Okemo Mountain
Encyclopedia
Okemo Mountain Resort is a ski resort
located in Ludlow
, Vermont. Before becoming a popular ski resort destination, Ludlow was originally a mill town
, and was the home of a General Electric
plant until 1977. The resort experienced 600,000 skier visits in 2009. Parents Magazine rated it the Top US Family Snow Resort.
. The lower poma cost 20 cents per ride, while the upper one cost 60 cents. The early 1960s saw the introduction of four more Pomas. In these years, Okemo had a reputation of operating with all Poma platter lifts, while other ski areas used double chair lifts to serve advanced ski terrain. The first chairlift, the Sachem double, was introduced in 1965. Along with all of these improvements, Okemo began to offer slopeside lodging starting in 1961. In 1963, Okemo purchased its first groomer, a Tucker Sno-Cat
model. Snowmaking was first used, starting with the lower part of the mountain, in 1966.
The 1970s brought tough times for Okemo. There were fires, floods, and competition from the West. In 1982, the owners decided to sell the resort rather than go into bankruptcy. Tim and Dianne Mueller purchased the resort on August 2, 1982. While the resort was in danger of going bankrupt and the facilities were outdated, the Muellers wanted to preserve the historic feeling. They kept the name Okemo, which they claim is Native American for "All Come Home", although there is no evidence as to which Native American language this comes from. According to the scholarship of John C. Huden, the name means Chieftain in Chippewa and a louse in Abnaki. Certain trail names also continue to preserve this sentiment, such as Chief, Tomahawk, Wardance, Sachem, and Arrow, all of which are present on today's trail map.
Since 1982, Okemo has grown in many different ways. The facilities have been expanded in every aspect, including new chairlifts, trails, lodges, and snowmaking. Since purchasing Okemo, the Muellers have also acquired Mount Sunapee Resort
in Newbury, New Hampshire
, and Mount Crested Butte
in Crested Butte, Colorado
.
On December 6, 2008, the Muellers sold Okemo, Crested Butte and Mount Sunapee to a REIT, CNL Lifestyle Properties in a lease-back deal valued at over 130 million dollars. CNL now owns the underlying assets of the resorts, while the Muellers will continue to run the resorts as usual.
96% (605 acres) of the trail area is covered by snowmaking; one of the highest percentages in the East. The snowmaking pond has a total water capacity of 155 million gallons. In addition, the quality of the grooming is ranked sixth in the nation by SKI Magazine readers.
-related names at the top of Jackson Gore. The following lists all of the trails by rating and name, alphabetically:
See also: Okemo Trail Map
New loading and unloading conveyors are being installed for South Ridge Quad B at the main base. This is the first unloading carpet to be used in the United States. The use of this system will make it easier for beginners to load and unload and potentially cause less delays at the lift.
sponsored halfpipe and snowboard park).
Solitude, to the right of the main mountain as one looks uphill, offers about 1,100 vertical feet. The Solitude area also has its own base lodge, hotel accommodations, and private trailside homes. Most of the trails in this area are intermediate cruisers, though some blacks exist, such as Exhibition and The Plunge.
The South Face area, to the left, has the highest peak on the mountain, faces the sun in the morning, and is served by a 1100 feet (335.3 m) high-speed lift. This area is known for its more difficult terrain, including most of the double-black diamond trails. While some of the main thoroughfares are groomed nightly in this area, trails like Outrage and Forest Bump remain natural. There are also mogul trails in this area, such as Punch Line; Okemo marks its mogul trails. Okemo is also known for their bailout lanes, groomed sections on bump runs where one can escape from the moguls.
The final area, on the far right, is the still-developing Jackson Gore, complete with its own access road, lodge, ski school, and most other amenities also found at the Base Lodge. This area, served by two high-speed quads, has some of the steeper terrain on the mountain, as well as the standard green and blue trails. One alternative is Jack-a-lope or Moonshadow to Southern Crossing, although this goes to the base area only rather than the lift to the peak. Future plans for the Jackson Gore base area include more condominiums off to the right, with ski-in access provided by a new fixed grip quad and trail underneath it. There is also a plan to place a gondola that loads at Jackson Gore's base and unloads at the top of the main mountain. The proposed location for this gondola is shown on the trail map as a line of snow through the trees that goes through Solitude Village and Solitude's trails and continues to the main peak next to Upper Tomahawk, remaining to the right of the Green Ridge Triple.
Okemo's fifth area and its smallest is Glades Peak, between the main mountain and the South Face, serviced by one fixed-grip quad. It provides access to most trails on the mountain, including a couple that are exclusively served by its lift.
There are also designated snowshoeing trails on the map, in several different loops on the lower part of the mountain. Like the ratings for skiing the trails, these routes also range from easier to most difficult, determined by how steep each trail is. The ratings vary along each route based on what trail it takes to go back in the opposite direction. In addition, a tubing area has recently been installed at the base of Jackson Gore.
and ascends to the fire tower at the top of the mountain. Visitors can also drive up the mountain on the paved road known as the trail "Mountain Road" in the winter. There are lookout points to stop and take in the scenery along the way.
Across Route 103 sits the 18-hole, par-70 Okemo Valley golf course, rated the best public course in Vermont for 2006 by Golfweek. Run by Okemo, it is the first Heathland-style golf course built in Vermont. The whole course measures 6400 yards (5,852.2 m) and hosts two events on the Vermont PGA
Tour. Other amenities include a 12000 ft (3,657.6 m)² year-round indoor training center, an 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) outdoor learning center, a clubhouse, a pro shop, and Yamaha
gold carts. Adjacent to the course is Willie Dunn's Grille, a restaurant open every day during the summer and winter seasons (with breaks in between) for lunch and dinner. The Muellers also own Tater Hill Golf Club in Windham
, Vermont, 22 miles (35 km) away from Ludlow.
, and Crested Butte
. The Muellers have bought 27 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy certificates from Sterling Planet, through a contract with Gunnison County Electric Association in Colorado
, for about 15% more money than they were paying previously. It is estimated that this will prevent 18,800 tons of carbon dioxide emissions on a yearly basis.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
located in Ludlow
Ludlow (town), Vermont
Ludlow is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,449 at the 2000 census. Ludlow is the home of Okemo Mountain, a popular skiing area.-Geography:...
, Vermont. Before becoming a popular ski resort destination, Ludlow was originally a mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
, and was the home of a General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
plant until 1977. The resort experienced 600,000 skier visits in 2009. Parents Magazine rated it the Top US Family Snow Resort.
History
Okemo was founded in 1955 by a group of local businessmen. Operations officially began January 31, 1956, with four inches (102 mm) of snow and trails serviced by two Poma surface liftsPlatter lift
A platter lift , platter pull or button lift is a surface lift, a mechanized system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope. In Europe they are also known as Poma lifts...
. The lower poma cost 20 cents per ride, while the upper one cost 60 cents. The early 1960s saw the introduction of four more Pomas. In these years, Okemo had a reputation of operating with all Poma platter lifts, while other ski areas used double chair lifts to serve advanced ski terrain. The first chairlift, the Sachem double, was introduced in 1965. Along with all of these improvements, Okemo began to offer slopeside lodging starting in 1961. In 1963, Okemo purchased its first groomer, a Tucker Sno-Cat
Sno-Cat
The Tucker Sno-Cat is a tracked vehicle or a family of tracked vehicles for snow conditions.Different models have been used for expeditions in the Arctic and the Antarctic during the second half of the 20th century...
model. Snowmaking was first used, starting with the lower part of the mountain, in 1966.
The 1970s brought tough times for Okemo. There were fires, floods, and competition from the West. In 1982, the owners decided to sell the resort rather than go into bankruptcy. Tim and Dianne Mueller purchased the resort on August 2, 1982. While the resort was in danger of going bankrupt and the facilities were outdated, the Muellers wanted to preserve the historic feeling. They kept the name Okemo, which they claim is Native American for "All Come Home", although there is no evidence as to which Native American language this comes from. According to the scholarship of John C. Huden, the name means Chieftain in Chippewa and a louse in Abnaki. Certain trail names also continue to preserve this sentiment, such as Chief, Tomahawk, Wardance, Sachem, and Arrow, all of which are present on today's trail map.
Since 1982, Okemo has grown in many different ways. The facilities have been expanded in every aspect, including new chairlifts, trails, lodges, and snowmaking. Since purchasing Okemo, the Muellers have also acquired Mount Sunapee Resort
Mount Sunapee Resort
-History:Mount Sunapee's history as a ski area dates back to as early as 1940, when in response to the success of a tram at Cannon Mountain a survey was made for a similar tram on Mount Sunapee. The following year, the state of New Hampshire passed the Mt...
in Newbury, New Hampshire
Newbury, New Hampshire
Newbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,072 at the 2010 census. Newbury is home to part of Lake Sunapee, including Mount Sunapee State Park Beach. Mount Sunapee Resort, a ski area in Mount Sunapee State Park, is in the west...
, and Mount Crested Butte
Mount Crested Butte, Colorado
Mount Crested Butte is a Home Rule Municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. Mount Crested Butte is the home of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The population was 801 at the 2010 census. ZIP code 81225 serves post office boxes for Mount Crested Butte and for neighboring Crested...
in Crested Butte, Colorado
Crested Butte, Colorado
Crested Butte is a Home Rule Municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. A former coal mining town now called "the last great Colorado ski town," Crested Butte is a destination for skiing, mountain biking, and a variety of other outdoor activities...
.
On December 6, 2008, the Muellers sold Okemo, Crested Butte and Mount Sunapee to a REIT, CNL Lifestyle Properties in a lease-back deal valued at over 130 million dollars. CNL now owns the underlying assets of the resorts, while the Muellers will continue to run the resorts as usual.
Mountain statistics
The base of Okemo stands at 1,144 feet (346 m) above sea level, and the summit is 3,344 feet (1,019 m). This gives Okemo the largest vertical drop in southern Vermont, 2,200 feet (670 m). The mountain has a total of 119 trails spread across 632 acres (2.6 km²) skiable terrain. Trail difficulty is almost evenly divided between novice, intermediate, and advanced/expert. A paved road that runs along the mountainside is used as a ski trail in the winter, making it Okemo's longest trail at 4.5 miles (7.2 km). Mountain Road can be driven during the summer and has parking spots for scenic viewing of the valley.96% (605 acres) of the trail area is covered by snowmaking; one of the highest percentages in the East. The snowmaking pond has a total water capacity of 155 million gallons. In addition, the quality of the grooming is ranked sixth in the nation by SKI Magazine readers.
Trails
The trails built as each new part of the mountain have had some sort of theme, such as the Native American names on the main mountain and the astronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
-related names at the top of Jackson Gore. The following lists all of the trails by rating and name, alphabetically:
| Easier | More Difficult | Most Difficult | Most Difficult (Use Extreme Caution) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Star Basin | Beeline | Black Out (m) | Big Bang (m) |
| Buckhorn | Blue Moon | Blind Faith (t) | Black Hole (g) |
| Bull Run | Boomerang | Challenger (n) | Double Diamond (g) |
| Coleman Brook | Catnap (n) | Defiance | Forrest Bump (g) |
| Day Break | Chute | Eclipse | Loose Spruce (g) |
| Dream Weaver | Countdown | Exhibition | Nor'Easter Terrain Park (t) |
| Easy Rider | Fast Lane (n) (m) | Outrage (g) | |
| Easy Street | Cutter's Folly | Ledges (m) | Rolling Thunder (n) |
| Escape | Double Dipper | Nor'Easter (t) | SoBe Super Pipe (t) |
| Expresso | Drop Off | Punch Line (m) | Supernova (g) |
| Fairway | Express Lane | Quantum Leap | The Dew Zone (t) |
| Galaxy Bowl | French Connection (n) | Searle's Way (n) | White Lightning (n) |
| Home Stretch | Heaven's Gate | Sel's Choice (m) | |
| Homeward Bound | Jolly Green Giant | Side Kick (n) | |
| Hot Dog Hill (t) | Line Drive | Stump Jumper | |
| Inn Bound | Link | The Plunge (m) | |
| Jack-A-Lope | Lower Arrow | Triplesec (m) | |
| Kettle Brook Trail | Lower Chief | Turkey Shoot (n) | |
| Ledgewood Trail | Lower Fall Line | Upper Chief | |
| Lift Line | Lower Limelight | Upper Fall Line | |
| Lower Mountain Road | Lower Tomahawk | Upper Limelight (m) | |
| Mountain Road | Lower World Cup | Upper Wild Thing (n) (m) | |
| Open Slope | Moment's Rest | Upper World Cup | |
| Promenade | Moonshadow | Vortex | |
| Rising Star | Off The Rim (n) | Wardance | |
| Sachem | Ridge Runner | Wild Thing | |
| Ski School Slope | Rimrock | Broken Arrow (g) (t) | |
| Snowtrak | Route 103 | ||
| Southern Crossing | Rum Run (n) | ||
| Spur Line | Sapphire | ||
| Sun Dog | Scooter | ||
| Sunburst | Screamin' Demon | ||
| Sunset Strip | Side Out | ||
| Switchback | Sidewinder | ||
| Upper Mountain Road (n) | Sprint | ||
| Village Run | Sprout | ||
| Zip | The Bends | ||
| The Narrows (g) | |||
| Timberline | |||
| Tuckered Out | |||
| Upper Arrow | |||
| Upper Tomahawk | |||
| Whistler (g) | |||
- (g) – gladed trail with trees
- (n) – natural trail without snowmaking (not including glades), although many of these are groomed after a snowfall to have a solid base
- (m) – trail with moguls regularly when conditions provide
- (t) – terrain park with various jumps and features including rails and halfpipes
See also: Okemo Trail Map
Lifts
Okemo has 12 chairlifts, including five high-speed detachable quads, four fixed grip quad chairs, and three triples. There are seven surface lifts, of which five are carpets, one is a poma in the beginners' area, and one is a t-bar that takes riders to the top of the halfpipe. These lifts combined to give the mountain a total uphill capacity of 33,450 people per hour.| Surface Lifts | Fixed Grip Triples | Fixed Grip Quads | High-Speed Quads |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-10 Carpet | Black Ridge Triple | Glades Peak Quad | Coleman Brook Express Quad |
| Orion's Belt Carpet | Green Ridge Triple | Sachem Quad | Jackson Gore Express |
| Skywalker Carpet | Morning Star Triple | South Ridge Quad A | Northstar Express Quad |
| Snow Stars Poma | South Ridge Quad B | Solitude Express Quad | |
| Stargazer Carpet | South Face Express Quad | ||
| Starlight Carpet | |||
| The Pull |
New loading and unloading conveyors are being installed for South Ridge Quad B at the main base. This is the first unloading carpet to be used in the United States. The use of this system will make it easier for beginners to load and unload and potentially cause less delays at the lift.
Lodges
- Main Base Lodge: located at the base of South Ridge Quads A & B at the main entrance of the mountain, with daycare, ski shop, rentals, tickets, and food from the cafeteria, Caffé Origins, and the Sitting Bull Restaurant & Bar
- Jackson Gore Base Lodge: located at the base of the Jackson Gore area and Coleman Brook Express Quad, with daycare, ski shop, rentals, tickets, and food from the cafeteria, selling more specialties than the other lodges, and Siena restaurant on the second floor; also attached is hotel-like lodging and Coleman Brook Tavern restaurant
- Sugar House: located near the base of Northstar Express Quad, with many unique dining opportunities, including a deli, a grille, pizza, and a café
- Summit Lodge: located at the top of the main mountain, accessible from Northstar Express Quad, Green Ridge Triple, and Glades Peak Quad, with a cafeteria, bar, and Asian cuisine
- Solitude Day Lodge: located at the base of the Solitude area and Solitude Express Quad, with a full-service restaurant—Epic—and a small snack area
Skiing the mountain
There are four main areas at Okemo, each with at least one high speed detachable quad. The main mountain is serviced primarily by the Northstar Express Quad and two older fixed-grip triples. The 1,700-vertical-foot cruisers, such as Chief, World Cup, and Jolly Green Giant are accessed from the Northstar Express. When lift lines become crowded the Green Ridge Triple can be used to reach the top of the mountain instead, although it loads at the middle of the mountain. The main area also includes runs directed at more advanced skiers, such as Searle's Way, Sel's Choice, Nor'Easter Terrain Park, Defiance, and the Dew Zone (Mountain DewMountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
sponsored halfpipe and snowboard park).
Solitude, to the right of the main mountain as one looks uphill, offers about 1,100 vertical feet. The Solitude area also has its own base lodge, hotel accommodations, and private trailside homes. Most of the trails in this area are intermediate cruisers, though some blacks exist, such as Exhibition and The Plunge.
The South Face area, to the left, has the highest peak on the mountain, faces the sun in the morning, and is served by a 1100 feet (335.3 m) high-speed lift. This area is known for its more difficult terrain, including most of the double-black diamond trails. While some of the main thoroughfares are groomed nightly in this area, trails like Outrage and Forest Bump remain natural. There are also mogul trails in this area, such as Punch Line; Okemo marks its mogul trails. Okemo is also known for their bailout lanes, groomed sections on bump runs where one can escape from the moguls.
The final area, on the far right, is the still-developing Jackson Gore, complete with its own access road, lodge, ski school, and most other amenities also found at the Base Lodge. This area, served by two high-speed quads, has some of the steeper terrain on the mountain, as well as the standard green and blue trails. One alternative is Jack-a-lope or Moonshadow to Southern Crossing, although this goes to the base area only rather than the lift to the peak. Future plans for the Jackson Gore base area include more condominiums off to the right, with ski-in access provided by a new fixed grip quad and trail underneath it. There is also a plan to place a gondola that loads at Jackson Gore's base and unloads at the top of the main mountain. The proposed location for this gondola is shown on the trail map as a line of snow through the trees that goes through Solitude Village and Solitude's trails and continues to the main peak next to Upper Tomahawk, remaining to the right of the Green Ridge Triple.
Okemo's fifth area and its smallest is Glades Peak, between the main mountain and the South Face, serviced by one fixed-grip quad. It provides access to most trails on the mountain, including a couple that are exclusively served by its lift.
There are also designated snowshoeing trails on the map, in several different loops on the lower part of the mountain. Like the ratings for skiing the trails, these routes also range from easier to most difficult, determined by how steep each trail is. The ratings vary along each route based on what trail it takes to go back in the opposite direction. In addition, a tubing area has recently been installed at the base of Jackson Gore.
Summer activities
The 2.9 mile (4.7 km) Healdville Trail for hikers starts at a small parking lot off Vermont Route 103Vermont Route 103
Vermont Route 103 is a north–south state highway in southern Vermont, United States. It runs from Rockingham in the east to Clarendon near Rutland in the west...
and ascends to the fire tower at the top of the mountain. Visitors can also drive up the mountain on the paved road known as the trail "Mountain Road" in the winter. There are lookout points to stop and take in the scenery along the way.
Across Route 103 sits the 18-hole, par-70 Okemo Valley golf course, rated the best public course in Vermont for 2006 by Golfweek. Run by Okemo, it is the first Heathland-style golf course built in Vermont. The whole course measures 6400 yards (5,852.2 m) and hosts two events on the Vermont PGA
Professional Golfers Association
Professional Golfers' Association, , is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA...
Tour. Other amenities include a 12000 ft (3,657.6 m)² year-round indoor training center, an 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) outdoor learning center, a clubhouse, a pro shop, and Yamaha
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
gold carts. Adjacent to the course is Willie Dunn's Grille, a restaurant open every day during the summer and winter seasons (with breaks in between) for lunch and dinner. The Muellers also own Tater Hill Golf Club in Windham
Windham, Vermont
Windham is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 328 at the 2000 census. The town center village is designated as the Windham Village Historic District.-Geography:...
, Vermont, 22 miles (35 km) away from Ludlow.
Wind power
During August 2006, the Muellers announced they were switching to wind power for the upcoming ski season at their three resorts, Okemo, Mount SunapeeMount Sunapee
Mount Sunapee is a -long mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is above sea level. The mountain has three secondary peaks, White Ledges at ; North Peak at ; and South Peak at...
, and Crested Butte
Mount Crested Butte, Colorado
Mount Crested Butte is a Home Rule Municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. Mount Crested Butte is the home of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The population was 801 at the 2010 census. ZIP code 81225 serves post office boxes for Mount Crested Butte and for neighboring Crested...
. The Muellers have bought 27 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy certificates from Sterling Planet, through a contract with Gunnison County Electric Association in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, for about 15% more money than they were paying previously. It is estimated that this will prevent 18,800 tons of carbon dioxide emissions on a yearly basis.