Okemo, VT 12/3/00

[Rick]

I didn't see final trail count this morning, but Okemo has approx 40 trails open. I got there early, and from 8:15 to 10:30 skied just about everything that was open. Conditions easily above average, truly PP, albeit machine made. (BTW, Chief was closed for racing, and lift talk is that this year Okemo will bump up Nor'easter, and groom Chief for racing since pitch is better on Chief ...). <BR> <BR>It was very cold - they had guns going up and down Nor'easter entire morning. Sel's Choice had some very nice bumps, again early in day. <BR> <BR>Took a 10 minute break at around 10:30, and came back out to find conditions quickly deteriorating to skied off hardpack. Bottom of Defiance was great in early AM, but but by late AM was as skied off as I have ever seen it. Okemo has done a great job getting conditions to where they are now, but desperately need some natural to get a 'real' base. One thing that did concern me today was surprising number of small stones on numerous trails: often see them on Lower World Cup, but I dodged a few on Sapphire, Sunburst, Rim Rock and elsewhere. Connected with enough of them to consider another tuneup pronto. I left by 1:30, but got 5 very solid hours of pretty good skiing (remember this time last year?) <BR> <BR>Rick