Loading Carpet Installation Underway

It sure doesn't look like much - just a hole in the ground under the loading area of the South Ridge Quad B. But that hole in the ground is the beginning of a very innovative improvement to Okemo's lift service.

Okemo’s “Red Carpet Treatment”

Everyone loves the section of Warren Miller’s films when the camera positioned at the top of a chairlift catches the crashes of skiers trying to disembark. The more tangled the carnage, the louder the laughs. For beginner skiers and snowboarders, riding the lift can be a stressful part of the learning experience. Seasoned veterans grow increasingly impatient with each delay as newbies are helped to their feet and sent on their way. Lift operators loading the uninitiated must be ever vigilant to maintain safety and keep the flow.

Okemo's lift system is situation in such a way as to require all skiers, novice through expert, accessing the mountain through the original Clock Tower base area, to ride one of two fixed-grip quad chairs. As a way to make that first lift ride of the day less stressful and safer, Okemo is installing mechanized loading and unloading carpets on one of those lifts - Quad B, to be specific (the one on the left as you look up the mountain). Although familiar to European skiers, the loading carpet is a rarity in North America. Okemo’s loading carpet will be the first one in the East and the unloading carpet, at the top, will be the first of its kind in the entire country. A conveyor belt, marked with lanes and moving in sync with the chairlift, will make loading and unloading easier and safer. It will reduce lift-line lengths, minimize starts and stops, reduce ride time and improve overall lift capacity.

So, what's with the hole in the ground? Since the loading and unloading carpets must be flush with the ground, a lot of the technology must exist beneath the surface. Consider also, that snow making its way under the conveyor must be melted and drained away to prevent buildup and maintain operation of the lift. A heated, concrete chamber will contain the snow and melt it so it can drain away.

I'll keep posting photos to show you the progress. Cheers!

Woke this morning to the sound of thunder

Sorry, I couldn't resist the reference. It seems like posts to this blog are always starting with lyrics to some old tune.

This morning the sun was streaming in my bedroom window, but I could here thunder off in the distance. By the time I'd gotten out of bed, walked the dogs and pulled on some work clothes, the heavens had opened and it was raining in the windows of my living room...buckets, pure buckets of water. Crazy weather this summer. And yes, until we have a deep frost (which could be happening on Wednesday night) I still consider it summertime.

The last 2 weeks of August were absolutely gorgeous weather, full of sun, no humidity and nice temperatures too. As of last Friday, things changed again. We've been experiencing the leftovers from those hurricanes which have been battering the southern United States, along with Haiti and Cuba.

The great part about all this precipitation (warm snow, snow in practice - call it what you will) is that is keep the trees all soaked up, plus it is filling the snow making ponds. With only 60-70 days (my estimate only) before the snowguns start blasting out white stuff again, it's a good thing to get all this rain.

The foliage should be coming into peak during the next 3-4 weeks and then it's all downhill into snow season. I can't wait. I've been riding my bicycle this summer and getting in shape for making turns this winter. Lots of hills and the miles have been adding up. The September issue of SKI magazine arrived last week, so I've been reading about some of the new gear that's out on the market.

Have you been getting ready? for starters, get our your videos, what some images of snow, get out and start walking and then dust off your gear. It's coming up fast. Don't Delay.

Have a good one.

-Dex

Girls' Weekend!

Just saw the announcement about the New Women's Weekend planned for Sept 26-28 at Okemo.

The rafting portion of the agenda is really got my attention. I've only ever rafted once in my life - it was exhilerating and exhausting, but so much fun.

Now that school is back in session and the kids are back to bed before 10:30 at night, I just may treat myself to this weekend away.

Are you up for it? No kids. Relaxing meals. Outdoor adventure we wouldn't ordinarily do on our own.

Check it out. I'm game!

Annual Ski Swap

Lots of emails coming in for information on our annual ski swap. For those that have never attended, the swap benefits Okemo Mountain School and is a great opportunity to get new and gently used ski and snowboard gear for unbeatable prices.

Equipment Drop-off days:
Saturday, November 15th 10 am - 3pm
Sunday, November 16th 10 am - 3 pm
Wednesday, November 19th 10 am - 3pm
Location: First Aid Building at the Main Base of Okemo
Info: Drop off your used ski and snowboard equipment for the Annual Ski and Snowboard Swap to benefit Okemo Mountain School. Items are sold on consignment with 25% of the selling price going to OMS. Please no skis, snowboards, or boots over 7 years old. All equipment must be in safe working order.

Swap Dates:
Friday, November 21st 4 - 7 pm
Saturday, November 22nd 9 am - 5 pm
Sunday, November 23rd 9 am - 1 pm
Location: Main Base Lodge of Okemo
Info: Come gear up for the season at the Annual Ski and Snowboard Swap to benefit Okemo Mountain School. New and used ski and snowboard gear, as well as outerwear, at great prices! All proceeds benefit OMS.

For more information, please contact Mariel Meringolo at mariel.meringolo@okemomountainschool.org or 802-228-1512.

Winter Weather

Greetings,
Many thanks to the Rutland Herald for their useful help for this Blog…
So did you see the article in the Newspaper on the Winter Weather Prediction? "Numb's the word," says the 192-year-old Farmers Almanac, which claims an accuracy rate of 80 percent to 85 percent for its forecasts that are prepared two years in advance.The almanac's 2009 edition, says at least two-thirds of the country can expect colder-than-average temperatures this winter, with only the Far West and Southeast in line for near-normal readings.The almanac predicts above-normal snowfall for the Great Lakes and Midwest, especially during January and February, and above-normal precipitation for the Southwest in December and for the Southeast in January and February. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions will likely have an unusually wet or snowy February, the almanac said.In contrast, the usually wet Pacific Northwest could be a bit drier than normal in February.The almanac — not to be confused with the New Hampshire-based Old Farmer's Almanac which is 26 years older — attributes its forecasts to reclusive prognosticator Caleb Weatherbee, who uses a secret formula based on sunspots, the position of the planets and the tidal action of the moon.Weatherbee's outlook is borne out by e-mails the almanac has received in recent days from readers who have spotted signs of nature they say point to a rough winter, Geiger said. These folklore signs range from an abundance of acorns already on the ground to the frequency of fog in August.The National Weather Service disagrees. Their outlook calls for warmer than normal weather this winter over much of the country, including Alaska, said Ed O'Lenic, chief of the operations branch at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. The almanac and the weather service are in sync, however, in pointing to a chance of a drier winter in the Northwest.Probably about the only thing that everyone agrees on (including me) is that it is generally impossible to come up with accurate forecasts more than a week in advance."Of course it's possible to prepare a forecast with any lead time you like. Whether or nor that forecast has any accuracy or usable skill is another question," he said.The Farmers Almanac sticks to its guns, saying the almanac was on target in the 2008 edition when it said the Northeast and the Great Lakes would have a long, cold winter with lots of snow. Time Will tell……
Bruce Schmidt
Vice-President & General Manager
Okemo Mountain Resort

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike ...

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like

I love that old Queen song. The nice thing about mountain bikes, is that you can ride them where you like. Here are a few snaps from Okemo's Outdoor Adventure Weekend. The Specialized folks were busy with demos all day long!

Okemo's own cycling

guru, Ethan Gilmore, was busy

cutting a new trail for the event.

C'mon up to Okemo and check it out. Cheers!

IZ Style Outdoor Adventure on Saturday 8/16

Okemo is one busy place this coming weekend. Friday night we welcome the Michael Cleary Band for the FREE Friday night concert series, then on Saturday we have Specialized bikes here with their full demo fleet. Test ride a new mountain, cross, or road bike on Saturday from 12-5pm. We'll have some newly cut trails and of course the great roads around the area for the road bikes. Bring your helmet and if you'd like your own pedals and the techs from Specialized and Joe Jones will get you all taken care of.

The evening continues with 2 great bands on the big stage. The free concert starts at 5:30pm as Audio Journal opens up for The Pete Kilpatrick Band and the Coleman Brook Tavern will have the popular BBQ ready to go for dinner. Enjoy ribs, burgers, dogs, and all the fixin's along with a cold beverage.

You may notice a lot of folks running by the concert venue as well. The 100 on 100 Relay (www.100on100.org) finishes at Okemo with a great party in the Ice House. Teams of 6 will have run from the Trapp Family Lodge to Okemo in a relay format race down rt 100.

Couple this in with a great weekend at Okemo Valley Golf Club, kayaking with Extreme Adventures of Vermont, and all that the Okemo Valley offers and you've got a full weekend of activity and entertainment.

We hope to see you here!