Thursday, December 15, 2016

A White Christmas at Okemo!



Okemo skier and riders,

It is a great winter morning here at Okemo and we are making snow hard and fast. Wednesday night we ran around 150 guns and were maximizing our use of water. Most of those guns are HKD guns so when it gets colder they can use more water and make more snow.  This past week added some natural trails along with adding Defiance and Sel’s Choice.

As we head into the weekend, we will be looking to add the South Face area, with Stump Jumper and Blind Faith most likely being open for skiing and riding as well as Rimrock, Moon Dog, Sun Dog, Moment’s Rest and Sprint.  The snow report mentioned making snow on Dream Weaver, but I want to clarify that that is only the bottom section from Stump Jumper down. We haven’t made snow on the upper section and most likely won’t for the time being.  Also on the list for this weekend is adding Sachem, Wardance, Bull Run, Liftline and the Galaxy Bowl.

During this cold snap, we will be looking to make snow on Upper and Lower Chief as well as Coleman Brook and Sidewinder.  The plan is to work our way towards Moonshadow and Morningstar with the hope of having them open by Christmas.  We will also be working towards Tuckered Out in the Jackson Gore area.

Some of our lower mountain objectives will be expanding terrain in the base area to include Robbins’ Nest, Ledgewood and Kettlebrook.  The natural snow we have received will help the trails in the long run, and we have been rolling the trails with a roller and snow cat to pack down the snow.  Looking further out, I anticipate the snowmaking operations to head back towards the South Face area and the SouthFace Village trail as well as working on some of the lift line trails we haven’t gotten to yet.

This weekend Snow Park Technologies (SPT) will be on-site building the Crazy Train Terrain Park as well as some features in “The Zone” area.  The groomers have also added moguls to the Plunge.  We will have that closed on Saturday for a “B” mogul meet.  It is always great to showcase the excellent talent of the Okemo Freestyle competitors.  I will be honest and say that I don’t anticipate any work being done on the Superpipe until early 2017.

With this new terrain added we are also expanding other operations including the opening of Epic Restaurant at the base of Solitude on Saturday, December 17th, Coleman Brook Tavern opening for lunch and dinner 7 days a week and Siena opening for dinner on Friday, December 16th.  Also, opening will be the Sugar House cafeteria.  An exciting time here at Okemo as we add more for our guests to enjoy, on and off the hill.

This week, we have been diligently making ice at the Ice House with our new refrigeration system, and we will be skating this weekend! Be sure to check it out and watch our new Zamboni work on the surface.  It is just like the TD Garden!

Many thanks to you for your support of Okemo and I want to wish you Happy Holidays.  As always, if you have a question, please send it along.  The entire Okemo team will do our best to give you the best skiing and riding possible!

Enjoy it out there on the hill!

Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM

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