Tuesday, November 21, 2017

After First Year's Success, Killington Will Again Host Women's World Cup Nov. 25-26

Nov 17, 2017
An estimated 30,000 people packed Killington last November to see the worlds fastest women go head to head in slalom and giant slalom.
November weather can be notoriously fickle, but resort officials say snow conditions on the race slope are excellent and if the weather cooperates they expect even bigger crowds than last year. The International Ski Federation has given Killington the green light to host the upcoming Women’s World Cup races Nov. 25 and 26.
Many of the racers who competed last year, including Switzerland’s Lara Gut, told reporters how much they appreciated the big crowds.
“I mean usually when we’re in the USA there’s not so many people coming to watch the races," Gut says. "But here it’s amazing. So many people, and I was surprised. So, yeah, I feel people are happy to have us here, so that’s cool.”
Local businesses and the entire northeast ski industry were even more thrilled.

Patty and Murray McGrath own the Inn at Long Trail and McGrath's Irish Pub in Killington. Patty says their business jumped 30 percent last November because of the World Cup which she says helped jump start the entire season.
Credit Nina Keck / VPR
Patty McGrath, who owns the Inn at Long Trail in Killington, says coming after one of the worst seasons in memory, the timing of last year’s race was perfect.
“Because we had the World Cup and Killington pulled that off so brilliantly, people knew of that resort’s effort to make the best snow available to people no matter what Mother Nature threw at us,” she says adding, “the results were felt for months afterwards.”
McGrath, who also chairs the town’s selectboard, says local option tax receipts show just how much the event generated for the town.
For instance, she says fourth quarter revenues for last year, which included the World Cup, were $9 million more than the previous year’s and $6.5 million more than the town’s best-ever fourth quarter in 2014.
"And November's usually a very slow month," she says smiling, "so not bad for our small town."
And tax receipts show the uptick continued for hotels and restaurants through March.
Fred Coriell is co-owner of Peak Performance, a Killington ski shop. While he says hotels and restaurants saw bigger gains from the races than retail stores like his,  he believes everyone on the mountain and well beyond benefited.
"The ability of this event to be on CNN, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, creates an identity for the eastern United States and Killington that we would never be able to do through existing marketing efforts." — Fred Coriell, co-owner Peak Performance Ski Shop, Killington
Coriell says he had customers come in all year who told him that the reason they were in town is that they'd seen the Green Mountains on TV watching the World Cup. “They’d never been to Vermont, saw pictures of it on NBC and decided I need to visit this place; it looks pretty cool,” says Coriell adding, “It happens all the time.”
He says it’s why local residents voted to contribute $100,000 to help sponsor this year’s race.
“The ability of this event to be on CNN, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, creates an identity for the eastern United States and Killington that we would never be able to do through existing marketing efforts.”

Peak Performance Ski Shop, like many businesses in Killington, tout the resort's ties to the World Cup. The resort will host the women's World Cup races later this month.
Credit Nina Keck / VPR
Killington resort's marketing director Rob Megnin says the number of people exposed to all the stories and broadcasts nationally and internationally was unbelievable. “We had 100 million impressions that were driven from this event,” Megnin says shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire career and I’ve been around for quite a while.”
An impression is marketing-speak for the point in which an ad or story is viewed once by an individual or displayed once on a web page.
Megnin admits that while that kind of exposure is awesome, it was expensive.
When all the snowmaking, extra staffing, buses, hotel costs and other logistics were added up, he says the resort spent about $2.4 million on the World Cup last year and made back only half that much.
"The side effect of Killington being able to have this early race is it shows people that, 'Hey there is skiing earlier in the season than you may think." — Jamie Storrs, Mount Snow
To help fund this year’s race, the state’s other ski resorts chipped in $50,000 through the Vermont Ski Areas Association. Megnin says other sponsors also stepped up to help defray costs which has helped Killington feel confident about agreeing to host not only this year's World Cup but next year's race as well.
Jamie Storrs, a spokesman for Mount Snow, calls the investments a no-brainer.
“The side effect of Killington being able to have this early race is it shows people that, we in the east, can make a lot of snow early and can get mountains open so I think it definitely helps to get more people up in this area, get more people skiing, get more people going out to dinner and spending money at an earlier time than before,” adds Storrs.

Killington Operations Director Jeff Temple stands in front of Superstar, the slope where women World Cup racers will compete Nov. 25-26. He's celebrating the fact that the International Ski Federation has formally approved snow conditions for the race.
Credit Nina Keck / VPR
Up on Killington, snowmaking has been going full throttle for weeks.
The resort's longtime Operation Director, Jeff Temple says he’s got 120 snow guns closely spaced on Superstar, the slope where the World Cup races will be held.
The warmer than usual October was nerve racking, he admits. But he says the recent cold snap and a lot of 12 to 14 hour days have helped him and his staff meet the World Cup course requirements of 18 to 19 inches of hard pack.
“We’re well above that this year and progressing well on the training trail. So yes, as far as the mountain goes, we’re well on our way to being ready for another successful race.”
Off the slope, he says they’ll have more buses and port-a-potties this year as well as additional food trucks and ski industry vendors.
Resort officials say the four thousand seats in the grandstand sold out within hours but anyone can come free of charge if they don’t mind standing.



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      The residents also voted to rescind the Sales and Use portion of the 1% options tax to help defray the costs of this event to the tune of about a million dollars.

Friday, November 17, 2017

World Cup Ticket Giveaway







In the spirit of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Xfinity Killington Cup, the Town of Killington is delighted to welcome again this year, the athletes, trainers, coaches, press, and spectators to Killington.
Once again, the Town is giving back to the homeowners and renters of Killington, with a World Cup ticket giveaway for the following special venue tickets to this otherwise free event:
Two pair of VIP tickets for Saturday, November 25
Two pair of VIP tickets for Sunday, November 26

The VIP tickets include a lift ticket, commemorative item, food, preferred parking, and seating in the VIP area.

Five pairs of Grandstand tickets for Saturday, November 25
Five pairs of Grandstand tickets for Sunday, November 26

The Grandstand tickets include grandstand seating in row 6 and below.

To enter, you must be a homeowner or renter in the Town of Killington, or a Town of Killington employee, and 21 years of age or older.  Only one entry per venue and entrants can win only once.

All entries can be submitted at the Town Office 9am-4pm beginning Friday, November 17 through Tuesday, November 21.  Winners will be randomly selected in a drawing to be held at the Selectboard meeting Tuesday, November 21, at 7:30pm.  In the event an already drawn winner’s name is randomly selected a second time, another entry will be drawn.

Winners will be notified by email or phone on Wednesday, November 22,to come by the Town Office to collect their tickets between 9am-4pm that day.
 


NOT YOUR AVERAGE BEAR

ROBERT LAYMAN / STAFF PHOTO
ROBERT LAYMAN / STAFF PHOTO
Andrew Gieda, new owner of In Stone Design, covers a 10-foot white pine carved statue of a bear with timber oil Thursday outside his business in Killington. Gieda, also a beekeeper, plans to use the bear to market his honey. Windstorms have ripped his “open” flag off the fence twice and the bear will now hold it.
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Friday, November 10, 2017

Bear Mt. plan gets zoning change



Major renovations at Bear Mountain Lodge in Killington can progress under zoning changes approved by the Select Board. STAFF FILE PHOTO
Major renovations at Bear Mountain Lodge in Killington can progress under zoning changes approved 
by the Select Board. STAFF FILE PHOTO
KILLINGTON — The Select Board has approved a zoning change that will allow the proposed Bear Mountain Revitalization Plan to move closer to reality. Officials expect the change to result in a sweeping remodel of the Bear Mountain Base Lodge building and a cluster of new vacation home units adjacent to the lodge.
The zoning change reassigns 16 acres of the town’s Forest Reserve District on Bear Mountain to the abutting Ski Village District.
None of the 20 or so spectators at this week’s Select Board meeting, nor anyone on the board, voiced an objection. Barring an appeal, the change will become effective 21 days after approval.
The Forest Reserve District features limited roads and undeveloped, forested tracts. Recommended development includes single- family homes or duplexes on minimum 10- acre lots, or cluster housing and development for skiing.
The Ski Village District permits high- density, mixed uses. The new Ski Village-Falls Brook section will be subject to the same zoning bylaws as the rest of the Ski Village. Height regulations will also be amended to allow a maximum building height of 47 feet, or five stories, with a maximum roof- peak height of 68 feet.
The zoning change was requested to accommodate the higher residential density of his proposed Base Camp at Bear Mountain development, said Steve Malone of Ottauquechee Realty Advisors.
The company signed a purchase-and-sales agreement with Killington Ski Area for 25 acres adjacent to the base lodge, 16 of which are zoned as Forest Reserve.
Prior to reaching the Select Board, the proposed zoning change received approval from the Killington Planning Commission and encountered no opposition at a public hearing Sept. 13.
If all goes according to plan, groundbreaking will take place next summer for the next increment of luxury vacation housing at Bear Mountain, featuring skiin ski- out convenience to Outer Limits, Devils Fiddle and The Jug, as well as direct access to South Ridge via a new chairlift.
The Bear Mountain Revitalization Plan includes six multi- unit buildings and 18 duplexes containing approximately 130 units clustered on the hillside between the base lodge and the existing Sunrise Village.
Ottauquechee Realty Advisors estimates the total cost to develop the residential component at about $70 million with a retail value of $110 million, based on projected pricing for each finished unit.
“It’s a gross number,” Malone said. “It’s an estimate right now because we haven’t gotten into the marketplace.”
He added, “We always pre-sell before we build. We sell off the units that will enable us to pay off our construction debt. When the downturn came the last time, we didn’t have any unsold inventory.”
Ottauquechee Realty has two existing complexes in the Bear Mountain orbit — The Lodges and Topridge Townhomes, which include 24 and 62 units, respectively.
Overlooking all is the Sunrise Mountain Village of older townhomes, condos and a handful of single family homes, with Vista, the most recent addition, constructed in 2016. Including 172 condominiums, Sunrise by itself comprises 258 units altogether.
All three developments are under the umbrella of a master homeowne r s ’ association, said Richard Kolb, general manager. Current listings for Topridge are in the $600,000 to $1.5 million range, with the older Sunrise units listing in the mid-$100,000 to mid- $200,000 range.
Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington Mountain Resort, sees Bear Mountain as an all-around win.
He said in an email, “… the lack of a substantial amount of ski-on, ski-off housing has been a challenge for the resort and our guests. Guests want easy access to the slopes.”
He also sees the Bear Mountain expansion as a catalyst for the area’s economic growth.
“ The key to successful ski villages is having enough critical mass of guests around to create a great vibe that others want to be part of,” he said. “We clearly have critical mass of people in the winter.”
The project will be completed in two phases. Subject to permitting, next summer will see the construction of six multifamily condo buildings at an estimated cost of $45 million, as well as the remodeling of Bear Mountain Base Lodge.
Phase 2 is projected to begin in summer 2020 with the construction of 18 duplex residences, located at the base of Bear Mountain, for an estimated $25 million. Trail and lift changes are expected to add about $8 million.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Man Dies After Killington Crash

Vermont Standard
11/1/2017

Staff Report
KILLINGTON – A man has died from injuries sustained in a three-vehicle crash in Killington in October.

In a statement released Monday, Vermont State Police said Michael Petralia, 79, of Sudbury, died from injuries sustained in the Oct. 22 accident. Also in the Monday statement, police said Petralia’s passenger, Aishia Fox, was in stable condition at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

The accident remains under investigation, and no further information was available this week from Vermont State Police investigators. The crash occurred on Route 4 at the intersection with East Mountain Road.
According to police, preliminary investigation determined that on Oct. 22, a westbound car driven by Nicole Auclair, 30, of Plymouth, collided with the rear end of a car driven by Jacob Lyngdal, 20, of Orange, Conn., causing Lyngdal’s vehicle to cross the centerline into the eastbound lane. Lyngdal’s car collided with a motorcycle driven by Petralia that was heading east, ejecting Petralia and Fox from the motorcycle, according to preliminary investigation.

DHART responded to the scene and airlifted Petralia and Fox to DHMC, police said.
In the initial press release, police said Lyngdal’s passenger, Quentin Lyngdal, 52, of Orange, Conn., sustained less serious injuries and was transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center, treated and released.
The Killington Fire Department, Regional Ambulance Service, Manchester Rescue Squad and Wallingford Rescue Squad all responded to the scene of the crash.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to call 802-773-9101.