What would you do if you could buy your favorite mountain?
For most of us, it is a nice hypothetical to think about when we should be doing something much more productive. But for a group of 16 investors led by Phill Gross and Michael Ferri, they did just that, finalizing their purchase of a majority stake of Killington on Sept. 30.
What was the first order of business? Keeping the resort’s management team intact and committing $30 million in capital improvements over the next 16 months. Among the projects that already have been announced are the purchase of 1,000 new snow guns, replacing the Superstar Quad with a six-pack from Doppelmayr and updates to the Skyeship Gondola.
Killington president and CEO Mike Solimano joined Basecamp Podcast hosts Mike Specian and Keith Pearson recently to discuss the sale, what it means for the mountain going forward and what guests can expect from an independent Killington.