Tater Hill Opens with 18 Holes of Play

Tater Hill Golf Club, in Windham, Vt., opened for the season on Friday, April 23.


“The course is in good shape,” said Club Manager and Head Golf Professional John Pawlak. “This is about the best I’ve seen it this early in the season.”

Tater Hill opened with all 18 holes of play. Tee times are required and can be scheduled starting at 8 a.m. daily. Early-season greens fees, including cart, run through May 20: $39 midweek and $49 weekends. The clubhouse restaurant is slated to open May 6.

Nestled in a pastoral setting of rolling hills with stone walls, split-rail fences and birch-lined fairways, Tater Hill is a par-71, 18-hole championship course measuring 6,400 yards. With plenty of challenge for low handicaps, golfers of all ability levels can enjoy a layout that offers undulating fairways, spectacular views, cottage-style flower gardens and the casual ambience of a former Vermont hill farm. Tater Hill is located on Popple Dungeon Road (off Rt. 11), 22 miles southwest of Ludlow, in Windham, Vt.

Tee times may be arranged by calling (802) 875-2517. More information about Tater Hill Golf Club is available online.

Congrats to NASTAR Team Okemo!

Six skiers and snowboarders from Okemo Mountain Resort competed in the 2010 Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships March 25-28 at Winter Park Resort. Four returned home with medals.

“We are so proud of the six Okemo racers who competed at the Nationals,” said Okemo Mountain Resort Vice-President and General Manager Bruce Schmidt. “These men and women work so hard and are an inspiration to us all.”

Doug Gould, age 48, of Rochester, Vt., attended his first Nationals and took the bronze in the men’s 45-49 snowboard division.

Christine Jenne, age 57, of Huntington, N.Y., was hoping to repeat her performance last year - a bronze medal in the women’s 55-59 gold division.

Sue Kramer, age 44, of Peru, Vt., took first place in the women’s 40-44 platinum division. She won the same title last year at the Nationals in Steamboat.

Herb Maierle, age 74, of Middle Village, N.Y., placed second in the men’s 70-74 gold division. He took gold at the 2008 event.

Patrick Moore, age 63, of Newington, Conn., has been Okemo’s NASTAR Coordinator and Pacesetter for the past four years. He holds the title of 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 Age Group National Snowboarding Champion and in 2008 became the first racer to concurrently become the National Age Group Champion in both skiing and snowboarding.

Bob Zawacki, age 70, of Farmington, Conn., competed in his first National Championship, finishing in sixth place in the hotly contested men’s 70-74 gold division.

NASTAR, the world’s largest recreational ski and snowboard race program, is owned and operated by Bonnier Mountain Group, publisher of Skiing magazine, SKI magazine and Warren Miller Entertainment.

Since the program’s inception four decades ago, more than six million racer days have been recorded by NASTAR. Last season, more than 220,885 NASTAR racer days and a record 553,808 starts were logged. Racers qualify for the National Championships by earning a top-three ranking in their age division at any of the 120-plus Nature Valley NASTAR ski resorts throughout North America.

Congratulations!

farewell to winter - hello golf season!

The time has come to put the boards away and dust off the clubs. Okemo Mountain Resort will end lift service operations for the season, earlier than anticipated, at the end of the day on Friday, April 9. On the next day, Saturday, April 10, Okemo Valley Golf Club is slated to open, also earlier than anticipated, with 18 holes of golf at reduced, early-season rates.

“No matter how hard the mountain operations staff works and the ski patrol marks the trails, the skiing and riding experience just isn’t what we would like,” said Okemo VP and General Manager Bruce Schmidt. “So the time has come. Many thanks to all our staff for their hard work as well as to our guests who have supported us all season long.”

Okemo was originally targeting April 18 as closing day and then moved that date up to April 11. Unfortunately, for skiers and riders, spring came to Vermont a little earlier than anticipated. Okemo also got a late start to the season due to warmer winter temperatures in November. In spite of Mother Nature’s lack of support at the beginning and end of the 2009/2010 ski and snowboard season, Okemo is reporting its third best season on record. Approximately 603,000 skier visits were recorded for the season. A skier visit is defined as one person participating in the sport of snow sliding for all or part of a day. Every type of lift ticket sale is factored into a resort’s total skier visits for the season.

Okemo Valley Golf Club will open on Saturday, April 10 with discounted, early-season greens fees through May 7. A full, 18-hole round of golf will be offered at $40 for adults and $25 for juniors. A 9-hole round will be priced at $22 for adults and $15 for juniors. Carts will be available at regular season rates and carts will be allowed on cart paths only until further notice.

Tee times may be scheduled by calling (802) 228-1396. FORE!

The Lift Ride experience has changed!

First off - let me say there is nothing wrong with our lifts - they are quick, always working and the lift crew has been great this year. I have noticed that the ride to the summit has changed. In years past, you would load and then greet others on the lift with you. This would always lead to a nice conversation on the way to the top. Lift rides are a great way to chat with other skiers and riders. As an employee, I like to see how folks are doing, if they are enjoying the mountain and usually ask where they hail from. Nowadays it is a completely different experience. People ski or ride with music, which is usually too loud for someone to hold a conversation. Those not jamming out are on the phone or texting on the lift. I am not against technology, but it has defintely changed society. Next time you are on the lift, put the phone away, turn down the tunes and go old school! Strike up a conversation with your lift mates. You know the lift goes to the top, who knows where the conversation will go.
Ride on and Ride Safely - GravityHound

Okemo Rider Benji Farrow Wins USSA Rev Tour Final

The U.S. Revolution Tour wrapped up its final day of halfpipe competition of the season Wednesday, March 17. Benjamin Farrow, of Mount Holly, Vt., took home the win in Men's Halfpipe .


Farrow landed the top spot of the podium after falling during his first run. He stepped up to the plate and laid down a solid second run to take the win. Jd Dennis (Bend, OR) and Cody Tyler Weselis (Park City, UT) trailed Farrow to take second and third.

“I actually had to take my second run, go back and calm down a little,” said Farrow. “I had to give it something I could really land.”


OFFICIAL RESULTS

Revolution Tour
Mt. Hood, OR
March 17, 2010
Halfpipe

Men
1. Benjamin Farrow, Mt. Holly, VT
2. Jd Dennis, Bend, OR
3. Cody Tyler Weselis, Park City, UT

Women
1. Allyson Carroll, Truckee, CA
2. Rainey Pogue, Jackson, WY
3. Jenna Dramise, Henderson, NV

Okemo, All Come Home ... the second edition

Award-winning author Karen D. Lorentz has recently completed the second edition of Okemo, All Come Home, a comprehensive history of the popular year-round resort. Okemo will host a book signing from 3-5 p.m. on Sat., March 13, in the Jackson Gore Real Estate Showroom. In addition to the author, Okemo Mountain Resort's own Tim and Diane Mueller will be on hand to autograph books. It was their vision and hard work that turned the resort into the success that it is today.
The limited second edition of Okemo, All Come Home, by Karen D. Lorentz, traces the story of Okemo Mountain Resort from inception to present day and it is destined to become another collector's item with Okemo skiers and riders, as well as those interested in ski history. The highly coveted first edition, published in 1996, is out of print and has been unavailable for several years. The updated book features 40 pages of color photography and more than 200 black-and-white images of the area's history and people. This is the authoritative story of Okemo written by a local, award-winning author. Lorentz's in-depth research features interviews with many of the resort's original founders, board members and general managers, as well as present-day management, for a firsthand account of the Okemo story.
Karen D. Lorentz has been writing about skiing since 1979. In 2006, she became the first woman to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in ski writing by the International Skiing History Association. In 2007, the North American Snowsports Journalists Association awarded Honorable Mention to her book The Great Vermont Ski Chase in the Harold Hirsch ski book competition. More information about Lorentz is available at http://www.karenlorentz.com/.

Okemo, All Come Home is available for purchase at Okemo's Snowsports Shops; at The Book Nook, Chapter XIV and Totem Pole Sports Shop, in Ludlow, Vt.; Annie's Book Shop, in Rutland, Vt.; and by mail at Mountain Publishing, Inc., 1300 CCC Road, Shrewsbury, VT 05738.

Bright Lights, Big Tricks!

Okemo hosted its first-ever Light The Night Rail Jam on Saturday, Feb. 27. Seventy competitors and hundreds of spectators turned out for a jam format event that featured three park features: a gap-to-flat-down box, a cannon drop and a down rail.

Illumination of the course was provided by the Ludlow Fire Department and $670 in proceeds from the event went to the LFD for their shining contribution.

Prizes were awarded in several categories. In the Under 16 Men’s Snowboard division, first place went to Peter Cerulo, 15, of West Windsor, Vt. Alex Von Braun, 15, of Greenwich, Conn., claimed second place and third went to Jack Valentine, 11, of Sparta, N.J. The 16 and Older Men’s Snowboard division champion, and winner of a $460 cash prize, was Matt Schaffer, 20, of Brownsville, Vt. Second place went to Benji Farrow, 17, of Mount Holly, Vt. Rounding out the podium with third, was Sean Kaulbach, 20, of Andover, N.H. The Under 16 Skier receiving top honors was Matt Hauser, 13, of Ludlow, Vt. Sam Pawlak, 14, of Windham, Vt., took second place and Jared Coletti, 10, of Kintnersville, Pa., claimed third. Men Skiers 16 and Older taking the podium were Dan Jones, 20, of North Sutton, N.H., in first place; Christian Franchino, 15, of Manchester Center, Vt., in second; and Paddy Dayton, 19, of Bradford, N.H., in third.


Women Snowboarders taking top honors in the Under 16 division were Grace Vosburgh, 12, of Plymouth, Vt., and Leah Jennings, 14, of Darien, Conn. Brynn Paraschos, 20, of Bangor, Pa., claimed the top spot in the 16 and Older Women’s division. Maggie Seiple, 21, of Ludlow, Vt., took second, and third place went to Lily Calabrese, 16, of Proctorsville, Vt. Megan Ellmaker, 13, of Erwinna, Pa., claimed top honors in the Under 16 Women Skiers division.

First, second and third place winners received skis, snowboards, gear bags and outerwear for prizes. The top skier and top snowboarder each claimed a cash prize of $460.