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Killington has always been a place shaped by the mountains.
Long before it became one of the East’s best-known outdoor destinations, visitors were drawn to this corner of Vermont for its rugged Green Mountain landscape, scenic beauty, and four-season character. The rise of skiing in Vermont during the early 20th century would eventually transform the region and put Killington on the map.
In 1954, 24-year-old ski enthusiast Preston Leete “Pres” Smith approached Vermont State Forester Perry Merrill with an ambitious idea: develop a ski area on Killington Peak. After several years of planning, fundraising, and construction, Killington Basin Ski Area welcomed its first skiers on December 13, 1958.
What began with a handful of trails and a temporary base shelter quickly grew. By 1960, a new chairlift carried skiers to Killington Peak, and throughout the following decade, the mountain expanded across new terrain while pioneering advances in snowmaking, ski instruction, and the guest experience.
That spirit of innovation would become part of Killington’s identity.
Pres Smith pitches a ski area on Killington Peak to Vermont State Forester Perry Merrill.
Killington Basin Ski Area welcomes its first skiers on December 13.
With 100+ trails, Killington offers lift-served skiing into June for the first time.
The FIS Ski World Cup brings the world’s best racers to Superstar.
Longtime passholders and investors return the resort to independent ownership.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, Killington continued to expand across the surrounding mountains. New lifts, lodges, and terrain at Ramshead, Snowdon, Skye Peak, and Bear Mountain helped establish Killington as Vermont’s largest mountain resort.
Snowmaking became especially important to Killington’s story. Pres Smith and his team continually pushed the technology to extend the season and create more reliable skiing, helping establish a tradition that continues today.
By the early 1980s, Killington had grown to more than 100 trails. In 1982, the mountain famously offered lift-served skiing into June for the first time, reinforcing the long-season reputation generations of skiers & riders have come to associate with Killington.
As the resort grew, so did the community around it.
Lodging, restaurants, shops, nightlife, and locally owned businesses developed alongside the mountain, creating the distinct destination visitors experience today. Killington also began expanding beyond skiing, building a stronger summer and fall identity through hiking, golf, mountain biking, and outdoor recreation.
That evolution accelerated in the 2010s as lift-served mountain biking, the Adventure Center, and other warm-weather activities helped establish Killington as a true four-season destination.
In 2016, Killington welcomed international ski racing back to Vermont by hosting the FIS Ski World Cup on Superstar. The event brought many of the world’s best racers, including Vermont’s own Mikaela Shiffrin, to Killington and introduced thousands of spectators to the community surrounding the mountain.
Killington continues to evolve. In 2024, Killington Resort entered a new era when a group of longtime passholders and investors with deep connections to the mountain purchased the resort and returned it to independent ownership.
More than six decades after its first opening day, the pioneering spirit that built Killington is still easy to find. It is on the mountain, but it is also along Killington Road, inside our restaurants and shops, on our trails and golf courses, at community events, and in the generations of residents, business owners, and visitors who have made memories here.
Killington’s history may begin with the mountain, but its story has grown into an entire community. Come experience the next chapter.
