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.

One of Killington’s mountain men dies

Rutland Herald | October 28, 2017

By KAREN D. LORENTZ
CORRESPONDENT

Royal Biathrow, Killington founder Preston Smith, and Henry Biathrow are reunited on the occasion of Henry’s retirement party at the new Skyeship Base Lodge in 1995. Roiyal was Smith’s first employee and helped him create the resort in 1957. Henry was recruited a year later. PHOTO BY MAC MCGILLIVRAY

Royal E. Biathrow, who died Wednesday at 84, was Killington Ski Area’s first employee in 1957 and leaves a legacy of ski trails and ski tales as interesting as the man himself. Born and raised in Bridgewater, Biathrow became a logger during high school. He served in the army in the Korean War and married Norma Towne in 1954.
His wife’s father operated a gravel and construction business at the corner of West Hill Road and Route 4 in Killington, and Royal went to work for him, gaining the heavy equipment experience and the steepmountain bulldozer expertise that would come in handy for building ski trails.
A big man with a Vermont sense of humor and abundant Yankee ingenuity, Biathrow was one of the first locals to notice the potential in the Killington Ski Area.
In his characteristic storytelling fashion with the mischievous twinkle in his eye that told you he knew the double meanings of what he was telling you, Biathrow was as fond of sharing Killington stories as he was proud of having helped Killington founder Preston Leete Smith develop the ski area.
“I could always count on Pres to come up and get that old Lincoln stuck on Friday nights. I’d pull that old car out and take him back to the farmhouse. I could count on making $10 from him every weekend,” he said of his first memories of Smith in a 1988 interview.
Biathrow became Killington’s first employee in 1957, helping Smith build a “work road” to the mountain.
At a 50th-anniversary gala in December 2008, Biathrow regaled people with tales of the muddy road that existed from the old Bates farmhouse to the mountain.
Oneof the stories he shared concerned his idea to put slab wood on the road so as to “corduroy it” so they could get the bulldozer and trailer that carried supplies up to the mountain where they were cutting the lift lines and ski trails.
Noting Smith had a Volkswagen that got stuck when it slipped between the boards, he said Smith put it in gear, got out, and pushed. Soon Biathrow, who was driving the dozer, was amazed to see “a driverless bug” following him up the mountain.
Biathrow concluded his remarks at the gala on a more serious note, evincing the pride of the original pioneers: “At the end of the day, we built something that’s going to be there forever.”
In interviews about the history of Killington, Biathrow said, “It took a certain type of person to do that work, it was rough conditions. We always had three crews. One was hired, one was leaving, and one was coming.”
Men sometimes arrived improperly dressed for the mountain climate, or took one look at the rugged mountain and fled. The “steady crew” were mostly large men like Smith and Biathrow who could work all day, take time off for supper, and then work on into the evening.
With the difficulty of getting to the mountain each day, the men built rustic cabins on Snowdon and lived there during the week. They made their way down to the farmhouse on Friday nights, where beer and haircuts were in order. Smith played barber, Biathrow said, adding he “felt sorry for Sue Smith with all the mud they dragged in.”
Reached at his home in Florida, Preston Smith said Friday, “Royal was just a great guy— affable, fun and a hard worker. He could run chain saws, bulldozers, and trucks. He was smart, too. He knew how to put things together and solve problems. He had all the fundamentals for problem solving.” Getting creative
Illustrating Biathrow’s dedication and work ethic, Smith told of their working together on the top bull wheel of the original Killington chairlift and having trouble with the 2-foot long, 6-inch wide pin and its very fine threads.
“It was brutally cold,” he said, describing their barehand struggles to get the nut on that pin. “We were both strong as oxen, gritted our teeth, and got it done — who else would have done that all day?”
Royal also devised a method for anchoring the lift tower feet of the first Killington Gondola so that the helicopters delivering them could immediately take off and leave the men to secure the bolts to the concrete foundations without the danger of vibrations moving the tower on them.
A construction supervisor in summer, Biathrow carved trails, roads, and lift lines with a large TD-14 bulldozer. He helped build every lift up until Bear Mountain and worked on the installation of the first snowmaking system. In winter he operated lifts and supervised snow removal along with cooking, grooming, or helping out wherever needed.
Royal got his brother, Henry, and Henry’s wife, Jo, jobs working at Killington in 1958, Jo Biathrow recalled, commenting that, “Killington was Royal’s life.”
Henry noted Royal “did everything and loved what he did — he was right into it.” That included building the rolls that packed snow for the Case tractor, which Henry and Royal rigged up with wooden tracks for Killington’s first homemade grooming machine.
“Back when we started, we dug the foundation holes (for the lifts) by hand and built the wooden forms. We mixed our own cement, hauling the materials up the mountain and using a little cement mixer,” Henry said echoing Royal’s early pride in building 95 percent of everything by hand in the early days.
Royal retired from Killington in 1980, continued to work as a constable in Killington until moving to Rutland Town, worked for the county sheriff’s department and later as a currier for Casella Construction before becoming “fully retired.”
He leaves his wife Norma, son Howard and daughter Nancy Wiles, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and a legacy of ski trails that continue to be enjoyed by snow enthusiasts.
A memorial service is planned for a later date; arrangements are through Aldous Funeral Home.
Fittingly, and in accordance with his wishes, his ashes will be spread over the mountain he loved.

Killington crash victims identified

myChamplainValley.com

By: Bernie Lange

Posted: Oct 23, 2017 07:35 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 23, 2017 07:35 PM EDT

 

KILLINGTON, Vt. - State Police have identified one of the two people seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash that happened Sunday in Killington.

Police say 79-year-old Michael Petralia from Sudbury, is one of the people life flighted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
  
The name of his passenger, who was also taken to the hospital, hasn't been released.
Police say a car rear ended another vehicle, causing it to cross the center line and hit a motorcycle, driven by Petralia.
He was ejected from it, along with his passenger.
  
Five people in total were involved in the incident.

POLICE: Two people seriously injured in 3-car crash in Killington

myChamplainValley.com

By: Staci DaSilva

Posted: Oct 22, 2017 10:52 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 22, 2017 10:52 PM

KILLINGTON, Vt. - Two people had to be life flighted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center with serious injuries following a three-car crash in Killington Sunday morning, according to police.

It happened at 10:30 at the intersection of US. Route 4 and East Mountain Road.

Police say, Nicole Auclair, 30, of Plymouth Vt. was driving westbound on Route 4 when she rear-ended another vehicle, causing that vehicle to cross the center line into the eastbound lane and hit another vehicle.

The driver and passenger of the eastbound vehicle were both ejected from the vehicle.

They sustained serious injuries and were flown to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center by DHART.

Their names are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

Another driver was treated for his injuries and released at Rutland Regional Medical Center.

Anyone with information regarding the crash is encouraged to contact Vermont State Police - Rutland Barracks at (802) 773 - 9101.

Snowmaking starts at Killington

Vermont Biz

inShare7

Tue, 10/17/2017 - 11:05am -- 

 Courtesy of Killington/Chandler Burgess.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort , the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America and part of the POWDR adventure lifestyle company, has begun snowmaking in advance of the 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup on November 24-26, 2017. Killington Resort was the first North American ski mountain to open its season to the general public in 2016 and last to close in 2017 for Eastern North America, in part because of the resort’s advanced snowmaking and grooming prowess.

Killington typically begins the longest season in the East with exclusive access for season pass holders, rewarding commitment to the resort with the first turns of the winter. Season Passes  and Express Cards  are still available to purchase for the 2017/18 season. While there is no confirmed window for Opening Day at this time, snowmaking lit up on Killington and Skye Peaks just before 11:00 p.m. Monday for testing prior to the season and the approaching Audi Ski World Cup races.

Killington has dedicated a snowmaking team to specifically build the race venue on Superstar where the women’s slalom and giant slalom races will take place. Killington’s powerful snowmaking system has the ability to pump more than 720,000 gallons of water into 240 snow guns, covering 80 acres with 12 inches of fresh snow in a matter of hours. Killington’s snowmaking capacity and grooming allow the mountain to maintain a dependable and consistent snow surface regardless of weather conditions.

“When it comes to snowmaking and grooming, we have the best team and tools in the industry to prepare Killington for the winter season and World Cup on Thanksgiving weekend,” said Mike Solimano, President and General Manager of Killington Resort. “Last year, we were able to put on a spectacular World Cup weekend and operate our lifts for more than 200 days before closing on June 1 because of our snowmaking team. Our snowmakers are ready to work with Mother Nature for another monumental World Cup and winter season.”

The general public is invited to view the women’s giant slalom and slalom races from free general admission areas or from the grandstands as a limited number of premium grandstand tickets  remain available when Killington hosts the Alpine World Cup event for the second year in a row. The free viewing areas will accommodate approximately 12,000 spectators and Killington will provide free parking and an enhanced shuttle system for event spectators during the weekend. Appropriate attire for winter weather is recommended for the outdoor venue, including sturdy waterproof shoes and multiple layers. No pets, lawn chairs or coolers will be permitted in the Expo Village. In addition, Dispatch will headline a robust music and entertainment lineup for World Cup spectators.

For more information about the 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup at Killington Resort, including the schedule of events, please visit www.killington.com/worldcup for details and updates.

About Killington Resort
Killington Resort is a four season destination sitting on 3,000 acres in the heart of Central Vermont’s Green Mountains. The Beast of the East boasts 92 miles of diverse snow sports terrain spread across six peaks including Pico Mountain, served by the most expansive lift network and snowmaking system in Eastern North America. After the snow melts, Killington features an 18-hole championship golf course, the family-friendly Snowshed Adventure Center, 35 miles of mountain biking trails with expansion underway with Gravity Logic, plus 15 miles of hiking trails. The seemingly infinite après, dining, and lodging options have made Killington a world-class destination for East Coast skiers and riders for over 55 years. Killington is part of the POWDR portfolio. Visit www.killington.com (link is external) for more information and be social with #beast365 (link is external), #beastworldcup and #beastwinter (link is external).
Source: KILLINGTON, Vt. (Oct. 17, 2017) – Killington Resort (link is external)

Killington faces possible workforce crunch

Rutland Herald | October 17, 2017

By JULIA PURDY
CORRESPONDENT

A lift operator stands at his post at Killington Mountain Resort in January 2016. Killington has a short time left to hire and train hundreds of seasonal workers in many fields. STAFF FILE PHOTO

Killington — Killington Mountain Resort held its first job fair of the season Saturday at Ramshead Lodge as it ramps up for a busy winter that will include the 2018 Audi Women’s World Cup ski races. “The industry nationally is having some significant challenges finding staff and there’s challenges across the state,” said Rob Megnin, the resort’s director of sales and marketing.
“The overall challenge we have here is the winter ramp is very significant,” he said. “We have to bring on a lot of people and get them trained in a very short time.”
The resort’s workforce more than triples for the winter season, he said.
Even within a season, the need for labor fluctuates with visitor numbers and conditions on the mountain. Many positions are filled by staffers working on a flexible schedule or by volunteers.
But with Vermont nearly at full employment and with the World Cup approaching, Megnin said his department is developing aggressive recruiting campaigns, including direct recruiting at local colleges and internationally.
The new national immigration policy “ doesn’t help,” he added.
It’s hard to fill more specialized positions such as cooks, electricians, mechanics, Megnin said. The Snow Sports program uses 400 instructors in the ski school and it’s hard to fill those skill-based positions with certified instructors, he said. Some are local skiers and riders who work mandatory schedules, but many are from “downcountry.”
At the job fair Saturday, jobseekers from 20-somethings to middleagers checked in before heading to initial interviews with departments of their choice. While most applied online ahead of time, applicants could also apply on the spot at one of seven computer terminals, with the aid of a staffer if needed.
The on- site job fair attracted people from many different stations in life, all with a willingness to work seasonal jobs under sometimes challenging conditions on Vermont’s second-highest mountain. And many already have some tie with Killington.
Mokanna Weir and her boyfriend, Chris Pierce, arrived from Colorado two weeks ago and are staying at Pierce’s father’s ski cabin. The father volunteers for the adaptive sports program.
“We’re snowboarders, so we want to be on the mountain,” Weir said.
Pierce, who had interviewed earlier, was staying outside with their baby. Weir has applied for nine different positions “to get my foot in the door and work my way up,” she said. While Pierce grew up here, she had never been to Killington before.
Bruce Waterworth ran the resort’s wastewater treatment plant for years. “My wife and I came here in 1985 to work for the winter and learn to ski, and have stayed here ever since,” he said.
Now he is applying for a winter job at Pico because the season is shorter there, and his wife, a nurse, is planning to retire next year.
“ It pays the property taxes for the winter,” he said. Then they plan to go traveling “somewhere warmer.”
Chandler L’Esperance, who hails from Fairfield, attends Vermont Technical College. While checking Google maps enroute to Killington, he discovered he could apply online, so he hooked his laptop up to his phone and filled out his application by the side of the road. He applied to be a Sno-Cat operator, grooming trails and slopes.
“I don’t think there’s any other job that can come close to what those guys do,” he said. “If I can be doing something I enjoy, I’d rather be doing that.”
He skied in high school, he said, but never at Killington.
Resort department heads remembered what it was like to stand in the shoes of new applicants.
Roberta Hefner, a native of Brazil, was interviewing front-desk applicants. She first came to the mountain as an exchange student on a J-1 visa “many years ago.”
Judy Geiger, director of human resources, came from New Jersey in 1989, started out as a receptionist and held many different positions in Human Resources. She twice left for ski resorts elsewhere, and returned in 2001 “because this is where my heart is.”
Her experience is a common refrain at the resort.
“We bring people back all the time,” said Rob Megnin. “In Snow Sports, a bunch of them have been coming here for a long, long time. They have retired and now work in a seasonal, full-time role. They tend to be older. We have lots of situations like that.”
Once in the resort “family,” seasonals can “zig and zag” into other positions as they become open, Megnin said.
“ There are many stories like that in Killington — lifts to outside maintenance, to grooming to head of entire Outside Operations for Killington and Pico.”
Megnin puts it down to a lifestyle choice. “If you have a passion for it,” he said, “‘work’ isn’t a four-letter word.”

Defamation claim against town dropped

Rutland Herald | October 17, 2017

By GORDON DRITSCHILO
STAFF WRITER

Neisner

KILLINGTON — Melvin Neisner has abandoned his lawsuit against the town. Much of Neisner’s lawsuit had already been dismissed by the court, but late last month Neisner dropped the defamation claim which was the sole surviving count of his complaint. Neisner cited health concerns.
“I could have gone forward,” Neisner said when reached by phone Monday. “My clients are more important to me than my personal affairs.”
Neisner, a lawyer, the Killington town moderator and a former traffic court judge prior to his conviction for leaving the scene of a 2007 crash, declined to comment further.
In his motion to dismiss, Neisner wrote he had been diagnosed early last year with bile duct cancer which had spread to his lymph nodes, thoracic cavity and liver when chemotherapy stopped working in April of this year.
Neisner wrote he was accepted into a clinical trial at the National Institute of Health, but had to travel to Maryland every three weeks for treatment. He said this would not leave him enough time to serve his clients and pursue his case against the town.
Neisner filed the lawsuit in late 2015, alleging a variety of misdeeds by town manager Seth Webb, who departed for a job in the private sector a few days after the initial filing.
Most of the case was dismissed earlier this year following a motion by the town. Neisner had claimed the motion to dismiss was without merit and tried to have the town sanctioned.
Judge Helen Toor found Neisner’s motion to sanction without merit and his tone within i t “ entirely inappropriate and unprofessional.”
“It appears to be motivated by nothing more than a desire to harass and cause expense to the town,” she wrote in the July 5 decision, noting that Neisner called the town stupid and its attorney a liar, among more colorful accusations.
Toor continued that she had granted Neisner some leeway for making “rather outlandish accusations” due to his illness, but his behavior had reached the point where it had to be called out. Neisner was ordered to pay the town’s legal fees for the time spent responding to that particular motion.
The town’s attorney, John Leddy, noted the case was dismissed with prejudice and the town had prevailed on all issues.
“The town is pleased that the court has dismissed this claim, ending a nearly twoyear process,” he said.
gordon.dritschilo @rutlandherald.com