WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-The Dew Tour lands in Killington

The Dew Tour lands in Killington

Killington, Vermont - January 21, 2012

The Dew Tour is a national skiing and snowboarding competition which kicked off in Killington this week.

Last year it brought nearly 30,000 spectators. This year they're expecting even more.

Suzie Dundas Town of Killington, "It was cold last year and it's a lot warmer this year so we're having a great time, the crowds are bigger the action is huge so we are stoked this is a great year too."

The event came to Killington for the first time last year, it's the only east coast stop on the tour.

Lauren Tietjen, Dew Tour Organizer said, "We started this season in Colorado at Breckenridge resort and in just a few weeks we'll end our season in snow basin Utah."

150 athletes compete at each location, like Eric Willett, the first place finisher for men's snowboarding slopestyle at Killington.

Eric Willett First place Mens slopestyle said, "It's been kind of challenging the whole week we've had every kind of condition you could think of it worked out though you just had to land on point and just go for ."

With a slow start to the winter season Killington resort has been cranking up the snow guns, but athletes say Saturday's snow made conditions similar to those at the west coast events.

The dew tour's superpipe is the only superpipe east of the Mississippi, it's 22 feet high and 500 feet long.

It's also a reminder of a loss for the industry 29 year old freestyle skier Sarah Burke died Thursday from an accident on a half pipe course in Utah, similar to the crash that left Vermont snowboarder Kevin Pierce with a traumatic brain injury.

"Just to have someone in the industry like that pass away, it really hit me hard, all my prayers go out to her family and friends. I know it's tough on the ski girls and the whole sport." said Willett.

The locations for next years tour have yet to be nailed down but with the crowd and publicity in Killington the resort will fight to keep the tradition going.