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!

Do tree frogs ski?

Okay, we found this little guy taking up residence on our window sill this morning. He has chosen his new home to be the marketing department at Okemo. Can anyone identify what kind of tree frog this is? He definitely has the bulb-like feet and a quick google search suggests it may be a cuban tree frog? Get out!

Your Voice - Decision 2008: The Jackson Gore Music Series

As we've all learned recently, popularity can be a curse. We may have the best thing going on a Friday night in the Okemo valley, but according to some, that is our biggest flaw. I think we might even be bigger then Britney Spear and Paris Hilton! People around the area come out in droves to see the great bands playing on Friday nights. If our popularity continues to grow we might end up with the whole world liking the music series - and is that a good thing?

This is your chance to cast a vote, to voice an opinion, to continue the democracy our forefathers founded this country on!

Okemo's Jackson Gore Music Series has been growing by leaps and bounds this year, so we think we're doing something right. But we can always be better, so now is your opportunity to tell us what you liked and what you didn't like.

If you can't remember the band names check out the website for a list of past concerts and see what's coming up for the last month of concerts. Then feel free to submit your comments. The bands you like will likely be back, the ones you didn't will go the way of Beta max, or for you younger folks, HD DVD.

The concerts are clean family fun, so try to keep your comments the same. If you really liked one of the bands, or really hated one, let us know. After all, we're doing this for you so let's get it right!