Rams Head Lift in the snow.

Rams Head Lift in the snow.

Saturdays are usually not ski days for me, unless we have had a significant amount of new snow on Friday night. While it has been continuously snowing at Killington, it has not amounted to much, so I slept in.

Over the course of the week, there have been a lot of little news stories which are interesting. While it has been an interesting ski year, to say the least, the community of Killington is still as vibrant as ever. Some of the items in the news are as follows:

Killington sets May 6th as a tentative close date. In a comment on a Killington chat room, Killingtonzone.com the director of communications for Killington posted a May 6th's closing date for the mountain. This would be one of the earliest closings on record for the resort.

Jim Blackman anounces his run for Selectman. In an open letter to town citizens published in the Mountain Times, local resident Jim Blackman declared his intention to run for the Killington Selectboard seat being vacated by Butch Findeisen. The town meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 6, 2007. (Invariably a great powder day for anyone visiting the area.)

Killington Chamber of Commerce announces Killington Wine Festival and Killington Film Festival dates. The Killington Chamber of Commerce announced dates for 2 different summer events this week. The Killington Wine Festival will be returning for the fifth year this summer starting July 13th. Birch Ridge plans on hosting a wine dinner once again on Saturday July 14th. Stay tuned for more details. Also, the Killington Chamber of Commerce announced a new event for the summer, the Killington Film Festival, for the weekend starting Friday August 24th. Vermont film directors/producers Wes Craven and David Giancola are scheduled to present their new films. It should be a great event to attend.

Rumors persist concerning sale of Killington Ski Resort. Normally, I try not to traffic in rumors, but this one has been a persistent topic of conversation around town for weeks and it is starting to get coverage in the local newspapers. In an article published in the Rutland Herald, Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association said that it was likely that American Skiing Company would be selling the Killington Ski Resort and other east coast holdings. Powdr Resorts, a privately held Utah company is rumored to be engaged in talks to purchase Killington. At various local meetings, and to the press, Killington officials have refused comment on the rumors. (Editors note:...This has been a very persistent local rumor. Only time will tell if there is any validity to it.)