By Katy Savage If you see someone in a bright green jacket at Killington Resort, you’re likely looking at one of the resort’s ambassadors. This dedicated volunteer group is there to solve problems, reunite lost children with their parents, help people who are injured, and answer questions.  They are a group of about 200 people,…

  By Katy Savage   The local housing market picked up considerably after a slow start to 2024. Limited inventory remained a major driving factor with the total number of units sold up slightly by 1.9% across Rutland County and slightly down in the Upper Valley -3.5%, according to a regional analysis by Sotheby’s International Realty.…

By Katy Savage Banners demanding “Save the Halfpipe” and “Build the Pipe” flutter across the balconies of Winterplace condominiums at Okemo Mountain Resort, as the community protests the closure of the popular halfpipe for a second consecutive year. A change.org petition with nearly 4,000 signatures reflects the outcry, spurred by Vail Resorts’ decision not to open the…

By Katy Savage Alice Padilha, 17, is a senior at Killington Mountain School. She’s originally from Brazil and competes in Slalom and Giant Slalom in hopes of competing full time on the Brazilian National Team.  Q&A with Alice Padilha What does it mean to you to have the World Cup come to Killington? Alice Padilha:…

By Katy Savage  Victoria Johnson, 15, lives in Mendon. The sophomore at Killington Mountain School (KMS) competes in Moguls and Dual Moguls. Q&A with Victoria Johnson Mountain Times: What does it mean to you to have the World Cup come to Killington? Victoria Johnson: It shows that our mountain has the ability to take me…

By Katy Savage Rhiannon “Rhi” Lubaszewski, 19, lives in Rutland and graduated from Killington Mountain School last year. She competes in Slalom, Super-G and Giant Slalom and hopes to make it into a Division 1 college and eventually compete on the World Cup circuit. Q&A with Rhiannon Lubaszewski What does it mean to you to…

By Katy Savage Eva Young is an 18-year-old Killington Mountain School student who’s graduating this year. She’s competed in a number of Nor-Am cups and national junior races in the Slalom and Giant Slalom.  Q&A with Eva Young What does it mean to you to have the World Cup come to Killington? Eva Young: Having…

Killington Mountain School (KMS) is thrilled senior Ella Andrews, 17, has made the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team for the upcoming 2024-25 season where she competes in Big Air Slopestyle and Halfpipe events. Andrews earned her first podium on the World Cup last March, placing second in Slopestyle at Mammoth Mountain in California. She also had…

By Katy Savage  Claire Butler became the headmaster at Killington Mountain School five years ago. It was a full-circle moment for Butler, who began her ski career in development programs at Killington before she became a student at Killington Mountain School. She earned an undergraduate degree from Bates College, where she was captain of the…

 By Katy Savage  Woodstock residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of acquiring the Woodstock Aqueduct Company on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The private utility, which dates back to the 1800s, will become a public utility for the first time. Residents voted 382-103 from the floor to acquire the company for $920,000, about half of which was offset…

By Katy Savage Farm and Wilderness Camp has removed a 60-year-old dam that posed environmental risks to the surrounding area.The dam, measuring 292 feet long and 31 feet tall, was capable of impounding 500,000 cubic feet of water but had become ineffective due to rotting. Concerns over warming water, sediment release, and potential flooding of…

Town to hold two votes to acquire Woodstock Aqueduct Company By Katy Savage  After more than a year of discussion and negotiation, Woodstock has a plan to acquire the Woodstock Aqueduct Company, which has been a private utility since the late 1800s.  Town Manager Eric Duffy presented the plan on Sept. 23. He said the…

Woodstock Middle/High is the first public school in the state to field a varsity team  By Katy Savage and Polly Mikula Mountain biking has been such a popular club sport at Woodstock Union High School that this fall it became a varsity sport. And it made history as the first public school in the state…

By Katy Savage Mazie Hayden, a 23-year-old Killington Mountain School graduate from Pittsfield, has become a regular presence on mountain bike race podiums. This will be her fourth time at the Fox U.S. Open of Mountain Biking. She got third place in Dual Slalom in 2022 and fifth last year, while she got 15th in…

By Katy Savage Sarah Hamlin was 11 when she first started mountain bike racing. She competed in the U-12 category with boys because there weren’t enough girls for them to have their own team. Now, 15, Hamlin is a sophomore at Killington Mountain School and she just became a professional rider for the first time…