Info:      

Okemo Mountain Resort
77 Okemo Ridge
Ludlow VT 05149

Web:
www.okemo.com

Phone:
802-228-4041
800-786-5222 (snow phone)

Lift Tickets:
$72-$79 (adult)
$47-$53 (child)

Ski/Stay Packages:
from $118.65 pp/pd/qo

General Area Info:     

Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce
57 Pond Street
PO Box 333
Ludlow, VT 05149

Web:
www.okemovalleyvt. org

Phone:
802-228-5830

Dining Info:           

Sam’s Steakhouse
91 Route 103 South
Ludlow, VT 05149

Web:
www.sams-steakhouse.com

Phone:
802-228-2087

Harry’s Café
Route 103 N.
Mt. Holly, VT 05758

Web:
www.harryscafe.com

Phone:
802-259-2996

Cappuccino’s
41 Depot Street
Ludlow, VT 05149

Web:
www.cappuccinosrestaurant.com

Phone:
802-228-7566       

Other Ludlow Restaurants

Wide Open, Family-Friendly, Excellent Snow Management

by Phil Johnson
photos courtesy of Okemo Mountain Resort
additional photos by Mitch Kaplan

“Hello Stranger!”

It was the end of my first day of skiing this winter. I was at Okemo Mountain Resort in Central Vermont, and I recognized the voice.

It was my quad muscles talking to me.

Or was it my knees?

Since this was my winter debut on the slopes, it was probably a whole chorus of body parts reminding me that no matter how much training I’ve done to get ready, lots of me had slacked off in the months since I’d hung up the skis last spring.

Okemo for yea

ason, and in my mind that makes Okemo an easy choice. If there hasn’t been lots of natural snow by early December, you can count on Okemo’s management to do a great job with its snowmaking system. And, if there is plenty of cover, you know the grooming will be first rate.

Combine great snowmaking and great grooming with lots of excellent intermediate cruising terrain and that’s the recipe for a great start to the ski season. (I’ll come to the part about the heated pool and outdoor hot tub in a little while.)

A Ski Resort with History                            

Until the early 1980s, Okemo was a modest hill on the outskirts of Ludlow, Vermont, known primarily for its family skiing and lots of Poma surface lifts. Then came new owners Tim and Diane Mueller, and the place began a steady climb from sleepy local hill to the second largest ski destination in New England.

The ingredients of this growth have been hands-on ownership, intelligent real estate development, and an emphasis on quality both in presenting a ski product on the hill and supporting it with amenities catering to times off the slopes.

Today the resort offers 119 trails and glades served by 19 lifts and three base areas. The vertical is 2,200’ and 96 percent of its terrain is covered by snowmaking. There is an abundance of terrain especially for snowboarders and freeriders, including the Ross Powers Superpipe named for the Olympic Gold Medalist who uses Okemo as his home base.

Getting Around                             

Our starting place this day was Jackson Gore Inn, the 117 room resort hotel at the base of  Jackson Gore, Okemo’s newest area. These condo units come with many amenities, including

• underground parking
• a health center
• several restaurants
• and, for getting going quickly in the morning, a ski check room that leaves just a short walk to the Coleman Brook Express Quad chairlift.

• The most popular is the Northstar Express to the Summit Lodge, from which you can branch out all over the resort.

• The Boundary Area runs to the south, and tends to be overlooked by many.

• Next to it, the Fall Line trails feature the most challenging terrain on the mountain.

• Then come the most popular trails—these in the middle, including the area’s signature trail, World Cup, a long top to bottom twister for advanced skiers that leads you right back to the lift to ride back to the top to try it again.

• The Green Ridge Triple Chair will get you to the summit, too. That’s also the access point to the AMP Energy Super Park, now located on the Nor’easter Trail.

• Heading north on this side, you’ll come to the Solitude Express Quad at the base of the Solitude Area, a midway point between the original base lodge and the newer Jackson Gore.

Start the day at Jackson Gore, go all the way to the South Face Express Quad then make you way back going trail by trail. Do that and your muscles will be talking to you too by the end of the day.

Food, Anyone?                                     

One feature that guests at Okemo have come to appreciate is the quality of on-mountain food. In terms of variety and quality, it comes closer to European venues than most American ski areas. On a morning break, try one of the fresh baked muffins at the Summit Lodge. And, if you want a white table cloth lunch, Epic, at the Solitude Lodge, is your place.

If you are staying the night, The Coleman Brook Tavern at the Jackson Gore Inn is a fine spot, especially after a post-skiing soak in the Inn’s outdoor heated pool and hot tub.

My body was purring after that stop.

If you want to go off the reservation for dinner, Willie Dunn’s Grille at the Okemo Golf Course offers good meals in a relaxed setting, while Cappuccino’s in downtown Ludlow, Sam’s Steakhouse on the far side of Ludlow on Route 103 and locals’ favorite