoriaz, France with Outdoor Adventure Girls last winter.
Items marked with a * were gifted by the company. All opinions are honest and my own.