Ludlow, VT – This year’s improvements at southern Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort include new ski and snowboard terrain, improved grooming, more snow guns and more waffles … yes, waffles.

Three new gladed areas will add 16 acres of tree skiing and riding for intermediate glade skiers at Okemo this winter. These moderately sloped glades allow skiers and riders who are new to tree skiing an opportunity to experiment with new terrain and challenges.

Whispering Pines is located off Upper Mountain Road, on skiers’ right, about 200 feet below the Ludlow Lookout. Tree Dancer is located between Coleman Brook and Exhibition. This gladed area begins at the top of Coleman Brook and ends at Mountain Road. Shadows is located off Mountain Road and begins about 200 feet past The Plunge trail on skiers’ left.  This is the most advanced of the three new glades.

Okemo is adding another Prinoth 500 horsepower Beast and a Prinoth Bison Park Cat to its grooming fleet this winter. The Prinoth Beast offers increased operating width, high grooming speed, optimal power transfer and the new Prinoth Master Blade, resulting in 40 percent higher grooming performance and a new dimension in ski slope preparation.

The Bison Park Cat is agile on the steepest terrain, allowing operators to master the sharpest curves and most demanding jumps in any fun park. The maneuverability of the blade and the tiller makes it possible to construct refined shapes with a joystick control system that turns work into play on all of Okemo’s snow features.

Ninety-seven percent of Okemo’s trails are equipped with snowmaking capabilities, and another 42 new HKD Snowmakers SV-10 tower guns are being added to the arsenal this year. With the help of HKD’s technology, Okemo will be able to make more snow this winter with reduced energy consumption. Featuring adjustable water flow levers, nozzle versatility and advanced valving technology, the HKD Snowmakers SV-10 tower guns make snow more efficiently at closer-to-freezing temperatures. Okemo’s snowmaking upgrades will be most visible along Upper Arrow, Lower Arrow, Lower World Cup and in the Clocktower base area.

Finally, the sweet smell of Belgian waffles will tempt skiers and riders at both base areas of Okemo this winter. In addition to Okemo’s original Waffle Cabin, located near the base of the Black Ridge Triple Chair, a new Waffle Cabin is making its debut in the Jackson Gore base area.

Weather permitting, the 2012-13 ski and snowboard season will launch at Okemo in mid-November.