Killington in November

WELCOME

Not a Killington regular, but think it's a great mountain on a quiet day.  Here's an old thread that is a little dated, but hits on many of your questions:  http://www.epicski.com/forum/thread/43089/help-needed-thanksgiving-week

The tone of that old thread is more optimistic than I expected since NOV can be very iffy for skiing in the East.  Personally, I'd go for the tail end of your timeframe, hoping for maximum snowmaking progress by early DEC. This will also avoid any crowding on the reduced trail count that might occur over the Holiday weekend. I'm pretty sure any trails they have open by Thanksgiving would remain open thereafter, weather permitting.  In other words, they wouldn't close snow covered trails just because there were few weekday customers.  I assume you have strong motivation for doing this trip very early instead of during the better ski conditions of mid-winter?

Killington can be very iffy that time of year. Last year they were open before Thanksgiving but had to close due to warm weather & rain. There were no ski areas open in the NE last thanksgiving. They did reopen the 1st week of Dec. but skiing was very limited. On the other hand some years skiing is excellent that time of year, all depends. Killington would be a good choice though since they have the largest snowmaking capabilities in the east & use it. I'm a season pass holder & have been for many years.

Can't help you out with holiday crowds though, I'm never there. I mostly ski during the week & the place has been empty the past few years. They do close some lifts during the week but all the trails that are open are still accessable.

I have skied Killington in November for years.  I can remember one Thanksgiving that was a total mob scene.  It was no fun, but the snow was fantastic.

I enjoy being in the mountains in November.  It's usually not that cold and the snow is often soft on top.  With all the great skiers that show up, the bumps form nice lines.

Last year was a wash out but that is not typical.  This year could be even worse...global warming.  I will be there if there is snow!

Anywhere in the east is iffy in November.  Can get a dump of snow or a complete washout.  I'd avoid the T-Day weekend like the plague.  Too many people on too little terrain.  If you have a choice, go earlier or later.  I'll be be there before.

On the bright side if you are skiing New England in November, Killington and Sunday River are the best bets!

Last year was awful. The year before we skied at Mt. Snow Thanksgiving weekend and it was amazing. They've recently upgraded their snowmaking bigtime, and we were very impressed with the snow conditions that early in the year. I haven't skied Killington or Sunday River at that time of year but if I were trying to book early, I'd go with Mt. Snow.

I hate to be pessimistic, but this fall so far is really really warm. I feels like Sept. 7, not Oct. 7. All of that could change of course.

Last November I skied early in the month and had a beautiful day.  Then it got wiped out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimH 

Anywhere in the east is iffy in November. 

Not to mention that anywhere in the West is iffy in November. 

I ski killington a couple times a year (my main mountains) If you go thanksgiving weekend itself, it should be a zoo on killington and ramshead but honestly skye and snowdon youll see like 50% less people same with bear and sunrise. I'd avoid Thanksgiving skiing itself. But right after the weekend to the 3rd will not be not busy at all. They do some intense snowmaking (the most by far in the region) so they'll have plenty open pending cold weather so don't worry about not having enough to ski. So monitor the conditions, if they get cold weather theyll have 40 trails open easy.

Killington is awesome you'll have a great time, and try to get the k55 tickets theyre cheaper and theyre on the website for the non peak days (holiday break)

WATCH THE WEATHERRRRR, but if it gets cold enough you have my thumbs up

Skiing at Killington during the Thanksgiving holiday can be an enjoyable experience.  I have two friends that work full-time as ski pros at Killington and they have expressed that over the past five years, the Thanksgiving holiday has been busy but not crowded.  However, the snow conditions can be very unpredictable.  The later dates are probably better but you never know what Mother Nature has planned.  Killington has great snow making capabilities and I would encourage you to keep checking the weather.