Thursday, November 11, 2010

Profile: The Beast!

We are proud to introduce a major player of our grooming team!

Hometown: Sterzing, Italy
Engine: 6 Cylinder Turbo Diesel
Height: 10' 3 7/8"
Weight: 25,460 lb
Siblings: BR350
Claim to fame: 40% wider and more powerful than little brother
Special Skills: Laying down smooth courderoy
Favorite Food: Diesel!
Hobbies: Playing in the snow, nighttime strolls up the mountain, and knitting.

The Beast is super excited for the upcoming season and urges everyone to "think snow"!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

News from the frontline

Barry Tucker, VP of Mountain Ops shares his thoughts on the state of the mountain...

Q: Any snowmaking in the forecast?

A: The overall trends in the weather for the next few days do not look any better than the last week. However, Ray and crew have had a great opportunity to fine tune the system and stage for a real aggressive program when the temps happen.

Q: What is the crew up to in the meantime?

A: We have been putting a lot of effort into finishing our mountain coaster - The Timber Ripper. It's a much larger project than we originally planned, but that's OK! We have one of Wiegand's top installers on the job to guide us and help coordinate our efforts. If there is anything our Mountain Ops team likes, it is a real challenge and this is one of them. The finished product will be worth the effort. It is going to be one of the premier coaster rides in the country, if not #1 and the natural topography the coaster is located on is very unique, providing quite a ride!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

An update from the hill


Today's Update from Barry Tucker, VP of Mountain Operations:

The current forecast does not show much for good snowmaking in the near future. (Last night's temperature inversion stopped us around 10 pm.) However our philosophy here at Okemo is not to put too much faith into any forecast, the key is just to "be ready" - because if the forecasters are wrong and the temps drop, we need to be ready to move.

One advantage of running into some of the more marginal temperatures early season is that you have an opportunity to test your equipment, as well as train your new staff. So when the temps come in we are ready to run at maximum potential which is 9200 Gallons, Per, Minute -- and then everyone is running!

It’s all about taking maximum advantage of the brief periods of cold temperatures that we have early season in Vermont.

Think cold, and think snow!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Snowmaking On!


Okemo fired up the snowguns last night around 7:45pm and continued to blow snow all night long.

According to Bruce Schmidt, Okemo's General Manager..."Okemo had a very good night of snowmaking. Snow was made in the summit area, on Countdown and about halfway down Upper World Cup. The plan is to continue to make snow aggressively as temperatures permit."

And, with temperatures projected in the teens tonight we'll resume on Countdown and the summit, and continue onto Buckhorn, Sapphire, and potentially Jolly Green Giant. "If you can envision a line across the center of the mountain where temperatures are cold enough," he shares, "we'll move from the summit down each trail just about as close as we can get to that line."

Looking ahead to the next few nights, Wednesday and Thursday night offer a chance of 1-2" of natural snow, followed by slightly moderating temperatures toward the end of the week, but colder again into weekend. We are moving water, trying to cool it down as much as we can, checking the pumps and compressors and working out any bugs... things looked good for night #1 and we are working towards opening day.

more photos and video available on facebook

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Preparations are Underway!

See what our snowmaking team is up to this week.. and what is wet bulb anyway?



More good stuff to know: Okemo's anticipated opening day is Saturday November 20, 2010. Obviously this date is contingent upon the weather and whatever Mother Nature throws at us.

Our snowmaking plan? To cover trails as follows: Buckhorn, Count Down, Upper World Cup, Drop Off, Link and Lower World Cup. Typically we get the upper Mountain open and work our way down from there.

THINK SNOW!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Leader of the Pack

Barry Tucker’s Okemo roots are planted way back in the first year the mountain was open, when he skied in the junior racing program, eventually becoming a coach for about seven years. When Tim and Diane Mueller purchased the mountain in 1982 Barry was in the construction business, a summer-only occupation. So, when he saw they were looking for a year-round mountain manager, he decided to apply.

Fast forward 28 years and meet Barry Tucker, VP of Mountain Operations at Okemo. Barry leads the snowmaking, grooming, and lift operations teams that have earned the mountain many awards and accolades over the years. Among his many responsibilities, Barry focuses on the making, moving and grooming of snow. He is passionate about his work, but quick to point out that it is the strength of his team and their cohesive direction that puts Okemo on top of the charts for snow quality.

With advancing technology and modern equipment, you would think the snowmaking equation is simple (more on that later). Enter Mother Nature in New England.

"The key with snowmaking, from a capital and efficiency point of view, hinges on the ability to respond quickly to brief periods of cold weather," Tucker says. "You need large storage and pumping ability and an efficient distribution system. We clearly understand the hardships Mother Nature throws at us. We do not look at the negative perspective. We look at the hardships as an opportunity to show what we can do in relation to the whole industry."


And that is exactly what sets Okemo apart in the industry. In fact, finding ways to make snow more efficiently and at temperatures closer to freezing is one of his top priorities. His tools? A skilled and loyal staff that go way above and beyond just doing a job, but take personal pride in what they can accomplish.

Meet the team leaders, who combined have over 200 years of history with Okemo – now that is amazing!

Eb Kinney, Mountain Manager - with Okemo for 20 years
Brian Boudro, Night Operations Manager – with Okemo for 17 years
George Griggs, Office Manager, Shuttle Services Manager – with Okemo 27 years
Greg Carter – Lift Maintenance, with Okemo 27 years
Ray Kennedy, Snowmaking Manager, with Okemo 16 years
Norm Koch, Manager of Skier Services, with Okemo 20 years
Dennis Brady, Manager of Parks & Pipes, with Okemo 17 years
Dave Thompson, with Okemo 9 years
Bill Johnson, Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance, 17 years
Dan Boyer, Electrical Manager, with Okemo 26 years
Jim Seiberling, First Aid, with Okemo 10 years

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Okemo's Blog Takes on New Purpose


Have you ever wondered what happens on the mountain after the lifts stop turning, how we decide when to make snow, or how our grooming philosophy consistently wins us top rankings in the industry?

Make our new grooming and snowmaking blog part of your morning routine. Hear directly from our head of snowmaking and grooming and his staff as they come off the night shift – learn what the team encountered overnight and what to expect on the hill the coming day. We may even toss in some local lore and a good joke here and there – you just never know.

We’ll post as appropriate as snowmaking gets underway in early November – and then count on us at least twice a week from opening day until the last lift spins on closing day. Up next? Meet our Snowmaking and Grooming Teams. Look for introductions in early October!

Questions or comments? Go for it – we’d love to hear what you have to say.