By Katy Savage
Killington Boot Camp is moving and expanding operations.
Owner Beth Roberts is opening Killington Boot Camp Wellness Center on Saturday, May 1, on the second floor of Base Camp Bike and Ski (formerly Base Camp Outfitters) on Killington Road. There will be an open gym with weights, cardio equipment, pliability bands, suspension equipment and heavy bags. There will also be private and semi private training as well as 15-20 fitness classes a week, focusing on yoga, high intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, and indoor cycling.
“I’ve always been focused on one style of fitness and this is opening it up to so many more people,” Roberts said.
Roberts, who grew up in New Hampshire, became a certified fitness instructor at age 25 while living in San Diego. She moved back East in 2008 and started her boot camp business in 2009. Roberts has long had a relationship with Lookout Tavern owner Phil Black. They partnered in 2014, when Black reached out to her about opening a fitness center in a 400-square-foot space in the back of his restaurant on Killington Road.
Black reached out to Roberts about expanding her business after he bought Base Camp Outfitters with partner Ben Colona in March.
“I was like, ‘yes!’” Roberts said.
Melissa Karr demonstrates rowing with Beth Roberts “coaching.”
The new 2,000-square-foot location, which was once an art gallery, will be able to offer much more than boot camp classes, which Roberts is best known for.
“It’s a lot more space and a lot more overhead and very different from what I was doing, but it’s coming together in an incredible way,” Roberts said.
Roberts will offer traditional and non-traditional fitness options. She’s bringing local yoga instructors Danyelle Joaquin, Cristy Murphy, Karen Dalury and Galen Miller to her team as well as fitness coaches Christina Mattsson, Kirsten Klett and Kimberly Krantz. Local Connor McGrath will lead guided hikes every Saturday starting at 10:30 a.m. through the summer and fall.
“He’s the typical Vermont outdoorsy guy,” Roberts said. “He knows the woods like the back of his hands.”
Roberts is also planning to offer themed “Wellness Days” that will include kayaking, stand up paddle-boarding (SUP), massage services, nutrition workshops and meditation. Sport-specific training sessions for golf, obstacle course racing, mountain biking and skiing and snowboarding will also be offered in a small group format.
While the upstairs of the former Base Camp will be rented for Roberts’ fitness center, the new owners plan to turn the downstairs into a bike “hub,” where people can gather before and after a ride. Base Camp Bike and Ski will sell retail and offer bike rentals and repairs.
Roberts has a number of activities planned for opening day on May 1, including a free boot camp class at 8 a.m., followed by two free yoga classes and then a guided hike at 10:30 a.m. There will be an open house with tours from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
