The first month of 2023 is over, which means you only have two and a half months left to beat your friend's vertical and ski day count. We hope February will bring us lots of snow days, more subscribers, a particularly cute Valentine, and let's add more powder to this list for good measure. 💙
This month also marks the start of Black History Month, and we would like to use this opportunity to highlight Unlikely Riders. This is a Vermont BIPOC non-profit organization, mobilizing our communities to find healing with the mountains while claiming space in the snow sports industry and culture. You can support Unlikely Riders' programs to help reduce and eliminate barriers within our Vermont snowsports. There are a multitude of things that your donation will support, from trail access and lift tickets to educational opportunities and winter gear. Help Unlikely Riders reach their goal of $7,500 - they only need $962 more dollars! 💌
Today was pretty close to perfect with bright blue skies, crisp snow, and the sun shining down on every run. I (Noah) spent the day with my little crew of Ludlow Elementary 5th graders for their weekly ski program. There is something special about skiing with kids...they slow you down and help you remember why you love the mountain in the first place.
We always start our day with a lap on Kettlebrook because who doesn’t love skiing through tunnels, am I right? In the eyes of these kids, what makes skiing so fun is being with your friends, skiing over bridges, through tunnels, and going on an adventure to find the candy mailbox. They aren’t concerned with the number of trails they skied or long lift lines, they're excited to ride the lift without an adult, laugh about their recent yard sale, and wave to their friends from the lift. We weren’t the fastest skiers out there and we only saw black diamonds from a distance, but we had ourselves one heck of a day!
Pro Tip: The Promenade trail is an underrated run for beginners and children! Take the Morning Star Triple and turn right off the lift. You'll find yourself on a single-lane skier bridge.
Okay, now onto the actual conditions. It was crisp and fast, and we have pristine mid-winter conditions on tap. With pretty much 100% of the terrain open (with the exception of the few trails with active grooming and snowmaking) we are in for a stretch of amazing skiing. It's going to be extremely cold Thursday night through Sunday, but the skiing will be good, so take advantage if you can. You aren’t going to get a ton of sympathy from me about the cold, but if you are cold, you aren’t dressed properly. Maybe that comes from skiing my whole life, being a snowmaker for a couple of years, or the fact that I love an excuse to break out my arctic mittens that I have never worn without sweating.
Today's Quick Facts:
🎿 Trail Count: 120/122 (Dreamweaver & Lower Wild Thing for snowmaking/grooming)
🚡 Lift Count: 12
🔫 Snowmaking: Wild Thing, Black Out, Easy Street, and Lower Sel's Last Night!
Anyways, it’s going to be cold and the wind is going to make it worse so dress smart and don't put yourself in a dangerous position. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors when it gets this cold. One of those ways can be simply enjoying the view from inside your home in front of the fire. As for me I (really like corn 🌽) and I really like the adventure. Try a hot chocolate crawl across the mountain, or make it an excuse to get those heated socks you’ve been wanting from The Boot Pro. At the end of the day, simply embrace whatever weather we get, make the most of it, and try to smile because it could always be worse.
"We are using snow sports as vehicles for radical conversations and movements while acknowledging and reconnecting to the land we ride on." - Unlikely Riders💓
If you own a business and you're interested in sponsoring Unofficial Okemo, please email us at ski@unofficialokemo.com to learn about your opportunities. ✌️
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For more information on today's conditions update, please visit www.okemo.com.
Think snow,
Abby + Noah
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