As the crisp autumn air begins to settle across the Green Mountains of Vermont, Killington Resort is preparing for a transition that marks the official countdown to winter. Before the first flakes of snow fly and the lifts begin turning for the eagerly anticipated ski season, the resort is once again turning its focus toward environmental stewardship. On Saturday, October 3, Killington will host its annual Pepsi Mountain Clean-Up, an initiative designed to clear the upper-mountain terrain of debris, litter, and forgotten gear left behind during the previous winter and summer recreation seasons.
The event, which has quickly become a staple of the resort’s pre-season calendar, invites hundreds of volunteers from across the region to comb the slopes, trails, and wooded boundaries of the sprawling resort. Registration for the cleanup is entirely free and remains open through the official Killington Resort website, though participants are required to complete a digital event waiver prior to arrival. With a busy offseason of infrastructure upgrades and international racing preparations underway, the mountain-wide cleanup serves as a critical community-driven effort to restore the natural landscape before it is buried under months of snowfall.
Unmasking the Mountain: What Winter Leaves Behind
For casual visitors and skiers, the appeal of a ski resort lies in its pristine white slopes and beautifully groomed trails. However, the melting of the snowpack reveals a very different reality. Items accidentally dropped from chairlifts, discarded gear, packaging, and wind-blown trash frequently become trapped against brush, rocks, and the edges of tree lines. Once the green foliage of summer recedes, these hidden items become exposed, presenting both an aesthetic blemish and a potential environmental hazard to the local ecosystem and wildlife.
Killington’s fall cleanup initiative directly addresses this seasonal challenge by mobilizing a workforce capable of reaching areas that heavy machinery and standard maintenance crews cannot easily access. This year’s operational plan places a distinct emphasis on upper-mountain terrain, where wind patterns and heavy visitor traffic often deposit lightweight debris across wide expanses. By organizing volunteers into targeted walking routes and specific resort sectors, the resort ensures thorough coverage of vulnerable alpine environments.
A Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Waste Management
Managing waste across a resort of Killington’s massive scale is a formidable logistical undertaking, and the annual cleanup is just one component of the destination’s broader, year-round sustainability strategy. To handle the volume of material recovered during the October 3 event, Killington has once again partnered with Casella Waste Systems, a regional leader in resource solutions. Casella will provide specialized sorting stations at the base area, allowing volunteers and staff to properly categorize and separate all collected items to ensure maximum diversion from traditional landfills.
This partnership aligns seamlessly with Killington’s existing environmental initiatives. The resort’s comprehensive zero-sort recycling program, also operated in collaboration with Casella, successfully processes approximately 98 tons of recyclable material annually. Furthermore, Killington maintains an aggressive organic waste diversion program, pulling more than 200,000 pounds of food scraps annually from the waste stream through localized composting efforts. By integrating these corporate sustainability practices into public-facing events like the mountain cleanup, the resort reinforces the importance of circular economy principles within the outdoor recreation industry.
The Evolution of an Annual Tradition
The Pepsi Mountain Clean-Up is a relatively young tradition that has rapidly scaled in participation and organizational polish. The event was first introduced in 2024 as part of a renewed push by resort leadership to formalize community-based environmental initiatives. Following the success of the inaugural gathering, the event returned in 2025 with expanded participation and tighter logistical coordination.
The 2026 iteration represents the maturation of this pre-season tradition, reflecting deeper community engagement and stronger corporate partnerships. Over the past three years, the cleanup has evolved from a simple volunteer gathering into a comprehensive festival of environmental responsibility, blending hard labor with community celebration. Resort officials have noted a steady year-over-year increase in volunteer turnout, drawing not only local residents and dedicated passholders from Vermont, but also outdoor enthusiasts traveling from neighboring New England states who view Killington as a second home.
Detailed Schedule and Volunteer Experience
The structured itinerary for the October 3 cleanup is designed to balance rigorous physical activity with community camaraderie. The morning begins with check-in procedures running from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. near the iconic Umbrella Bar located at the Snowshed base area. During this window, volunteers receive their specific trail assignments, necessary collection bags, safety guidelines, and any required tools.
From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., participants disperse across the mountain to execute the cleanup operations. Teams navigate designated zones, systematically collecting and bagging discarded items before transporting them back to the base. Following the completion of the physical work, registered participants are treated to a complimentary lunch served from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The afternoon transitions into a celebratory atmosphere, featuring a prize raffle scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., where local sponsors and outdoor brands reward volunteers for their efforts. The day concludes with an outdoor afterparty running until 4:00 p.m., highlighted by live musical performances from the acclaimed Vermont-based indie-folk trio Jenny & The Bets. This blend of community service and entertainment ensures that the event remains engaging, welcoming families, solo adventurers, and local clubs alike.
A Transformative Offseason at Killington and Pico
The timing of the mountain cleanup coincides with a period of intense operational transformation across Killington Resort and its sister property, Pico Mountain. Both resorts are currently executing a combined $25 million capital improvement plan for the 2026 operating year. These substantial investments are directed toward modernizing key infrastructure, including major lift upgrades, significant enhancements to snowmaking efficiency, and general trail network improvements designed to elevate the guest experience.
For Killington, these upgrades are critical not only for daily recreational skiing but also for maintaining its status as a premier global destination for competitive alpine skiing. The resort’s infrastructure will be pushed to the forefront just weeks after the snow starts falling, as Killington prepares to host the prestigious Stifel Killington Cup from November 27 through November 29. The annual Women’s World Cup slalom and giant slalom events on the Superstar trail draw tens of thousands of spectators and international media, placing the resort under a global spotlight.
Broader Industry Implications and Environmental Stewardship
As climate variability and environmental pressures increasingly impact the winter sports industry, the actions taken by major resorts like Killington carry significant symbolic and practical weight. Ski areas across North America are under mounting scrutiny to demonstrate genuine ecological responsibility, moving beyond marketing campaigns to implement measurable, transparent conservation practices.
Events like the Pepsi Mountain Clean-Up serve multiple strategic functions within the modern ski landscape. Beyond the immediate physical benefit of removing hundreds of pounds of trash from fragile alpine watersheds and animal habitats, these initiatives foster a sense of shared ownership among skiers and snowboarders. By actively engaging the consumer base in the physical upkeep of the mountain, resorts cultivate a deeper, more enduring connection between the public and the natural environment.
Furthermore, these community cleanups highlight the complex logistical challenges that resorts face between operating seasons. As summer mountain biking, hiking, and scenic lift operations continue to grow in popularity alongside traditional winter tourism, the footprint on the landscape expands. Managing this dual-season impact requires proactive mitigation strategies, robust waste management frameworks, and active collaboration between resort operators, corporate sponsors, and the recreating public.
Looking Ahead to Winter 2026-2027
With summer giving way to autumn, the excitement surrounding the upcoming winter season is palpable throughout the Killington community. The successful completion of the October 3 cleanup will mark a symbolic milestone, clearing away the remnants of yesterday and preparing the pristine canvas required for the months ahead.
As Casella sorts the recovered materials, trail crews finalize their pre-winter preparations, and snowmaking teams stand ready for the first sustained freezing temperatures, Killington remains focused on its dual mission of operational excellence and environmental stewardship. For the volunteers who trade a Saturday morning for trash bags and trail maps, the reward extends far beyond the post-cleanup raffle and live music—it lies in the knowledge that their home mountain is clean, protected, and ready for winter.
