Killington was in the town of Sherburne in 1965. I remember going to the Sherburne Town Meeting in March of 1966. The ski area shut down until noon as the men all attended the morning portion of the meeting. It was mainly devoted to the highway department. A lengthy debate occurred about whether the town…

It feels like we waited forever, but now I can barely remember the time before the mountain opened. We stared at the weather report for weeks, trying to figure out when the wet bulb would match the requirements for the guns to turn on. It felt like Mother Nature had abandoned us, the Killington faithful,…

The more things change I’d like to say that I don’t mind change (simply because it’s the one constant in life, so there’s no sense fighting it), but the reality is that I’m not a big fan. I’ve constructed my life so that I’m very comfortable with how things unfold on a day-to-day basis. Therefore,…

As I wake up much earlier than I was supposed to, much earlier than my alarm, I am greeted with the rays of a brand new day. I get myself together and start going through the pile of messages from friends, looking to spend time with me or go to the show together that night.…

I’ve spent years interviewing candidates for various jobs. I’ve done it so much that I can generally tell within minutes of meeting someone whether or not they are going to fit in. In my profession, you have to be able to “talk the talk,” and if you’re not keeping up with my questions and observations,…

For 12 summers, my Vermont colleagues and I guided high school student and teacher teams researching streams as part of a National Science Foundation EPSCoR program. These teams received training in July and employed their new skills for the rest of the summer and early autumn by taking water samples and flow measurements and observing…

There are many things that we do in life because of the memories that are associated with them. When I watch garden shows on PBS or CREATE, people often say that they got into gardening when they were kids by planting and caring for gardens along with their parents. It’s fascinating for children to plant…

By James Kent Anora is an exotic dancer at a Manhattan strip club. She dabbles in sex work on the side if the money’s right, and she’s interested enough in the man. At the club, she meets a young, immature son of a Russian oligarch. Anora, who goes by Ani, gets the assignment because she…

As the rain began, we chose to keep paddling. We were on the far side of the reservoir, so it would be at least another hour until we could make it back to the Leffert’s side of the reservoir anyway. The rain continued, leaving little pockmarks on the water and reminding us that maybe next time, we…

By James Kachadorian Please enjoy this story of how a 25-year-old Armenian farm kid from Methuen, Massachusetts, became Killington’s head engineer, responsible for building ski lifts, base lodges, snowmaking, and whatever else was needed as Killington overcame incredible challenges to get off the ground. Now, in my 80s, the memories of those turbulent, exciting days…

Just when you hoped the dust would settle, the Cosmos will kick it up again. This week’s Full Moon happens with Uranus, the planet of surprises, shocks, and changes. If you have a wise eye on the situation, then chances are, you might be shocked but not necessarily surprised. This will be the case if…

There is a moment that comes in the second half of Iranian film director Ali Abbasi’s film, “The Apprentice,” or as I call it, “Trump: The Prequel,” where Donald Trump, played by actor Sebastian Stan, has his manhood called into question by his wife Ivana, played by Maria Bakalova. The Don, hopped up on too…

One slide of the big yellow shovel at a time. The metal-tipped edge slides smoothly across the artificial wood.  Slowly, deliberately, I work my way across the deck. It’s a deck that has hosted some pretty awesome musicians, but all I need for now is for it not to host this heavy snow. One shovelful at a time,…

This is the time of year when nature shows us how to let go When all of the leaves have fallen The trees stand proud and bare They slowly release what does not serve them What they leave behind in the soil helps fuel their future growth. When the cold crashes in hard, the naked…

Several months ago, I wrote about my son’s high school graduation and how shocked my wife and I were when we learned that he had told the entire graduating class that he was headed for Japan once his senior year ended. We discovered his intentions after the valedictorian mentioned it during his speech. “I even…