Okemo Mountain
Encyclopedia : O : OK : OKE : Okemo Mountain
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Okemo Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Ludlow, Vermont. It is one of the few remaining family-owned ski areas. Before becoming a popular ski resort destination, Ludlow was originally a mill town, and was the home of a General Electric plant until 1977.
History
Okemo was founded in 1955 by a small group of local businessmen. Operations officially began January 31, 1956 with four inches of snow, two Poma surface lifts, and lift tickets for 20 cents apiece. The early 1960s saw the introduction of four more Pomas, and the first chairlift was introduced in 1965. Snowmaking was first installed that year as well. With all of these improvements, Okemo became the first resort to offer slopeside lodging, starting in 1961.
The '70s brought in 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 While the resort was in danger of going bankrupt and the facilities were now outdated, the Muellers wanted to preserve the historic feeling. They kept the name Okemo, which is Native American for All Come Home. 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, with 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.
Mountain statistics
Elevation
- Base: 1,144 ft(348 m)
- Summit: 3,344 ft (1019 m)
- Vertical drop: 2,200 ft (670 m)
Trails
- Skiable area 624 acres (2.52 km²)
- 117 trails
- *38 novice - 33%
- *44 intermediate - 38%
- *33 advanced and expert - 29%
Lifts
- 18 total
- *9 quad chairs
- :*5 highspeed detachable quads
- *3 triple chairs
- *6 surface lifts
Skiing the Mountain
Many find that Okemo is a pleasant mountain to ski because of the 95% snowmaking coverage and nightly grooming of a lot of the trails. It is particularly well suited for intermediate skiers because there are a lot of cruising trails. Expert skiers may feel limited when the resort is compared to other Vermont resorts like Killington, Sugarbush or Stowe. However, there is plenty of terrain to keep advanced skiers and riders interested.
There are four main areas at Okemo, each with at least one high speed detachable quad. The Southface area faces the sun in the morning and is served by a 1100 ft 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 Punchline, and Okemo makes sure to mark mogul trails. Okemo is also known for their bailout lanes, groomed sections on bump runs where one can escape from the moguls. On busy days, the Southface is a good area to avoid the crowds.
The main moutain is serviced primarily by the Northstar high speed lift and two older fixed grip triples. The 1700 vertical foot cruisers, such as Chief, World Cup, and Jolly Green Giant are accessed from the Northstar lift. Lines can accumulate on busy days at peak times in this area. Intermediate skiers and riders will particularly enjoy Sapphire, a classic New England cruising trail, with great views of the valley. The main area also includes runs directed at more advanced skiers, such as Searle's Way, Sel's Choice (moguls), Nor'Easter (jumps), Defiance, and the Dew Zone (Mountain Dew sponsored halfpipe and snowboard park).
The next area is Solitude, which offers about 1100 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 (blue) cruisers, though some blues and blacks exist, such as Exhibition, Sidewinder, and the Plunge (moguls).
The last area is the newly developed Jackson Gore, complete with its own access road, lodge, ski school, and most other ammenities 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. Lines are unlikely to be found here, although there is often traffic on the lower Limelight trail as tired skiers wind their way home at the end of the day. For safety, keep an eye out for erratic movements and be able to turn/stop at whatever speed one is traveling at.
Although the East Coast ski experience has been known to be icy, Okemo does a credible job in controlling the issue with frequent snowmaking and grooming. One can see where fresh snow was blown by checking a map at any of the ticket offices each morning.
Hiking trail
The 2.9 mile (4.7 km) Healdville Trail starts at a small parking lot off State Route 103 and makes a relatively easy ascent to the fire tower at the top of the mountain.
References
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