Pico Peak

Great 10 days at Pico .. great conditions as always.. place is a great family place, staff amazing, fast lift lines, all around great place, trails etc.. a must visit..

Pretty awesome mountain. Just a bit of ice.

After skiing next door, we tried Pico and far less lines.

Skied and hiked this place porcupines very much populate the summit

Broke my arm but still fun

Love. This. Place. First time coming out to Vermont for snowboarding and it totally did NOT disappoint! It was so easy to buy group tickets online (you get a discount too!). Once you arrive, they have little atm looking booths where you can print your tickets and go straight to the ski lifts. They also offer lessons in case you want to brush up on your skills or if it's your first time. Lodging one site is also available. I also saw dogs with their owners walking around (so I think dogs are allowed on the premises.) Great spot to also warm up. They have a cafe area where you can purchase food. You are also allowed to bring outside food and your own beverages. You can sit and relax in the downstairs area (indoors) and warm up real nicely. Bathrooms are clean and there's even glove/boot driers right outside to keep your things dry. The green was pretty easy just a little slushy at one point (just wasn't a day that had snowed). The blue really wasn't that much harder it was lots of fun! I never do black trails. Ever. We took the highest lift to get to the highest part: Mt Pico. The views were INSANENLY gorgeous and out of this world. We were literally in the clouds (not literally but you know, felt like it). Just such a gorgeous view you felt you were somewhere else. Well. Here's the catch. To go down..it was a black..and at one point a double black. Had I known. HA. I wouldn't even had MADE it remotely close to coming down. Yet we did it. We came down. Like nothing. A few steep parts. A few other sketchy areas. Felt difficult. Felt long. I just figured the quicker I go the faster I get down from here. Yet the views were just wow. We were all the way up top and totally worth it. Finally came down and merged with the blue trail and whew. By the time we were all down and realized we JUST DID A BLACK TRAIL without even knowing. It was great. Totally worth it. No regrets. That high lift isn't for the faint of heart or scared of heights. Just a little warning there. Also. Forgot to talk about the amazing waffle stand they have with hot drinks. I didn't get to try them this time but the delicious aroma will faint you to it. SO GOOD. If you're thinking about it. Don't. Just do it. Go to Pico. You will love it! I would say wait for a snowier day just to have a smoother trail. Other than that, this place is amazing!

What a nice day to be here. Not too cold nor too windy. Can't be more perfect! The facility is nice warm and clean. Very simple and cozy lounge. They offer good teaching packages for all levels. My son enjoys his very much. It is just a right size skiing resort. Staff are very knowledgeable and helpful and VERY lacked back!

Came here on 2/21 toward end of the season and before Covid hit NYC for quarantine. First time here and thinking about returning for the next season (in a few months). It was a nice day when we were here; it was windy and sunny (not too hot even though it's near end of the season). Snow quality was good, but of course!~--- it is Vermont snow after all. They had a ice cream special in the cafeteria where everyone lined up for free scoop of Ben&Jerry's ice cream. That was nice, you would think that a long day out in the snow we would want to warm up with hot cocoa or soup but free stuff always get people going.

This resort is an absolute gem. Not the biggest baddest mountain around, but still has that gusto. It's also very pretty. It's one of those resorts that you can definitely do most of the slopes in the resort in a day. Snow was nicely groomed. The summit is a little windy, but it's ok. Cause once you're off the top, the wind dies down a lot. COVID PROTOCOL RESPECT. They are very strict in their mask policy. So if you're the "I Don't Have to Follow the Rules because this is America" Type,, you might wanna fly to Florida instead. Because they even have ski staff walking around the lines making sure that "If I am adhering to the rules, they should be as well." BRAVO!!! Would recommend this resort to anyone who is considering going out to shred for the season. Thank you so much for reading my review. I hope this helps with your decision making experience. Enjoy your awesome yelptastic day!!!

Ok, so 17" of fresh snow two days ago made for a great ski day - but setting the awesome conditions aside, Pico still is the friendly mountain. Every guest and employee was friendly, especially the cashier in the cafeteria, Gibson. We had a genuine little conversation. They accommodated my request for a cheeseburger without a bun with no fuss. The music in the bar starts at 2. That is always great apres ski. Since they are playing on a Sunday afternoon I expect that is Friday & Saturday, too. Pico is great for families as they've got all kinds of terrain and one base lodge.

Great spot just past Killington. Madison in the rental shop was awesome. If more trails were open it would have been perfect

This place is pretty great. It has a small mountain feel. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The lodge is old school. There is a big fireplace, three levels with different purposes, and a small village at the base. We got a lesson for my daughter and nephew here. I was very pleased. The teacher was great with them, and they had a blast. We stayed in the area for a week, and while Killington is truly a beast, Pico was more than sufficient for the majority of our days, skiing with the kids and even breaking off with the higher level skiers for a few hours here and there. The mountain is setup well. Here is why: 1) everything flows back to the base. There is no way to get stuck anywhere. Every trail leads to the base. This is really nice if your kids are getting older and want to explore a bit on their own. Also makes it easy to meet up with friends. 2) seems like there are basically never any big lines - I was there all week, never spent more than a few seconds in line. 3) snow was great, maybe I got lucky, but seems like they take their snowmaking seriously. 4) terrain is good - above average. Lots of fun glades. Not much in the way of steeps, and the ones they have are short and pretty limited, but certainly if you want to challenge yourself, which I did, I'd suggest that small lift on the left of the mountain after a good snowfall as a short steep challenge (A slope) that never seems to be crowded, and the run at the top Upper giant killer. Those are legit (but short) double blacks, at least in my limited experience. The glades really are good. There are some nice blue glades, which I think scare a lot of above average skiers, but they were so wide my wife and 7 year old would've been just fine on them. Tree skiing really can be great, especially on a day with poor visibility, as the trees improve your visibility, and the snow in the trees tends to stay nice and fluffy longer than on the trails. As far as medium blue runs, they had many good ones, nice cruisers, but seem to be missing a groomer your can fly down with curves and banks cut through the trees. 5) they have some mid mountain lifts - this is key. If you ever have a crowded day, it is nice to have some lifts away from the base, that tend to get less crowded. 6) it is cheap, especially when you purchase in advance. 7) Having the backing of killington with their good website on phone service really helps. One minor - no magic carpet. My 5 year old rode their tiny lift and it was a fun experience, she did just fine on it. They didn't have the best beginner area - some places have those ramped lifts that are so easy - but it was more than suitable. I don't think they need the magic carpet really.

I believe this is the best mountain to go skiing on in Vermont, it is kid friendly and good food...... Amazing trails for experts and beginners.

Today the conditions were icy, hard packed and a lot not open-BUT another day exploring this beautiful mountain. Lots and lots of people. Good to see parking lot packed. Small mountain with lots to offer. Staff always friendly and informative! My partner grew up skiing Pico and I have been snowshoeing it for years

Lifts are right next to the parking lot gets you straight to the top. Terrain is excellent most of trails are very nice like the glades and black diamonds are some of the besy

I came here on a spur of the moment weekend to Killington Vermont. My friends and I needed a quick place to stay, party, and ski. Killington gets a lot of attention for being the beast of the east. It was only my fourth time skiing ever, and I immediately bought a ski mask and goggles from a kind lady in Rutland Vermont on Facebook marketplace. I ended up staying at the comfort inn in Rutland as well. It was only a quick 15 to 20 minute ride over to Killington Mountain. The prices for a ski lift ticket and ski gear rental was astronomical at Killington. Instead, we found a Groupon for pico mountain all inclusive of lift and rental for $75 a person. Granted, we were skiing toward the end of the season in March, so I don't expect many to find that great of a deal. My friends and I jumped on the bargain and ended up liking pico mountain much more than we think we would have enjoyed Killington Mountain. The reason for that is many of the locals go to pico on weekends because it's less busy, meaning that they get to do more ski lift and ski runs down the slopes. We got much more skiing time in and were able to take quick breaks at the lodge to warm up or get food quickly. A lot of locals enjoy the scene and were very friendly. One guy even gave me his bar seat at the bar during après ski-- this is a new term that I learned in which people have a celebratory drink after a long day of skiing. The slopes at pico Mountain we're very long. It took me about 15 to 20 minutes to get down a green or blue line. The black lines were extremely challenging, had many moguls, something covered, and box. People still took on the challenge admirably. The service was great, the gear felt brand new, and the pictures we took him out fantastic. I highly recommend this place to people that want to prioritize skiing and maximize their time without the huge crowd. Also we ordered and arugula feta cheese pizza, nachos, and local Vermont beer at the lodge which I highly recommend. The food surprised me. They use local Vermont ingredients and it felt like a farm to table restaurant in a tiny hole of a lodge. We will be back pico mountain!

To Hell with skiing here in the winter, they have the Alpine Slide (summer only) which is a terribly fun way to spend a beautiful day in Vermont. Keep your hand and feet inside the sled, or be prepared for friction BURNS that never heal. A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pico is one of my favorite New England ski areas. The trails are great - easy, intermediate, expert, steeps, moguls, glades and tree skiing. The bar is okay. It's got a good beer selection but the menu is different from most ski area bars. There are a variety of options from meatball sub to lobster bisque. I wish there was a burger or a chicken sandwich - but there is not. That and the prices, like Killington and on the high side, keep me at 4 instead of 5 stars. The whole family does love skiing here!

Love this mountain Small clean and friendlily staff No lines , no waiting and great skiing Plenty of stuff for all levels 49ner is my favorite run in Vermont! Thanks Pico!

Pico is small - but I like it better than Killington. The trails are more wide open, there are less people, and it reminds me more of skiing out west in Colorado. Do yourself a favor and check out Pico - it's cheaper than 'the beast' too! You'll be glad you did!

Pico is our new favorite mountain! We stumbled upon this mountain and will definitely be returning more often. The staff is beyond friendly and helpful! And the trails are beautiful and well groomed. Rich the manager goes above and beyond for his guests and we were lucky enough to meet and hang out with him. We felt like family! Definitely stay here and show pico some love!

Quaint. Nice little getaway from the crowds. I took a private lesson with Greg and he was extremely helpful. We went from greens to 49er in 3 hours. Greg had fun skiing with me too, it was a blast. My west coast friends felt they weren't challenged enough of course, but nice for a small east coast resort. Bar food was good and service was friendly.

Even though it wasn't a powder day, yesterday was one of the best days this season! I had pre-purchased tickets to come up and try Pico for the first time today. After Saturday's ice event I expected the entire mountain to be an ice sheet and that anything ungroomed would be untouchable. My suspicions seemed to be confirmed when I arrived and multiple trails were closed because of ice. As I rode up the Summit Express the ice glinted in the sun. When I reached the summit and pointed my skis down Forty Niner I was in for a pleasant surprise! Perfect corduroy made for great skiing on a perfectly pitched blue cruiser with amazing views of the peaks of Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire. I soon decided to head up Little Pico and see how A Slope was. While hard, the moguls were edgable and it was a very enjoyable run. There was very good cover, so decided to give the glades a try. In Upper Pike Glades I discovered the best surprise of the day. After a few turns in rain crust I reached a section of soft, seemingly untouched powder! I found more in Mid Pike Glades and Upper KA Glades. Temperatures were in the upper twenties and thirties during the day and wind was not a factor. It was clear in the morning, but got cloudier as the day went on and there was a bit of drizzle at the very end of the day. All lifts were running except for Knomes Knoll and Outpost, but I did hike up and take a few runs on Outpost. Most trails were open. Trails that were closed were closed because of ice, not because of lack of cover. Crowds were never an issue and I never had to wait more than a chair or two. After my first experience at Pico I know that I will be returning as soon as I can. It's a well designed mountain with something for everyone. There is classic New England terrain and lots of vertical, but also modern amenities (i.e. high speed lifts, extensive snowmaking, hotel, condos). One thing I noted when I first arrived was the design of the main lodge. The bottom level is for those who brought their own food, the middle level is for cafeteria food, and the upper level has a restaurant. There is additional seating in a nearby building which also has rentals and the retail shop. The lodge was spacious and there were always empty tables, even at noon. The Bonanza area is a novice area which is separated from the main area. There is a modern rope tow and a 75' vertical double chair. The chair moves at a very slow speed (200 fpm??) and is low to the ground and there are three slopes down. The triple (first triple in Vermont) to the top of Knomes Knoll wasn't open, so I was not able to ski the upper trails on Knomes Knoll, but they seemed to be good for the novice skier who has graduated from Bonanza. There is also good intermediate terrain on Knomes Knoll. The Outpost Double wasn't spinning due to icy trails, but I hiked up twice and skied Pipeline and Wrangler. Outpost seems like a great place for experts to ski steep, ungroomed trails and hardwood glades. The trails get steeper as you move west and all trails had well-sized natural moguls. On Little Pico there is a little bit of everything. Off the backside there is a long, narrow green circle (Bushwhacker) which leads back to the other lifts. There is good intermediate terrain which consists of a number of narrow, classic trails in the area of C Slope. There are also a number of hardwood glades in the same area. B Slope is a wide, steep black diamond where they hold races. A Slope is a fun double black which starts out very steep, then mellows out lower down. The main mountain is served by two high speed quads and there are all varieties of trails. Off the Golden Express there is great upper level novice and mid level intermediate terrain. From the summit Express there are great upper level intermediate cruisers and fun black diamonds. Upper Giant Killer and the poma line were closed, but they looked very, very steep and a lot of fun. There are many great glades, both hardwood and softwood and most wooded areas are skiable. It's a very fun mountain to ski and I will definitely be back. Full report and more pictures: http://snowjournal.com/discussion/1207/pico-3-26-2017

I heard some story about how Pico mountain is Killington's bastard younger brother who doesn't get as much attention or funds thrown its way. This is not a bad thing, in fact, I think it's what makes Pico so charming. I've been skiing my whole life and have never found a place I've enjoyed as much as I enjoy Pico. First of all, it's completely different from the Killingtons and the Sunday Rivers. Whereas the Killingtons and Sunday Rivers are these huge ski resorts with 19 million lifts and trails and snowmaking and tourists and Sharpshooters trying to take your picture, Pico feels like a place for locals. The advertising says that it's "pure" and "perfect". And it is. The mountain is not that huge, but it has plenty of slopes to keep you busy, even when you want to be challenged. Try the Upper Giant Killer, which is usually completely empty and offers beautiful views. A lot of the slopes shunt you through the woods, so you feel like you're in the back country for just a moment. The sun hits the mountain at a very pleasing angle, so there aren't many shadows to facilitate icy conditions. The lodge is small and rustic but not overwhelmingly crowded, and they sell waffles at the base of the lifts that make the air fragrent with sugar and chocolate and batter. Also, the bathrooms are newly renovated, which does make a difference. So, all in all you can probably tell that I love this place. Don't tell to too many people about it though, because I don't want it to get too popular. Also, they don't make much snow, so that can be a problem, especially if we have more winters like this past one.

when you think of skiing in vermont, you probably think of places like killington and okemo. they're big. no doubt. they're also crowded. no doubt. the perfect description of pico (pronounced pie-ko, not pee-ko) wrote itself when i was going up the summit lift, looking at the slopes of killington a few miles down the road on a drizzly, misty day: other guy: weird weather today. me: yup. but at least it kept the crowds away. o.g.: what? me: well, it's just so empty here. o.g.: ::chuckles:: no. it's *always* like this. you can't make this stuff up. it's even better when you get a couple of buywithme coupons and go to this empty place for half price. with a summit elevation of nearly 4,000', pico is every bit as tall as, if not taller than, its big-name neighbors despite being smaller in terms of trails, lifts and ammenities. by virtue of its more famous neighbors, you'll get to ski or board down trails with no one else in sight and, like me, may find yourself pulling in for the day at 10:30 a.m., parking in row "c" of the lot, and finding no line for lift tickets. even if pico were more crowded, it would still be a fun mountain, but maybe not great. the trails are wide and well-maintained. there are only 4 lifts from the base. all of them take you about half-way up the mountain and all have blues and greens to get down. more daring folks will want to start from the golden express quad lift. from the top of that lift, you can go to your right to pick up the summit express quad or to your left to grab the outpost double, both of which will lead you to the blacks. the woods are open off the summit so, have fun with that sonny bono. the knomes knoll triple will take you up to pico's terrain park, packed with well marked jumps of various sizes, loads of rails, and boxes. no halfpipe but, let's face it, i'm not shaun white and you probably aren't either. where pico could use some improvement is in the apres-ski department. i expect mountain restaurants to be lousy with people and pico's last run lounge was no different. i was, however, flabbergasted that there were no burgers on the menu and that nothing came with fries. you can get high-school-cafeteria-quality burgers and fries downstairs and bring them up, but, well .... i went with the very uncreative pepperoni pizza which was meh at best. despite the crowd, however, service was good and there was a live band which was nice. they do, however, have a waffle haus. tl;dr - i like pico. great trails, fun terrain park, and a waffle haus. i'll definitely go back.

Skip Killington and come here. Like a lot of the reviews here, I will note that it is a lot less crowded and easier to navigate than Killington. If Killington is the big blonde group of jerks from the ski school, Pico is the plucky upstart who wins the big competition at the end of the movie. Best way to describe it is that it feels like a larger small/family mountain. I ride, so i found myself hiking around with my board in hand a lot at Killington. Not so much at Pico. We skied/rode Killington on Saturday and did a run or two on Sunday before taking our passes to Pico. Best decision we made. Conditions were great, and the lift lines were never more than two or three minutes. Yeah, the lodge is much smaller, the but the bar and food were great. Not sure I will ever go back to Killington . . .

Pico (pike-oh) is one of my favorite mountains. When I had the All-East past, I would ski here every time over Killington. Why? It's just more FUN. The vertical drop is not as high as Killington, and they have fewer trails, but it's also way less crowded. There are some great narrow, moguly trails, and some nice glades. It's a good mountain for all abilities, and within a day trip (3 hours from Boston). The lodge is decent sized, and for those of you who ski for the food (you must be small in number), there's a belgian waffle house at the base lodge. Pico, I miss you!

Yes Pico is smaller than Killington, but it's better in every aspect. It's less crowded, lodging is nicer and the staff is extremely friendly. Like one reviewer said, I'm almost afraid to write this review because I'm afraid people will rush over here. But hey, I'm not stingy so help yourself :)

Great Place to Ski, Wish we really could but the review here for the wonderful staff that i got to interact with. Especially Gail, she was great. Helped us with every bit of information that was needed as we were first timers which turned out to be very helpful for us. Will definitely return back :)

I like Pico - and as everyone has pointed out it is considerably less crowded than Killington. With that being said, depending on the conditions, certain trails are closed, etc. Hit up Pico on a Saturday and Killington on a Sunday to avoid the masses.

My boyfriend took me skiing at Pico and signed me up for 3 days of classes to learn to ski. The instructors are extremely patient and helpful. I was able to ski after my first day. I think Pico is a great place for families and for beginners. Definitely pack a lunch because it's really expensive to eat (a small bag of chips is $2.25) and you must try a waffle with chocolate drizzle at the Waffle Cabin. It's nice after a long day of skiing you can go upstairs to the bar, get a seat by the fire, enjoy a hot chocolate with baileys and some great live music.

The Alpine Slide was a blast! If the ski lift didn't take so long to reach the top I would have kept going on it over and over again. It was so much fun! It's closed in the winter. Can be dangerous, so pay attention to the rules or you might take a nasty tumble!

So much better then Killington. A lot less crowded and staff was friendly and attentive. I recommend this place for every level of skiers. Great trails from the summit. Upper KI is our fav. Happy skiing!!

The worst snowboarding conditions I have ever seen. Most of the trails were closed and the ones that weren't were covered in complete ice. If I could rate less than 1 star I would

Pico is a fantastic mountain. My family always goes up to VT in the spring and skis Killington, Sugarbush and Pico, and Pico has become one of my favorite VT mountains. Pico has a lot of great groomers for beginner/intermediates or a good warm up run. also has some of my favorite mogul runs on the far side of the mountain like giant killer. Great variety for such a small mountain and with 1/18th the crowds of Killington. Also just found out that for the 2013/2014 season Pico's running a coupon deal for 2 for 1 buy one get one free lift ticket with the guy who invented the ezee skee strap. found about this from the local ski store. You have to live in PA, NJ, MD, or DE. but literally a great deal if you're thinking about going up to VT for a ski trip. Also have heard that the product is pretty good, plan on trying it out this season. you can check his site/order the product at http://www.ezeeskeestrap.com/offers.htm

This is a nice no frills small mountain. However, they don't always have a lot of trails open. And unlike other mountains they don't tell you when you take a lift up what type of trails you will encounter. Even worse they don't tell you what is closed. For instance I went up a lift that services green, blue, and black. No one said anything when I went up the lift. When I got off at the top everything was closed except for one trail. I asked the lift operator at the TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN what was open and he said only black. Not appropriate when green people think they can get down. I am not super experienced so my only choice per the staff was to "get down at my own risk". So I was forced to go down on my butt for the steepest portion until I felt safe to ski down. This mountain needs some management ASAP.

I never skied pico I enjoyed it very much it's killington with way less of a crowd the conditions when I went were A+ grooming is a skiers love!!

I almost don't want to write a good review, cause if I do, more people will start going here! Its great, conditions stay pretty good, as most go to killington, not Pico, but the trails are long and well groomed, Definately worth a visit!

Awesome family ski resort. The in-laws rented a house for 14 of us and we were all set to ski the week away at Killington. When one of us thought it would be a good idea to start the week with a more laid back day at Pico, it was our stroke of good luck. No crowds, friendly staff and great skiing. May not be as big as Killington, but we all had a blast. The kids (age 10 to 13) found the mountain to be perfect for their skill set (blues and greens). Definitely go here!

Pico is usually a nice mountain. Unfortunately, this season's weather has made the runs here impossible to navigate. They had a few runs open yesterday, but when we arrived, even some of those runs had been closed. The ones that were open was sheer ice. There was no snow to turn our skis and we ended up just sliding down....it is kinda dangerous. They should probably just close for the 2016 season.

I spend time in VT skiing mostly Okemo, Stratton and Killington. Today I tried PICO. Conditions were excellent. I am an intermediate who can ski Double blacks but don't love them. PICO is great for families. For some reason the place just let me down a little. There are a lot of people hitting the same 10 trails over and over. I just found the mountain a little boring. They had some very cool glades though, with super deep and steep terrain in the glades. Definitely bring a friend because the glades can be treacherous, snow is 4' deep in the glades. Nice resort overall but kind of just "Blah". It's still a good mountain with 57 trails and no lift lines ever, lifts are not high speed. I paid $40 through liftopia so definitely a great value. I would head here if you are a little tired and can't pull off another full day at Killington which is only 15-20 mins. away.

recently, it seems like the mountain cares only about its racers instead of other skiiers, considering that the only snow made on the mountain is on b-slope! give me a break pico, this is a disgrace. considering that the mountain has nothing else open due to the fact of closed trails/lack of snow, i had to find a good trail with good snow, unfortunately b-slope was it. I understand that this is the trail for the race team, but when i went down it, it was open for everyone, and a coach still yelled at me for going "too fast" and said to me to slow down. i ventured to the peak, to see more ski teamers, and i was them cut off by them and their coach, and the coach yells at me again for being in his way. the operation your ski team have going is an absolute joke, yelling at me because he cut me off. nice! no wonder they act like they act the whole mountain...nice job pico, as you promote a "ski family"