Taking a walk down Rolling Thunder

Here's a little treat for all you Okemo blog readers ... you are the first to learn the names of Okemo's two new trails (most resort staff members don't even know yet) AND here's a sneak peek with photos taken today, Aug. 1.

Here's the first little drop at the start of Rolling Thunder. The trail starts just below the first pitch on Limelight, where the trail takes a sharp turn to the right.

The photos really flatten things out. Believe me, this is a nice little whoop-de-doo. This is the same view as the first - just a few steps down the trail to give you an idea of how deceptive it can be from first glance.

The black fencing you see is silt fencing made from landscape fabric. It's in place to help prevent erosion until the grass seed planted takes hold (which it clearly has). With July being as wet as it has been, we've left it in place a little longer than we needed to. VP of Operations Barry Tucker tells me it'll be coming out soon. In the meantime, it makes a nice reference point as we make this pictorial tour down the trail. Our next stop is at the top of the next pitch, where the landscape fabric crosses the trail ...

OOOh, this is a nice drop! Note that rock outcropping on skier's left, just beyond that silt fencing ...

Here's a look back up the trail from that rock outcropping

Now, I'm turning 180 degrees ...

Take note of that tall tree in the foreground, just right of center ...

We've just gone up and over the rock outcropping ... Rolling Thunder continues straight ahead (to the right of that tall tree) - note that first line of silt fencing - that's our next stop after taking a quick look down White Lightning, the trail dropping off to the left ... watch out for that double fall line!

We're going to continue down Rolling Thunder ...

Here we are at the fence I last mentioned ....

Here comes another 180 degree turn ...

Here we are looking back up the trail. There's that rock outcropping in the center of the photo.

A couple hundred yards down the trail and Jackson Gore Village comes into view.

That's where our little tour ends ... for now.

Cheers!

Summit Wedding

Question: What's more romantic than a wedding?

Answer: A wedding on top of Okemo mountain.

This past Saturday Okemo hosted a happy bride and groom for a mid-day mountain top wedding. It was a truly joyous occasion as the happy couple are part of the Okemo Family- Katie Simms from Jackson Gore Real Estate and Jackson Gore Inn Front Desk Manager John Boehrer.

The Northstar lift whisked guests and the wedding party up the hill to the ceremony, which was in a beautiful meadow overlooking the Green Mountains and the town of Ludlow. The weather was crisp and clear with temps in the 70's for the nearly 80 guests as they awaited the arrival of the beautiful bride. As the chairlift crested the horizon line, the wedding processional music floated through the air to serenade guests as they walked to the ceremony. Wedding guests were delivered to the base of the lift after the wedding surrounded by glistening soap bubbles to add even more magic to the event.

The evening concluded with a reception at Solitude's ePic restaurant. Spontaneous whiffle ball broke out in the green outside the day lodge as other wedding goers were cutting the rug on the dance floor.

Congratulations Katie and John Boehrer!

Thank you for a romantic event in a very romantic place!

(Okemo Employee and wedding guest Norm Koch

controls the sound board during the ceremony )