Okemo... The Good, The Bad. What to hit, What to Missss. Lifts to hit, Trees to Run

[MidnightJester]

Hi all,

Ok few questions for you.. Doing a Okemo trip this weekend and need a little input. Going Riding Sunday staying over and Riding Monday. So 2 days riding to learn Okemo. Never been there yet been to half of VT now and adding. Can handle all trails black and above and allmost all gladed runs if not frozen over. Looking for extra fun trails if they exsist blues are ok(which blues are ok ) then black are fun and place to be at right times(Any to avoid,Which to Hit)??? and Secret/Nice Spots"coopers lodge killington style", Off Map trails "esp gladed unlisted", even a hidden old trail if they exsist. Going with a good bunch and should be fun and want to add to it.. The friends that are going have some knowings of the place but I like to bring something to the table if I can..Keep good glades in mind esp if ridden recently.
Also what do you think Sat will do to the greatness most mountains got this week?? What will be left on sunday and into the week and of course where to find it?? Monday is just bonus round and test time : )
Anyone going to OKEMO Sunday into Monday?? Off to Plot and Plan,, cough cough.......

Thanks Todd

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[bryanjagoe]

make sure you spend a lot of time over on the south side as there are good glades over there for example outrage is excelent and the snow should be great this weekend. if your looking for bumps try out jackson gore (okemos second connected mountain) and go down upper limelight. for a great steep cruiser do quantum leap

 

[deadheadskier]

I grew up skiing Okemo and know the mountain well. I probably have skied there over 500 times. There are no "secrets" for the most part at Okemo, pretty much what's on the trail map is what you get.

My plan of attack would be this if I were skiing there on Sunday.

Get there early, park in the Main lot.

Take the beginner area Quads to the Northstar Express and lap it a few times before the crowding gets bad.

1st Run: World Cup
2nd Run: Chief
Third Run: Searle's Way to Sidekick to Sel's Choice (Sel's for Bumps)

Then I'd work my way over to the Glades Peak South Face Areas. Take the Northstar back up and ski

Challenger to Fall Line
Outrage
Double Diamond

then over to Southface Proper to ski

Blind Faith
Punchline
Stump Jumper
Loose Spruce

That should put you at about lunchtime, for which I'd head over to Solitude Base Area to eat. Leave the top of Glades Peak to get there by taking Buckhorn > Rumrunner > the Narrows > Whistler > Tomahawk > The Plunge. That's a really great sequence of runs where you'll get Glades, Cruising and Bumps over a long descent.

After lunch head over to Jackson Gore and ski it's terrain offerings to finish out the day before heading back to the main base.

Monday the place will be empty, but you'll know the mountain well, so just head for the areas you enjoyed the most on Sunday.

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

one of my fav blues at okemo

 

[Ski Diva]

Deadheadskier has a lot of great tips. I ski there all the time, so I know.

If you really like bumps, you don't want to miss Big Bang, Rolling Thunder, and White Lightning in the Jackson Gore area. These are natural snow trails that are finally open, and they bump up quite nicely. A lot of fun. Also, Ledges under the Sachem Quad is great for bumps. The Sachem Quad is kind of slow and doesn't take you all the way up the mountain, so you might want to take the Northstar Quad and ski down via Defiance or Countdown until you get to Easy Street (under the Sachem Quad; it's a wide, flat green); take this til it ends at Ledges. When you get to the bottom of Ledges, be sure to keep an eye out for an opening to the left so you can get back to the Northstar. Otherwise you'll end up back at the Base Lodge and have to ride those awful slow lifts again.

Another fun blue: Timberline under the Green Ridge Triple.

 

[gmcunni]

^^ great advice from people who know the place way better than me. couple things i think of:
1. Sun/Mon combo is great for crowd avoidance. the place will thin out a lot after lunch as peeps head home from weekend.
2. if you plan to buy lunch at a lodge AVOID going back to any of the lower base lodges (MAIN/JG). the sugar shack near the bottom of the Express lift is good, place at the top is good. solitude lodge is ok too but last time i was there it was more a restaurant with waiter/waitress service rather than grab it and eat place. reason is the extra lifts to get back up the hill.
3. i prefer Jackson Gore skiing earlier in the day, it gets less light over there and unless it is super sunny i find the late day flat light bothersome.
4. south face is great

 

[MadPadraic]

FRITOLAYGUY: will you share its name?

 

[steamboat1]

FRITOLAYGUY: will you share its name?

Looks like the old poma line. Think it's called jolly green giant.

 

[gmcunni]

Looks like the old poma line. Think it's called jolly green giant.

thinking same.

personally i liked the wider cruising trails.

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Yes jolly sorry i thought i put that in there

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

its alot wider than it looks, great trail nobody ever on it, just cruising alone to the bottom

 

[HD333]

Sorry to threadjack.

We were just offered the use of a condo at Okemo for Easter weekend at Kettlebrook. The price is right (free) so we will probably go no matter what.
My questions are:
How does Okemo do late season snow wise? I know we could get a huge melt off or a huge dump, historically do they stay open into April?
Is it worth buying 3 day tickets in advance or should we play it day to day?
Is Kettlebrook ski in /ski out?
Where do we need to eat/après ? Kid friendly.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Boston Bulldog]

Sorry to threadjack.

We were just offered the use of a condo at Okemo for Easter weekend at Kettlebrook. The price is right (free) so we will probably go no matter what.
My questions are:
How does Okemo do late season snow wise? I know we could get a huge melt off or a huge dump, historically do they stay open into April?
Is it worth buying 3 day tickets in advance or should we play it day to day?
Is Kettlebrook ski in /ski out?
Where do we need to eat/après ? Kid friendly.
Thanks in advance.

I haven't been to Okemo since December, but if I remember correctly Kettlebrook is located off of the beginning quads and IS ski on ski out. (The Kettlebrook trail serves it)

Okemo does stay open into mid-late April

3 day tickets would be the way to go. Much cheaper. (The ski and stay ticket is a bargain)

Never seen the nightlife, but from what I've heard the mountain itself is more lively than Ludlow.

 

[xwhaler]

I'd play the tickets by ear....If you sign up for Okemo's text alerts they often have good deals they will send out a couple wks in advance to pre buy tickets.
An example I've rcvd is a wknd for $99 (2 days)....compare that with $88 for a full day and its a good deal. It's select wknds though---I'm sure like everyone else they will be tossing some good spring deals out there to entice the die hards.


Also, they have a Canned food drive on Saturday 3/30....turns for $39 with a donation. If you have a NH ID you can do the NH Resident Sunday Solution for $35 and ski from 8-1:30

 

[ss20]

In between the South Face lift line and Double Diamond you'll find great, but popular, unmarked glades. Between Moment's Rest and lower Rimrock there's a real fun unmarked glade. Looking for a real challenge? Hit the trees between Double Diamond and Outrage. I just skied it for the first time this weekend. Crazy sh!t in there. Pictures:



Supernova is the best marked glade. Front trails off the NorthStar are great groomers. Ledges is a must for bumpers.

 

[Boston Bulldog]

Ski the powerline!

 

[skifree]

agree with ss20. skied the southface area all day Sunday. conditions where sweet!!!


apres..hit The Loft(red building) next to bus parking lot. awesome beer selection and very good food.