Quick JG Photo Update

Lots of questions lately on progress at Jackson Gore.

I threw together a quick photo gallery with the shots I took late last week, enjoy!

The Sound of Music

Vermont is just beautiful right now. The temperatures are stuck in the mid 70's, there is a nice breeze, and everything around is so green! The operations crews here at Okemo have been busy this spring, planting new trees, grass, flowers, and making Okemo look amazing. This has led to the success of the Jackson Gore Music Series. We've had a great crowd every Friday night. Spiritual Rez got the crowd on their feet dancing to the reggae/funk beats from Boston, and last week The Jumpoff performed on a perfect evening in the courtyard. The word is spreading and the few hundred people who show up each week are really enjoying the live music.

Tomorrow we've got The Chris Kleeman Band. Chris is, to put it bluntly, amazing. You can listen to some of his music at okemo.com or on his website. In the winter when Chris isn't playing here for our apres ski parties you'll find him on the slopes running the Inn Keepers races - so Chris knows his way around the mountain. Join me, and the two hundred others who have found the best live music in Vermont each Friday night, and get outside to enjoy some of this fantastic weather. I think I might just have to go eat lunch at Willie Dunn's over at the golf course.... tasty and the best view around!

p.s. - feel free to have your high school sitter bring the kids to the concerts! The kids will have a blast, and the parents can enjoy some great food and a beer from the BBQ. It will help them to have that memorable summer that will be stuck in their minds forever.

If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Sometimes change is good. Sometimes it isn't necessary. In our case, it wasn't necessary. Here's a quick rundown of our Okemo's season pass values, which remain at pre-season rates through October 8th.

The Ultra Pass - 7 days a week unrestricted at 4 mountains including Okemo (of course), Sunapee, Stratton and Crested Butte CO!

The Peak Pass - 7 days a week non-holiday at Okemo and Sunapee. 30% off at Crested Butte.

The Value Pass Plus - as the name implies a great value to ski and ride non-holiday at 3 great mountains, with benefits at Crested Butte. Just $649 through October 8th!

The Midweek Pass - come spread out midweek at Okemo, Sunapee and Crested Butte from just $329!

Now that's value. And guess what... opening day is only about 150 days away.

Cheers!

Fun in the Summertime

The excitement is really starting to build over the Vermont Symphony Orchestra event here on the mountain for July 6th. Just the thought of an outdoor concert perched at the base of the mountain on a hot summer night brings back some great memories of childhood.

Summer seemed to last forever. You never even knew it was just 2 short months. Life was simpler back then. Your idea to sell lemonade that morning pretty much became the neighborhood project for the rest of the day. When the group finally decides on lemonade (versus koolaid), the next step took hours - tracking from house to house collecting all the supplies necessary to pull this thing off. Then came product testing - because boy, after all that trecking around you get pretty thirsty. Setting up the card table was the next big project - followed by signage (perfectionists beware!) and picking a price. Before you knew it, you were ready to sell. Cups stacked nicely, napkins available for the next spill, found a ladel to scoop, a cooler for ice, a strainer to get that yucky pulp out for the finicky customer. You did it. Time for the money to start rollin' in. And just moments later you get the call... it's time for dinner. Did you really ever really sell anything? Probably not, but it didn't matter - it was the process. Good ol' summertime fun.

Fast forward to modern day summer. Oh my god, the kids don't have school. Now what do I do? Get up at 6. Throw in some laundry and pickup the mess you left last night. Drop the kids at daycare - or wait for the high schooler you hired to show up and hope they are as responsible as you think. Work from 8 to 6 (if you still pull off 9-5 good for you!). Pray the kids are safe. Call home a million times to check on them..."turn off the tv!!!" Are they really having a good summer? Get out of work, head to baseball. Run out during the 4th inning (just after he's up) to make it to dance. Back to the field, catch his last ups. Back to dance. Ugh 5 minutes late. 7:30 pm headin' home with kids that might die from hunger, literally. Throw in chicken nuggets, a little tv and voila the day is done. This is what I call fun.

I think my family needs a vacation at Okemo. Think they'll have lemonade at the concert?

Hey, Plan Man ...

All this talk of late, late, late spring skiing leaves me waxing nostalgic for a New Hampshire summer from not so long ago. It was July 2003 and a little ski area in the central part of the state was atwitter with a revolutionary plan that had all ski industry eyes squinted in skepticism.

I'll take "Unbelievable News Reports" for $1,000 please Alex.

THIS SUMMER'S SNOWMAKING GOT OFF TO A SLOW START.
A DOCKWORKER'S STRIKE IN NEW JERSEY DELAYED THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW MACHINE BY A MONTH.
THIS PAST SATURDAY, SOME PEOPLE HOPING TO SKI OR SNOWBOARD WENT AWAY DISAPPOINTED

What is ... The Glacier - a snowmaking machine that would allow ski resorts to remain open year round.

I never actually saw the invention in action, but it was described to me as a giant, gurgling snowcone machine. A huge warehouse positioned at the top of a ski trail stored the substance described by a certain ski area GM as being "like corn snow," before it got spewed out through a clear, plastic tube. The real kicker, though, as I heard it, was it couldn't make snow in temperatures below freezing. A machine that can't make snow when it's cold - how funny is that?

It looks like we're in for some summertime sizzle over the next few days. Come to think of it, a giant snowcone would be pretty tasty right now. Cheers!

Man, no offense to the good people of Okemo Mountain Resort (tm) (r) (sm) (motto: Smile Until Your Face Hurts), but the skiing's pretty lousy right now.

OK, so it's June. But, still... c'mon. Is it too much to ask for a few open trails for some late-late-late Spring skiing? Some bumps? A rail or two? Not for me, of course, but for the kids. Think of the kids, Okemo! Yes, even the ones with purple hair and body piercings large enough to make certain African tribesman say, "Whoa, dude. Overkill." The kids. See, I believe the children are our future. Treat them well and let them lead the way... head-first down twenty-foot rails. Yes, these are the future leaders of America, which is why I plan on retiring to New Zealand... but I digress.

So it's almost mid-June and I haven't skied in three months and I'm getting a bit testy. Sure, summer is lovely up here. The green, verdant mountains. The meandering valley streams. The lazy drone of the blackfly. The refreshing whoosh of the out-of-state Ford Expedition passing seven cars in a row on a double-yellow line road. Ah, Vermont.

OK -- the Marketing Director just walked in and told me to stop goofing around and be more straightforward in my blog -- to get to the point, already. Here goes:

There's Ever So Much to See and Do at Okemo in the Summer!

No, seriously. It's just about the only thing that keeps me from flipping out and doing something completely indefensible and borderline irrational -- or as I like to call it, "pulling a Bode" -- due to the glaring lack of snow on the hill. (Hah -- so much for how "great" this legendary Okemo "snow team" is supposed to be. Look, pal, anyone can make snow in January. But snow in June... now there's a mark of exceptional performance! Heck, no one's done that since Killington / ASC pulled a Bode, right? Of course, I may not be completely familiar with the science of snowmaking here, but goshdarnit, as a taxpaying American with a new blog, too much free time and a misdirected, ill-informed opinion, I have the right to spout off and say whatever I like, right? Free Paris Hilton! OK, now that I have that out of my system...)

First, there's the Spring House. That's where you go to find out exactly how out-of-shape you really are. Lots of exercise options at the Spring House. Exercise your lower body on an elliptical machine. Exercise your upper body on a weight machine. Exercise your right to do nothing by relaxing in a giant steaming hot tub for four hours. (Sounds good to me. I was planning to adopt, anyway.)

Then, there's the Ice House. Of course, it's summer now, and there's no "ice" there, but since it would be silly to just call it "The House"... work with me here, folks. You got your tennis courts and you got your basketball courts. Personally, I'm into the tennis courts myself, but I think I can get my overly-aggressive-white-yuppie mojo going for some full contact b-ball. (Yes, "b-ball". That's what us guys from tha Jersey hood call the game.) Either way, I'm good.

And every Friday, the Jackson Gore Outdoor Music Series, or as us summer residents like to call it, the JGOMS (pronounced "jay-gahms"-- just throw that into conversation to demonstrate how "in the know" you are. You can thank me later), brings live music to the courtyard outside of the Jackson Gore Inn. For example, the Boston-area band "The Jumpoff" is playing today, which will roughly quadruple the naturally-occurring Funk Quotient of the Okemo Valley, so that should be a good time for all. There's also BBQ and beer and wine available, which will also provide a good time for all, provided that you're into the whole "good time" thing.

As for me... I'm off to the hot tub. Hey, there are a lot of kids out there who need good homes, right?

Photos from Jackson Gore

Took a walk around the Jackson Gore Base Area this afternoon and just wanted to share some photos. Everything looks so different each time I am there.

The hot tubs just outside slopeside Adams House.

And, for my next trick....voila, The Bixby House!

And, we now have tennis courts!