Okemo

[maplevalleymaster]

Okemo is a great mountain for beginners and intermediate skiers. They have some great glades (Outrage, Loose Spruce, Forest Bump) and are leaving a lot more ungroomed this year.

 

[OppositeGeorge]

I can't ever remember having a bad day out at Okemo.

That's a good point, too. I've never had a WOW! day there (because there are better places to ski when things are awesome.) But I've never had a bad day either. If conditions generally suck, they'll generally suck less at Okemo.

 

[jaywbigred]

I am not sure what everyone here is talking about, that Okemo grooms everything. I would have to disagree with that statement. I think Okemo reliably keeps bumps on a number of trails, esp. Sel's Choice, Ledges, and Blackout. If they have coverage, The Plunge in the Solitude area is often bumped up, and there are almost always bumps in the trees on Double Diamond. And everytime I have been over at Jackson Gore with enough snow, Big Bang and Black Hole have been bumped up too.

Now, none of these runs are going to approach what most people would consider steep or difficult. To a certain degree, these runs are marked, I thin,k under the belief that a Blue + Bumps = Diamond, or a single diamond + bumps = double. I don't know if I agree with that, but that is how I think they mark them.

I will say this for Okemo, their snow making is without peer. By far the best, imho. And their superiority extends to seeding bumps. Even in lean snow years, Okemo will keep a couple trails bumped up via their snowmaking/seeding techniques. I do not know how they do it SO much better than other areas, but their seeded bumps are terrific. I would call them hero bumps, because they are perfectly placed and not too big, and thus great for practicing your form and building mogul fitness/endurance for when you do hit some more challenging bumps at other areas. Plus, at Okemo you will mostly have the bumps to yourself, even on a weekend, bc most people at the mountain are not there to ski 'em.

So I think unless your a world cup mogul skier, you could spend the day bashing smallish, well placed bumps at Okemo for practice and training, and not be bored. I have spent days (okay, maybe mornings) lapping the H chair and skiing Sel's and Blackout until I had trouble standing, with a big smile on my face. Oh and everything everyone has said about the base lodge is 100% true (esp. on weekends). If you can get to Jackson Gore lodge, use it. If the bus forces you to go to the main lodge, pack a lunch and your stuff in a backpack and put it in the Surgar House on your first run, and don't go back to the main lodge until you have to.

 

[OppositeGeorge]

I would call them hero bumps, because they are perfectly placed and not too big, and thus great for practicing your form and building mogul fitness/endurance for when you do hit some more challenging bumps at other areas.

Dammit. I was hoping I'd actually been getting better.

Seriously, I'm not a bump guy so I'm probably not the best judge of what makes a good mogul run to hit time after time. It's good to hear that things don't have to be killer extreme to be fun for somebody with more experience. Makes me feel a lot less sucky in 'em.

But yes, looking at your trail count I've got to agree with you; Okemo does let more than a couple runs bump up. It just doesn't seem like that much for newbs and occasional visitors like me, because the place is so big, and almost everything we see is groomed pretty consistently. The few bump runs I found were basically by accident and the place doesn't go out of their way to plug 'em, at least not that I've seen.*

I guess the marketers are doing a good job because AFAICT great groomers is exactly what they want us part-timers to be thinking about! Okemo definitely uses their groomers more often and better than most other ski areas -- that's part of the Okemo brand. I think it's telling that they keep Quantum Leap -- directly under the JG chair and likely the area's most consistent sustained pitch -- mowed down and let the out-of-view Upper Limelight and Big Bang bump up. If they wanted to be known for bumps that situation would be reversed.

You're right, none of the bumpers are exceptionally steep and they are good for working on form. That probably contributes to the nice shape -- they don't get chewed up as much. And none of the bump runs that I've been on there have been that long, but I've never been there when The Ledges or Double Diamond or Black Hole were open. I guess I'd say their bump runs lack the intimidation factor I've found at other areas. Big Bang gave me some trouble late season last year when things were getting icy, but rated double black (as Okemo does?) Not any place but Okemo.

----
*Actually, the only Okemo ads that stick in my head are the ones plugging real estate -- I'm sure they must have a couple signature runs but I just don't remember seeing them being promoted. It'd be interesting to find out what Okemo regulars consider the mountain's defining trails. Anyway, back on to the main track...

 

[kingslug]

Well it's demo day at Hunter Sunday so we HAVE to go there. Wife needs new planks and soon. And I get to see how my new planks hold up on some true ice...which I imagine Clairs will be full of.....OY

 

[wintersyndrome]

Here we go again

 

[tekweezle]

It's debatable whether there is such a thing as a bad ski area (as I get older, and better, I find something to like about every place I go it seems) but IMO if you were bored at Stratton then you probably won't like Okemo -- relatively mellow terrain groomed for intermediates, limited bump runs and even the "expert" area @ Jackson Gore really only has one or two runs deserving the qualification, and then only when they leave 'em ungroomed. I hear the trees are fun (Double Dipper?) when conditions are good but haven't tried 'em yet. And it gets crowded on the weekends around the main base, but that's probably the case anywhere in Vermont this time of year.

Okay, look -- Okemo isn't on my list of favorites. Still, this sounds like a great deal (and no driving) so why not try it and make the best of it? I know you prefer steep and ungroomed but maybe you could consider this an opportunity to broaden your abilities as a skier. Yeah, most runs are groomed to hell, so go there and work on technique, or parks, or trees. Or take a lesson -- a good instructor will find a way to kick your ass even on the bunny slope. And if anybody knows how to deal with this week's sketchiness, it's Okemo.

Even a so-so day skiing is better than a great day of sitting around the house. I figure any place is worth trying once, if only so you can say you did it

i agree, Okemo is a great place to get your miles and miles of skiing in. there isn;t much variety but compared to anything in the catskills, it just got more of it. since you got a bus trip, a big part of the equation is taken cared of about value for your effort.

Go to Okemo, you'll probably not have a terrible time. you may or may never go back but atleast you did it once. in my opinion, it;s nearly identical to Stratton, just a little taller.

 

[jaywbigred]

in my opinion, it;s nearly identical to Stratton, just a little taller.

The mountain itself is somewhat similar (not to tall, not steep at all), but there are major differences, to me:

1) Okemo's bumps are far superior.

2) Okemo's lifts do a better job dispersing a crowd (if you stay away from the base). Stratton's Gondola is a huge headache on a crowded weekend. Even the Sunbowl can get busy at times (if there is terrain open over there).

3) Okemo's snowmaking (and grooming, if you like that sort of thing) are better.

4) Stratton's lodges are nicer.

5) Ludlow is a better town.

6) Stratton has the Stratton Mountain Club. If a member ever invites you, GO.

 

[OppositeGeorge]

Okemo's lifts do a better job dispersing a crowd (if you stay away from the base).

Yes. Thanks to the lift layout Okemo effectively has several "base" areas (some with services, others just the bottom of major lifts) and as a result the crowds in my experience get spread thinner than at Stratton (except of course, at the main base -- it is truly the source of all evil in the world and you must stay away from it at all costs.)

 

[tekweezle]

I always thought the layouts of both Stratton and Okemo were near identical. the Jackson Gore expansion changed that a little but then I think it sort of resebles the Mount Snow's North face and Hunter's West side(1 lift, 3 trails straight down).

Okemo has bumps? i don;t think I have ever seen them! i think they have 1 trail on the lower front side of the mountain that they let get bumped. is that Sel's choice? i thought Okemo's claim to fame is they have a "skier only trail" called Jolly Green Giant. I like the Jackson Gore area in Okemo as well.

At Stratton, they have some trails on the left most side of the mountain that they let get bumped up. too bad the 4 person fixed quad is so ridiculously slow.

they have some cool 6 pack lifts, the only problem is that all the trails sort of are identical or ski the same.

i think your skiing enjoyment increases the furthur north you go. i am told that technically, Stratton has a taller elevation at the very top of 1 of their peaks. however, Okemo's location being more northward tends to give it consistent cold weather and snow. more if i had a choice, i'd take Okemo and anything north over Stratton as much as I;d take anything in the catskills over say Mountain Creek.

 

[OppositeGeorge]

I always thought the layouts of both Stratton and Okemo were near identical.

I don't know, maybe you're right. Admittedly I've only skied Stratton once last season (and that was my first time there in 15 years) and, for better or worse, know Okemo pretty well.

I hit Stratton mid-week mid-late last season when conditions were still good. There was still a significant wait for the gondola -- I think most of the skiers were taking that or Snow Bowl. Ursa and Sun Bowl were essentially ski-on, even though it was dumping hard throughout the day and by the afternoon Sun Bowl actually had the best conditions.

My unfortunately extensive recent experience with Okemo (have I mentioned -- through no fault of the management, just topography -- it's not my favorite place?) -- mid-week and weekend -- is that folks do laps at South Face and Glades making these effectively mini-bases, and also North Star/Sachem (mini-base because it's separated from the main lodge), South Ridge, Solitude and JG main lift (mini-base) and lower lift (full base.) Park rats have their own lifts too. This layout in my experience leads to good crowd separation and lines have never been that outrageous except at South Face and North Star, and only then (esp @ North Star) when it's really busy. Never done it on a holiday weekend though, so others'll know better than me about that.