Clock Tower Project Update - 10/13/15

The latest news on the Clock Tower Base Lodge renovation projects from GM Bruce Schmidt.

Updates from Bruce on the RFID installation and the Quantum Four

Summer Snowmaking Update

Another update from Bruce, this time, getting us up to speed on the Summer 2015 snowmaking projects!

Sitting Bull renovation project update

VP and GM Bruce Schmidt gives a video update on what is happening with the new remodeling project of the Sitting Bull restaurant and bar.

Our busy summer is underway!

Greetings,

I wanted to take the opportunity to bring you up to speed on what is going on here at Okemo this summer. The July 4th weekend is upon us here at Okemo and it is safe to say it has been busy and will continue to be busy.  The great news is that the Evolution Bike Park at Okemo will be opening this weekend.  Work is continuing on the South Ridge A Quad chairlift to have uphill and downhill passengers, as well as installing the bike racks. We will be load testing on Thursday to get our certification.  The rainy weather has not been helpful, but the Mountain Operations guys and Sean and the Bike Park staff are eager to get things up and going.  It is looking like we will begin with a couple miles of trails to start off with and more added during the month of July.  The trails will be fun. Lots of twists and turns, rolling terrain and some bridges to cross.

The other projects we are doing are equally as fun and exciting.  We are putting bubbles on the Jackson Gore Express lift.  We are changing the name to the Quantum Four, to go along with Quantum Leap, and to be the perfect sidekick to the Sunburst Six.  The bubbles are POMA Leitner products and should be here in late summer.  We will be building a storage area, but it won’t be a barn. It will be open on all sides, but have a roof to cover the bubbles.  These chairs won’t be heated, but the bubbles will keep the elements out.

Another addition over in the Jackson Gore area is putting snowmaking pipe on White Lightning and Rolling Thunder.  We did this to make the area more enticing and more skiing terrain.  We know it can be somewhat limited over there so hopefully this helps.

Of course work on the South Face Village is moving along. Okemo is building the new lift and trails. There are a couple bridges over the ski trails we will need to build also. The new lift will be named the Sunshine Quad and it is a POMA Leitner fixed grip.  The new trail will be named Suncatcher.  Work is going well over there, but it could be a little dryer!

The facilities staff is working on some renovation projects in the Sitting Bull, the Clock Tower base daycare, the men’s room in the Summit Lodge and ladies’ room in the Sugar House.  The mountain operations staff is doing grip work on the chairlifts, as well as tower work. We have a legitimate company on site cleaning the Sunburst Six bubbles, and they are looking good. Who would have thought someone would have started a bubble cleaning company?  We are hopeful that we can keep them looking that way all winter. 

Make sure to check out the Adventure Zone this summer. We have a new mining sluice, called the Coleman Brook Mining Company, which will have some gems to mine, and we have moved the bungee jumping setup near the air bag, as we installed some bouncy houses for our younger guests.

So it will be busy with lots going on.  Photos will follow, and I will keep you up to speed.

Enjoy the July 4th weekend and many thanks for those who have helped preserve our freedom for 239 years….

Hope to see you sometime this summer around the resort or a Friday Night concert!

Bruce Schmidt
Okemo GM

Spring is upon us!

Greetings,

The end of March is near, and the coverage for skiing has been great.  There are not many years where we have had all the gladed trails open this late in March.  Our plan will be to work at keeping as much terrain open as possible.  We will be scaling back lift operations as we end March and head into April.  Good Friday and Easter weekend, we will add some lifts to the list. 

I know the skiing has been variable at times this spring.  Director of Mountain Operations Eb Kinney and myself have been discussing this and there is no easy answer.  The temperatures swings have forced us to not “mountain till” the snow as many nights as we did earlier in the winter. The challenge we have is that if we mountain till when it is forecasted to be warm, the snow will not set and then we will have soft granular snow. Once it gets to the rice state, it is impossible to get the snow back to being firm.  The other side of that is that when we don’t mountain till, the surface is firm and then when the sun doesn’t come out or it doesn’t warm up, the skiing is not as ideal.  This is a real quandary, and we hope that by grooming through the not so good days, we can make skiing better on the real good days.

We have announced that Okemo is looking at staying open well into April, as long as the weather cooperates and spring doesn’t happen quickly.  The mountain tells us when we have had enough skiing and riding. The snow disappears and we end up closing trails.  This year, we are going to try something new in regards to our April schedule.  Okemo will remain open through Sunday April 12^th  7-days a week.  After Sunday April 12^th, we are planning on going to a 3-day a week operation of Friday-Saturday-Sunday for operating days.  Seasons pass holders who have a Midweek or Sunday Plus seasons pass will be able to ski and ride on Friday and Sunday. Those who have 7-day a week seasons passes will be able to ski and ride Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Our plan is to operate into April, as long as weather and trail conditions permit. Keep in mind that the services we offer will be adjusted after Easter weekend, and there will be limited skiing and riding, as some mountain areas will be closed. The Jackson Gore base area is scheduled to close after Sunday April 12^th, weather permitting.  We will communicate on our website, Facebook and by snow report emails to keep everyone informed as we shoot for a long season towards the end of April.

The Sunburst Six continues to be a real plus for our guests and has made the skiing and riding experience even better, especially on colder weather days.  Okemo is committed to keeping our bubbles looking good.  The Okemo Lift Maintenance and Operations staff have been cleaning the bubbles when they are stored in the barn and buffing out any marks on them.  We are also taking a very strong stance on the defacing of the bubbles. Because of some diligence on the behalf of an employee who was riding on the downhill side of the Sunburst Six, we were able to apprehend a guest who was defacing the bubble.  We are working on pursuing our legal options with this, and we have confiscated the guest’s seasons pass.  Okemo takes a lot of pride in the Sunburst Six, and we hope you as guests will do too. Please help us keep the bubble looking its great bright orange color.

We are very excited to announce that lift serviced mountain biking will be an addition this summer at Okemo.  Opening in July will be the Evolution Mountain Bike Park at Okemo Mountain.  Mirrored after our sister Resort, Crested Butte, this new bike park will begin with several miles of mountain bike trails for novice and intermediate riders off of the South Ridge A Quad lift.  These trails will begin at the top of the lift and work their way down to the base area.  Work should begin on them in early May and we hope to be open by July 4^th.  There will be mountain bike rentals, and the main hub will be out of the Snowsports Shop. 

This season has been a good one.  We have had around 130 inches of snow, while 125 is our average.  The skiing and riding has been great, because we did not have those freeze/thaw cycles during the heart of the winter.  This made for some really good conditions, and I hope you were able to enjoy some of this season’s great skiing and riding. 

Enjoy some spring skiing, and we hope you visit us this summer.

Bruce Schmidt

Okemo GM

President's Day Weekend Update

There are always challenges that we face during different vacation weeks, and this year will be no different.  There is great snow all around the mountain, which is making for some great skiing and riding.  Unfortunately, there is the forecast of some significant cold weather. It is what everyone is talking about. The media is talking about how cold it will be and the wind.  It will be cold, but it is winter in VT.  Okemo understands the concerns that our guests and staff have with regard to the colder weather.  The skiing is going to be great, if guests dress appropriately.  Guests need to cover exposed skin, wear layers and take frequent breaks.  The entire Okemo staff will work hard to keep the lifts operating when there are windy conditions.  Our main concern is always safety of guests &and staff, as well as the equipment. We plan to have extra staff available to work at keeping the line moving at the Sunburst Six to help keep the lift moving.  In the event that there are lift shutdowns, we will do everything possible to communicate to staff and guests what is going on around the resort.

Okemo offers a Take 60 program, in the event that guests are not enjoying the skiing and riding. This means that guests have 60 minutes after they purchase their ticket to return to the Resort Services desk to receive a voucher for a return visit.  Those with multi-day tickets have until 10am to get their Take 60 voucher.   If guests feel they don’t want to ski, there are other options such as Nordic skiing, ice skating, tubing, mountain coaster or the Spring House, which call all be accessed with the purchase of a day or usage pass.

All of us here at Okemo want to do what we can to help make the resort experience the best we can. Below are some other things we have put in place:

• Ski Patrol staff are going to be on the lookout for guests who might be struggling and perhaps having exposed skin and not appropriately dressed for the conditions.
• We will have Free Family movies at the Springhouse on both Sunday and Monday for guests to take a break.

• Sunday, February 15th 
• 1:00pm The Nut Job 
• 3:00pm Warren Miller Ticket to Ride 
• Monday February 16th 
• 10:00am How to Train your Dragon 2 
• 1:00pm Warren Miller Children of Winter

• The Fire pits around the resort will be lit and working. These are located at the Clock Tower base in front of the Sitting Bull and the Jackson Gore Inn. There will be a temporary fire pit set up around the Sugar House for our guests.
  
• Extra staff will be in the Spring House and hotel pool areas to help with guest questions and towel pick up and general monitoring.
  
• Guests can purchase day passes to the Spring House, as long as they have not met the occupancy level in the pool area.
  
• The Ice House will have extra staff to keep the skating and skate rental going smoothly.  An effort will also be made to Zamboni the ice quicker to keep guests skating as much as possible.
  
• The indoor golf facility at Okemo Valley Golf Club is open. Guests can sign up for or get more information by calling 228-1396.
  
• The front desk of the Jackson Gore Inn and the lodging department as well as the Jackson Gore concierge has a list of area activities and attractions
  
• The Torchlight Parade and Fireworks that were scheduled for Sunday 2/15 have been postponed to Saturday 2/28.

The weather is looking like snow tonight into Sunday morning. We are forecasted to pick up 3-5 inches of new snow.  The temperatures for Sunday are looking to be 8 – 12 degrees with the temps falling in the afternoon.  Monday is forecasted to be mostly sunny with temperatures in the single digits around the resort.  Beginning on Tuesday we are expecting to see a warm up with Sunny skies on Tuesday some light snow possible on Wednesday.  We don’t want to dismiss or diminish the challenges that you may face or perceive when it comes to skiing when it is cold.  The snow is great with all the natural snow we have had. Regarding our children’s learning programs, we also take the utmost responsibility for your kids.  They will take frequent breaks, they will work hard to make the experience enjoyable, drink plenty of hot chocolate, and the safety of all our guests, young and old is always our first priority.  While we are offering a winter sport in the mountain of Vermont, we also need to balance this with the adjustments our guests need to make.

Here is to a safe, enjoyable and fun Presidents Day weekend.

Bruce Schmidt
Vice-President & General Manager