LUDLOW, Vt. – Feb. 5, 2020 - Okemo’s halfpipe made its 2019/2020 season debut on February 4. The halfpipe, located on Okemo’s Lower Sel’s trail, is now open to skiers and riders and serviced by The Pull, a T-bar surface lift.
The Okemo Halfpipe measures 400 feet in length. It features a 14 degree pitch, vertical walls that measure 13 feet, and a span of 46 feet between decks.
Despite challenging weather patterns and inconsistent temperatures for snowmaking this season, Okemo’s operations team pulled out all the stops in order to provide skiers and riders with the terrain variety they have come to expect.
“The month of January had its ups and downs, weather-wise, but the team has really come together and done what we needed to do,” said Okemo VP and GM Bruce Schmidt. “When we have these different types of weather patterns we are forced to look at things differently, and one decision we had to make was about the construction of a halfpipe instead of a superpipe. Okemo has been known for its terrain parks and also for being one of the few, if not only, Vermont resorts though the years to consistently build a superpipe. We do remain committed to building a superpipe again in the future, and this in no way changes our desire to provide some of the best parks and pipe in the East.”
In addition to the halfpipe, Okemo has built four terrain parks containing 37 creative features. Those parks are: Lower Tomahawk, Crazy Train, Hot Dog Hill and Bounder.
Okemo works with Snow Park Technologies (SPT), a consulting, snow building and event management team for action sports experiences. SPT Groomer Operator Kris Jones arrived at Okemo on Feb. 3 for a seven-day build in Okemo’s terrain parks.
“We will be focusing on ramping up the Crazy Train Park, rebuilding the Bounder Park and building the area around the halfpipe,” said Okemo Terrain Park Manager Mark Fiori.
Okemo’s Halfpipe is scheduled to host several events this winter season: Southern Vermont Series Double Halfpipe on Feb. 8, a High School Halfpipe on Feb. 25, and Southern Vermont Series Halfpipe on March 1.
About Okemo
Rising above the village of Ludlow, in south-central Vermont, Okemo is a four-season playground that built its reputation for quality and superior guest service as a winter destination for skiers and snowboarders. Okemo consistently receives accolades and wins awards for snow quality, grooming, terrain parks, family programs, slopeside lodging, resort dining and its friendly and helpful staff. In addition to an on-snow lineup of family fun, Okemo offers a variety of winter activities: a mountain coaster, ice skating, snowshoeing, tubing, a pool and fitness center, spa services, and family events and activities.
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Media Relations:
Bonnie Macpherson, bjmacpherson@vailresorts.com, (802) 228-1947
Jeff Wise, jwise@stowe.com, (802) 253-3437
PHOTOS: https://okemo.imagerelay.com/sb/c26c9dda-2f9a-42d3-9355-1bd3214fed97/okemoparkspipe
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 37 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia; Stowe, Mount Snow, Okemo in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; Wilmot in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.