Killington and Pico Celebrate Team Members during 2026 Milestone Party

On Wednesday, August 19th, Killington Resort & Pico Mountain recognized its team members who reached five-year milestones of employment during 2026. After a few years of celebrating our team off-site, this summer's annual Milestone Party brought together many of Killington & Pico's longest-serving employees to a familiar location: the Peak Lodge. After all, no one really knows how to throw a party like The Beast.

This year's party celebrated a combined 1,064 years of full-time, year-round service from 64 employees, including 26 first timers in the 5 Year Club and the 27 current members of the prestigious 20 Year Club. Each honoree receives a custom engraved YETI, a personalized decorative trail sign, and of course, a delicious dinner. To add to the local flavor, this year's party favors were bottles of sustainably sourced honey from Killington's own beehives.

To start off the evening, a quick trip up the gondola led to an outdoor cocktail party for all the guests of honor. A gorgeous summer evening was made even better by the oyster bar, fresh shrimp, and passed hors d'oeuvres including duck tacos and jalapeño corn fritters. After heading inside for the awards presentation, the present 20 Year Club members took their customary position ahead of the gift table, where they greeted all recognized employees in attendance.

At the end of the awards ceremony, a new "king" was named as the current longest-serving employee of Killington/Pico. Jeff Temple, our former director of mountain operations and current director of planning, was presented the crown by Mike Solimano, our president & CEO, who was also celebrated for reaching his own 25-year landmark. Following Dave Lacombe's retirement last October, Jeff began his reign as king as he received a trail sign to commemorate his impressive 45 years.

Following the awards, everyone in attendance sat down with a fantastic dinner spread curated by Chef Zach Bodine. Chefs Summer Guido and Eric Rusch, who may normally be more involved with an event like this, got to be treated to a meal like the rest of the attendees as 5-year and 15-year honorees, respectively. The filet mignon, lobster tails, and bananas foster highlighted an impressive menu put together by our fantastic Food & Beverage and Banquets teams.

To close out proceedings, magician/illusionist Denny Corby took center stage and wowed the crowd with some slight-of-hand and mind-reading skills. Even with all the fun and games, the best part of the night was more so found in the conversations had, memories shared, and all the times someone said, "I can't believe it's been [blank] years." Finding shared ground across departmental and even generational gaps is part of what makes Killington/Pico's employee culture as strong as it is.

Sarah Whitbeck, our product & digital marketing manager, is one of the several 5-year honorees who has been promoted internally at least once during her time at Killington & Pico. "It's hard to narrow down all the nice memories I have at Killington," Sarah says. "I've really enjoyed getting to know all the people I've met through working here. It's been a great place to start a family and build my own career."