Closing Day Announced

As the warm weather is making the days enjoyable, it is also melting away the snow that our Snowmakers worked so hard to make all season. The groomers and Mountain operations staff have done a remarkable job keeping the skiing and riding going.

The time has come to put the 2011-12 ski season into the history books. Okemo Mountain Resort will be closing for the season at the end of the ski day on Sunday March 25th. It will be day 123 for this season. While we gave a gallant fight, the warming sun has been too much for even our large snowmaking effort and too many open spots have been developing. The Okemo Slush Cup has also been cancelled for this year.

I want to thank everyone for choosing to ski & ride at Okemo this past season, and appreciate all the guests that have read my blog and submitted their feedback. I consider each and every comment I receive - and frankly rely on them to help shape the future of Okemo. If you ever have thoughts or questions, I would invite you to share them.

Okemo Valley Golf Course and Tater Hill will both be opening soon, so get your clubs ready! And, we are excited to share that coming this summer to the Adventure Zone will a new Zipline Canopy Tour adventure. We are expecting a July 2012 opening, so stay tuned. The Canopy Tour will join the Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster, Lumberin Cal’s Mini Golf, The Maples Disc Golf and The Stump Jumper Bungee Trampoline for loads of family fun.

Thanks again, and enjoy the summer.

Bruce

Spring has Sprung

Okemo is weathering the hot weather the best we can. The Mountain Operations staff is busy keeping snow where needed and checking trails constantly.  If it wasn’t for the aggressive snowmaking that Okemo did this past winter, we would be in even worse shape.

There are questions going around as to what the plan is for Okemo?  Our goal is to continue skiing and riding as long as we can. We are constantly monitoring what the slopes look like and marking where needed.  My plan is to review again on Thursday and make a decision as to what next week looks like.  I can tell you that we are planning and working hard to continue skiing & riding through this coming weekend. 

Hopefully that helps.  Keep in mind that Okemo will be holding our FESTEVOL concert weekend with the Barenaked Ladies performing this coming Saturday 3/24 and Big Head Todd and the Monsters with Guster on Sunday 3/25. Tickets are available on Okemo.com

Thanks for your support and keep checking back at Okemo.com for the latest updates.

Bruce Schmidt
Vice-President & General Manager
Okemo Mountain Resort

Snowmaking this season v. 5-year averages

Greetings,

I don’t have to tell you that spring skiing is upon us and the end is near. The Mountain Operations staff is working hard to keep the slopes and trails open. Grooming is continuing and the Winch cat has been getting used almost every night. This warmer weather has been affecting our ability to push the snow up from the bottom of the steep sections. Using the winch cat has helped no doubt and we will continue to do what we can. The winch cat is being used on trails were we wouldn’t normally use it like Wardance and Sapphire.

I was looking at some snowmaking numbers in comparison to last year. Here are some highlights:

--The snowmaking guns ran about 5.5% less this year than the average.

--Total gallons of water pumped was about 10.5% less this year than average

--The total gallons of diesel fuel used for the season was about a 12.1% increase over the 5-year average.

--Okemo saw a cost per gallon of fuel increase of 26.8% over the 5-year average in per gallon price.

The other side of the coin was that we were able to open up our terrain quickly compared to the weather and we led the pack on many days as we headed into late January and February. No doubt snowmakers were on the run more this year than ever before and we were fortunate in that we made snow on all our snowmaking trails except 5 of them.

Reminder that Okemo will be holding our FESTEVOL concert weekend with the Barenaked Ladies performing this coming Saturday 3/24 and Big Head Todd and the Monsters with Guster on Sunday 3/25. Tickets are available for purchase at okemo.com

Okemo plans to stay open as the snow holds. Now there are many things that can happen no doubt, but you need to be confident that all of us here at Okemo will do all we can to keep skiing and riding. Okemo will be there to provide the skiing product so our very important guests can have a place to take to the slopes.

Think snow and thanks for skiing and riding with us. If you want to follow what is going on from my desk, follow me on twitter @okemogm

See you on the slopes,

Bruce Schmidt
Vice-President & General Manager
Okemo Mountain Resort

twitter.com/okemogm

Heading into Spring

Greetings,

Spring skiing is fun as it is always different every day. Mornings are different than afternoons, Mondays are different than Thursdays. I’m sure you know what I mean. Even though the first day of Spring isn’t until March 20th, we are seeing some good weather headed our way.

So it is official….NO more Snowmaking this year. We were anticipating making snow in
March, but we just didn’t get any consistent cold temperatures to fire up the
guns. The snowmaking crew is now finishing up sending back the rental compressors, draining the water and air lines were need be, dragging in the hose and guns and cleaning things up.

As for grooming, the guys powertill the trails this time of the year. The winch cat
goes out on the slopes 2 – 3 times per week to pull snow up from the bottom of
the steeper trails and deposits it on the top and the halfpipe is cut 3-4 times
per week. Eb, Okemos Mountain Manager, also has the groomers start in different areas of the mountain to keep things different. One day it might be Jackson
Gore, it may be Nor’easter or perhaps South Face. This is also the time of the year when we make changes out on slopes and other operations.

A few examples:
- ePIC restaurant is closed for the season.- Top Shop Ski shop is closed for the season
- Timber Ripper is closed Tues & Wed - Snow Tubing is closed Tues & Wed
- Ice House is closed for the season - Amp Air Bag is open Fri/Sat/Sun only.

As many of you know we do make adjustments to lifts and trails. These will be on an as needed basis due to snow conditions. If
the weather forecast is somewhat correct, the trail count will probably be adjusted during the week. Guests are encouraged to call ahead or check Okemo.com for the latest updates.

Reminder that Okemo will be holding our FESTEVOL concert weekend with the Bare Naked
Ladies performing on Saturday 3/24 and Big Head Todd and the Monsters with Guster on Sunday 3/25. Tickets are available on Okemo.com

Okemo plans to stay open into early April, Mother Nature willing. Now there are many
things that can happen no doubt, but you need to be confident that all of us here
at Okemo will do all we can to keep skiing and riding. Okemo will be there to continue to provide the skiing product so our very important guests can have a place to take to the slopes.

Think snow and thanks for skiing and riding with us. If you want to follow what is going on from my desk, follow me on twitter @okemogm

See you on the slopes

Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM

Great week, full steam ahead!

Greetings,

This has been a good vacation week. While the weather had a few hiccups, all and all it has been a good ski week. During the week we made snow on several trails and we fired up the guns this weekend. Mother nature also added some powder for our skiing and riding enjoyment with her storm on Friday night. Now not enough, but some is better than none. Snowmaking will continue as we head into March.






This time of the year is challenging for our grooming staff and Eb and Barry, the Mountain Managers. Decisions need to be made on grooming so as not to let things "get away from us". The temperatures fluctuate so much on different nights, that some nights they want to mountain till and other nights is strictly a power-till night. The key is making sure we don’t mountain till too long into the Spring. If the snow is stirred up too much from Mountain Tilling and then does not have time to set, it can create some real spring conditions much earlier than normal. There is always a balance, but in the end the guys always try to stop mountain tilling earlier rather than later for that reason.

The winch cat gets more on-mountain time during the spring as the snow is brought up from the bottom of the steep section of the trails. While it is important to make sure that the snow is not stirred up too much and then not be able to set, it is also a great way to use the existing snow to its fullest potential. The winch cat works on many of the steep trail sections during the spring and really helps cover up thin areas as needed.

Many people have been asking about the season and what Okemo's plans are for the spring? Okemo is a major Vermont Ski Resort and thus we will continue to fill our role. Okemo plans to stay open into early April, Mother Nature willing. Now there are many things that can happen no doubt, but you need to be confident that all of us here at Okemo will do all we can to keep skiing and riding. Okemo will be there to continue to provide the skiing product so our very important guests can have a place to take to the slopes.

Think snow and thanks for skiing and riding with us. If you want to follow what is going on from my desk, follow me on twitter @okemogm

See you on the slopes

Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM

You can count on us

Greetings,

The snow guns are continuing to roar. Okemo has been making snow this week as we head into the Presidents vacation week. This past week we made snow on Upper Chief, both the Clocktower base area and the Jackson Gore base area trails, as well as many of the main line trails including Lower Arrow, all the Solitude trails and the Sachem Trail.

Okemo is going to continue to make snow as we go thru February. Our concentration will be on the different lift pods on the Main Mountain and Jackson Gore. We plan to build base depths and enhance the surface conditions as we head into March. No doubt we will need to pick and choose trails, and some trails won’t be made on, but we will be making on your favorites and many others.

Many people have been asking about the season and what Okemo's plans are for the spring. Okemo is a major Vermont Ski Resort and thus we will continue to fill our role. Okemo plans to stay open into early April, Mother Nature willing. Now there are many things that can happen no doubt, but you need to be confident that all of us here at Okemo will do all we can to keep skiing and riding. Okemo will be there to continue to provide the skiing product so our very important guests can have a place to take to the slopes. This ski season has been a challenging one, but people are still coming to Ludlow and Okemo. The Okemo Valley relies on Okemo to provide the best vacation experience possible and we will continue to work hard to do that each and every day as we head into spring.

The entire Okemo staff has been working hard to deal with the challenges this year and try to outsmart Mother Nature. Hopefully you, our guests have realized this effort and have not been impacted too much.

Think snow and thanks for skiing and riding with us. If you want to follow what is going on from my desk, follow me on twitter @okemogm

See you on the slopes,

Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM

twitter.com/okemogm

www.okemo.com

Okemo Secrets Revealed....

How is that for a dramatic title?

Winter continues to be here. And, we are going to see some winter temperatures in the next few days. A lot of time when cold fronts roll through, they wring out any moisture in the atmosphere as they cross the mountains and thus you get mountain squalls. Somewhat like when we see cold fronts come through in the summer, although due to the heat in the summer, thunderstorms develop.

As you are skiing or riding around Okemo, check out the halfpipe. We are getting a lot of comments on it, and it is getting some good use being smaller and more rider friendly. (Someone called it cute, which I immediately corrected her that it is gnarly and not cute...)! The Halfpipe is normally cut every 2 to 3 days depending on the weather and other factors. Our seasoned groomer John is the main pipe cutter. John has many years’ experience in a groomer and does a great job cutting the pipe. Through the years the terrain park staff and mountain operations have refined the cutting of the Halfpipe into a science.

The process begins with the Zaugg Halfpipe cutter hitched up to the winch cat groomer. John brings over the unit to the Halfpipe and prepares to begin his cut. Prior to the Zaugg arriving, the Mountain Operations guys have set up the "Laser". The laser is a rotating beam which sends a frequency light signal to a receiver located on the top edge of the Zaugg. This receiver signal is also picked up in the winch cat, telling the operator where the vertical edge should be, which in turn keeps the Zaugg in line and the walls straight and parallel. One is located on the left hand side of the lower arrow trail in the woods and the other is located on the right hand side of mountain road. Both get turned on and are calibrated for the edge of the pipe. The laser is turned on and begins to spin.

Next step is for John to bring the winch cat up to the top of the pipe and hitch the winch cable to the tower at the top of the pipe. John then lines up the top of the Zaugg with the laser beam and when he has the correct level; he gets a green light on his windshield and begins to cut the pipe. Think of a skill saw following a line on the board as you cut a straight line.

Up the halfpipe and down the halfpipe, John goes. Normally it takes 3 passes on each side of the halfpipe. Once the cut is done, John unhitches the winch cat cable from the anchor and heads the cat and Zaugg back to the maintenance shop. Another halfpipe has been cut for our pipe riding guests. So now you know another secret of how things are done on the hill.

The entire Okemo staff has been working hard to deal with the challenges this year and try to outsmart Mother Nature. Hopefully you have realized this effort and have not been impacted too much. Snowmaking continues as the weather remains cold in February.

Think snow and thanks for skiing and riding with us. If you want to follow what is going on from my desk, follow me on twitter @okemogm

See you on the slopes,

Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM