What a difference a year makes......

Greetings,

What a difference a year makes!   Last year Okemo wasn’t even open until Thanksgiving day!  Things are looking so much better for the season of 2012-13.  Good snowmaking temperatures have allowed the Okemo snowmakers to lay down snow so we are skiing top to bottom.  We are taking the scenic route to the skiing with the F-10 carpet, Sachem Quad and Northstar or Glades being used to get to the summit.  If you decide to ski on Sachem and Timberline, you will need to take the Green Ridge Triple to get back up to the summit.

I get asked quite often what the best temperature for snowmaking is.  The answer begins with below 20 degrees.  Above 20 degrees there are more factors with humidity.  We are constantly monitoring the “wet bulb” temperature which factors the ambient temperature and the humidity.  The lower humidity, the higher ambient temperature can be to make snow.

The long range forecast is for seasonal temperatures and sunny skies. So much for November being the cloudiest month of the year. This November has been sunny since we got out of the first week.  Good news although some colder temperatures would be welcome. 

 



(Many thanks to Ski Instructor Courtney McGuire for sharing this photo with us as she was traveling from Boston to Rutland on Cape Air.)

The plan for snowmaking continues to be heading towards Solitude with our snowguns. Sunburst is being worked on as I write this.  The base area objective will be to get skiing off of one of the base quads and to complete snowmaking on Lower Arrow down mountain road to the Northstar.  The word from the slopes is that the skiing has been very good for early season opening. The snowmakers have done their job, but now it is the groomers who are responsible for keeping the conditions up to snuff!  Snowmaking in the Jackson Gore area will begin as soon as possible after midnight on 12/1.  Due to permit conditions, we are unable to make snow over there on the state land prior to 12/1.

Reminder that Okemo will be supporting Hurricane Sandy relief beginning on Friday 11/23 and running thru Sunday 11/25. The first 1000 guests who give a $50 or more donation to the relief fund will receive a voucher for a midweek ticket good any day during the season. This comes on the heels of Okemos $10,000 donation to the Tri-state area Red Cross to benefit those in need after the storm.  Help us raise more than $50,000 in support for our neighbors who were affected.  This is Okemos way of thanking those loyal guests as well as everyone who supported and helped Okemo, Ludlow and Vermont after Hurricane Irene last year.

For all of you who have Thanks for your support and enjoy the snow.

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM