Terrain Parks, Pipe and Thanks......

Greetings,

Another snow day here at Okemo. We could get used to this.  Snow on top of snow.  As we head out of the holiday week the new snow will make for some great skiing and riding.  The new snow has made for a happening ski resort and lots of guests enjoying some fun in the mountains.

Snowmaking is going to begin tonight with snow being made on Black Out, Halfpipe & the base area trails. We will be focusing on some of these locations to build base depth. Bull Run needs snow to get the Nastar course in place, Black out and Nor’easter needs snow for the building of the features for the parks, the halfpipe needs snow to begin construction and we also need snow on mountain road and open slope.  We don’t anticipate going on any of the other trails as we don’t want to affect the great skiing we have now.  Next week’s weather is looking colder, so we will work on areas that need a lot of snow which we can make more efficient in the cold temps.

The parks staff is headed towards Black Out and Nor’easter to get the terrain parks in place. I would anticipate having the Black Out park ready by next weekend with the Nor’easter Park following soon after.  The Superpipe construction will begin this week after snow is made during the week.  It takes some time to get the Superpipe made, so no estimate on time yet.  We also expect to see some mogul trails this week.

This week has seen some good crowds on the slopes. I also realize that there have been some traffic concerns at the end of the day.  Some of this is expected due to it being Christmas week. We continue to work with the town of Ludlow on making the exit off the mountain as smooth as it can be. 

Guests have been very patient this week and I can’t thank you enough. We train our staff for this week, but there will always be challenges.  I am hopeful that even though we haven’t gotten everything correct,  how we recover from those challenges is what sets us apart.

On behalf of all of us here at Okemo, Thanks for skiing and riding with us and we hope that you and your family have a very Happy New Year.

Talk soon,

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

Bring on the snow...............

Greetings,

We’ve got the snow!  Well we have waited over 600 days for this and look at it now.  Can you believe it? (The last significant snowstorm was over 600 days ago, actually in March of 2011).  13 – 15 inches of the fresh stuff out on the mountain.  This morning went pretty well, as well as the first major snowfall of the year can go. There were some groomer breakdowns, plugged power tillers, a few snowplow issues and your basic clusters at times, but all in all the guys and girls are pretty up to speed and know what to do.

We should be skiing over 110 trails for this weekend.  The ski patrol staff was on active duty today checking trails and opening up the skiing.  This storm had the wind as most Nor’easters do and the wind made for some large drifts on the slopes. More than one guy on a snowmobile got stuck today trying to go through a drift.  There would be no snow and then a 5 foot drift.  We needed to check the trails because of this and either had the groomers come along or have patrol ski pack out the drift.  Lift maintenance works hard on these mornings as the detachable chairlifts sometimes need a little coaxing to get the chairs through the contour of the lift.  Just a little bit of snow on the tires can cause havoc and once one chair gets stacked up in the terminal, there are normally others which follow.  I think the record is 7 or 8, but we don’t count when that happens.  The only way to stop that is have enough people to pull the chairs through and get things moving. Kind of like waking up in the morning and getting moving.

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one. Good ski and ride conditions, great weather and many of our friends visiting. A perfect combination. There are still some openings for ski and ride lessons and other children’s programs, but they are filling up fast.  The phone has been ringing today and I don’t mean maybe………  Snowmaking is taking a night off as the snow winds its way out of here, but we will begin again probably on Saturday.

After all the snow we got last night and today, you were out skiing and riding because many of the Okemo staff shoveled their way out and got into work.  It takes a team and Okemo is the best.

A hearty Thanks to all our Okemo supporters and guests who have the confidence in the job we can do to make skiing the best there is and provide a great experience for you and your families.  As always, let me know how we are doing.

Talk soon,

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

Snow Update - Man made and Natural

Greetings,

It is amazing what a difference a few days with cold temperatures makes.  This Christmas week is looking good with the skiing being top notch, trails being added and a snowstorm on the way.  The snowmakers and groomers worked right through Christmas getting the slopes and trails ready.  We are now up to 60 trail and 11 lifts.  I anticipate us probably adding another 3-5 on Wednesday and more within the next few days.  In speaking to Chris on Ski Patrol, he feels that many of our natural trails will be able to be added. Ski patrol has been ski packing many of them during the day and with a foot or more of natural Wednesday night into Thursday, I would anticipate we should be between 85 – 95 trails.  I wouldn’t anticipate us being able to open our gladed trails or the real steep trails like Ledges or Big Bang, but we should get others.

Snowmaking will continue as temperatures permit.  My guess is we may have to cut back with snowmaking during the snowstorm depending on the intensity of the snow. The forecast is for 8 - 12 inches of fresh powder by Thursday night.   Looking at the weather forecast, the temperature will be rising but then falling again as we head into Friday.  Looking at the next couple days I would anticipate opening on Wednesday, Nor’easter, Exhibition, Moon Shadow, Wardance & Homeward Bound.  By the end of the week we should be skiing several more including Upper and Lower Chief, Chute, Line Drive & Daybreak. As an FYI, last year during this holiday week we had about 50 trails!

Many thanks to all the Okemo staff who shared their Christmas day working at the resort.  It is because of the dedication of our hard working staff members that we are able to provide the best skiing and riding experience around.

A hearty Thanks to all our Okemo supporters and guests who have the confidence in the job we can do to make skiing the best there is and provide a great experience for you and your families.  As always, let me know how we are doing.

Happy Holidays,

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

Looking forward instead of backwards........

Greetings,

I recall a saying going something like, if we didn’t have weather what would we have to complain about?  As we head into the Winter Holiday week, we are facing challenges, but also some things positive. Like waking up Friday morning to 5-7 inches of snow on the ground.  This was one of those times when the weather man wasn’t quite right!  The forecast was for 1 – 3 inches of snow, but the temperature held below freezing up through the atmosphere and snow it did.  The challenge part is the rest of the day we will see a mixture and some liquid precipitation. 

So now you ask, what does that mean?  The new snow and wet weather are making for some wet snow skiing today.  The forecast is for this system to clear out of the area this afternoon and change over to flurries and perhaps some light snow.  Our plan will be to wait and see and check on the snow as the evening progresses.  We won’t take the groomers out immediately on the trails.  We want to let the snow dry out some and then begin grooming right around the time the colder temperatures arrive.  Our plan will be to begin snowmaking as soon as temperatures permit.  When the temperatures get into the 24-26 degree range we will turn on the guns.  Obviously that will be on the upper mountain, but we will work down towards the base areas as quickly as possible.

First Day of Winter 2012

 



What is the plan you ask for snowmaking?  It really has not changed from other blog posts.  Sachem, Wardance, base area trails and lodging trails all are on the top of our list. Rimrock opened today and Sidewinder is only one night away from being finished.  We are going to take a hard look at some of the lodging trails and see if it will be possible to ski them with the natural snow.  We are also beginning on Nor’easter to give us another route from the summit and working towards Quantum Leap.  Blind Faith and Wild Thing will be our first trails in the South Face area.

Since the World did not end today, Okemo will be working every avenue to get the skiing and riding in top shape quickly.  Some trails may open late this weekend as grooming continues and we will make snow on as many trails as possible and that may even include making on some trails while you ski and ride. 

Thanks for your confidence in Okemo and support and I hope to see you on the slopes.  As always, let me know how we are doing.

Happy Holidays,

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

Heading towards the big Week......

Greetings,

In the ski business, we judge time as before Christmas, Christmas week, January, February vacation and Spring skiing.  Each time frame means something a little different and where we should be in regards to trails open lifts running, reservation etc.  As we leave before Christmas and into Christmas week, we remain cautiously optimistic with the weather.

Snowmaking looks to return tonight, Wednesday evening, and the plan is to go as hard, as long and cover as much acreage as we can.  The mountain operations managers have been looking at what is needed and it seems that there may be a couple trails to refresh, but we will be heading towards new terrain at the same time. Guns are poised to go to work on Sachem and Wardance in the middle of the mountain, beginner areas in the Clock Tower and Jackson Gore Base area as well as Rim Rock, Sidewinder, Moon shadow, Lower Fall Line and maybe Quantum Leap in Jackson Gore.  We are also looking at working on another access from the summit which may be Upper Chief or Nor’easter.   Once we get off of one of these trails we will be heading towards the rest of the lodging trails, as well as working on other terrain heading into South Face. 

The weather pattern looks to be active as we head into Friday and then colder temperatures are looking to settle themselves over our area beginning during the weekend.  This should set us up for some good snowmaking temperatures and if and when that happens, we should be adding trails quickly.  There will be plenty of priorities and we are aware of the need to get new terrain open as well as keep the surface skiing good.

So that gives you the plan for all you Okemo skiers and riders.  Christmas week is right around the corner and we are going to go hard and make it happen.

Happy Holidays,

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

Okemo Remembers Newtown

Friends

This weekend was a tough one for all the Okemo staff as well as America.  I began Saturday morning with the following paragraph for our daily morning staff update:

“It is with a heavy heart that we begin this Saturday morning after the Tragedy that unfolded in Newtown on Friday.  While we can feel helpless during these times, we also can keep those affected in our hearts and prayers and hold our loved ones closer each day. This area of Connecticut is home to guests who may frequent Okemo and the Ludlow region, which brings this tragic event even closer to the Okemo family. The flags located around Okemo have been lowered to half-mast today as a sign of remembrance for those who lost their lives”.

This tragedy had such a profound impact on how we all look at life.  Okemo being a fun, kid friendly, family centered resort and to think we expected all our staff and guests to go about their day without a broken heart was impossible.  There were numerous conversations that staff had with each other, guests would tell stories of knowing the area of Newtown and where the school was located.  We all have been searching for an outlet and a way to express our grief. Things in life do happen, we all try to do what we can to mitigate the bad things in life, but in the end we are bystanders and never really know what might be around the corner. 

 My blog is dedicated today to thoughts and prayers, or anyway you might want to express your feelings, for those who lost their lives last Friday. Talking about snowmaking, grooming, weather or trails just doesn’t seem right today.  As the GM of Okemo, I want us all to take a moment, hug our family and friends and appreciate what we have here and now.  Life will go on, but in some ways it won’t be the same. 

Look for a new blog tomorrow and I will return to letting you know what to look for in the coming days and how we are going to make Okemo the place to be this winter.

Yours in peace,

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

It takes a Village

Hello,

As the General Manager of Okemo it is expected that I know many things.  When it is going to snow? When is a trail going to open?  When will winter arrive?  Do I know so and so who works in this department?  The list goes on. Now I would say I know most of the answers, or can use my wit and wisdom to convince someone I think I know, but the truth is that I am only as good as the employees who work with me.  Okemo is actually another word for TEAM and that is what we have here.  I talk about snowmakers, groomers and the mountain operations staff a lot, but there are so many others who make my job easier and do so much to make the Okemo experience what it is.  During this Holiday season it is even more important to be grateful for all that everyone does in our lives, and I will surely say that there are so many who make me look good and make Okemo what it is.

 

 

I will answer some of the questions I got this week:

When will Sachem be open? 

The plan is to head there next week after we leave the bulk of Jackson Gore. The snowmakers will continue to make snow in Jackson Gore to get more skiing in that pod as well as the base area, but a bulk of our snowmaking capacity will be heading to other areas such as the middle of the mountain, main base area and towards Rimrock.

When will snow be made on Nor’easter?

Nor’easter takes a lot of snow, so we like to begin there when the temperatures are going to be in the single digits or low teens for an extended period of time.  Between Nor’easter and Upper Chief, the plan will be to begin on one of them as soon as there is some extended cold.

How many trails for this weekend?

The plan is up to 40 slopes and trails with 8 lifts.  Jackson Gore will be opening this weekend with all the services from the Jackson Gore base area.

What is going on with the Terrain parks?

We want to get the terrain parks open as soon as we can. Again, it becomes an issue of snowmaking temperatures.  The park staff has done a great job with making things work on Sapphire, but it is not ideal and we understand that. 

When will the Waffle Cabin open in Jackson Gore?

Saturday!!!!!

As always, keep the questions coming on Facebook, our competent staff will get right back to you as soon as we can.  We are all in this together and it is because of the great Okemo staff and you as skiers and riders that make Okemo what it is!!! Think snow and Happy Holidays.

Feel free to let me know how we are doing and enjoy the snow.

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM