Perfect Snow, Perfect View, Perfect weekend ahead!

I must admit, it's been a week or so since I have had a chance to get on snow (I know, I work here, what am I crazy?). Let me tell you this. It was worth the wait. The snow conditions today were epic. I mean amazing. I just got my planks back from a tune and they skied like I was on rails. The snow is soft and forgiving, but firm enough to be fast. With a fresh coat of wax, VERY fast.

We did take our time for a run as we made our way down Mountain Road from the top of the Glades Peak Quad. Stopping to take in the breathtaking views of the Adirondacks as well as the White Mountains and a great view of Mount Washington. I then found some fresh powder in the trees before making it back to Mountain Road for the trip down to the bottom.

This weekend the forecast is calling for much of the same. Sunny, warm, perfect. I'll be sure to get out again first thing tomorrow to carve up some of the great trails, and then stop in at The Sitting Bull for lunch. We'll be serving up some of The World's Best Cheddar tomorrow - menu TBD, but it will include Cabot Cheese in some way or another. If you miss lunch, be sure to grab a free sample on your way out of the clocktower base area tomorrow afternoon. The Cabot Shredders will be on the hill before sampling the World's Best Cheddar at the bottom.

Vote for the Best Okemo Helmet Head!

It is the beginning of National Safety Awareness Week and Okemo is all about "Safety First." We had the folks from P.H.A.T. (Protect your Head at All Times) on hand today, promoting helmet safety. Karen Williams from P.H.A.T. worked with our SnowSports Shop in raffling off 6 helmets, which went to deserving skiers and riders. Besides promoting helmet usage the P.H.A.T. Table was the final destination for those who found Safety Helmets in our Safety Scavenger Hunt. Cardboard helmets with Skier Safety Codes on them were hidden along Green trails today. Hunters who found the helmets returned them to the P.H.A.T. table for a sweet prize bag!

Need a Helmet? Okemo’s Snowsports Shops have a large selection of helmets from vendors like Giro, Smith and Bern, plus a staff well trained to get you into the right one. If you purchase a helmet between Jan 16^th-23^rd you will be helping the Vermont Children’s Hospital. Starting Jan. 16 and running through National Safety Awareness Week, anyone who purchases a new ski or snowboard helmet at Okemo's Snowsports Shops will receive a coupon for 50 percent off a future full-day lift ticket, or 50 percent off a full-day equipment rental or high-performance demo, or 50 percent off a group lesson or adult clinic. New this year, $10 from every helmet purchase will benefit the Vermont Children’s Hospital P.H.A.T. program: $5 from Okemo and $5 from the helmet manufacturer.

So you are probably saying "Ok - let's get to the part about Voting for the Best Okemo Helmet Head!" The Events Team was out in the base areas looking for that perfectly messed up Helmet Hair. We found plenty of candidates, which means that helmet usage was abundant. In fact, over 260 helmets were rented resort-wide on Saturday, January 16th! This year the Okemo Marketing Department had a tough time narrowing down the field, so instead of the Top 10 we settled for the Top 11. Please take a second to Vote for your favorite "Helmet Head." Voting will end at midnight on Saturday the 23rd of February. The Head with the most votes will win 2 complimentary lift tickets!
Ride on and Ride Safely - GravityHound

it's national safety awareness week

"Safety First" is a motto you'll hear often from the staff of Okemo Mountain Resort. It's a mantra that is drilled into us from the start. We're reminded to be safe and watch out for one another daily in our GM's morning mountain-status update. Accidents still happen but we're doing our best to minimize those accidents.

Okemo celebrates National Safety Awareness Week through Jan. 22 with some fun events and activities to help educate skiers and riders of all ages and promote on-mountain safety.


The National Ski Areas Association named Okemo Mountain Resort winner of the Best Helmet Safety Program in its 2009 Heads Up National Ski Area Safety Awards. Nine resorts were recognized in different safety program categories and Okemo was the only New England resort to receive honors. Each season, the awards recognize those resorts that have done an outstanding job of educating employees and guests about skiing and snowboarding responsibly.
Starting Jan. 16 and running through National Safety Awareness Week, anyone who purchases a new ski or snowboard helmet at Okemo's Snowsports Shop will receive a coupon for 50 percent off a full-day lift ticket, or 50 percent off a full-day equipment rental or high-performance demo, or 50 percent off a group lesson or adult clinic. New this year, $10 from every helmet purchase will benefit the Vermont Children’s Hospital Phat program: $5 from Okemo and $5 from the helmet manufacturer.

Today, Okemo will host a “Helmet Head” contest. Staff members will be out on the mountain taking pictures of willing candidates showing their best helmet head – that cool, disheveled look of matted hair that happens when a skier or snowboarder removes his helmet after a great day on the slopes. A panel of judges will select the top-ten best helmet heads and post those photos on this blog for voting by blog visitors. The candidate who receives the most votes will win two complimentary lift tickets for a day of skiing or riding at Okemo.