Karlhubers celebrate 37 years at the inn
By Polly Mikula
KILLINGTON—Jeanne and Manfred Karlhuber celebrated with a Zoom party Monday, Feb. 1, after signing closing documents to sell The Snowed Inn after 37 years.
“We had dinner delivered and champagne,” Jeanne Karlhuber said of the party their (adult) children, Tom and Kerstin, organized for them.
“I’m exhausted but excited and relieved,” she said.
The Karlhubers purchased the Snowed Inn in February 1984 when it was “a small, nondescript 4-room guest house of 1960s vintage,” according to the Snowed Inn website.
Jeanne and Manfred Karlhuber raised their children at the inn, living on premises for the first 22 years before building a house about 2 miles away in Killington.
“When you are raised in a busy inn environment, you learn some important lessons about kindness, respect and responsibility, and certainly how to take a reservation!” wrote Jeanne Karlhuber in the “A history of the Inn” section on the Inn’s site. “Along the way they, of course, learned to ski and acquired excellent local and then undergraduate and graduate educations,” she wrote. Both Karlhuber children attended Killington Elementary and then Woodstock middle and high schools.
“So many people from all over the world have crossed our thresholds over the years, and we’ve created so many cherished memories,” she told the Mountain Times. “The Inn and all our guests have had such a huge impact on us and on our lives. I know that will last and we’re so grateful for all those positive experiences.”
While no longer innkeepers, the Karlhubers plan to stay in Killington, and “look forward to pursuing other things we love, like tennis and traveling,” Karlhuber said.
And they’re thrilled to support the new owners.
“The new owners are terrific, they’re going to be a real asset to this community,” Jeanne Karlhuber said enthusiastically.
The new owners, Ken Peters and Caroline Kepcher, hail from Connecticut. Both are familiar with Killington having come up to ski for years. Peters is a former financial analyst with GE and Kepcher has worked in golf and country clubs, most recently serving as vice president and general manager at Aspetuck Valley Country Club.
“They have a great combo of skills and great charisma. They are smart, professional and experienced,” Karlhuber said. “The community will welcome them.”
The 19-room inn sold for $1.55 million. It was listed at $1.85 million with the Hearthside Group.
Snowed Inn is located at 104 Miller Brook Road (150 yards off Killington Road) on an acre of land. It’s about 1.5 miles from Killington Resort. It has 16 hotel-style guestrooms in the main inn with a chalet that has a 1-bedroom master suite, a 2-bedroom suite and a studio suite, according to the listing. The inn also has a large sitting area with a fieldstone fireplace and an outdoor communal hot tub.
While Peters and Kepcher now officially own the inn, the Karlhubers will spend the next week or two training and helping them with the transition.
