By Mike Solimano, president and GM of Killington Resort/Pico Mountain Since I first proposed repealing the sales portion of the 1 percent option tax last fall, I have had countless positive, encouraging conversations with local officials, residents and business owners about how this measure is important for us all. There has also been much debate…

Editor’s note: The following is an open letter addressed to Vermont cities and towns. Killington is the only town in both Rutland or Windsor County to pass such a resolution. Dear Editor, I am writing today to let you know that the city councils or selectboards of 26 Vermont municipalities have passed a resolution calling…

By Lee Hamilton We are one glum country. Trust in the federal government is at historic lows, according to Gallup. More than half of the respondents to an October Rasmussen poll think our best days are behind us. And just a few weeks ago, an NBC/Wall St. Journal poll found that the one thing Americans…

By Rob Roper Here’s the puzzle the legislature must solve regarding education finance reform: How do you lower the cost of educating our kids so we can cut taxes, while maintaining or improving high student outcomes? How do you stay within the lines of the Brigham Supreme Court decision that guarantees all students equal access…

Dear Editor, I wanted to pass along my thoughts on Herb Russell, State Representative for City of Rutland. I met him recently at my Stepdad’s funeral and was so impressed by the things he’s done for the city, but most especially for the personal contact he maintained with my Stepdad Norman Dean and my Mom…

Dear Editor, This is one of my favorite times of the year. As a child I always enjoyed looking at Christmas displays. I still have vivid memories of the big plastic Santa in his sleigh being pulled by reindeer that would float over Merchants Row from Woolworths (now the Asa Bloomer Building) heading towards the…

The Grand Opening of Okemo’s Sunburst lift was held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Owner Tim  Mueller smashed a bottle of champaign on one of the support towers to officially christen it, and Owner Diane Mueller did the ribbon cutting. The event happened to correlate with a media weekend at Okemo Mountain Resort, which many attended. Construction…

KILLINGTON—Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports recently announced that Laura Schutz of Burlington and Frank Kelley of Chester are the 2014 recipients of the organization’s annual Jim Hutchinson Volunteer of the Year Award. “These two volunteers exemplify what Jim Hutchinson stood for when it comes to being a volunteer,” said Executive Director Erin Fernandez. “They tirelessly…

By Tony Crespi Each season the ski industry unveils new ski collections boasting advancements and refinements in technology and design. Often unrecognized by the public is the complexity of engineering and design principles involved in this process. The tip to tail shapes and dimensions used in a ski are crucial to its performance, as even…

The Vermont State Police wants to remind the motoring public to clear all snow and ice from the roofs and windshields of their vehicles. Snow dislodging from a moving vehicle creates an extreme driving hazard for all motorists. In addition, snow and ice covering the windows of the vehicle create blind spots. Motorists can be…

America’s surging trade deficit with China has cost more than 3.2 million U.S. jobs, 8,200 alone in Vermont, or 2.51percent of Vermont jobs. This ranks Vermont as ninth in the nation. The overwhelming majority of jobs lost are in manufacturing, according to a study released today by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Every congressional district…

LUDLOW–Okemo Mountain Resort is re-energizing its commitment to provide skiing and riding guests with superior terrain parks through a partnership with Snow Park Technologies and the introduction of a new on-mountain parks and pipe management team. Leading the charge is Mark Fiori, an Okemo veteran who left the resort several years ago and returned recently…

The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) is looking forward to a great snowmobiling season as a Nor’easter descended on Vermont last week just in time for the snowmobile season’s opening day, Dec. 16. In order to have trails ready to ride, there must be at least four inches of packed snow and frozen ground…

By Larry Abelman Editor’s note: Larry Abelman wrote a popular column, “View From The Cave,” back in the late 70s and early 80s for The Mountain Times. Last winter, he took a trip down south to ski and shares the story here. Growing up in D.C., skiing wasn’t really a subject that ever came up,…

By Brett Yates and Zachary Yates My fancy 18-year-old brother recently finished his first term at Dartmouth College. Given the school’s proximity to Killington—only 35 miles east, though perhaps somewhat more removed culturally—I proposed that he might share some thoughts about undergrad life across the Connecticut River for readers of this column. He responded as…