Terrain Parks and Lift Mechanics

Greetings,

 

Through the years, there has always been talk of the January thaw. Of course last year it was all year, but that is in the past. We have been experiencing the January thaw for the past week and the good news is that it looks like it will be ending soon.  Colder temperatures are on the way next week and Snowmaking will kick in quickly. 

Speaking of snowmaking, the past 10 days has seen a massive effort in the terrain parks.  The effort began on Black Out, moved to the Superpipe and finished on The Amp Energy Superpark.  The end result was great. There are numerous features all over the parks. Some are made out of snow and some are rails.  The Okemo Parks and Pipes crew has put countless hours in designing the terrain parks and the groomers have put in many more hours pushing the snow, sculpting the jumps and setting the rails. Lot of hard work by everyone. As you can see from the photos, the finished product looks great.

Next up for snowmaking is to finish Wild Thing & Dream Weaver over in South Face as well as begin a resurfacing program on existing terrain.  We are also looking to finish the Superpipe.  One side of the wall needs more snow and then it can be shaped and the Zaugg Pipe Dragon can do its job.  The plan is to also make enough snow for the ant hill and Igloo in Jackson Gore.

I want to take some time and mention all the work that goes into the “rides” at Okemo.  The lift operations and maintenance crews are the ones who keep things going on the lifts.  The operators do so much to prepare and run the lifts. They are the front line people for all of our guests. The behind the scene guys are the lift mechanics. They are the ones who are up before dawn and work behind the scenes to keep the bullwheels turning. Last week they worked on the Quad B seat pads and got those all repaired and we are heading towards some of the other lifts that need some help. They also ride every lift every day to make sure that things are looking good.

The weather pattern is changing, so be on the lookout for some colder weather and snow on the way. Thanks for skiing with us and we hope you enjoy the slopes.

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM