Okemo, VT 12/18/99

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This report was originally posted on 12/20/99. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>Took a bus load of high schoolers to Okemo on Saturday. Okemo offers a very attractive discount to groups before Christmas and after the first week in March, so our high school ski club takes advantage every year. Conditions were good in the morning, but traffic did what it usually does in December on snow making trails--hard pack in the middle and sugar on the sides prevailed in the PM. Trail count was a bit disappointing, though all lift areas were open with at least one trail to the bottom of each. Crowds were a problem at times and snowboarders had access to the skier only trails (Defiance and Jolly Green Giant) scrapping the steeper faces of both clean. <BR>Okemo is home to a popular mountain racing program, along with a half year racing academy, and it allows outside groups to set up clinics. The result has been some trail closures to racing and a few courses tucked to the sides of wider trails. Yesterday Timberline was closed all day for the racers and courses were set on the sides of Rimrock. With more terrain open on Sunday this should be less of a problem. <BR>Weather was splendid. A nip of cold, but clear and sunny most of the day. Snow making was in progress on several areas and today's report gives a big jump in trails. <BR> <BR>Gave my new (demo) purchase Dynastar SX's their first test on hard conditions and they impressed. Very stable in the changing surfaces and the held well on the ice as long as I wasn't trying to over-edge. They are fast, but the stability gives confidence at high speeds. Daughter Tamra skied Rossi Dualtech 9x Course racers (another demo purchase for her younger brother actually) and she liked them very much (responsive and good hold on the ice, she reports). <BR> <BR>Day ended well with all 52 souls in place on the bus, though some had scraped faces.