Irene causes Killington base lodge collapse

August 29, 2011|Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff, Globe Staff

Hurricane Irene has caused historic flooding in Vermont, and the storm also took its toll on the local ski industry.

A Rutland Herald reader sent the newspaper the above photo of the Killington base lodge, which collapsed after Irene brought near-record conditions to the Green Mountain state. Just after noon, the resort posted the following on its Facebook page:

Killington Resort and the surrounding communities have suffered flood damage from Tropical Storm Irene.

Crews are out assessing damages around the resort including structural deterioration to base lodges, lifts and roads as well as power outages.
Following an initial overview of the storm's aftermath, the K-1 Lodge Superstar Pub's structural integrity was compromised by the volume of water running off of Roaring Brook, dislodging the building from its foundation. Killington Resort's lift towers and structures, lodging properties and Golf Course have sustained minimal damage.

Summer operations of the K-1 Lodge, hiking and Golf Course will reopen after crews assess the damages. Mountain biking will tentatively resume after assessment of the trail network is complete. Pico Mountain summer operations are now closed for the season.

Killington Resort plans to open on schedule for the 2011-12 winter season.

As power and phone service are re-established at Killington Resort, more updates will be forthcoming.

The resort also added that the entire base lodge was not destroyed, only the Superstar Pub area, which is built on a separate foundation.

Roads in the immediate area have been impacted as well. Here's the Herald's image of Route 7 South coming from Rutland this morning.

Clearly, Vermont is in for one long cleanup. Whether or not it's done in time for the upcoming ski season could be a question to ask in the coming weeks. To stay up to date with more images and the latest news from the area, visit rutlandherald.typepad.com/vermonttoday.