On an uncrowded day, Skyeship Lodge is a hidden, mellow, jewel of a lodge. On a crowded day, it's an exercise in frustration.
Location
Skyeship is the lowest lodge at Killington, and is located directly on Vermont Rt 4, near the turn for the Bear Mountain Access Road. If you are coming from New Hampshire, Boston, or other points east, it is one of the first lodges you will come to, and it's impossible to miss.
Parking
There are two smallish lots at Skyeship -- one on each side of the highway. The lot on the south side of the highway (directly adjacent to the lodge) fills up faster. The lot on the north side of the highway takes longer to fill. There is a pedestrian bridge over Rt 4, so you don't have to deal with traffic, but climbing those stairs in ski boots is awful.
Services
- Lift Tickets
- Cafeteria
- Bar
- Retail
Note that lessons and rentals are not available at Skyeship. In recent years, the cafeteria, bar and retail have been closed midweek, due to lack of business.
Lifts
There is one lift out of Skyeship Lodge, and that's the Skyeship Gondola. The Skyeship has a mid-station at the Needles Eye area (where you can depart or board the Skyeship), then it continues to Skye Peak. Unfortunately, it's a very slow lift. There are not as many cars on it as there should be, and the lift often loads every-other-car to allow people to board at the mid-station. When there's only one lift, and it's slow, that leads to some epic lift lines -- as long as an hour on crowded days.
On the other hand, if you catch this lift early in the morning, it really is an express route to the heart of the resort at the top of Skye Peak, with access to Bear Mountain, Needle's Eye and Superstar areas.
Terrain
The trail that leads everyone to Skyeship is Great Eastern. Great Eastern is four miles long, and is a wonderful gentle ramble through the woods. Home Run is slightly more direct and therefore steeper. You will see lots of different ecosystems in that area, and, depending on your route, get to pass over a bridge and/or through a small tunnel.
Snowboarders should avoid Carpenter's Run at all costs -- there is about a 300 yard section of dead flat terrain that will definitely require removing your board and walking. Skiers should also avoid Carpenter's Run unless you like to skate and pole along on the flats.
Tips
Skyeship Lodge should be avoided on crowded days (unless you are there within 30 minutes of lift opening. If you are an early bird, it offers an express route to the heart of the resort.
Novice skiers should also avoid Skyeship on crowded days. Great Eastern is the main (usually the only) route to the base. It's a green trail, but it is not wide and it gets a lot of traffic. By the end of the day, it's usually quite slick.