Obama buys $600 million in hybrid cars - Okemo gives away a 1992 Camaro

Joey's rejoice - your economic stimulus package has arrived. March 28th marks the date for what some are calling the oddest event to hit a ski area in years. Others don't know what to call it. It is, simply put, the Joey Jam. Chock full of rear-entry ski boots and NFL jackets, the Joey Jam will surely put a smile on your face with funny prizes, comedians showing off their best impressions of the infamous Joey, and celebrity judges throwing what little bit of dignity we had left down the ski slope. Registration is open and space is limited, so head on over to www.active.com to register for this epic event.

The idea was created late in the 2007-2008 ski season and has picked up followers as we near the competition date. A kamikaze budget item, once created as a way to distract upper level management from more reasonable needs, it has now grown into what may be the largest event of the year.

Ski shops across the northeast are excited about the event as well. We recently ran across this blog from Pioneers Surf Skate and Snow shop in North Hampton NH. They have hailed the Joey Jam as "...possibly one of the greatest events to be held in New England, possibly the world". Their words, not ours. In any case, Pioneers looks like they are helping to spread the good word, and if you don't want our sexy "purple haze" Camaro you can trade it in at Pioneers for "a head to toe outfit along with a board package". If you ask me, this sounds like a challenge for other ski shops in the North East!

So get our your best jeans, your chromed goggles, your headbands and ear warmers, and go sign up on active.com to be part of.... "...possibly the greatest event in the world".

....To Be Continued

Deep Presidents' Weekend Thoughts...

Do you think Abraham Lincoln would ski or ride, had he been living today (and wasn't, like, 200 years old)? My wife and I have had several deep discussions on this very subject, usually in the middle of the night:

Me: I think Abraham Lincoln would have been a pretty good skier, you know? Probably a telemarker. Maybe a snowboarder. But he was just so tall and lanky... I just think that he would've been a graceful, speedy, blue-groomer-kinda guy. Fleece stovepipe hat, ice on the chin beard, the works. "Four score and twenty minutes ago... I shredded that gnar!" "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right for big air and tasty rails..."

My Wife: Um... hon? You really need to stop eating buffalo wings right before bed.

(So it isn't really a "deep discussion" so much as proof that my wife is a patient woman. Sue me.)

Here's my question for you, Dear Readers (all twelve of you): Abe Lincoln, Great Emancipator, Savior of the Union and Our Greatest President: Skier or snowboarder? Discuss...

Okemo in under $50 a day!

Food. I love food. Who doesn't love food?

I recently challenged myself to a "whisk around Okemo Mountain" on under $50 a day... think I can do it?

8 am rise and shine - head to the mountain. For breakfast it's a quick stop at Cool Beans in the Okemo Clocktower Base Lodge for breakfast. That way I'm just steps from the chair. Gotta start my day with a hot VT brewed coffee and a freshly baked scone. Hey, there's fruit in it! 5.10 including tax.


11:45 am and it's ePIC at Solitude for lunch - a ski-in/ski-out mid-mountain restaurant, and my personal favorite. Stopping just before noon to hopefully get right in with a fireside table.

To start I go with a Soup Trio - I get a taste of three amazing hot soups in one entree - it's a nobrainer really at just $8. I follow that up with Pan Seared Scallops - a little protein served with a small salad - now we're talking. Just $11. To drink? Water with lemon. I need to rehydrate after a full morning of skiing. With tax and tip we're sitting right around $24.

2:30 or so and it's time for a Snack and bathroom break back at the Clocktower Base Lodge. I grab a bag of trail mix with peanuts, raisins and chocolate from the Base68 Cafe and hit the water fountain on the way back out the door. $4.30 including tax.

When the lifts close at 4 it's back inside - and the Sitting Bull is alive with entertainment. Great place to end the day. I'm not super hungry after a big lunch, so a hot cheese quesadilla packed with melted cheese, onions and peppers served with fresh salsa and sour cream and a cold Sam Adams hits the spot for dinner. With tax and tip its $14.98.

My grand total for the day? $48.38.

What's your favorite restaurant at Okemo?

Ludlow Winter Carnival Fun Race

Ludlow's 2009 Winter Carnival, the Village Vikings - Conquerors of Snow was last weekend. It proved to be another success. Okemo entered it's Viking Ship into the parade on Saturday evening. It sailed down main street with it's crew launching Snickers to all parade enthusiasts. The parade was followed up by Marshmallow roasting, a bonfire and a fabulous fireworks display at Dorsey Park.

Sunday was the inaugural Kid's Fun Race at Jackson Gore. This free race timed children as they ran up the huge mound of snow, down the backside, over bails of hay and thru the finish line. All children who participated won a prize. We had prizes for the fastest Boy and Girl, with a 6 & Under division and a 7 - 12 year old division.

This years winners were:

Boys - 6 & Under - Joseph Caldiero

Girls - 6 & Under - Emma Casey

Boys - 7 - 12 yrs - James McGuire

Girls - 7 - 12 yrs - Monigue Labarre

Well over 200 children participated in the Fun Race. Pictured are the winning Girls and their new goggles. We hope to see ya'll next year at the Ludlow Winter Carnival!

Wicked Nice Snow...and counting trails

Funny how the snow report this morning talked about trying out new trails. I've been skiing here for a number of years and decided it was time to "complete" my list of skiing every single trail at Okemo. And I too just traveled down Eclipse for the first time on Tuesday. I was quite please with the natural snow conditions. And the week before, I went down Rolling Thunder. I really liked Rolling Thunder... nice snow, nice pitch, and good moguls.

I'll admit, I usually hate midwinter moguls. I have memories of skiing on brutally hard snow, with shaved troughs and being absolutely miserable. So this winter, with all the natural stuff covering Okemo's mogul runs, I've been pleasantly surprised.

My current trail total is: 113 out of 119. Does Snowtrak really count? I hate walking back to the base area. I know, it's there for the guests to ski and ride home. Trails I have yet to ski are Supernova, Snowtrak, White Lightning, Rising Star, Blackhole and The Bends. How about you? My point, along with our snow reporter's is...get out and try some new stuff. Perhaps you will find a new favorite.

Have fun!

Just for Fun on a Snowy Day

Ever heard of a wordle? It's a fun "web toy" that allows you to enter text or an RSS feed and it generates a "word cloud" based on that content. Here's a fun one someone recently submitted on Okemo:


View the full size image here.


Images created by wordle are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Learn more and create your own Okemo wordle at www.wordle.net

Happy Snow Day!

Old Dog - New Tricks? You bet!

I started skiing 30 years ago and yesterday I learned how to ski.

After all this time on snow I consider myself a decent skier. I can make my way down any black diamond, I can pick my way through a mogul field or a glade, and I can move right along at pretty good speeds while maintaining control. I don't know what "level" skier I am. I had never taken a lesson prior to attending my first Women's Alpine Adventure program three years ago.

There's always room for improvement but I honestly didn't think there were any more epiphanies in store for me with this sport. As an eastern double-planker, I don't get much practice in real powder, so there's potential there. I'd like to feel more confident in the bumps and glades - but these creaky old knees have seen better days. Overall, I just wanted to feel less fearful in conditions and situations that placed me beyond my comfort zone. I just want skiing to be fun - no matter what.

Mission Accomplished!

It was during last week's two-day, intensive Women's Alpine Adventures program that I took my skiing to an entirely new level. Learning how to really get up on the edges of my skis to fully carve my turns allowed me to experience a euphoric sense of weightlessness that is more addictive than Dove Promises. I first recognized the feeling during an exercise that our instructor, Laurie had us doing. Then, once I figured out how to repeat it on the big carving turns, I started applying the same technique to small radius turns and it felt like I was flying! I'm sure there's a scientific explanation for it all - physics, gravity and mass versus inertia or some other mumbo jumbo that I wouldn't begin to understand. I just know that at some point during each turn, it felt like I was defying gravity - like my legs didn't belong to me and that there was some magical force at work beneath me. WOW!

What a great program! There were five women in our group and we all skied at a similar level, so we were all working toward similar goals. We weren't all there for the same reasons, but we all wanted to become better skiers. It's amazing how quickly bonds form under such circumstances. We skied together, we rode chairlifts together, we ate meals together. We shared laughter, frustrations and accomplishments together. We offered support to one another and compliments passed freely between us. We picked each other up - physically and metaphorically.

Laurie had us skiing through glades and bump runs more comfortably. We each took our turns running gates. We practiced "railroad tracks" and "garlands" and "falling leaves." We mastered "cowboy turns" and "shin-tongue."

Thank you to all the women in my group: Jenn, Helen, Tina (not Rita!) and Rebeca. Thank you, Laurie Cobb. Thank you, Maria and all the women of the WAA WAA sisterhood. I am an athlete. I am a skier. Cheers!