In Vermont, Okemo Mountain Resort is slated to open for the start of the 2008-09 ski and snowboard season at 9 a.m. on Friday. “The cold weather has really made for some great snowmaking conditions,” says Okemo VP and General Manager Bruce Schmidt. “The Mountain Operations Staff has been hard at work.”
Okemo expects to offer top-to-bottom skiing and riding on six trails on opening day. Count Down, Upper World Cup, Lower World Cup, Link, Fairway and Open Slope will be serviced by three lifts: F-10 Carpet, Sachem Quad and Northstar Express, a high-speed quad.
By Saturday, the number of trails open should double, adding: Lower Mt. Road, Sapphire, Route 103, Upper Arrow, Double Dipper, Lower Arrow. More trails are planned for Sunday.
On opening day, lift tickets will be $55 for adults, $47 for young adults and seniors, and $36 for juniors and super seniors. Half-day tickets will be available starting at 12:30 p.m. Special early-season lift ticket rates will be revised daily according to the availability of terrain as the season progresses.
Okemo Mountain Resort’s Annual Ski and Snowboard Sale, offering deals on new and used equipment and clothing to benefit Okemo Mountain School will coincide with the ski area's opening weekend. The three-day sale kicks off Friday evening and runs through 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Also in Vermont, Saturday is opening day at Sugarbush, when both the Bravo and Heaven's Gate lifts at Lincoln Peak will start spinning at 9 a.m. to serve skiing and riding on Jester to Downspout and down across Coffee Run to the bottom. Resort officials anticipate having Valley Traverse/Snowball/Spring Fling, as well as Middle Jester and Lower Organgrinder ready for action by Thanksgiving.
Across the Connecticut River in New Hampshire, Loon Mountain's snowmaking team is capitalizing on this week's cold snap to prepare at least six trails, totaling over 2-1/2 miles of intermediate and advanced level skiing and riding for Saturday's opening, including several top-to-bottom routes. In addition, Loon will have one route from the top of the Gondola to the East Basin Double Chair. Novice terrain is expected to open next week.
"These cold temperatures have allowed us to run snowmaking around the clock and, with favorable temperatures forecast right into next week, we're confident we'll have more terrain open for Thanksgiving weekend, including terrain for all ability levels," said Ralph Lewis, Loon Mountain Director of Operations.
Opening weekend lift ticket prices at Loon will be $56 for adults, $46 for teens (13-18 years) and $36 for juniors/seniors (6-12 years or 65 years and over).
Further south, Crotched Mountain in Bennington, N.H. and Pats Peak in Henniker are each opening for the ski and snowboard season on Saturday. Pats Peak will come online with three trails, including Whisper, Bluster and Duster. The Duster run will be top to bottom feeding into the lower part of Squall Line. There will be a mini-terrain park set up on the Bluster trail. Pats Peak is opening two weeks earlier than scheduled thanks to the colder temperatures and the dedication of their snowmakers.
Hours of operation for opening weekend at Pats Peak are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Lift ticket rates for opening weekend are $30 for adults and $25 for juniors/seniors.
Nearby at Crotched the ski and snowboard season will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday morning and continue through 9 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Half-price lift ticket rates will be in effect all day Saturday when one lift will be running, although an expected trail count was not yet available at press time. Crotched will then close Monday through Thursday of next week, reopening for Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday.
In New York, Bristol Mountain, south of Syracuse, will launch the ski season in the Finger Lakes region ahead of schedule at 9 a.m. this morning. The Comet Express Detachable Quad Chairlift will be operating from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., allowing advanced level skiers and snowboarders access to the Upper Rocket and Lower Rocket trails. Access to the chairlift will be restricted to advanced level skiers and riders as beginner terrain is not accessible at this time. Bristol Mountain will be open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as operating noon to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Even Pennsylvania ski areas are getting in on the act, as Seven Springs Mountain Resort in the western part of the state opens at 11 a.m. today. Seven Springs will open Wagner, upper Phillip’s Run, Fawn Lane and the Wagner Beginners’ Area and the Foggy Bowl with the Cortina and Polar Bear Express chairlifts servicing all open terrain. The Terrain Park Crew is working to install features for those with jib addictions.
Seven Springs' hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Lift ticket rates will be reduced to $29 for adults and $22 for children ages 6 to 11. Midweek season passholders are also welcome to ski this weekend, and the resort’s Snowsports School will offer group and private lessons.
There will be skiing and riding in eastern Pennsylvania today, too, although sans lifts as Camelback is setting up a temporary terrain park featuring rails in the snow tubing area for jibbers to enjoy. From 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. today admission will be free, although signed release forms will be required. Camelback will be handing out free 2008-09 Park Passes as well. The rail action will continue Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $10 or a valid season pass. Camelback plans to open its lifts to the public on November 28th.
In Quebec, 110 snow guns have been hard at work at Mont-Sainte-Anne preparing the ski resort east of Quebec City for its season debut on Saturday. Open terrain will be on the ski area's North Side, with uploading and downloading access via the South Side gondola. The trails Quanik, Paradeuse, Printanière and Melanie Turgeon are being prepared for Saturday's opening.
While the East remains cold, a dominant high pressure ridge in the West continues to interfere with ski season opening day plans, melting natural snowpack and stifling snowmaking efforts. At Lake Tahoe, California's Heavenly and Kirkwood, both of which originally planned to open this week, have each pushed back plans to open until at least Thanksgiving weekend.
