IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE BACK!! Omg hi! Remember me? It's your ski bestie, self-proclaimed comedian, and the better half of Unofficial Okemo. If you guessed Noah, you're wrong. 😉 This is Abby returning to your inbox with some HUGE NEWS as we kick off with our first "snow report" of the season and celebrate the first snow day! ❄️
We are honored to welcome you back to our regularly scheduled programming for the 2023/2024 season with semi-daily snow reports, skiing content, and a bunch of surprises.
Before we dive in, we want to thank you for continuing to support Unofficial Okemo. During the off-season, we ran into lots of our followers and biggest fans who made us feel like royalty (but let's be real, we kinda are). 👑 We can't wait to get the gang back together for another season of early morning hikes, crusty turns, powder days, waffles, and Loft feasts.
Alright, enough of this intro, let's get to the good stuff. It's a long one, but TRUST ME, it's worth it. Here's what to expect in today's newsletter (with quick links):
We are launching our online MERCH SHOP! 🛍️
Our new SPONSORS will blow your mind... 🤯
You can now support our new PATREON! 🤝
When to expect our FIRST REPORT... 🎿
Snowmaking & SNOW update! ❄️
1. THE UNOFFICIAL OKEMO MERCH SHOP 🛍️
"Ask and you shall receive," as they say. Since the launch of UO back in December of 2022, our friends, subscribers, and family have been begging us to create a merch line for them to show their support and represent the coolest ski brand known to mankind. Well, good news, we listened. As a graphic designer, this was kind of a no-brainer. I spent the majority of the summer working on designs for hoodies, t-shirts, beanies, stickers, and caps which I then sent to my focus group for approval (aka my mom). We are proud to keep our merch production local thanks to New Duds, a screen-printing and embroidery shop in Colchester, VT. I can't show you the designs yet, but I can promise you that they are so sick, or "cool" for the boomers.
Our merch shop will be launching on NOVEMBER 17TH, 2023. 🎉 Exact drop times and the release of the designs will be sent via newsletter prior to the launch date. Mark your calendars now and stay tuned so you don't miss out on our first-ever merch items!!
2. OUR 2023/2024 SPONSORS 🤯
We are honored, shocked, and stoked to announce that Unofficial Okemo is now sponsored by two of the most iconic ski brands to exist and truthfully, our favorites. Thank you to both Helly Hansen and Nordica for supporting our ski reporting endeavors and allowing us to represent two awesome companies! 🎉 So, how did this happen...
As you may know, I rocked my pink Helly Hansen ski outfit every day last year and loved it. Not only was it such a statement, but it was the warmest gear I've ever worn, even on sub-zero days. I had never worn ski gear that allowed me so much movement and mobility while being insanely durable, even when ripping through the trees, there were no snags. All this to say, Helly Hansen recognized my love for the brand and offered both Noah and me new gear for the ski season, and damn do we look good. Stay tuned to see our new outfits.
Last season, I was also on the hunt for new skis. Thanks to The Boot Pro, I got to demo several Nordica skis and fell in love with the Santa Ana. As you may know, Noah is more in love with his Nordica Enforcers than he likes to admit, so when the stars aligned and they offered to support Unofficial, we both shed a tear. We are honored to both ski on Nordica this year and we can't wait to show you our new gear and tell you all about the skis.
We are also so excited to share all of our NEW local business sponsors! 🎉 Without their support, the snow reports simply wouldn't exist. They keep the lights on, and the emails rolling, and allow us to continue to grow. We'd like to welcome back The Boot Pro, Main+Mountain, William Raveis Vermont Properties, and Noah's business, Open Door Vacation Rentals. We'd also like to welcome our new sponsors including my graphic design business, Wavy Grape, as well as Singleton's Store, The Vermont Pepper Project, Okemo Mountain School, Green Mountain Sugar House, Outer Limits, and many more.
Want to sponsor us? If you are a business owner and interested in supporting Unofficial Okemo, we now have a tier system: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Our Gold Tier is now full, but you can join our Silver Tier for $500/season or our Bronze Tier for $250/season. Your business logo will appear on every single snow report, blog post, and on our website. Please email us at ski@unofficialokemo.com if you'd like to support us! Thank you!
3. JOIN THE UNOFFICIAL PATREON! 🤝
If you don't know, Patreon is a subscription-based platform that allows creators like ourselves to create tiers through which our supporters donate and in return, have access to exclusive content and perks. Last season, our biggest critique from our subscribers was that they didn't have an impactful way to support us. We created our Patreon as a way for our fans to offer basic support, or they can choose to increase their tier and get access to some pretty sweet perks like commissioning a snow report!
Our Patreon is NOW LIVE and open for you to join our exclusive community where you'll have access to patron-only polls, exclusive photos, and video, and you can even chat with us. Click below to pick your tier and begin supporting Unofficial Okemo today for the remainder of the season. (We don't charge you from May - October). Tiers start at only $3/month!
4. WHEN TO EXPECT OUR FIRST "REAL" SNOW REPORT 🎿
We are chomping at the bit to get back out on the snow and experience that first-turn feel. While Okemo has not officially announced its opening date, we expect it to be sometime in mid-November if all goes well with the weather and snowmaking opportunities. Our first snow report will be sent on the first day of the season, whenever that may be. Noah plans to do some safe early-season skinning and will be following Okemo's approved routes as it rolls out.
You can expect our snow reports to remain honest, real, silly, and entertaining. We aim to offer several "field trip" snow reports as we visit other mountains in the Northeast (think Mount Snow, Stowe, Sunapee, and possibly Mont Tremblant). Let us know where you'd like to see us explore this winter for one-off specialty snow reports.
We cannot wait to get back out on the slopes for another amazing winter at Okemo Mountain! Thanks for being here with us! LET THE GAMES BEGIN.
5. SNOWMAKING & FIRST SNOWFALL UPDATE ❄️
Now that Abby has enlightened you about all of our exciting updates, Noah is here to talk about what we are all really here for, the snow! October 31st was a chilly night with all the kids running around town in search of the fabled 'house that gives out full-sized candy bars’. Mere hours later, we were into November and Mother Nature knew it because the ground was white and it was actively snowing. We saw sporadic flurries and squalls throughout the day leaving us with just over 5 inches of fresh snow. 🌨️
It didn’t last long but it set the precedent we are looking for this winter: lots of snow! With the cool temps, the snowmaking team kicked the month off hard by firing the system up and doing what they do best. We saw some action across the mountain, we suspect mostly testing things out and getting back in the groove as the weather isn’t quite up to ideal snowmaking temperatures yet. 🌡️
Needless to say, they are ready to hit the ground running for a mid-November start. Okemo always tries to be open by Thanksgiving weekend so as long as the weather cooperates expect to be on snow before you dive into Aunt Pam’s famous Carrot Soufflé. 🥕 We will keep you updated as we know more and without a doubt be sure to jump in line to catch the first chair whenever that might be!
Think snow,
Abby + Noah
⬇ UNOFFICIAL OKEMO IS MADE POSSIBLE BY... ⬇
OUR GOLD SPONSORS
OUR SILVER SPONSORS
OUR BRONZE SPONSORS
Comments