Friday, May 3, 2024

Yawgoons: Killington

Before halfpipes were 22 feet tall and just a thing that you watched on the X Games, Killington had one of the best halfpipe scenes on the East. We often joked that locals would skip powder days, “because the pipe was going to suck.” The week before the US Open (back when it was at Stratton) all the top pros would gather at Killington to keep their legs warm and the locals would rip alongside Terje, Jeff Brushie, and a lot of other names which would probably sound meaningless now. It was the mid 90s, after all.

It wasn’t just the halfpipe that made Krock so sick. Killington’s spring park on Bear mountain was the stuff of legends, and some of the best snowboarding I’d ever seen went down there daily. If you wanted to be a pro on the east coast, you probably lived there at some point. Pat Bridges grew up down the street. Pat Fenelon and Tim Zimmerman started their respective careers there. One time Jamie Lynn showed up for Spring Loaded (an event fondly nicknamed Spring Get Loaded – with a launch party at Kick’s Tavern that I bet people are still talking about) and was told he couldn’t enter because registration was full.

Maybe it’s just because I was a teenager deeply in love with all things snowboarding, but Killington will always hold a special place in my heart. And don’t get it twisted – it’s still one of the sickest mountains on the East Coast, boasting a super long season, insane snow making capabilites, actual natural terrain, and now there’s a dope bar at the top of the K1 gondola! It is home to one of, if not the, highest-paying events on the east (Rails to Riches) and they also continue to maintain one of those death-defying 22 foot dude tubes. Neff Land has taken over Rams Head and the Stash Park is next level. And even though you don’t see many good web edits from its green mountain slopes, the scene is strong at the Beast, thanks in large part to the Darkside and Jay Rosenbaum, who has tirelessly managed the parks for years.

Shit, I could blow smoke up Killington’s ass all day, but you just came here to watch the Yawgoons edit, didn’t you?

27 COMMENTS

  1. 2 things

    1) these dudes crush it, but they stress me the fuck out. between the music they use and how unpredictably they ride.

    2)im about to move from tahoe to god damn vermont i swear.

  2. Went to K for the first time this year for the slash n berm. Really rad spot and vibes were super positive. Good scene there for sure.

  3. Wow I was just wondering about the half pipe history of Killington Mountain Resort!

    • I agree. It’s just not as cool when they hit features that actually look planned out and are dug into the snow and shit. It was still sick but it didn’t have any of those classic “who the fuck thought of that” moments.

  4. I was a little dissapointed til the last 30 seconds. Dylan has the nicest back 3s in the game

  5. Dylan Gamache: living proof that you don’t need to spin more than 360 degrees to be cool

  6. go to a mountain with real features, hit none of them, film side hits and the S-rail… I don’t have a punch line to this, I actually think it’s kinda lame

    • Don’t you know if you actually hit jumps, everyone in the comments will call you a park jock?

      Rules of the game:

      1. Never go higher than 4 ft.
      2. Do skateboard tricks on your snowboard, but just do them…you know, kinda shitty.

  7. is it bad I actually read Brooke’s entire history lesson? And was happy I did?

    Alsoly, that frontboard on the s-rail

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