KILLINGTON,VT — The much anticipated first snowstorm of the 2001-2002 ski and snowboard season arrived last night in New England, leaving in its wake 12-14 inches of new snow across Killington's seven mountains. The snowstorm, a welcomed event for ski resorts in the East, complements the machine-made blizzard Killington snowmakers have been creating for more than 600 consecutive hours with the resort's powerful snowmaking system. Prior to last night's storm, the largest resort in the East, had received just 19 inches of natural snow since Dec. 1, 2001.

"There is no question this snowstorm is a welcomed sight," said Gillis Lynn, vice president of marketing and sales. "The new snow will allow us to open about 190 of our 200 trails for the weekend. But while the natural snow helps, the true hero of this winter is Killington's snowmaking system and the team of snowmakers that do what they do best Ð make snow. Before this storm, we had 115 trails open because of the power behind our system and the ability to access plenty of water from a local reservoir. We've been offering two to three times more open terrain than most resorts here in the East for nearly a month. And that equals diverse terrain and reliable snow surfaces for our guests, which is our ultimate goal."

The resort increased its ability to make snow last season by 30 percent with the Woodward Reservoir Snowmaking Project. Water from the reservoir is transferred through a seven-mile pipeline connection from the reservoir to two existing snowmaking reservoirs at the resort. The two-year project is a $5 million investment for the resort. According to Jeff Temple, vice president of operations, the snowmaking project allows Killington to keep surrounding stream's flows to February median levels while producing more snow, especially during the early season months, without having an impact on the environment. Killington is the largest ski and snowboard resort in the East with 200 trails and 32 lifts.

Killington, which boasts ownership of sporting the longest ski and snowboard season in the East, will continue to keep its snowmakers busy, building base depths on much of its open terrain, including the infamous Superstar trail that stays open typically until Memorial Day and sometimes into June.

For the latest on snow conditions, guests should visit killington.com or call the snow phone at 802-422-3261.

Killington is an American Skiing Company resort. Based in Newry, Maine, American Skiing Company is the largest operator of ski, snowboard and golf resorts in the country. Other resorts include: Sunday River and Sugarloaf/USA in Maine; Sugarbush and Mount Snow in Vermont; Attitash Bear Peak in New Hampshire; Heavenly in California/Nevada; Steamboat in Colorado; and The Canyons in Utah. For more information, visit Killington's website at www.killington.com.

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff