Last Call For New England Skiing, Except in Vermont

This first weekend of May brings the last weekend of New England skiing for all but two Vermont ski resorts, after a long snowy great ski winter.

Here’s a taste of what’s happening on the slopes this weekend.

Saturday marks six months of skiing at Sunday River in Maine and the last day of the season with free skiing May 2 on Barker Mountain — Sunday River’s Ski Maynia tradition. Maine’s Sugarloaf wraps its season this Sunday May 3 with $49 lift tickets for riding the Superquad.

Sugarbush in Vermont closes out its long season this weekend with skiing and riding May 2 and 3. Vermont’s Jay Peak will re-open this weekend, for May 2-3 skiing. New Hampshire’s Wildcat plans to re-open May 1-3 for a last call – the only ski area still going in New Hampshire.

Jay Peak may open again Mother’s Day weekend, depending on weather, snow conditions, and demand. But it’s Killington that is still skiing with no end in sight.

Friday, May 1st will mark 180 ski days of skiing at the Big K. The Killington Triathlon is May 2, with a ski, bike, and run “beast of a race” starting on the Superstar Trail. Killington has been open daily for over six months, and will go to weekends only after Sunday May 2 (on the Superstar Express Quad).

So it looks like Killington will win the Beast of The East longest ski season bragging rights again. Killington opened Nov 3 this ski season, the same day as Sunday River. Last year, Killington kept skiing until May 18 — and until Memorial Day the previous year.

Get out and ski while you can. Is there a better way to spend May Day than skiing in the sunshine on the mountains? Surely you can watch the Kentucky Derby Saturday from a ski slope bar during après ski. Take your last ski run and then don your Derby hat and watch the 141st Run for the Roses.

See you on the slopes.

By Heather Burke, Photos by Greg Burke