Pico Mountain Continues to Make Snowmaking Improvements
KILLINGTON, Vt. (October 10, 2024) – Vermont’s Pico Mountain announces the addition of 44 new high efficiency HKD snowguns for the 2024 season. The new guns will be installed on Forty-Niner, Swinger, Ace of Clubs, Upper and Lower Pike.
Over the past 6 years, Pico Mountain has invested more than $6 million to improve snowmaking capacity and efficiency across the resort. This includes an upgraded pumphouse, complete with new, efficient variable speed pumps with a larger water capacity in the summer of 2023, revitalizing the snowmaking pond and adding snowmaking to A Slope with the help of the Pico Ski Education Foundation in 2022. Since summer 2019, more than 16,850 feet of new water supply pipeline was installed to supply water from Killington to Pico, in addition to over 9,000 feet of new and replacement snowmaking pipe at Pico.
This latest investment in energy-efficient equipment will be completed in partnership with Efficiency Vermont and Green Mountain Power and will greatly reduce the overall use of diesel fuel and electricity throughout the season.
“The improvements to Pico’s snowmaking system over the past few seasons have enabled us to more than double our production and allowed us to start making snow sooner each season,” says Pico’s Snowmaking Manager Greg Gleason. “These new HKD snowguns are truly the icing on the cake with all of the improvements at Pico over the past few years.”
In addition to snowmaking, Pico Mountain plans to improve its beginning terrain with handle tow for 24/25 and a Magic Carpet lift added to Bonanza for the 25/26 season. This project will be completed in partnership with Vermont Adaptive.
“Even though a magic carpet at Pico Mountain is a truly universal benefit to all new skiers and riders of any age and ability-there are no words that articulate how positively significant it will be for our programs, for our adaptive snow sports instructors and participants with disabilities. Vermont Adaptive is so very appreciative that this project is being prioritized,” says Erin Fernandez, Executive Director, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.
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About Pico Mountain:
In 1937 on Thanksgiving morning, a legend was born: Pico Mountain Ski Resort. Although it was humbly equipped with only a 1,200’ rope tow powered by a Hudson motor car engine, skiers – true skiers – loved it. Since then, a lot has changed, but the love for the mountain still lives today, and it’s as strong as ever. Families and skiing traditionalists now enjoy 58 trails and a terrain park serviced by seven lifts, including two high-speed detachable quads. With more vertical drop than 80% of New England ski areas, Pico Mountain is your home for family mountain fun with big mountain terrain and small mountain charm. Visit picomountain.com for more information and be social with #mypicomtn.
Contact: Amy Laramie, Killington Resort: 201-230-9084 or communications@killington.com