By Katy Savage
Killington Resort has been named one of the country’s best and took the top ranking for Eastern resorts.
The resort ranked No. 11 nationally on The American Ski Index by Koala, which scored 450 ski resorts across the U.S., taking into account annual snowfall, cost of lift tickets and reviews.
Killington Resort took one of the top spots among some of the largest ski resorts in the nation. Park City in Utah took first place, while Vail in Colorado took second and Winter Park in Colorado took third.
“I was happy we’re among one of the top,” Killington Resort Communications Manager Courntey DiFiore said. “Of course I’m a little biased, but I love Killington.”
Killington has 383,202 feet of runs, 19 lifts and an average adult lift ticket price of $130, according to the study. Snowfall totaled 12 feet, six inches last season and the average temperature from November to April was 26 degrees.
Part of the ranking included social media popularity. Killington Resort had a total of 228,621 hashtags on Instagram last season, which is far from the 1.1 million hashtags Park City garnered, but significantly more than most other resorts. Killington also had one of the most positive guest experience ratings, with 4.2 out of 5 stars on Skiresort.info— a website that ranks mountains on slope variety, reliability of snow, friendliness of staff, ease of access, and other factors.
“Something that I would say really shines this year is our team — I feel like we get a lot of feedback about how helpful everybody is,” DiFiore said.
Killington Resort is the largest ski resort in the East and is affectionately nicknamed the Beast of the East. DiFiore said positive guest reviews are important, especially this season as the resort navigates operating challenges in the pandemic.
“Our Beast culture stands out and makes us stand out to our guests — especially this year,” DiFiore said. “Our staff’s doing a good job at making everyone’s experience as best it can be.”
DiFiore also said the resort’s wide variety of terrain makes it stand out, too.
“Beginners can come with expert-level family members because they all have something they can ski and ride,” DiFiore said.
Sunday River in Maine was the only other resort in the East to make the top 25 on the list, coming in at No. 24.Three other Vermont resorts made the list of top 50. Stowe ranked 34th on the list, Jay Peak ranked 42nd and Smugglers’ Notch ranked 46th. Nearby Okemo ranked 71st while Killington Resort’s sister mountain Pico ranked 89th.
