Leader of the Pack

Barry Tucker’s Okemo roots are planted way back in the first year the mountain was open, when he skied in the junior racing program, eventually becoming a coach for about seven years. When Tim and Diane Mueller purchased the mountain in 1982 Barry was in the construction business, a summer-only occupation. So, when he saw they were looking for a year-round mountain manager, he decided to apply.

Fast forward 28 years and meet Barry Tucker, VP of Mountain Operations at Okemo. Barry leads the snowmaking, grooming, and lift operations teams that have earned the mountain many awards and accolades over the years. Among his many responsibilities, Barry focuses on the making, moving and grooming of snow. He is passionate about his work, but quick to point out that it is the strength of his team and their cohesive direction that puts Okemo on top of the charts for snow quality.

With advancing technology and modern equipment, you would think the snowmaking equation is simple (more on that later). Enter Mother Nature in New England.

"The key with snowmaking, from a capital and efficiency point of view, hinges on the ability to respond quickly to brief periods of cold weather," Tucker says. "You need large storage and pumping ability and an efficient distribution system. We clearly understand the hardships Mother Nature throws at us. We do not look at the negative perspective. We look at the hardships as an opportunity to show what we can do in relation to the whole industry."

And that is exactly what sets Okemo apart in the industry. In fact, finding ways to make snow more efficiently and at temperatures closer to freezing is one of his top priorities. His tools? A skilled and loyal staff that go way above and beyond just doing a job, but take personal pride in what they can accomplish.

Meet the team leaders, who combined have over 200 years of history with Okemo – now that is amazing!

Eb Kinney, Mountain Manager - with Okemo for 20 years
Brian Boudro, Night Operations Manager – with Okemo for 17 years
George Griggs, Office Manager, Shuttle Services Manager – with Okemo 27 years
Greg Carter – Lift Maintenance, with Okemo 27 years
Ray Kennedy, Snowmaking Manager, with Okemo 16 years
Norm Koch, Manager of Skier Services, with Okemo 20 years
Dennis Brady, Manager of Parks & Pipes, with Okemo 17 years
Dave Thompson, with Okemo 9 years
Bill Johnson, Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance, 17 years
Dan Boyer, Electrical Manager, with Okemo 26 years
Jim Seiberling, First Aid, with Okemo 10 years

Okemo's Blog Takes on New Purpose

Have you ever wondered what happens on the mountain after the lifts stop turning, how we decide when to make snow, or how our grooming philosophy consistently wins us top rankings in the industry?

Make our new grooming and snowmaking blog part of your morning routine. Hear directly from our head of snowmaking and grooming and his staff as they come off the night shift – learn what the team encountered overnight and what to expect on the hill the coming day. We may even toss in some local lore and a good joke here and there – you just never know.

We’ll post as appropriate as snowmaking gets underway in early November – and then count on us at least twice a week from opening day until the last lift spins on closing day. Up next? Meet our Snowmaking and Grooming Teams. Look for introductions in early October!

Questions or comments? Go for it – we’d love to hear what you have to say.

Ikea on steroids

The first of six (or more) containers of mountain coaster parts has arrived from Germany. It looks to me like an Ikea purchase on steroids. The container includes parts and pieces, and boxes of widgets and thingamajigs ... all labeled in German. I hope the assembly instuctions have pictures as good as Ikea's. ;-)

Stay tuned for construction updates.

Learn more about Okemo's new Mountain Coaster.

the new carpet lift is here ... the new carpet lift is here!

There's a chill in the air and signs of the changing seasons are all around us. One of those signs was delivered today on the back of a flat-bed truck. The shiny, silver metal sections of Okemo's newest lift arrived this morning.

In the heyday of surface lifts, Okemo was renowned for its network of Pomalifts. Okemo even boasted the longest Pomalift in North America. The Upper Lift, later renamed the Red Poma, measured 6,207 feet in length. Pomalifts consist of a round rubber disc at the end of a long pole connected to an overhead cable. This winter, Okemo’s final vestige of that era will be dismantled and mothballed to make room for a newer, more user-friendly surface lift for young children learning how to ski. The Snow Star Poma, located in the Galaxy Bowl Learning Area at Okemo’s Clock Tower Base Area, is being replaced with a180-foot, magic-carpet-style surface lift.

“The new carpet lift will help shorten the learning curve for beginning Snow Stars participants,” said Okemo Ski + Ride School Director Dan Bergeron. “When ready, children will transition from the smaller Skywalker Carpet lift without having to learn how to ride a new style of lift. As a result, children will be able to move up to the larger Galaxy Bowl slope sooner than before. The new carpet lift will also have greater capacity, meaning more ski time for Okemo’s youngest new skiers!”

US Air Force Band of Liberty

One never knows what kind of music will be at our Friday Night Concert Series at Jackson Gore. You know its going to be great music, but what kind? This summer we ran a full slate of fine musical entertainment. We kicked off the summer with the smooth sounds of Dr. Burma and then threw ya right in to the Jam band world with Twiddle.
We covered all different types of music from funk to reggae to blues to rock. The power of music can be measured in many ways. Music can take you on a journey. It can heal,relax, party, worship and energize. We hope this weeks Band will excite! The US Air Force Band of Liberty's sounds will inspire Air Force members and the great nation they serve, producing innovative musical programs and products, and communicating Air Force excellence throughout New England and around the globe.
The weather is looking good, so pack up your chairs and head on over to Jackson Gore this Friday for some inspirational tunes! Show time is @ 6:30pm with the festivities ending around 8pm. This is a FREE concert open to everyone - rain or shine!

these are a few of my favorite wings

What goes better with beer at a brew fest than wings? This year, Okemo is making a good thing better by introducing a Chicken Wing Championship to it's lineup of fabulous festivities on Aug. 7. The Hops in the Hills Brew Fest will feature a dozen local and regional breweries offering samples of their finest. And this year, for the first time ever, several local restaurants will be vying for the highly coveted title of Okemo Valley Chicken Wing Champion.

The fun begins at 1 p.m. and runs until 6 p.m. Bluesman Chris Kleeman will get the music rolling and warm up the crowd for bluegrass sensation Possum Haw. $20 includes a pint glass and 4 beer tickets. Additional beer tickets can be purchased at 4 tickets for $5. Wing tickets are 6 for $5 or a voting package includes 12 tickets and a vote for $10.

This is a rain-or-shine event. The location is the Paleo Indian site at Jackson Gore. In case of rain, the event will move under cover at the Jackson Gore Ice House.

He's not a lawyer, but he plays one on TV

You may know him as the skeezy lawyer on Scrubs, but at Friday night's Jackson Gore Outdoor Music Series performance, Sam Lloyd showed a crowd of Beatles fans what he can do with a bass guitar. Sam and his friends from Syracuse University, aka The Butties, rocked the house with one Beatles tune after another. Most were well known, but the band showed that they really know their Fab Four history with a few obscure tunes as well.

The performance was peppered with appearances from friends doing vocals, playing drums, french horn, and a special appearance by Sam's dad, Sam Lloyd, Sr., as "The Admiral" for a heartwarming rendition of Yellow Submarine.

And if you think Sam, Sr., looks a little like Jim from Taxi or Doc Brown, from Back to the Future, just chalk it up to a family resemblance. Sam is the brother of Christopher Lloyd.

Join us this Friday night in the Jackson Gore courtyard for The Pete Kilpatrick Band. The concert is free and the music starts around 6 p.m.