History of Vermont SKi Tours
March 1, 1968 to present
Vermont Ski Tours began in March 1968, when a young South Jersey bartender named Pete Campana organized his very first ski bus trip. That inaugural trip didn’t leave from a ski shop or a travel office—it left from his father’s restaurant, Caesar’s Tavern, in Westville, New Jersey, where Pete worked behind the bar. He had just discovered skiing himself, fallen in love with it instantly, and wanted to share that excitement with friends. That single bus trip sparked something bigger. Within a year, Pete was running regular weekend trips from throughout the Northeast to Killington, VT. He soon incorporated the business as Killington Ski Tours and pioneered a simple but powerful idea: bundle transportation, lodging, meals, lift tickets, rentals, and lessons into one seamless, affordable package.
Through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, Pete’s trips became a fixture of East Coast skiing. He introduced thousands of high‑school students to the sport, partnered with ski shops and corporate groups. He promoted skiing in schools, helped develop beginner programs like the Learn‑to‑Ski Package, and even organized Amtrak ski trains from NYC to Killington and charter flights to Vail. As the company expanded beyond Killington, he renamed it Vermont Ski Tours in 2009, reflecting expanding services with trips to Stratton, Okemo, Sugarbush, Mount Snow, Stowe, Bromley, Pico, Gore, and Whiteface.
Under Pete's leadership, VST weathered the fuel shortages of the '70s, blizzards, economic downturns, and eventually the COVID‑19 shutdown of 2020-21. Today, nearly 60 years later, Pete still runs Vermont Ski Tours with the same energy and enthusiasm he had in 1968. Now in his 80s, he continues to ride the buses, greet passengers, and share stories from a lifetime on the mountain—joined by his sons, who help escort trips and manage the company.
What began as one man’s passion in the parking lot of Caesar’s Tavern has become the longest‑running ski tour operator in the United States, having brought hundreds of thousands of skiers and snowboarders to Vermont over six decades. Vermont Ski Tours remains exactly what Pete intended it to be: a way to make skiing accessible, affordable, and unforgettable for anyone willing to get on the bus.
"I love it when a weekend comes together." - Pete Campana