[ICEBALL585]

Hey monkeys,

I'm looking for advice from the infinite knowledge of the


Heading up to Vermont next week. A couple of us are thinking we'll spend 1 day DHing. Was wondering if people had any opinions on which place is better for lift access DH... either Sugarbush VT or Killington VT???

 

[chillindrdude]

i was just at Killington recently. my short review is here...

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/july-2014-east-coast-dh-tour-267849/index3/

whats the skill level? killington (save trails 30,31,33 supposedly, i did not ride them bc they were closed) weren't all that difficult. does everyone have DH bikes? if not, the killington shop has extensive (and good) rentals.

i have heard sugarbush has stepped up their trails. i'd go there save the considerations above.

 

[ICEBALL585]

whats the skill level? killington (save trails 30,31,33 supposedly, i did not ride them bc they were closed) weren't all that difficult. does everyone have DH bikes? if not, the killington shop has extensive (and good) rentals.

We're all fairly decent riders with years of experience. We've all got DH gear and bikes with at least 7" of travel.

We don't have to have all sorts of crazy jumps to ride (although we do find that fun). Just looking for an all around fun day of DHing.

 

[Tmeyer]

Sugarbush warrants a big bike, Killington does not IMO. Both fun but Sugarbush has some great fall line berms and classic steep fast VT tech. Can't wait to ride there in August.

 

[Sandwich]

Yo dude...

Killington is going to be a bit more burke-like, without the jump trails. The trails tend to be pretty shallow and you're going to have to pedal, either flat or up, way more than you think. There are a couple of trails that actually go downhill, but they go straight down the face, they are brutal on you and your brakes, and they serve as their own drainage, so if it's rained in a month, they're closed. I would put them on the same level as the steeper and more awful trails at plattekill, like unholy, but more mud than shale pit.

Sugarbush actually offered a pretty great pair of trails when I went. Yes, I said "pair" of trails. The race course and the super D course. There was quite a bit of rain that weekend so the super D course, while bermy and flowy and packed with natural jumps, was a mud slog that kept us from revisiting it. The race course was insane fun with long rock faces, roots, and short flowy sections that built speed back up. I remember giggling my way down it because of all the wet mud and stuff...you couldn't really stop and you had to kind of cross your fingers and cruise it. I will say the difficulty level of that trail was up there, the newer guy we were with bailed after one run, but he was an asshole anyways. I don't know if they have expanded, but I could probably ride that race trail and super D course over and over again and love it. They did virtually no maintenance on anything besides the race course and super D, but that may have changed.

So, I think if you're after a more ENDURO experience, killington will be fun. If you're down for some challenging DH, sugarbush.

 

[StiHacka]

Does Killington have any tame trails for total newbs? (if I wanted to take wife for a trip there)
I skied there many times, never downhilled tho.

 

[Sandwich]

I would definitely say yes. It's been a while since I've been there, but I remember a lot of fireroads, a lot of climbing, and a lot of trails that were flat, switchback, flat, switchback, and then I had to climb to the lift. It was messed up.

 

[jnooth]

Killington just put in a few fun newbie trails on a lift that doesn't go to the peak. Great for people who want to try it but don't have a tone of experience. As for the dh they are building a bunch more machined trails that are coming out awesome! I agree that the place is more fun on an enduro bike but it's coming around. Lots of work is being done

 

[StiHacka]

OK thanks gents!

 

[ICEBALL585]

So for anyone who cares we ended up hitting Killington for an afternoon...

Killington is awesome!

There are a bunch of green circle (easy) trails for the semi-newbs of lift access. Greens circles from the top were wide roads, double track, or "enduro style" single track. They were running the small lift which some newer riders were there but there was also a fairly fun flow trail off of the small lift with lots of berms.

There are a whole bunch of blue square (intermediate) and black diamond (expert) trails for the more advanced rider. The blue square trails were mostly technical single track with lots of roots and rocks. Some of the black diamond trails were a mix of steep technical with bigger rocks and drops. Other black diamond trails were set up with berms and small jumps/drops. There are also a couple of bigger jump trails on the riders left side of the gondola.

 

[Bikael Molton]

They do trail work at Sugarbush now? Has the decade worth of softball size rocks down the center of all the trails through the meadows been swept out?