It was good for my family and I to spend a weekend at Okemo.
After a while, you really start to take for granted how good we have it at Sugarbush.

I have made my share of complaints on this board, but they are truly petty compared to the experience we had this weekend.

It is all centered around one problem - too many people!

Got there before 9AM on Sat, and still I got shut out of the main lot and had to take a shuttle from the lower lots.

The jam packed lodge was about 80 degrees so we sweated our way into our clothing and boots, shuffling past the mass of humanity.

The employee at the guest services lodge where we purchased our CT ski council tickets gave my wife a hard time because
she did not have her license - "only" a credit card and valid CT membership cards. He tried to make us pay full price.

You have to take 2 lifts before you can ski ANYWHERE, so we hoofed it over to the magic carpet to reach the Satchem lift.

Within the first 15 minutes, a out of control teenage rider wrecked into my wife. Luckily she was not hurt.

We had to pretty much avoid the NorthStar express Quad due lines that we way longer than I usually see at Super Bravo.

At Jackson Gore we had to split up into the single lines to make it bearable.

I should also mention the number of skiers/riders that appeared to be out of control or on terrain above their ability was way more than I see at SB.

Coming out after lunch trying to find your skiis is an adventure too. I was trying to extricate them from 3 pairs that were dumped on top of mine, without having a domino effect on skiis all around.

Did I mention the walk from the drop off area to the 1st lift is double the length of Lincoln Peak? Not a sherpa to be found either.

One of my favorite trails Upper/Lower Chief was closed all Sunday due to racing.


I will mention the one thing we were very happy with - the Sitting Bull pub. Even though it was very busy, both days we got a table right away
and the service was very attentive. The prices and portions of the pub food was also very good.


So if you get cranky about a certain lift being down, trail closed, or a 5 min wait at Super Bravo, just spend a weekend at Okemo!




Tim

I have definetely had my share of Okemo mobscene days. Back when I lived in CT, I used to hit it up once a week, usually Sundays, since it was a nice easy 2 1/2 hr drive or so ... the Bush was beyond the "day tripping" realm ... something that just made the Bush feel more special. The Northstar was a mobscene and the trails just seemed more crowded as well, a lot more family-oriented, a lot more o/o/control people, etc. Perhaps thats because it is close to the "big cities". You get the same deal at Mt Snow and Stratton.

Now that I live in VT and only 15 mins from the Bush, obviously I go to the 'Bush (up to Day 27 there this season), but still trek down to Okemo about once a month or so (just to spicen things up, and always on a Friday). They have a lot of good trails (groomers obviously... not one for the bumps, though I'm getin the hang of it). Crowds are very manageable on a weekday and lift lines are rare. On a weekend though, impossible.

While I may mention that lift lines at the 'Bush are long (at Lincoln Peak), its not overall an inconvenience ... just a few extra minutes to catch your breath. And usually those lines are long at high speed lifts, which move quick. And at Mt Ellen, where I hang mostly, there's hardly ever a line. And there are fewer "suicide slopes" at the 'Bush than at Okemo - in fact, at the Bush, you have "Grand Central" (approaching base of Northridge from Cruiser/WhichWay/Northstar/Mainstream/et al), and there's "Deathspout". At Okemo, there's Mountain Road, which I always seem to get stuck behind some beginner making turns across the entire narrow trail... reminds you of the old lady driving at the end of Ferris Bueler's Day Off - you want to pass them but can't. But I digress...

The crowd at the 'Bush is more of the "you're there to ski/ride" crowd vs "a daytrip away from the megalopolis" and that's what makes it special. It truely is better up here!

We stayed with friends at Okemo this weekend and had a pretty good time. I learned to ski there back in the 70's during the gGeen/black/red/etc poma lift days, as well as at Stratton, Magic, Camelback, Snow.

Sure the crowds were larger with a far higher percentage attempting terrain at least one level aove their skills. One newbie clipped my buddis wife, but last weekend at Lincoln Peak a similarly unskilled teen totally took out another friend's spouse - big time. Thankfully no one was hurt either time, and that my wife & buddies are an understanding lot.

Did not find the lift lines to be intolerable, rather 'as expected' with no wait more then 10 minutes and most 5 min or less. Most lines there lookk biggger than they take esp on the express quads. After 12noon on Sunday the place started to empty fast. Southface was a blast Sat AM even after a late-ish arrival on the snow of 9a.

Thank goodness for the 15+" of new snow (10"+ upon arrival Sat, another 5" by Sun AM) to make everything seem ski really nice. And if you sayed off the typical high-traffic trails the crowds were managable (aforementioned Mtn Rd being especially notorious, esp at end of the day when they rope off many of the other ways down).

The biggest distinction I was reminded of was TERRAIN - as in SB's got it in spades, and Okemo has mostly simple single pitch stuff. "Pancake" I think is the appropriate term. Sure Okemo is fun in spots, especially over at Jackson Gore (Supernova, Blackhole) but much of the runs have the same feel and leaves you feeling unfulfilled.

Overall I was pleased to mix it up a bit, but it really, really underscored how grateful I am to enjoy SB. I'm looking forward to my 23rd day at SB this season later this month.

Five years ago the idea of Okemo having more skier visits than kmart would have been ludicrious. This season it looks like this actually might happen with Okemo's business going up from 600,00 last season and kmarts numbers dropping like a lead balloon from 1m a few years ago to around 700,00 last year.

boze wrote:

10"+ upon arrival Sat, another 5" by Sun AM

Yeah Boze, that snow was truly a bonus! South Face powder early Sat was awesome.

And waking up to 5 unexpected inches on Sunday was great. No wind holds either.

The trail report Sun was a bit confusing. Everything was blank except for trails like Sel's & Punch Line that were marked UNGRMD.

It looked like they groomed early evening and got the snow later.

Without that fesh pow it would have been a very HO-HUM experience overall - and that's saying alot as I really love skiing.


And on reflection, in addition to the terrain, the calibre - maybe 'composure' is a better word - of skier at SB is noticeably higher.

It really IS better up here...

Nice finish to my Okemo "experience"

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/80331022


Okemo Mountain Resort target of credit card breach


The ski resort said Monday that hackers broke into its computer network and potentially gained access to credit card data from 28,168 transactions between Feb. 7 and Feb. 22 and 18,401 credit cards between January and March 2006.

Terrific. My MLK weekend there in '06 has me in the cross hairs.
Can't elieve those knuckleheads still had not yet archived the '06 data offline. What dopes. While they need to retain those records (outdated federal regulations), they certainly do not need to keep 2+ year old date on their network. A 'supernova' of a screw-up.

TimKeogh wrote:

Nice finish to my Okemo "experience" http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/80331022 Okemo Mountain Resort target of credit card breach The ski resort said Monday that hackers broke into its computer network and potentially gained access to credit card data from 28,168 transactions between Feb. 7 and Feb. 22 and 18,401 credit cards between January and March 2006.

Any company out there taking credit cards that does not get a PCI compliance audit deserves to get hacked and breached. Those consulting engagements cost short money and provide invaluable advice on how to keep your IT environment relatively safe.

outofshape wrote:

TimKeogh wrote: Nice finish to my Okemo "experience" http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/80331022 Okemo Mountain Resort target of credit card breach The ski resort said Monday that hackers broke into its computer network and potentially gained access to credit card data from 28,168 transactions between Feb. 7 and Feb. 22 and 18,401 credit cards between January and March 2006. Any company out there taking credit cards that does not get a PCI compliance audit deserves to get hacked and breached. Those consulting engagements cost short money and provide invaluable advice on how to keep your IT environment relatively safe.

PCI is not as valuable as you might think. The standard isn't strong enough and I guarantee that there are plenty of companies out there that are vulnerable even with PCI compliance.