As many of you are still digging out from the Snowtober storm, up here at Okemo we are looking at the long range forecast and wondering when we can begin making snow.  Let’s hope that the electricity gets back on in Southern New England.  It is amazing the photos of the destruction of trees and power poles.  I would think that in 2011 we would have systems in place to get the electricity back on quicker.  Here’s to some good luck for all our Okemo fans without power.

This time of the year is an interesting one in Vermont. We call it stick season here at Okemo. Kind of that time between when the leaves are gone and we are anticipating snow.  It is so true about the change of the season. You can feel it in the air as the days get shorter and the air feels different.  A lot of time is spent preparing the slopes for some snow. The Snow guns are put out, some of the guys are working on rails for the terrain park, and the groomers are being prepared to do their work.  Here’s something you probably didn’t know, we always use the groomers with the most hours first as they will be coming off lease at the end of this season. We also try to get them to the slopes before we begin making snow so we can move on softer terrain before the ground freezes as the frozen ground is a lot harder on the machines.

Each morning, I and the Barry, The VP of Mountain Operations talk on the phone about what we see for weather.  We use Northwinds Weather as our weather service. Tony is our guy and while we chide him for some of his forecasts, he does a very good job and is pretty accurate.  Barry and I discuss what the long range looks like and what might happen.  Our philosophy is to be smart with snowmaking.  The temperature needs to be below 26 degrees wet bulb, you remember science class that is the temperature and humidity combined, and it is important to have that temperature stay that way for an extended period of time.  I frequent the “Café at Delight” for early coffee and I get asked a lot “how come you didn’t make snow last night, I had 23 degrees when I work up”.  That is probably true, but that temperature may have only been for an hour or so.  Remember this; it is “always coldest before the dawn”.  That is also when it is the darkest.  So don’t always believe that it was the same temperature when you got up as it was earlier in the night.

The weather always gets cold and this year will be no different. Once the snowmaking season begins, things happen quickly.  Lots of water is moved in a short period of time and lifts and trails open sometimes daily.  The snowmakers are a dedicated group of guys.  The early season they spend a lot of time walking the trails. Many times vehicles cannot be used.  Okemo has a shuttle system we use were an employee, usually a groomer who we are looking to keep busy, works the night shift and drives a truck up Mountain Road with snowmakers and then makes his way to the bottom of whatever trail they are working on to pick them up.  It is always heartening to be able to see the pickup lights at the base of the trail as the snowmakers know they are near the bottom and done their run.  Early season is tough on everyone, but as trails open up, snowmobiles can begin to be run and it becomes easier.

Well that gives you a little insight into what is going through our minds as we prepare for the season.  The first cold snap is always an exciting time for everyone no matter how long you have worked in the ski business.

So thanks again for being an Okemo supporter.  We all appreciate our skiing and riding guests and hope to have some early season slopes and trails opened by November 19^th.

Think snow and some cold weather…….

Bruce Schmidt

VP & GM

In response to Take 60 introduction

Greetings,

It is good to see such lively discussion in response to my recent introduction of “Take 60” on this blog.

I’d like to address a few questions and hopefully clear up some confusion.

As with any resort, we are constantly evaluating our business practices and trying to find ways to improve our guests’ experience while improving our business enterprise. “Take 60” is not an alternative to “Try Before You Buy.” It is replacing “Try Before You Buy.” There will be no free hour of skiing and riding during the first hour of operations, as there has been in the past. Although Okemo’s “Try Before You Buy” has been popular with many skiers and riders who enjoy skiing for free, our intent was to invite trial use as an incentive to provide purchase confidence.

This transference is not something that happened overnight. We realized it a few years ago and made a decision, in 2003, to cancel “Try Before You Buy” outright. We learned from that experience, and we are looking at this transition away from “Try Before You Buy” differently; Thus the introduction of “Take 60” as a more complete solution for our skiing and riding guests.

We are confident in the snow quality and surface conditions that Okemo offers skiers and riders. We work hard to provide you with the best possible on-snow experience every day of the winter season, and we empathize with you when Mother Nature interferes with our best efforts. “Take 60” is a more flexible program that appeals to a broader group of our guests – not just those who can coordinate their arrival with the start of lift service each day. It also allows us to better maintain the program’s intent: giving our guests the ability to return another time if they are not fulfilled with their experience on a given day. While we are taking something away, we are providing a more equitable solution for those who accept there is a cost associated with skiing and riding at Okemo.

Our intent was never to inconvenience any of our guests, but we do realize that although change is never easy, it is often necessary. Several people have expressed a concern about lines. We do have lines at our ticket windows and at Resort Services on some busy days. We do our best to maintain appropriate staffing levels to minimize the wait time and we do offer a number of direct-to-lift season pass products for those who find waiting in line to purchase a lift ticket objectionable. In fact, we offer a variety of options to make the overall experience more convenient and economical for frequent skiers.

Thanks for speaking up. We value your input and we do our best to serve you while sustaining a business to be enjoyed by generations to come.


Think Snow

Bruce Schmidt
Vice-President and General Manager
Okemo Mountain Resort

Greetings,

We all have heard the old adage, "time changes everything." Well, that is also true at Okemo this coming season. Okemo has decided to change our “First Hour Free” program to “Take 60.”  We have been hearing from our guests that they are unable to use the First Hour Free due to many different reasons.  Getting to the slopes early just doesn’t work for everyone.  We wanted to continue providing great guest service to our skier and riders, so we have changed the program to fit the needs of all.

We are so confident in our ability to offer consistent surface conditions, that we are providing skiers and riders with a flexible alternative to our Try-Before-You-Buy, First Hour Free program, with Take 60.  Rather than limiting you to sampling our conditions during the first hour of lift operations, we intend to accommodate your schedule by inviting you to take the entire first hour after you purchase your lift ticket – no matter what time you start your ski day – to decide if you are completely satisfied with your on-mountain experience.  There is a time stamp on every lift ticket, so the clock starts ticking when you purchase your ticket. If you choose not to continue your day with us, just stop by the Resort Services Desk for a return-visit coupon.  It is as simple as that.  Now, as always, there is some fine print:

·       Guests must return within one hour of time stamped on their ticket to be eligible for a return visit

·       Coupons will be issued for a comparable product.

·       Coupons will be for the designated guest’s use only and will require ID for redemption.

·       Coupons will be non-transferrable and carry no cash value.

·       No rollovers please! Coupons will not be issued against tickets originally generated by this program. 

As always, guests can stop by our Resort Services Desk with any questions.  We remain committed to making this easy for you, as a guest, to ski and ride and enjoy Okemo.

As you know, Okemo typically receives nearly 200 inches of natural snow annually. We have spent over 30 years building our reputation for snow and surface conditions through our grooming and snowmaking.

So the bottom line is that the new program is better for those who purchase a ticket, and for some reason, just don’t like the skiing. We want you to be able to enjoy the intended flexibility by taking 60 minutes, on your schedule, and not be rushed to check out the conditions during our first hour to make your determination of value.

Please continue to check out the blog site for future postings.  Next week we will be talking about what we did on our summer vacation.

Think Snow!

Bruce Schmidt

Vice-President and General Manager

Changing Leaves and Changing Trails

This winter season Okemo Mountain Resort is introducing some changes on the hill.  The biggest change is the addition of a park on Black Out.  This new park will take the place of the Race Arena and be accessible via The Pull.  So get ready to show off on the rails underneath the Black Ridge Triple for the 2011-2012 season.

The Race arena will be moving to Bull Run, and will still be home to NASTAR.  Head out to the course and give it your best, then head to the Sitting Bull in the main base lodge and watch as others compete. 

And thanks to the addition of the new park on Black Out we are happy to announce that Timberline is being restored to the trail once touted as “one of the best the East has to offer” by the Boston Herald.  The Progression Park that has been on Timberline is being discontinued, so cruisers rejoice, the trail is sure to be a favorite for those in search of corduroy as far as the eye can see.

As the leaves continue to change colors and the temperatures continue to drop, preparations for the upcoming winter season are in full swing at Okemo.  Check out our website for last minute deals on Season Passes, and our new Super 7 Savings Card, early season pricing on Season Passes ends on Oct. 10th.  

Don't forget that this weekend is the 5th Annual Parrothead Party at Jackson Gore.  Come on up and join in the fun with food and drinks starting at noon on Saturday and live music from Changes in Latitudes, also free hay rides through the afternoon! Sunday brings more festivities at Jackson Gore, so join us for the long weekend and take in the foliage and the festivities!

Okemo is "Vermont Strong"; Winter is On Schedule!

Dear friends,

It's been a difficult couple of weeks since Hurricane Irene passed through Vermont, leaving many friends and neighbors with personal challenges of their own. Communities have rallied in support of those in need and the newly created motto, "I am Vermont Strong," has taken on the status of a battle cry.

Okemo Mountain Resort did not escape Irene’s fury unscathed, but most of the damage has already been repaired. Okemo's Mountain Operations and Facilities Operations staff worked their usual magic and got the job done. Okemo’s Clock Tower Base Area suffered most of the damage. Flooding washed out Mountain Road below the snowmaking pump house. Water and mud washed through the base area, depositing several feet of silt and sand in the Snow Stars learning area, also known as Galaxy Bowl. There was some wash-out along the sides of Okemo Ridge Road, near the Morning Star lift and the road to Okemo Valley Golf Club was washed out temporarily.

On the positive side...

The Jackson Gore Inn never even lost power during the storm and the Jackson Gore Base Area suffered no damage at all.

Okemo Valley Golf Club was accessible and open for play on 18 holes starting at noon on Tuesday – just two days after the storm. Tater Hill also reopened with 18 holes of play that same day.

Mountain Road was repaired and autumn leaf peepers will be able to wind their way to the summit of Okemo Mountain for colorful vistas this foliage season.

Recovery is underway and we are aggressively tackling clean up and repair around the Resort and throughout the community. Ludlow has gone from being one of the hardest-hit Vermont villages to one of the quickest to recover. We spent the first few days in the aftermath of Irene cut off from the world due to washouts and road closures. Most roads have been repaired and access to Okemo Valley and Okemo Mountain Resort has been restored.

We’ve received an outpouring of support from Okemo guests and homeowners, and we’re grateful for their concern and contributions to our neighbors in need.

We are using social media, Facebook and Twitter, to chronicle the recovery status of Okemo and the surrounding communities. We’ll be out and about, speaking with locals and snapping photos of the progress, so fans and followers can see that Okemo Valley is ready to welcome visitors.

We’re looking forward to a spectacular fall foliage season and the start of another brilliant ski season soon afterward.

Bruce Schmidt,
GM

More Ways to Help Ludlow, a message from Diane Mueller

Although a lot of hard work is bringing Ludlow back from a devastating storm, there are many people whose lives have been impacted in a way that is hard to totally comprehend. Okemo employees and residents are literally shoveling out and throwing out their worldly possessions. People have lost everything from their homes to clothes to furniture.

Not all the destruction is visible, but filling garbage bags in a basement filled with mud and rotting food made it clear to me that people have immediate needs and longer term needs as they put their lives back together.

Vermonters are resilient and industrious, as was evidenced at Okemo where we have repaired much of the damage and are open for business. Now we are focusing all our efforts on helping people rebuild their homes and their lives. If you are looking for a way to help, please join us in buying gift cards at local and other businesses and sending them to this address. Alternatively, for those wishing to help that are not not in the area, please consider sending a donation.

Okemo Mountain Resort
Attn: Flood Relief Aid
77 Okemo Ridge Road
Ludlow, VT 05149

These will be distributed to Okemo employees and local residents who are victims of Irene. We suggest buying gift cards in increments of $50 or less. Thank you for helping us get back on their feet before the snow flies.


Local businesses selling gift cards:

Aubuchon’s Hardware
LaValley’s Building Supply
Singleton’s Market

Other businesses close by might also have gift cards where people can buy clothing, food and building supplies.

Diane Mueller
Executive Vice President
Okemo Mountain Resort

Ticket Plaza Makeover Begins!

Greetings,

If you have been around the Clock Tower base area, you have seen the work being done on the plaza area. Some real effort has been going into rehabbing some of the old concrete and walk areas, and extending the greenspace.

Much of the plaza area concrete was laid down back in 1984-85, as the base area work was completed and the start of the resurrection of Okemo Mountain Resort was in full swing. As you can imagine, there have been a lot of ski & snowboard boots that have walked on this concrete as well as thousands of yards of snow have been pushed over it. The time had come to do some replacement. Several of the most worn sections will be replaced by upwards of 40 yards of concrete. There will also be drainage and gravel placed underneath to hopefully help keep the frost heaves to a minimum.

We are also removing the stairs between the Marketing doors and the entrance to Snow Stars, and renovating a set of stairs near the back door of the lodging offices. This is the area that we will be removing the existing concrete and extending the green space with additional planters and grass. Once this is done, we will then move to the concrete in front of the upper ticket booth, the Demo tent and the corner of the base lodge.

The next phase will be focused on the iconic Okemo Clocktower. New siding will be installed, and painting done on several areas. To complete the makeover, the entire 2-minute circle area will be repaved.

Much of this work is being done by the capable Okemo Mountain Operations staff as well as our Facilities Operations employees. I'll be sure to keep you up to speed on what we are doing on our summer vacation here at Okemo Mountain Resort.

We've also created a photo album which you can view at okemo.com! Enjoy.

Bruce Schmidt
General Manager