A Newbies Guide to Skiing Okemo

It goes without saying, that in order to get the full experience @ any mountain in the Eastern US, you’ve got to be there before the first chair opens. If you are the type to roll up at 10:30am (GST) with your boots unbuckled inside of your frozen Thule box, then this just isn’t the user guide for you. If you are the type to take your first run @ a double digit hour, my suggestion would be to lap World Cup… all day.

If you take your skiing even moderately seriously, your first ride up the North Star Express Quad should be your last of the day. Get off and go left, stay skiers right the whole way for the the South Face Express Quad. This is in effect a traverse, but at Okemo one can afford to take no trail for granted, arc your way conservatively in look before you leap style. Okemo grooms trails in a way which compliments the natural contour of the terrain. These are not your average five-lane-super-highway-like cruisers.

At the South Face your ski day has begun, so take a moment to relish the fact that you are so fortunate as to be in that particular place at that particular time. South Face is the most East facing section of Okemo. As a result, its morning sun exposure will have you second guessing your high intensity yellow goggle lense selection (a rare occurrence in this part of the country). The South Face is characterized by good pitch, shorter runs, and fantastic light. There might not be a better place to be a skier in New England between 9:00 am and 11:00 am.

The only reason you’ll find to leave South Face is the inherent lust for diversity of terrain, which all of us as skiers possess. Dice down Rimrock to the Glades Peak Quad, yeah you are moving laterally across the mountain, but you wouldn’t know it. Bound for Jackson Gore, unload The Glades Peak Quad to the right and stay skiers left. It’s smooth sailing on upper mountain road the whole way, but keep your eyes peeled for patches of pick-able left over pow as you go.

It is at Jackson Gore that you’ll earn your lunch. Big Bang, Super Nova, and Black Hole are the headliners, but you can truly do no wrong in this section of Okemo Mountain. You’ll be glad you’ve made it there early because, with only one exception (the meandering blue, appropriately named “Tuckered Out”) you’ll need your legs. Jackson Gore offers some of the premier sustained pitch in all of the New England.

Okemo is a true gem of the East. Vermont locals take its terrain completely for granted. Maybe it’s just a technique which they employ in order to keep the “Ski 93” loyalists at bay. Either way, if you haven’t been to Okemo, know that it is some of the steepest, sunniest, day trip-able terrain around. Hit The Loft on the way out for an apre Long Trail Ale, and wings.