We just came off a great weekend of sun and temps in the 30’s! But in the blink of an eye, the weather changed and it has been snowing all day. Go figure. The sun was great over the weekend and although the temperature was slightly below the average for this time of the year, with the sun at its spring angle it felt warmer than it would be for similar temps earlier in the winter.
So what does it look like for this coming week? Below is a quick snapshot. Now always remember, a forecast is only a forecast...
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36.
Wednesday:. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37.
Thursday: Cloudy, with a high near 38.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41
Some sun, some clouds and temperatures beginning to get more spring like.
Snowmaking has finished for the season. Okemo used about the same amount of water as most years and operated about the same number of hours. Energy costs were higher, but due to efficiencies in gun placement and gun usage, we were able to handle the increases better.
Grooming continues every night. There have been some curveballs thrown with the temperature getting real cold (12 degrees on the summit last Sunday morning). This has caused some heart burn on what the skiing was going to be like in the early morning. Some days the trails have been regroomed, other times we have tried to wait out the sun in hopes the trails would soften up. It can be a real quandary, if we groom, we run the risk if chunks. If we don’t, it can be too firm and result in a "hard to edge" surface. We are hopeful that we are right more than wrong.
Now is also the time when we look at all the lifts which are operating and try to consolidate when and where possible. We are cognizant of better skiing on the summit area, so will be taking that into account with the Green Ridge Triple and Glades Peak lifts operating at times. Mogul trails will remain open as long as possible and with the racing season slowing down, Wardance will be open more often. (Cheer!)
Believe it or not, we still have about 25 or so days left of the season. The good news is that the forecast looks favorable, our base depths are healthy, and there are not any bare spots! So come on up and take a few runs - it's worth it!
Bruce
