White Grass and Lawn Ghosts

Last night the temps dropped low enough to warrant starting up the wood stove. There's nothing like the radiant heat from a wood stove. The dogs went right into their winter routine and snuggled up against the hearth and enjoyed some of the heat.

This morning I stepped outside to walk the dogs and the grass in my yard was white. The temp this morning was about 34 degrees at my house. and i will admit, I am not much of a horticulturalist. So on my way to work, I was surprised to see that everyone had decorated their yards for Halloween, there were lawn ghosts everywhere. At first I thought everyone was getting a bit over-zealous with decorating, until I remembered that people who have gardens and delicate flowers need to cover them with sheets. I hope everyone's plants survived.

Frost means winter is right around the corner!

A solid foundation

Pre-season preparation continues around the mountain. Today marks the final of three concrete pours on the new loading and unloading carpets. The South Ridge Quad B chairlift is receiving a technological makeover. Loading and unloading people-mover conveyor belts, synchronized with the lift, will make use of the lift in Okemo's Clock Tower Base Area safer and more efficient. A lot of ground work (pun intended) goes into the installation of this technology. Stay tuned for progress on the project. Cheers!

Fun Facts About Okemo's New Trails

• White Lightning measures about 1,000 feet long.


• Rolling Thunder is about 2,600 feet long.


• Both trails are rated black diamond.


• Both trails will open au naturel this winter (sans snowmaking)


• Rolling Thunder has a vertical drop of 850 feet.


• Together, the new trails add approximately eight acres to Okemo’s skiable acreage total – now 632 acres.


• The steepest pitch on Rolling Thunder is 28 degrees. It has a grade of 53 percent.


• With the addition of Okemo’s newest trails, the new trail-difficulty breakdown is:
  29 percent easiest (green circle)
  37 percent intermediate (blue square)
  34 percent advanced and expert (black and double-black diamond)
  

The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep

And the kids on the bus get a special treat this year. Thanks to our partnership with SoBe Beverages we're going to have a great new feature in the SoBe Super Park. Last year we introduced the SoBe 40' S-rail and this year the bus stops here.

SoBe provided Okemo with one of their Love Buses to use as a feature, and that's pretty cool in itself, but we always want more. So we decided to cut the bus up, make rails off the bumpers, boxes off the hood, and see-through sloped bowls cut into the side of the bus. The result is one of the best features to hit Okemo in years. Currently in production, you'll be able to hit it by the time the December holidays roll around.

You'll hear it on your way up the A/B Quads or the Northstar Express - we're putting in a complete stereo system to keep the tunes rocking in the park. Be sure to check out the bus this year at Okemo, at the bottom of the SoBe Super Park.

Scenic Chairlift Rides in Vermont

Many guests have been writing in to inquire about chairlift rides. While Okemo does not offer them, our sister resort Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire does. Rides are offered on the following weekends: September 27-28; October 4-5; October 11-13; and October 18-19 from 10am to 4:30pm. Adult tickets (ages 19-64)are just $6. Learn more about their scenic chairlift rides...

Here is another great resource at visitnewengland.com that offers more information about fall foliage in New England, including scenic drives, foliage reports and more!

Don't miss this beautiful time in Vermont.