The Show Will Go On! Killington OK’d for World Cup

The photo above was on Nov. 3. The photo below is dated Nov. 6. Both are of Killington’s upper trails. The point? Whatever Ma Nature wants to throw our way, Killington is ready for it.

The resort was the first to open for skiing in the Northeast, with skiing Nov. 5 on the upper slopes off the K1 gondola. But warm weather had some worried that the conditions would not be good enough to hold the World Cup on Thanksgiving weekend.

Pshaw. Killington has long maintained it can make enough snow to cover Superstar in mid-winter race-ready, rock-hard snow in just two days. Over the last week, Killington had more than 150 snow guns firing hard on Superstar. On Wednesday, Nov. 17, the resort’s snowpack on Superstar received the blessing of the Federation International de Ski: yes, the World Cup would go on.

This, despite temperatures forecasted to be in the 50s on Thursday, Nov. 18.

With this announcement, Killington Resort can assure international race teams and ski racing fans traveling to central Vermont for Thanksgiving weekend that both the Giant Slalom and Slalom races will take place as scheduled on November 27 and 28.

General admission tickets are available for $5 at www.killington.com/worldcup. All general admission proceeds will benefit the Killington World Cup Foundation to provide grants that support winter sports in the Northeast. All HomeLight Killington Cup spectators will need a ticket to gain entry to this year’s event.

“I can confidently say that the entire Killington community is excited to hear the news of FIS approval for race course snow preparation, giving the green light to bring world class elite ski racing to the East coast just ten days from today. Receiving the FIS approval is a testament to Killington’s powerful snowmaking system and commitment to winter sports,” said Herwig Demschar, SVP of international business development at POWDR and World Cup local organizing chairman. “Returning from a pandemic-induced hiatus last year, the fifth iteration of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup will be another incredible weekend of ski racing, music, and camaraderie. With athletes from more than 20 countries on their way to the Green Mountain State in the coming days, the resort, POWDR, and the town of Killington are delighted to welcome them all.”

With snowmaking in the final stages on Superstar trail, the World Cup race venue, Killington snowmakers will continue snowmaking on Skyelark in an effort to add a training run for World Cup racers. The snowmaking team also continues to aggressively expand terrain for top-to-bottom skiing and riding. Killington Resort opened to season pass and express card holders for skiing and snowboarding on November 5, followed by a public opening on November 6.

A full schedule of events at Killington Resort during World Cup Weekend including race start times, entertainment, concerts by DJ Z-Trip, O.A.R. and G. Love, plus information on many free parking and shuttle bus options is available at www.killington.com/worldcup. Killington strongly suggests to not bring bags to the venue; priority for security screening will be given to those without bags.

Killington’s priority is to protect the wellbeing of spectators, athletes and staff for the duration of the HomeLight Killington Cup. Actions being taken to prioritize the wellbeing of the community include ticketing the entire event—including General Admission—to control attendance and requiring proof of vaccine or a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours prior to the event from spectators.