Killington Beginners

Killington beginner skiers will enjoy the ability to travel across all of Killington peaks and down to all of the resorts’ base areas. The novice terrain ranges from long green cruising trails (like Great Eastern, Juggernaut and Bear Cub) to wide open slopes (like the Snowshed Slope and Yodeler). Killington’s adult learn to ski terrain is found at Snowshed, while kids learn to ski programs are based out of the adjacent Rams Head base lodge.  Killington is a great resort for beginners who like to wander and explore a resort.

Great Eastern and Great Northern are the most popular beginner trails at Killington. Great Eastern runs from Sykpe Peak all the way to the base of the Skyeship while Great Northern runs from Killington Peak in the opposite direction and ends at Rams Head base. While Great Eastern is indeed a “great” trail, we suggest skipping Great Northern; it was never intended to be skied as a single run and is merely an amalgm of previously independent trails stuck together to make nagivating the mountain easier.

Below, we review the beginner skiing at each base area/peak. However, the itinerary also can serve as a suggested tour route to familiarize yourself with the mountain.

Snowshed Beginner Skiing

The most common starting point for most beginner skiers is Snowshed, where the wide Snowshed Slope serves as Killington’s main bunny slope and a magic carpet lift services a shorter learning slope. The Snowshed Slope is serviced by its own express quad and two double chair, it can get crowded. Skiing the Snowshed Slope on a holiday weekend can often feel more like survival than learning. Thankfully, Killington has plenty of other beginner terrain.

Beginners can also explore a few other options in and around Snowshed and begin to get a sense of the wandering possible throughout the remainder of the resort. From the top of Snowshed, the Highlander trail brings skiers within sight of Killington Base – home to the K1 gondola and Killington Base Lodge. A right turn on Yodeler or Idler brings them back to Snowshed base.

Heading the other direction, Killington beginner skiers can down the Northbrook trail to the midstation of Killington’s other gondola (the Skyeship). A quick ride on the Northbrook Quad brings skiers back to the top of the Snowshed Slope.

After exploring these three beginners options, a quick walk or pole through the tunnel under the Killington Access Road brings skiers to Rams Head.

Rams Head Beginner Skiing

Rams Head is home Killington’s children’s ski school and many younger skiers will learn to ski on one of Rams Head’s magic carpets. Confident beginners can hop the Rams Head Express Quad. From the top of the lift,  Easy Street is the only green option that brings skiers back to Rams Head Base. Easy Street winds its way across the face of the hill repeatedly intersecting several trails along the way. These constant trail crossings break up the rythm of the run and make Easy Street worth skiing once before moving on.

Back atop Rams Head peak, a run down Caper brings skiers to the base of Snowdon Mountain.

Snowdon Mountain Beginner Skiing

Snowdon is home to some of Killington’s best high altitude wide green slopes. Three parallel beginner trails – Upper FIS, Mountain Run and Mountain Training Station – are often overlooked by skiers of all ability levels. They are wide, gentle and catch the morning sunshine. When the Upper Snowdon Poma is open, a few laps on these three trails without descending to the base is a great beginner option. Just watch out for the poma!

Great Northern winds its way across the face of Snowdon and after exhausting the limited offerings at the top of Snowdon Mountain, beginners can follow Great Northern back to the base of the K1 gondola or take Frolic back to Rams Head. Using the lower section section of Great Northern to get back to Rams Head is not advisable as it is incredibly flat and will require strenuous poling or walking.

Killington Peak Beginner Skiing

From the top of the K1 gondola, beginner skiers are able to enjoy the same long views as experts. It’s well worth the trip. To head back to the Snowdon/Rams Head side of the resort, skiers can take Great Northern. The first section ending at the base of the North Ridge Triple is the only tolerable section of the trail.The Juggernaut and Solitude trails look tempting from the Peak, but are amongst the flattest beginner trails in New England. We recommend skipping them in their entirety. Instead, take a lap to the base of the North Ridge Triple, avoiding all of the double black diamond headwalls that plunge into the Canyons area (no beginner skiing there!). After riding up, cut under the peak on the High Traverse trail to the top of the South Ridge.

The South Ridge offer some of New England’s best beginner terrain. The South Ridge area is often overlooked by beginner skiers because it is now impossible to lap after the removal of the seldom-used South Ridge Triple. Pipe Dream is a wide, very gentle green slope with long views east towards the White Mountains. Skiing either Pipe Dream or Bear Trax (the two merge before Pipe Dream becomes a blue) brings skiers to the Bear Cub trail which falls gently on the shoulder of Bear Mountain down to Bear Mountain base area.

Bear Mountain Beginner Skiing

Bear Mountain is home to Killington’s sunny expert terrain. Outer Limits – the East’s steepest mogul run – looms over the base area like a sentinel. There’s not a lot of beginner skiing to be found at Bear Mountain, but Bear Cub (accessible after a ride up the Bear Mountain Quad) is a long and pretty green run through a hardwood forest. Bear Cub also provides access to a beginner pod of terrain at Sunrise Mountain.

Sunrise Mountain Beginner Skiing

Sunrise Mountain offers limited beginner skiing on two runs – Sun Dog and Rendezvous. Sunrise Mountain used to offer far more skiing, but Killington chose to eliminate the bottom 3/4 of the mountain. All that remains is the last portion of the old Northeast Passage Triple (now, the Sunrise Village Triple) and a few chopped of beginner runs. Unless staying at one of the condominiums in this part of the mountain, Sunrise’s limited beginner skiing does not merit a special visit.

Skye Peak Beginner Skiing

Returning to Bear Mountain base from Sunrise, beginner skiers should take the Skye Peak Quad. The Skye Peak Quad doesn’t run to the true summit of Skye Peak (only the Skyship gondola does). However, the top of the Skye Peak Quad is a great place to pick up Great Eastern. Every beginner skier should take at least one run down this lengthy green trail. Apart from the dead-flat Juggernaut trail, Great Eastern is the longest green run on the mountain. It is also unquestionably the best beginner trail on the mountain. Dropping over 2500′ from the top of Skye Peak to the base of the Skyeship, beginners should set aside at least 20 minutes to complete the run.

To return to where the tour started, skiers can hop the Skyeship and disembark at the midstation. From there the Northbrook Quad to the top of the Snowshed Slope.