A trip to Vermont was a highlight of our snow season. It was my first time to Okemo mountain with the largest vertical drop in southern Vermont, 2,200 feet (670 m). Besides, it was my first visit to Vermont. The 8-hour drive was a little tiring, but interesting. I was impressed with the size of the resort, high-speed lifts and the resort’s amenities. There are the nicest facilities and dining options available at Okemo. Here is a painting of Okemo mountain by James Niehues.
from jamesniehues.com
Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont is a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders. Located in the south-central town of Ludlow, the mountain has a balanced mix of difficulty while also offering a variety of other activities, such as snowtubing, snowmobiling, and ziplining in the summer among others. We had a perfect first day of skiing, sunny with the temperature around 30° F and no lines for lift tickets or at the lifts.
Okemo features 119 trails accessible by 19 lifts that include five high-speed quads, four quad chairs, three triple chairs and seven surface lifts according to the official Okemo site. Beginner, intermediate and advanced/expert trails are well distributed throughout the mountain. We are at the bottom, ready to take the lift to the top of the mountain.
There are 4 main areas at Okemo: The South Face, The Main Mountain, Solitude, and Jackson Gore. They are easily accessible from one another, and we were able to get from one location to another other in a few runs/lifts. The mountain is much smaller than Killington, but bigger than some others in southern Vermont, and it’s pretty easy to get to know and to figure out what you like. The runs are long up to 30 minutes each. The mountains look gorgeous from the top.
Beautiful scenery on the way down on the blue slope. I had to stop and take this picture. 🙂
We just completed a Blue run in this picture. Any ski map legend tells you that “intermediate” equates blue runs. They are pretty steep at Okemo.
There is a fire pit to warm up in the Jackson Gore area.
On the top of the mountain with the trees in the background; the slopes are right in front of me.
A very nice barbeque place near the Hot Dog Terrain area. They have a variety of different cuisines, and list them all on their trail map, so no matter what you crave, there’s something to suit your tastes. Staff here are always friendly and relaxed, from the lifties, to the ski patrol, to the customer service reps.
It snowed over there for the next couple days.
Ambitious skiers and snowboarders will find no shortage of suitable launchpads: Okemo maintains six terrain parks as well as a superpipe. Here is an inside view of the Hot Dog terrain entrance in the picture. Okeamo added a new air bag last year to allow skiers and snowboarders to leap into the air and practice their jumps with increased safety. The Amp Energy Big Air Bag (green in the picture) is 30 feet wide and 50 feet long. It is located at the bottom of Okemo’s Lower Chief trail. Helmets are required to use the Amp Energy Big Air Bag, and a release of liability must be signed by the user or a parent/guardian before use. A valid Park Safety Pass will satisfy this requirement.
Okemo Mountain Resort exit.
We couldn’t leave Vermont without purchasing some local cheese. The Wine & Cheese Depot store has such a variety of cheeses!
We had the best clam chowder and fish & chips at Pot Belly’s restaurant in Ludlow.
A street view of the mountain from the town of Ludlow.
A view of the mountain from the outside of our hotel.
The 3rd Annual Lovin’ Ludlow Winter Carnival, which took place in Ludlow, coincided with our stay there. We were hoping to see the ice sculptures, which were planned as a part of the festival, but it didn’t happen because of the warm weather and lack of snow prior to the festival. We saw a snow sculpture, 2-feet of snow instead, which is depicted on the picture below.
And, of course, we had a fun group of the fellow skiers/boarders to dine with in the local restaurants.
On the way back to the DC metro area, we stopped at the cutest store – Big Moose. The store offers agreat selection of so many interesting things.
We took some pictures next to the Blues Brothers in front of the store.
As a Vermont souvenir, we bought a collectible maple syrup in a bottle shaped as a maple leaf.
Driving through Vermont towards NY.
So, this was my very first skiing experience in Vermont and Okemo made it totally awesome!