Ski Day #26- Gettin' Phat at Pico (Pico, Vermont)

Last Sunday my father and I headed up to Pico for the first time ever. We had driven by Pico many times before on the way to its big brother Killington...and what a mistake that was.

Pico is only about 15 minutes closer to the Capital District than Killington, but when you factor in the fact that its just a small parking lot and you can park right next to the lodge, it seems like an hour closer.

The lodge is an old-fashioned wooden structure with a great fireplace on both the 2nd and 3rd floors.

While on the Summit Express Quad Chair we got some great tips from a local. He told us about the Birch Glades which were a nice blue gladed area. However, my favorites were the Summit Glades, a lot steeper and with nice moguls and Upper Giant Killer, a long, steep mogul run with a nasty double fall-line. In fact, most of the mountain is a double fall-line, making the whole place tricky.

One interesting aspect of Pico is its Natural Woods. Just like Killington, Pico has opened up its woods for "pick-your-own-line" skiing. I jumped in a few times to get some freshies. Its pretty tight and you have to be Johnny-On-The-Spot with your turns, but its true test of your skiing abilities and is lots of fun.

Overall, Pico satisfies great. I would even venture to say, I enjoy it more than Killington.

-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"

 Pico Peak; Killington in the background.

 The Phat Italian, the signature sandwich of the deli on the access road.

 The sign at the deli in the Pico lodge.

 The bar in the Pico lodge.

 Some live music in the bar. My favorite song was Bob Seger's Turn the Page.

 The fireplace in the bar.

The cover of SKI Magazine with Billy Kidd on it is up in the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum in the lodge. I got to ski with Billy Kidd out in Steamboat, his new home.