Okemo Mountain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Okemo
Okemo as seen from Mount Ascutney
Location	Ludlow Mountain Ludlow, Vermont, U.S.
Nearest city	Londonderry, Vermont 12 miles (19 km) south Rutland, Vermont 25 miles (40 km) northwest Boston, Massachusetts 120 miles (190 km) southeast
Coordinates	43°24′5″N 72°43′0″W / 43.40139°N 72.71667°W / 43.40139; -72.71667
Vertical	2,200 feet (670 m)
Top elevation	3,344 feet (1,019 m)
Base elevation	1,134 feet (346 m)
Skiable area	667 acres (270 ha)
Runs	121
Longest run	4.5 miles (7.2 km)
Lift system	13 chairs, 7 surface lifts
Terrain parks	8
Snowfall	16.6 feet (5.1 m)
Website	Okemo Mountain Resort

Okemo Mountain Resort is a popular ski resort located in Ludlow, Vermont, in the United States. Many people visit Okemo each year to enjoy its slopes. In fact, in 2009, about 600,000 skiers visited the resort. Parents Magazine even called it the Top US Family Snow Resort!

The History of Okemo Mountain Resort

Okemo was started in 1955 by a group of local business people. The resort officially opened on January 31, 1956. Back then, it only had four inches (102 mm) of snow. Skiers used two special lifts called Poma surface lifts to get up the mountain. The lower lift cost 20 cents per ride, and the upper one cost 60 cents.

In the early 1960s, four more Poma lifts were added. Okemo was known for using only Poma lifts, while other ski areas were starting to use double chairlifts. The first chairlift at Okemo, called the Sachem double, was built in 1965. Around this time, Okemo also started offering places for people to stay right next to the ski slopes. In 1963, Okemo bought its first machine to smooth the snow, called a Tucker Sno-Cat. They also started making their own snow in 1966, beginning with the lower part of the mountain.

The 1970s were a bit tough for Okemo. There were some fires and floods, and more ski resorts were opening out West, creating competition. In 1982, the owners decided to sell the resort. Tim and Dianne Mueller bought Okemo on August 2, 1982. Even though the resort needed a lot of updates, the Muellers wanted to keep its historic feel. They kept the name Okemo, which they believe means "All Come Home" in a Native American language. Some of the trail names, like Chief, Tomahawk, Wardance, Sachem, and Arrow, still show this connection today.

Since 1982, Okemo has grown a lot! They have added new chairlifts, trails, lodges, and improved their snowmaking. The Muellers also bought two other ski resorts: Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, New Hampshire, and Mount Crested Butte in Crested Butte, Colorado.

In 2018, a large mountain management company called Vail Resorts bought Okemo, along with the Muellers' other resorts.

Mountain Facts and Fun

The bottom of Okemo Mountain is 1,144 feet (346 m) above sea level. The very top of the mountain is 3,344 feet (1,019 m) high. This means Okemo has the biggest vertical drop in southern Vermont, at 2,200 feet (670 m).

The mountain has 121 trails spread out over 667 acres (2.7 km²) of skiable land. The trails are almost equally divided into easy, medium, and difficult levels. There's a paved road called Mountain Road that runs along the side of the mountain. In winter, it becomes Okemo's longest ski trail, stretching 4.5 miles (7.2 km). You can drive on Mountain Road in the summer to see beautiful views of the valley.

Okemo is great at making snow! About 98% (654 acres) of its trails have snowmaking. This is one of the highest percentages in the eastern United States. The pond they use for snowmaking can hold a huge amount of water: 155 million gallons! Also, SKI Magazine readers have ranked Okemo's grooming (how they smooth the snow) as the sixth best in the country.

Ski Trails for Every Skill Level

The trails at Okemo often have fun themes. For example, the main mountain has Native American names, and the top of Jackson Gore has names related to astronomy.

• 

  The trail Sidewinder

• (g) – gladed trail with trees
• (n) – natural trail without snowmaking (not including glades), though many of these are groomed after a snowfall to have a solid base
• (m) – trail with moguls regularly when conditions provide

See also: Okemo Trail Map

Lifts to the Top

Okemo has 13 chairlifts and 7 surface lifts. The surface lifts include six "magic carpets" and one J-bar lift that takes riders to the top of the halfpipe. All these lifts together can carry 35,500 people up the mountain every hour!

The South Ridge Quad B lift at the main base has special moving walkways that help skiers get on and off easily. This was the first lift in the United States to use this kind of unloading system, making it simpler for beginners.

Cozy Lodges and Places to Eat

Okemo has several lodges where you can warm up, eat, and get ready for your day on the slopes:

• Clock Tower Base Lodge: This lodge is at the main entrance. It has a daycare, ski shop, rentals, tickets, and food from a cafeteria, Caffé Origins, and the Sitting Bull Restaurant & Bar.
• Jackson Gore Base Lodge: Located in the Jackson Gore area, this lodge also has a daycare, ski shop, rentals, and tickets. Its cafeteria offers more special food items, and there's a restaurant called Siena on the second floor. This lodge also has hotel-like rooms and the Coleman Brook Tavern restaurant.
• Sugar House: Near the Sunburst Six lift, this lodge has many unique food options like a deli, a grill, pizza, and a café.
• Summit Lodge: You'll find this lodge at the very top of the main mountain. It's accessible from the Sunburst Six, Green Ridge Triple, and Glades Peak Quad lifts. It has a cafeteria, a bar, and Asian food.
• Solitude Day Lodge: This lodge is in the Solitude area. It has a full-service restaurant called Epic and a small snack area.

Exploring the Mountain's Ski Areas

Okemo has five main ski areas, each with at least one fast, detachable quad chairlift.

The main mountain area is mostly served by the Sunburst Six lift. From here, you can ski down long trails like Chief, World Cup, and Jolly Green Giant. If the lift lines get busy, you can use the Green Ridge Triple lift to reach the top instead, though it starts halfway up the mountain. This area also has more challenging runs for advanced skiers, such as Searle's Way, Sel's Choice, Nor'Easter, Defiance, and the Amp Energy Superpipe (a halfpipe and snowboard park sponsored by Amp Energy).

Solitude, located to the north (right side when looking up the mountain), offers about 1,100 feet of vertical skiing. The Solitude area has its own lodge, hotel rooms, and private homes right on the trails. Most of the trails here are medium-difficulty, but there are some black diamond runs like Exhibition and The Plunge.

The South Face area, to the south (left side), has the highest peak on the mountain and gets a lot of morning sun. It's known for its more difficult terrain, including most of the double-black diamond trails. While some main trails here are groomed every night, others like Outrage and Forest Bump are left natural. You'll also find mogul (bump) trails here, such as Punch Line. Okemo is known for its "bailout lanes" on bump runs, which are groomed sections where you can take a break from the moguls.

The Jackson Gore area is on the far north side (right). It has its own access road, lodge, ski school, and other facilities. This area has some of the steepest terrain on the mountain, along with regular easy and medium trails. You can get to Jackson Gore from the main mountain by crossing a bridge onto Blue Moon, or by taking Jack-a-lope or Moonshadow to Southern Crossing, which leads to the base area.

Okemo's fifth and smallest area is Glades Peak, located between the main mountain and the South Face. It's served by one fixed-grip quad lift and gives you access to most trails on the mountain, including a couple that only its lift serves.

Fun Activities in the Summer

Okemo isn't just for winter! There are many fun things to do in the warmer months too.

The 2.9-mile (4.7 km) Healdville Trail is great for hikers. It starts at a small parking lot off Vermont Route 103 and goes up to the fire tower at the top of the mountain. You can also drive up the mountain on the paved road that's called "Mountain Road" in the winter. For bike riders, Mountain Road is considered a very challenging climb. There are lookout spots along the way where you can stop and enjoy the scenery.

Across Route 103 is the 18-hole, par-70 Okemo Valley golf course. Golfweek magazine rated it the best public golf course in Vermont in 2006. It's the first Heathland-style golf course built in Vermont. The course is about 6,400 yards (5,852 m) long and hosts two events for the Vermont PGA Tour. There's also a large indoor training center, an outdoor learning center, a clubhouse, a pro shop, and Yamaha golf carts. Next to the course is Willie Dunn's Grille, a restaurant open for lunch and dinner during the summer.

In 2010, Okemo opened the Adventure Zone at the base of Jackson Gore. This area is open all year round and includes:

• The Timber Ripper, which is Vermont's first mountain coaster.
• Lumberin' Cal's mini-golf.
• The Maples disc golf course.
• The Stump Jumper Bungee Trampoline.

In 2012, they added a Canopy Tour with zip lines, also open all year.

Okemo Mountain Resort has also added lift-served mountain biking. The South Ridge Quad-A lift takes riders up to more than three miles of trails in the Clock Tower base area.

Wind Power for a Greener Mountain

In August 2006, the Muellers announced that their three resorts – Okemo, Mount Sunapee, and Crested Butte – would start using wind power for the upcoming ski season. They bought special energy certificates that mean their power comes from renewable sources. This helps prevent a lot of carbon dioxide from being released into the air each year, making the resorts more environmentally friendly.

Vail Resorts Takes Over

On June 4, 2018, Vail Resorts, a company that manages mountains and resorts, bought Okemo. They also bought Okemo's sister resorts, Crested Butte and Mount Sunapee.