Yukon Kornelius

Yes, the rumors are true. Stefan Lessard of the Dave Matthews Band is putting together a little supergroup for a benefit concert at the Pickle Barrel Nightclub on Wednesday, January 9. Joining him onstage will be Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies and Adam Gardner of Guster. Actor Jason Biggs (American Pie) will serve as the event's host, and will be welcoming some very special guests to the stage (more on that soon...)

The proceeds of the show will benefit the Vermont and New Hampshire Food Banks, Reverb and the Ross Powers Foundation. Tickets for this event are available through www.picklebarrelnightclub.com. It promises to be a very special night, so grab your tickets today and we'll see you at the show! Stay in touch with the Okemo blog for more. Look for a special Okemo lift ticket deal for concert ticket holders for skiing and riding on January 9. Details soon.

Sunday into Monday Snow Storms

It's a sweet blessing from Mother Nature, when the snow falls from a Sunday into Monday. There are many reasons why this is good and not all of them are selfish reasons. It may be tough to get to work, but if you work weekends all you can think about is using and abusing gravity on the mountain. Knee deep un-tracked powder is what we all crave. This past dump was nice because it lasted all week. Pow stashes were still available yesterday - Thursday. The early week storms are great, because they allow us mid-week riders uninhibited freshies. These storms are also good for the resort's base. The snow does not get completely skied off and is easily groomed in to solidify the base. Storms of this caliber can only help us stay open later. It also allowed us to jump off and open up more trails. We have not seen early season snow like this in years, so get your boards and planks sharpened and get here!
Us mid-week folk will save some for you!
GravityHound

Yukon Kornelius to play benefit

If you're a fan of the Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies or Guster you don't want to miss this special holiday treat!

A benefit concert is in the works for Wednesday, January 9th at the Pickle Barrel Nightclub in Killington. A collaboration between Okemo Mountain Resort and Warren Miller Entertainment, the Pickle Barrel will host this special event with proceeds to benefit charitable organizations including the Vermont and New Hampshire Food Banks and the environmental non-profit group Reverb.

Tickets go on sale beginning December 10 at 12 noon. Interested? Check the Okemo Newsroom for details.

PS Did I mention its snowing! Yipeee!

Mother Earth still loves us!

She must, otherwise we wouldn't have such phenomenal conditions out on the hill right now. I went out yesterday morning and skiied from South Face over to Solitude......and I never heard my skis.....that's a wonderful thing.

The condition right now feel like mid-winter....really. and I'll admit, i love getting out on the hill mid-week. Sorry to all you Mon-Fri office slaves....but you really should consider taking a "personal wellness" day sometime soon.

Anybody who's come up for Hanukkah is in for a pleasant surprise. Because if you were here last winter......eewww...it was nasty. Last year Okemo had 11 trails open...this year...between yesterday and today...the hill opened 13 trails....go figure....and there are now 71 trails open....the most terrain in the EAST!

So get up here and get out on the snow...and if you can't get to Okemo....get somewhere and get on the snow.

-Dex
PS. goin' out again today.

Silent on the hill

Yep you read it correctly. I made some turns first thing this morning and the only sounds were the hum of the lift, the white noise of the snow guns on Lower Nor Easter and in the Dew Zone, and the occasional hooting and hollering from fellow skiers and riders.

This is absolutely the best early season skiing I've ever had. I'm not kidding. The conditions were packed powder, perfect corduroy, and some untouched trails to get the legs burning. Skiing over at south face was silent - sometimes the occasional squeak from the cold snow, but that was about it.

All I can say is this - get up here. It doesn't get any better. These are the conditions we dream of for December (or February for that matter!).

This weekend we've got the Rome Rail Jam, and the first stop this winter for the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge. Come up and enjoy the snow - it is perfect in every way!

Time To Ride

Since the snowstorm dropped nearly a foot-and-a-half Sunday night into Tuesday, I have been working on my snowboarding turns. I’m trying to learn to slash into a drift, heel-side, like a surfer cutting out of a pipeline. Having skied for most of my life, snowboarding has become a refreshing change. I have never surfed or even skateboarded before, at least with any proficiency. To me, skiing has become quite like power boating… How fast can I go from point A to point B? Quite frankly, it’s become a bit boring. At my age (read: comfort zone), there’s not much more to learn on skis, and you won’t find me launching off booters in the park. My technique is my technique and that’s it. I can get down most anything and look okay doing it, but my feet aren’t leaving the snow surface any more, at least not on purpose. The only new excitement for me is changes in terrain, or skiing somewhere new and different.

Snowboarding has become for me a lot like sailing was. Not as fast moving, feeling the terrain under my feet, and exploring the sides of the trails, turning back and forth, using the hill, standing against gravity, well, tacking and jibing my way down. Maybe it’s my past experiences 20-plus years ago racing sailboats on Long Island Sound. Or maybe it’s just a newfound connection with the mountain, I don’t really know for sure. All I do know is that it’s a great way to unwind, chill out and appreciate being in the moment. It’s also sobering to try a new sport from the ground up. Or should I say, from up to the ground?

I have been wearing wrist guards lately, at least until my proficiency and confidence builds. These are essentially Velcro wraps with a bent piece of hard plastic that supports and protects the underside of the wrist in case of a forward fall. Most people cannot resist the urge to stiff-arm a toe-side fall, usually resulting in a trip to First Aid and a few weeks in a cast. Since the wrist guards are worn under the glove and cuff, they are in close contact to the wrist, so there’s no room to wear a wrist watch. Yeah, I know, I’m old school, or maybe just old… why wear a watch when I carry my digital pocket watch (cell phone) and every lift shack at Okemo has a clock for skiers and riders to reference on every lift ride?

I suppose that’s precisely the point… the only time of day that matters is when it’s time to ride!

Gotta luv da powdah!

OK, I've been quite absent from the blog lately, but a winter storm like this gets me all pumped up! whether you consider it a "pant-load" of snow, or you said it was "pukin' outside"......what it all comes down to is tons and tons of fresh snow. And....if you haven't been out in it yet....your loss.

14-16 inches of new powder on top of Okemo's monster snowmaking capacity has given the hill something to show off.......46 trails as of the snow report I saw this morning. Plus the trails at Jackson Gore are scheduled to open on Thursday. That expansion will put the hill at 50-60 trails by the weekend.....perfect for some Hanukkah holiday turns....and another reason to skip Christmas shopping. The snow was great on Monday....and winter is in full-swing today....nice and cold and snowy!

I finished all my wood splitting and outdoor projects just in time........as the snowflakes started to fall on Sunday afternoon. Did I mention I have great neighbors? They helped me plow out my driveway on Monday...which it quite long.

Remember, there's no such thing as a bad weather day when you are skiing and snowboarding, just a poor choice in clothing.

See you on the snow!

Jackson Gore to Open Thursday!

Well, that blast from Mother Nature sure does make it feel like winter. Okemo received 14-16 inches of the white stuff and we're dropping the ropes on trails all over the place ... with Jackson Gore slated to open on Thursday. Sam, our snow reporter extraordinaire will be out taking some photos today, so check out the online photo of the day.

Apologies on the live cam - we're, as they say, experiencing some technical difficulties and hope to have the live video back soon. Cheers!

It's Headed Our Way!

A big storm is coming - the first of the season.

Get ready for a powder day on Monday!