The Big Question - When are you making snow?

Greetings,

It is that time when we all get a little more aware that the seasons are changing. The angle of the sun is lower, there is more wind and the days are shorter.  So that must mean skiing at Okemo won’t be too far away!  I can tell you that things are in heavy duty prep mode all around the resort.  The forecast for the next 10 days looks to be true fall like.  Temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s, frosty at night and some dips into the high 20’s at times.

                                            Okemo Summit 10/24/2013 - 7:45am

The big question I get this time of the year is when will Okemo begin snowmaking?  The question is never easy to answer with certainty, as there are so many variables.  What I can tell you is that we are watching both the short term and long term weather forecast and how the patterns are potentially going to play out.  Our target date for snowmaking is sometime next week.  There looks like a few cold nights early next week, and then some moderation with colder temperatures retuning the first week of November.  Okemo is planning on firing up the guns heading into November and this may be towards the end of next week.

As we talk about snow guns, the new HKD SV-10’s are in place and about ready to be turned on.  Work is finishing up in the snowmaking pump stations as is getting all the hoses on the guns and testing some repaired water lines.  Other projects finishing up are the new seats on the Green Ridge Triple, Load test on the Northstar is done, Squeels on Wheels barbecue has been moved to the base of the South Face Quad, Lifts and carpets tested and state approved, Rental shop carpet replaced, painting done and new skis and boards unboxed and bindings set, snow plows put on the trucks, groomer tracks put back on, and the snow tubing tubes have been checked for leaks!!  Those are just a smattering of the work that is going on.

Stay in touch with the Okemo Facebook page and web site for the most up to date news on snowmaking operations and the Blog will now be updated more often to keep you informed!!

Thanks for reading and we can’t wait to begin skiing and riding with you all!

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM