Local business owner reflects on the early days of riding, growth of the sport and predictions for the future By Katy Savage Phil Black remembers back when there were no mountain bike trails in the early 1990s. Back then, mountain biking meant earning your downhill turns by traveling up old logging roads, carriage roads and…

By Katy Savage The FOX U.S. Open of Mountain Biking is bringing some of the best athletes around the world to Killington this weekend. It’s also giving a chance for amateurs to ride with some of the biggest names and some locals are taking advantage of the opportunity. Ashely Stearns, 27, of Mendon, is riding…

  By Katy Savage Althea Ostgaard is proving age is just a number. Althea, “Ally,” became the youngest female rider to ever podium the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking in Killington last year at just 14 years old.  Ally of Seattle, Washington got third place in downhill against some of the world’s top riders.…

  The flat Ramshead beginner ski area at Killington Resort has been transformed into a 45-foot mountain bike jump for the Fox U.S. Open of Mountain Biking competition, returning Sept. 22-24. Powder Horn Trail Company in New Hampshire has been building the jump since July. Owner William Conroy and his team used a 1,000-pound excavator…

The Killington Resort operations team have been building the Fox U.S. Open of mountain bike trails since July — fighting this summer’s record rainfall. The Mountain Times spoke with Taylor Zink, Killington Resort’s terrain park manager, about what goes into preparing the Enduro and Dual Slalom events. Enduro What specifically is involved in building the…

  Spectators will be able to watch six races when the Fox U.S. Open comes to Killington this weekend. The competitions, along with a vendor village and food will be held at Ramshead. Spectating is free or for $15, people can take a chairlift to get a better view of the competitors.  Open Downhill The…

  Lingo to help spectators understand common mountain bike terms Trail features Berm, noun, a banked corner that can be ridden faster than a flat corner. A common feature in any mountain bike park. Booter, noun, a large jump that requires a lot of commitment. Flow, adjective or noun, the way a trail is constructed,…

  Spectators are invited to watch the action all weekend at Killington Resort. All festivities and events are based at the Ramshead base area of Killington Resort.  All events are free to watch and hiking up the trails for better viewing is encouraged. A $15 spectator pass to ride the Ramshead Express quad uphill will…

The Fox U.S. Open(USO) of Mountain Biking returns to Killington Resort Friday, Sept. 22 with events through Sunday, Sept. 24.  It's the 20th anniversary of the event and it's expected to bring professional and amateur athletes from around the world to compete in Downhill, Enduro and Dual Slalom racing. The series offers one of the…

  By Don Keelan Editor’s note: Don Keelan of Arlington is a retired certified public accountant. The time is long overdue for the Republicans/conservatives, Democrats/Progressives to put away their hatchets and stop attacking each other. Instead, let’s deal with the Vermont crisis of losing young people at a rate that will soon devastate the state. …

  Dear Editor, Fractures need repair to ensure normal function.  “Comminuted” fractures, in which the bone breaks into multiple pieces, are difficult to repair.  The more pieces there are, the more difficult the repair.  Our healthcare system displays the most severe kind of fracture: shattering into many pieces.  It’s so bad that we don’t even…

  Dear Editor, September is Hunger Action Month.  It is a time set aside when individuals and organizations work to help fight food insecurity.  The numbers of families now facing food insecurity continues to rise.  According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), food insecurity is defined as the lack of consistent access to enough…

  By Angelo Lynn President Joe Biden’s age has always been a secondary concern, but rarely has it captured the headlines as it has the past few weeks. Biden is a fit 80; he eats well, is trim, is disciplined and exercises daily. He has a speech impediment, always has, that makes him less articulate…

  In the last school year, fewer than a quarter of University of Vermont undergraduates were Vermonters, out-of-state enrollments have soared, what does that say about the university’s role in the state? By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Erik Arnold, a sophomore from Minneapolis, came to the University of Vermont because, among other reasons, he wanted to get out…

  Staff report/VTD For the second time this year, the Vermont State Colleges System is poised to lose a top leader. The system’s board of trustees announced Monday evening that Sophie Zdatny will step down as chancellor at the end of December. She has served in that role since July 2020 and has worked for the state…