It’s June, and people are skiing at Killington
It may be the first day of June, but that’s not stopping skiers in Vermont from spending the day on the slopes.
About 500 people were lined up and ready to ski when Killington Resort in central Vermont opened its doors on Thursday morning, said Michael Joseph, communications and public relations manager for Killington. The resort is offering free lift tickets on its last day of the season.
Waiting for (June) first chair! #beast365 #longestseasonintheeast pic.twitter.com/BB0tnhlf4t
— Killington Resort (@KillingtonMtn) June 1, 2017
The last time people skiied Killington in June was in 2002, Joseph said. However, this isn’t the latest the resort has ever stayed open — it offered skiing until June 22 in 1997.
Skiers and snowboarders are using the Superstar trail, which skiers took on during the World Cup racing event over Thanksgiving weekend. The resort used snowmaking technology to continue stockpiling snow on the trail all winter and spring until it was 30 feet deep. As a result, there’s still enough snow to ski in June, Joseph said, even though groomers had to patch up a few areas earlier in the week, and skiers have to walk a bit at the very top and very bottom of the trail.
Joseph said that people don’t seem to mind: “Spirits are really high.”
The June skiers are wearing shorts, short sleeves, skirts, and funny hats, and there’s even a man dressed as a giraffe, Joseph said.
“It’s great to be on a patch of snow on a hot day,” he said.
