Year Three of Independence: $80 Million and Counting
The numbers keep going up and up! As Killington & Pico continue to thrive under independent ownership, our owners' pledge to reinvest profits back into the resorts keeps ringing true. Entering year three of independence, here's where we're at: An additional $15 million has been committed towards capital improvements for this upcoming year, bringing our total to over $80 million across three years. Oh, and we're planning to spend an additional $200 million over the next ten to fifteen years on top of all that. Let's get into what we'll be up to during this next year and beyond!
One of our continued priorities throughout recent capital projects has been lift maintenance. This summer, we spent $1.3 million on notable upgrades to seven different lifts across Killington and Pico, including the rebuilding of certain motors, lift towers, and sheave trains. On top of that, we're planning to set aside $10 million over the next decade to continue maintaining our wide-ranging fleet of lifts.
Next summer, we're taking on a particularly notable piece of lift maintenance, as the installation of a new control system in the K-1 Gondola will require it to be closed for most of summer 2027. Further updates on summer 2027 operations will be shared as they're available, but this project and all our lift maintenance ultimately revolve around trying to reduce lift downtime in the long run. The K-1 Gondola will spin as usual this upcoming winter, and thanks to projects like these, we plan to provide reliable service on it for many more years to come.
Another project that's already gotten underway this summer involves our on-mountain signage. Readers of this blog may know their way around The Beast during the winter like the back of their hand, but for many newer guests, this place is indeed a "beast" to navigate. In an attempt to make people's first trip to Killington a bit friendlier, we're simplifying our approach to trail signage, making each sign the same size, aligning all directional arrows on the same side of each sign, and choosing a neutral gray color for all our signs pointing towards lifts and lodges. As we have 155 trails and countless junctions that require signage, this will end up taking some time to complete. In the meantime, you can see for yourself how our first batch of new signage on Snowdon looks this winter.
Some of you may (unfortunately) remember Saturday, January 17 from this past winter—we had prime conditions on a weekend morning, only for an ill-timed power outage to come along and put a dent in the fun around 11:00 a.m. Our crews responded quickly to the culprit: a blown fuse on a main power line that powers several of our upper mountain lifts. Flash forward to now, we're working alongside Green Mountain Power and doing our best to prevent something similar from happening again. During summer 2027, our plan is to run a new, underground power line from the base of K-1 all the way to the top of North Ridge, a move that should improve the power reliability of our lifts going forward.
We also have updates to share on a couple of previously announced projects. First up, our new indoor sports simulator, which is currently taking shape right next to Killington Sports at Route 4, is slated to open sometime during this upcoming winter. Inside, you'll soon find golf simulators, a bar, and some additional activities that we'll be able to share in the near future. Stay tuned!
Next, the new Needle's Eye Lodge has been delayed due to issues related to permitting, with a new expected open date of winter 2028/29. For this upcoming winter, expect the same Jerk Jamaican Mountain Grill experience you know and love. Site work is slated to begin for the project in April of 2027, which, when fully completed, will quadruple the footprint of the current building. We'll have additional indoor and outdoor seating, indoor bathrooms, and an expanded bar when it's all said and done, but current operations at the Jerk Jamaican Mountain Grill are set to remain unaffected for the next couple of years.
Over at Pico Mountain, we have a couple of fun pieces of news to share. This summer, we're in the process of installing a new, shorter magic carpet lift in our Bonanza area to cater more specifically to first-time skiers and riders. This new carpet, Bonanza Carpet II, will live across the trail from the carpet we installed just last summer, now called Bonanza Carpet I. Acting on feedback we received last winter, we've also regraded the entrance to Bonanza Carpet I, making it an easier learning experience for the many folks who begin their skiing & riding journey at Pico.
Recently, you may have also noticed construction going on around the Learn To Carpet in the Snowshed Base Area, a lift that will re-debut this winter sporting a new cover on top. Once this is completed, all four carpet lifts at Killington and Pico will be fully covered, the result of a $2 million investment towards improving our beginner guest experience.
Further up the mountain at Pico, we have more news to share about our Outpost replacement. First, the Outpost Rope Tow will be installed ahead of this winter, providing lift access up That A Way to service all of Outpost's terrain. Our Mountain Ops team even installed five new snowmaking hydrants on That A Way this summer, bringing the trail's total to ten and increasing our ability to maintain the necessary snowpack to operate the rope tow for this winter.
Finally, we are in the permitting and procurement process for a new, fixed-grip quad chairlift that will replace the retired Outpost Double starting in winter 2027/28. This new lift, a $3.8 million investment that will be manufactured by Doppelmayr, is the same model of lift as the soon-to-open Snowdon Quad at Killington, giving us consistency in terms of operation, parts, and maintenance across the two resorts. Plus, there's no need to worry about crowding on your favorite Outpost trails, as increased chair spacing will ensure the new Outpost Quad has the same uphill capacity as the previous Outpost Double.
Lastly, we have big plans for the next decade or so at The Beast. Large-scale projects will include the eventual replacement of the Snowshed pumphouse, one of our two primary snowmaking pumphouses around the mountain. This approximately $10 million project will almost double the water capacity of the current pumphouse and increase total water capacity in our snowmaking system by 30%. Along with lifts and facilities, snowmaking upgrades will continue to be a top priority of ours.
Staying in the same area, we plan on replacing the Snowshed Double, Snowshed Express Quad, and Snowshed Lodge in the coming years, all part of anticipated changes that will stem from the incoming Great Gulf Killington Village. Just across the street, we also have long-term plans to replace the Ramshead Express Quad, another one of our true "workhorse" lifts that sees almost year-round action. Over on the always sunny side of the mountain, initial plans have already begun towards a new Bear Mountain Lodge, though the final product does not have an estimated completion date at this time. Exciting times are ahead!
In total, we're estimating a commitment of $200 million towards infrastructure projects during the next decade plus, bringing us to a projected $280 million worth of capital expenditures. As always, we'll continue to update you as these major projects progress and evolve. More capital improvements are on the way, winter is almost here, and it's still a fantastic time to be a Beast fan.