A Weather Perspective

Greetings,

Despite the lackluster start to the season, it's insightful to look back at other years for comparison. This year is actually not the most challenging seasons Okemo has had. I took the date of December 6th to compare. In 2001 Okemo was closed until December 12th. In 2009 & 2011 we had 2 lifts and 4 trails open. So things can be worse! I know that many of you, as loyal Okemo guests, have questions and I am hopeful that I can answer some and instill some confidence in Okemo as we head into the Christmas Holiday time.

• Snowmaking will happen whenever possible. We have staff working when there is a potential to fire up the guns. There have been some inversions when it was cold in the base and warm at the summit and guests wondering why we did not make snow. The rule of thumb is that if we think we can get a minimum of a couple of hours of snowmaking time, we go for it. 
• Our snowmaking plan is to make snow on trails that will be for the good of many. What this means is that we will work on trails many people can ski and ride, we will be staying away from expert trails, we won’t be working on terrain park trails, but will put out rails and hits on existing terrain, and we will work to spread out across the mountain. 
• We understand the importance of trails that give slopeside access. We will be working on a balance with these, but the reality is that we won’t be able to get all of these trails covered. 
• If anyone is going to have snow it will be Okemo. Enough said. 

The long range forecast is looking at some up and down temperature fluctuation and limited precipitation. Looking towards the end of the month we are expecting some changes to more winter-like conditions. Okemo is doing all we can to make the skiing and riding experience the best it possibly can be. Our plan is to be flexible, adjust as necessary and to look at other activities and things to do around the resort.

 Our team members are remaining positive and optimistic. It is hard to make lemonade with these lemons, but we can remain confident that, when the weather does change, things will happen fast! 

The ski season is upon us. Let’s all focus on the positive and look ahead. Thanks for choosing to ski and ride at Okemo and for spending time with us during this holiday period.

 Happy holidays to everyone.

 Bruce Schmidt Okemo GM

Bruce Schmidt VP/GM takes us over to Jackson Gore to check in on the load testing for the new Quantum Four chairlift.

Behold! The NEW Quantum Four is alive and spinning! Today, the Quantum Four is being put through operational paces, as it gets ready for load testing later this week.
A HUGE shout out to our Mountain Ops, Lift Maintenance and Lift Ops crews for being the best in the business. You guys & gals are second to none, true mavericks, each and every one of you.
So, let's usher in a new milestone for Okemo with the arrival of the Quantum Four, giving us Double Bubble status -- while saying good bye to cold north westerly winds and to saying hello to the new view at Jackson Gore!

Greetings,

The day is here! Okemo will be opening for skiing and riding on Tuesday November 24. I wanted to give you all some ideas on what the plan is as we get the ski season up and going.

Top-to-bottom skiing and riding is the plan. Guests will ride the F-10 carpet up to the base of the Sachem Quad. From there they will ride the Sachem and then ski down Link and Lower World Cup to the Sunburst Quad.  From there, Sunburst Six will be the lift to the summit. In looking at things, I would say that we will open on Tuesday with skiing and riding on Upper and Lower World Cup with Nor’easter opening on Wednesday. 

The snowmaking plan is to get all we can, laid down before the warmer weather arrives toward the end of the week.  We will continue to make snow tonight on Upper World Cup, Count Down, Lower World Cup, Link and Nor’easter, as well as around the Mountain Road area over toward Open Slope down toward the Sachem quad.  With the temperatures that are forecasted, I also feel there will be some capacity for the snowmakers to run some guns on Sapphire and Jolly Green Giant.

As we are heading down toward the base of Sachem, we try to get over onto the grass slopes, as those are normally colder than the paved Mountain Road. We are hopeful that we can also get to the bottom of the F-10 carpet/Open Slope area so that no walking down will be required. We are not planning to use any of our snowmaking capacity from the top of the Base Quads during this short period of cold temperatures. We just don’t foresee any benefit of trying to make snow from the top of the quads yet and then not be able to complete the link. 

On day one we will have the Base 68 Café, Summit Lodge and Sitting Bull Lounge open as well as the Clock Tower Snowsports Shop. Lift access RFID cards will be sold at the Resort Services desk.  Seasons pass holders can pick up their passes at the Resort Services desk too.

The RFID ticketing system is going through the final testing and looks to be working well. There no-doubt will be some challenges, but we feel very confident that this new system will be a great step forward for our skiers and riders.

We are looking forward to getting day one under our belt and starting Okemo's sixtieth ski season.  Thanks for your support and loyalty.

Enjoy the snow.

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

Bruce Schmidt VP/GM continues with the mountain updates as we check out the NEW air compressors, and discuss snowmaking with Ray Kennedy, Manager of Snowmaking Operations.

Bruce Schmidt GM/VP gives a walk through of the new Real.Easy Card lift gates to show how they will work this season.

GM Bruce Schmidt with an update on the Quantum Four project.

GM, Bruce Schmidt