On December 1, 2017

Parade kicks off Saturday morning

By Evan Johnson

Pete Davis and KMS athletes lead the parade in a practice of a war chant to be performed in the stadium, Saturday morning.

By Evan Johnson

While many of the spectators for the day’s Giant Slalom races were busy finding parking, or enjoying their second cup of coffee, a group of approximately 900 racers from the Vermont Alpine Racing Association gathered in a staging area behind the vendor village in preparation for a parade that celebrated Vermont’s alpine racing culture.

The teams and clubs came from every corner of Vermont, from Stratton and Mount Snow, to Pico, Killington, Mount Mansfield and Burke Mountain. Racers and parents gathered in monogramed jackets and specially designed VARA green hats to be worn for the occasion. Teams carried the flags of the 21 countries participating in the weekend.

Volunteer parade marshal Pete Davis led the group in a war chant to be performed in the stadium.

“Everyone be very careful!” he shouted through a megaphone to the crowd.

“It’s amazing to have these racers here,” said 11-year-old Kyle Gordon, a KMS racer from Saratoga Springs. “You usually have to fly to Europe to see the World Cup, but now they’re skiing down the trail that I ski the most.”

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Weather impacts Killington mid-week skiing

May 8, 2025
Killington Resort planned on keeping its lifts running during the week until May 11 (then weekends only), but rain and warm temps over the last several days have taken a serious toll on its snowpack. Therefore, Killington Resort will be closed Thursday, May 8, and Friday, May 9, to preserve what they have left and…

How Killington became The Beast: Part 9

May 7, 2025
Snow, summer, and snowshed: 1960 saw fast progress How Killington became The Beast: Part 9 By Karen D. Lorentz Editor’s Note: This is the ninth segment of an 11-part series on the factors that enabled Killington to become The Beast of the East. Quotations are from author interviews in the 1980s for the book “Killington,…

Woodstock Foundation honors the winners of new Rockefeller Legacy Scholarship

May 7, 2025
Three Woodstock Union High School students were honored on April 30 for their visionary ideas about shaping Vermont’s future as the first recipients of the Laurance and Mary Rockefeller Legacy Scholarship, a new annual essay competition created to honor the Rockefellers’ lasting impact on the community. The scholarship program was launched in 2025 by The…

Jimmy LeSage Memorial Scholarship awarded to Brycen Gandin of Mendon

May 7, 2025
The first-ever Jimmy LeSage Memorial Scholarship, a $2,500 award created to honor the life and legacy of wellness pioneer Jimmy LeSage, has been awarded to Brycen Gandin, a graduating senior at Rutland Senior High School. Brycen, a resident of Mendon, can use the scholarship toward the college of his choice this coming academic year. Brycen was…