Vermont Ski and Snowboard Resorts Prep the Slopes for a Busy MLK Weekend
Montpelier, VT (PRWEB) January 16, 2014 -- With a fresh blanket of snow covering Vermont this week and more snow in the forecast for MLK weekend, Vermont ski and snowboard areas embrace the return of winter and prepare for a busy holiday weekend. Resorts report strong bookings and are preparing for visitors with trail resurfacing and a host of fun family events. Procrastinators can still take advantage of packages deals and plan a family get-away full of snow, fun and events. Visit skivermont.com for a full list of options.
Ski Vermont’s 80% snowmaking coverage will undoubtedly be turned on at full blast the next few days, when temperatures allow, adding to an already strong early season snow pack. Investments in highly efficient snowmaking technology statewide, and cooperative weather in November and December have allowed resorts to open more terrain earlier than ever and Vermont is still reaping the benefits of this coverage as the busiest time of winter gets underway.
Check in with Vermont’s ski and snowboard resorts’ conditions at skivermont.com/conditions or check out this run-down of resort preparation and weekend expectations:
Killington Resort fired up the snowmaking guns after 2 inches fell at higher elevations on Tuesday night. They are expanding terrain, resurfacing, adding park features, and still skiing one of the best bases in the East. Also, to celebrate reaching 100 days in operation, every day from now through Day 100 (January 31), log on to killington.com for your shot at a piece of 100 2-ticket bundles for just $100 each.
Okemo Mountain Resort is looking to resurface as much terrain as possible as the weather allows, firing up the snowguns as soon as temperatures drop. They are expecting to have 82 trails and 19 lifts open, and will be debuting the Amp Energy Superpipe this weekend.
Stratton Mountain Resort boasts more than 800 snowmaking tower guns, pushing 11,800 gallons of water a minute and a snowmaking manager with more than 25 years of experience. With this in mind, they are expecting to have 80+ trails open by Friday and setting their sights set on 85 by Sunday.
“The season started strong with ideal snowmaking weather and a few good snowstorms, including that 18 inch windfall to start the New Year,” said Stratton’s Myra Foster. “Stratton has maintained trail count and good base depth throughout the ups and downs. Today’s snow and return to snowmaking weather will be frosting on the cake.”
Bromley Mountain is expecting to have 74% of their terrain open for MLK weekend which includes all of their snowmaking trails. With full snowmaking ponds, the “sun mountain” will continue resurfacing as soon as temperatures drop, but visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the soft conditions at the only south facing mountain in Vermont.
Mount Snow Resort plans to take advantage of every minute of snowmaking temps leading into and during the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend to freshen up the snow surface. And with flakes in the forecast starting Wednesday afternoon all the way through Sunday, the skiing and riding is going to be pretty great. They anticipate having at least 42 trails covering about 320 acres of terrain across all four mountain faces.
Carinthia Parks at Mount Snow has the most open terrain parks with the most terrain park features in the East with five different parks loaded with well over 60 different jumps, spines, hips, rails, boxes, bonks, tanks and more.
Stowe Mountain Resort is looking very good headed into the holiday weekend and should have well more than 50% of their 116 trails open. Recently awarded “Best Backup Plan” by Outside Magazine due to its $8.1 million dollar investment into snowmaking, Stowe’s coverage is a guarantee.
Trapp Family Lodge is turning a corner after the thaw. Snowmaking efforts have resulted in great Nordic skiing in the newly upgraded stadium, and there is potential to open up more terrain as we head into MLK weekend. Colder temps mean snowmaking operations will fire up yet again and Mother Nature dropped a fresh inch of snow on the ground with more in the forecast in the coming days. For an après ski treat, enjoy a freshly brewed Trapp Lager in any of their 3 restaurants.
Bolton Valley plans to re-surface on the main mountain and the main base area as temperatures fall into a favorable range and will keep up efforts to expand terrain into Timberline. Bolton Valley's grooming and snowmaking staff are working hard to ensure a great Martin Luther King Weekend for all guests.
Quechee Ski Area still has a thick man-made base on snowmaking trails and will have 85% open for the MLK weekend.
Mad River Glen will reopen this weekend with just the practice slope, due to lack of natural coverage, but they are happy to announce the bar opens at 11am.
Ski Vermont (Vermont Ski Areas Association) is a proud ambassador of the thriving winter tourism industry in Vermont, where the legislature has designated skiing and snowboarding as the official state sports. Vermont is not only the #1 ski state in the east and third in the US, but also reigns supreme in snowmaking quality and coverage, variety of terrain and historical impact on the sports of skiing and snowboarding - making it one of the most significant ski and ride destinations in the world. Ski Vermont’s mission is to help create a legislative, economic and social environment in which the state's ski areas can grow and prosper. It serves its 19 Alpine and 30 Nordic member resorts in three major areas: Governmental Affairs, Marketing and Public Affairs.
Sarah Neith, Ski Vermont, http://www.skivermont.com, +1 (802) 223-2439, [email protected]
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