Holiday Update from the Hill

This time of the year around a ski resort is busy. New staff to be trained, weather to contend with and at the same time, we all have our own busy lives preparing for Christmas. It is an exciting time.

As we head into the holiday week after Christmas, we anticipate skiing and riding on 80 trails and operating 18 lifts. The snowmakers are receiving a well-deserved day off around Christmas, it has been 14 days straight for them working! We will be firing the snowguns back up beginning on Monday.


From all reports, the skiing has been good. I have been out a couple times this week and found some good surface, a couple trails a little firm in the middle, but all in all from the edge of one side to the edge of the other, the skiing was mid-winter conditions. The snowmaking effort has been non-stop and our plan during the holiday week is to begin resurfacing some of the terrain. The idea is to make snow for a window of time and then let it be skied. Also in our plan will be to begin making snow on Dream Weaver & Easy Rider (since Upper Mountain Road from Easy Rider on down is skiable).

Some other tidbits...
--Moguls will be seeded on Sel’s choice and Big Bang over the weekend
--The Pipe will continue to get snow, with opening targeted for early January
--The Nor’easter Park will open Saturday with plenty of jumps, rails & features
--Snowmaking will also begin on Black Out & Ledges within the near future.

The Timber Ripper Alpine Mountain Coaster has opened and everyone is very excited. A big round of applause for all the hard work and extra effort that all the Okemo Staff put into this as well as the staff of Wiegand Coasters and Alpine Recreation Ventures. We could not have done this project with out their support or the support of our guests.

All of us here at Okemo want to wish all our faithful skiers and riders a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.

Bruce Schmidt
VP and GM
Okemo Mountain Resort

Got a nice present...

I've taken a lot of heat the past few weeks on getting the real estate trails open, so when I got this message yesterday it made my day. Thought I would share it:

Dave from Kettle Brook here.

First much thanks for getting KB trail open!

Second, your mountain ops team deserves high praise for the outstanding conditions. I was lucky enough to be the first skier over at South Face this AM, and the conditions were absolutely spectacular. Not what I expected for the first day of skiing on those trails.

Right now you have some of the best conditions I've seen for this time of year in a number of years which is saying a lot considering the lack of significant natural snow to date... Granted we've had a good spell of cold weather but so has your regional competition and right now you are providing a far superior product. It's not
always about the number of open trails, but the quality of what's on those trails.. and right now your guys have nailed it.

Merry Christmas to you
and your team!

Dave & Cathy
Kettle Brook

For tonight, snowmaking will continue on Big Bang, Eclipse, Tuckered Out and Southern Crossing. (Our snowmakers should have an awesome view of the eclipse!)
We anticipate opening the Morning Star lift and trails by Friday. For the holiday week look for Dreamweaver and snow tubing to come online. And last but not least... look for the Timber Ripper to open before Christmas. As soon as I have the day, I will pass it along.


Take care,
Bruce