Cue the snow .... and ... ACTION!

It looks like a movie production comapny came in overnight and transformed the entire Okemo Valley into the perfect winter wonderland just for our opening weekend. Everything is frosted in white this morning. Icicles dangle from the roofline of the base lodge and smoke curls as it rises from chimneys in the village.

That's New England for you ... one day we're all walking around in shirtsleeves remarking on how warm it is ... the next day it's instantly winter. That's nothing new for Okemo's team of snowmakers. They do that a lot at this time of year - transform a brown autumn meadow into a wintry snow-covered slope for skiing and riding. They happen to be extremely good at it and have recently overcome some challenging marginal temperatures to offer up some early summit snow sliding in time for our season opening this weekend.

Yesterday's natural snowfall will not play a major role in allowing us to open up more terrain. It was more like a wink from Mother Nature ... a small gesture to recognize our perseverance in spite of her shenanigans ... and a token to say, "good job." The big reward comes in the colder temperatures she's serving us. Round-the-clock snowmaking will allow us to open additional trails quickly as the week progresses. Our operations team has been in touch with the local electric provider and coordinated our higher-than-usual demand for power as we plan our snowmaking assault. We've also brought in a powerful generator to supplement our electrical needs.

The low hum of air compressors is a sweet sound of welcome to skiers and snowboarders arriving at the mountain this morning as the sun's first rays cast a golden glow over the expanse of white. They're eager to make their first turns of the season and they'll have a few inches of fresh snow and bluebird skies to kick off their 2009/2010 season of snowsliding. Visit Okemo's online snow report for full details.

See you on the slopes!