By Victoria Gaither Okemo’s Women’s First Fridays series is off to a great start, connecting female skiers and riders. The series kicked off Dec. 6 at Okemo’s Jackson Gore and has since gained popularity among women searching for something different on the slopes. Fran Madson from Ludow attended the first Dec. 6 event and said,…

By Karen D. Lorentz What started out as a fun winter sport on a school trip and a hobby — perhaps inspired by his artistic mother — led to a new vocation and lifestyle for Jerry LeBlond. Born in 1946 and raised in Biddeford, Maine, a coastal French speaking community, until the  6th grade when…

By Staff Report After an injury cut her 2024 season short, Killington native Taylor Dobyns is back on the Freeride World Tour (FWT), ready to reclaim her place among the world’s best freeride skiers. Dobyns, who qualified for the prestigious FWT Pro Circuit last year, received a season wildcard for 2025 and has already made…

By Curt Peterson Hartland Winter Trails (HWT) has two 50th birthday events coming up — a concert with refreshments featuring Andrew and Noah Van Norstrand starting at 7:30 this Friday, Jan. 24, at Damon Hall, and a new format tiki-torch night event across from the firehouse from 2-8 p.m. on Feb. 8. In 1974 Henry…

As winter enthusiasts continue to embrace uphill travel at Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, resort officials remind guests of the importance of following designated routes and safety protocols. Uphill travel—whether by skinning or snowshoeing—offers an invigorating way to experience the mountain, but adherence to the resort’s policies is essential for ensuring the safety of all…

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…

I pull my hood over my pompom and duck my head down as low as I can. My body is in the lowest squat I can manage with my ski boots on, and I can feel my tips rising off the snow as my weight drops back. Extending my pole grips out in front of…

By Karen D. Lorentz Lindsey Vonn was the top female ski racer with 82 World Cup wins when she retired from racing in 2019. She was closing in on Ingemar Stenmark’s 86 wins when her injuries caught up with her. Now at age 40, she has rejoined the U.S. Ski Team after an almost six-year…

Saturday, Feb. 1 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. — LUDLOW—Runs4Research (R4R), an annual ski and ride fundraiser at Okemo Mountain Resort, returns for its eighth year, benefiting cancer and diabetes research. Founded in 2017 by sisters Cami and Chloe Blount of Ludlow, Vermont, R4R combines the Blount sisters’ love of skiing with a mission to support…

By Brooke Geery, Killington Resort Erin Alexander, 21, stands alone as the only woman on the Killington Parks crew this season. Back in December, she got the chance to travel to Trollhaugen, Wisconsin, for a unique event bringing together female park builders and shapers from around the country called Take the Rake. It’s an annual…

By Karen D. Lorentz Editors Note: This is Part 3 of a three-part series that explores how innovations at Okemo and Killington enabled them to become successful and popular ski resorts that also contributed to the growth of the ski industry in Vermont and the East. Killington’s pioneering approach Killington co-founder Preston Leete Smith had…

Killington Resort announced Tuesday, Jan. 14, the promotions of several team members to new roles with the organization. Continuing its tradition of promoting from within, these promotions will help streamline efficiencies across the resort with a new structure within several key departments and create opportunities for growth throughout the organization.  Kayla Sarajian In Mountain Operations, Vice…

“How much longer until we get to where you are taking me?” I hear the voice reach out from behind me. We’d been skinning (or climbing uphill with our skis on) for about an hour when my ski sister finally decided to ask where we were going. We had started with some work road and…

By Karen D. Lorentz Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a three-part series that explores how innovations at Okemo and Killington enabled them to become successful and popular ski resorts that also contributed to the growth of the ski industry in Vermont and the East. Okemo Ski Area, which debuted Jan. 31, 1956, was…

We came in early, which, if you know anything about Team PomPom, is a miracle within itself because we are usually about 15-20 minutes late. As much as I love coaching 5-and 6-year-olds, it is extremely difficult to move them about the mountain in a timely fashion. Bathroom breaks, emergency snacks, bloody noses…they all control…