Ah, Presidents’ Week. It’s often our most popular time of the year, major snowstorms not included. I always feel like it sort of sneaks up on us. When Christmas hits, MLK always quickly follows and Presidents’ Week is just hiding behind the corner. I’m sitting in my office right now looking out the window to some much welcomed snowfall. We’re not expecting much of it to accumulate but every flake counts. It’s been quite windy as this cold front has moved in, so perhaps we’ll find some wind drifts here and there.
Conditions
Last night into this morning was a bit of a mountain operations nightmare, as you likely have seen if you follow any other ski resort snow reports or social media. We went from rainy and 45 degrees yesterday to temps plummeting into the single digits and teens by tonight. And how do we get such a fast temperature swing? Well high winds of course! These combined factors made for a tricky morning. Our groomers had to wait until after temps had dropped below freezing to groom (otherwise you groom wet snow and it freezes in a flat icy mess), so we had a delayed opening. But then high winds caused a number of lifts to go on wind hold anyway. Hats off to our operations team for pushing through it and getting some terrain open and skiable.
The great news is the weather looks much better for the week ahead. We’re looking at sunny days with temps in the 20s this weekend, followed by some warmer temps next week with a few chances for snow. We’re hopeful the warm-up can also soften up some our terrain, particularly the natural terrain, and get them reopened and skiing well again. Some of those trails will reopen tomorrow, other’s will need further assessment and probably a little snow. As we stated last month, Slide Brook will not be running, but we expect to have everything else spinning per usual. Keep an eye on the snow report, as we’ll have the latest updates there.
Events
There’s a nice array of events throughout Presidents’ Week, from daily s’mores to Walt’s After Dark to our Fireworks and Torchlight Parade. Megan listed out all of our events in her blog this week, for a quick and easy read. There’s something for everyone.
Arriving Here
It’s always nice to start your day on the right foot (ski?), and there are a few ways to ensure you do that. First of all, getting here early helps avoid the mid-morning rush. Remember that during holiday periods (like this one) we open Super Bravo and Heaven’s Gate at 8:00 AM, so you can get some good laps in early before most people show up. Carpooling or jumping on the Mad Bus is another great way to help us with parking. When you do arrive, we plan to have jitney shuttles running through our parking lots at both mountains pretty much every day. They’re quick, convenient, and always fun for the kids (my 3 year old loves riding it around, sometimes I think she likes that more than the actual skiing).
Tickets, Rentals, and Lessons
Have you purchased your tickets? Do you need rentals or lessons? Is your pass blacked out at all? These are all things you can check ahead of time, so you don’t experience the morning arrival stress. This is skiing! Leave the stress at home. Tickets, rentals, and lessons can all be booked online, but be aware that at this point some of those things are sold out on certain days. With rentals, helmets and poles typically run out first, so if you have your own bring them, or plan to get here early. We also have helmets for sale in our gear shops.
Base Cabins
Looking for a way to enjoy the hill with a little bit of privacy for those breaks and lunches? Then look no further than our Base Cabins, where you can rent a cabin for the day as you very own mini base lodge. Before you go learn more about them here’s a quick idea of what it’s like.
Dining
We have dining options galore between both our mountains. Quick eats, sit down meals, mid-mountain options – you name it. If you haven’t been here yet this season, Miso Hungry over at Mt. Ellen has been getting rave reviews for their Traditional Japanese Onigiri. The Wunderbar has been revamped and has also taken over the old Valley House Cafeteria location with a brand new menu and a much bigger kitchen. Even at mainstays like Castlerock Pub, Rumble’s, or the Green Mountain Lounge, you’ll find delicious new arrivals to every menu. Half the fun is exploring for yourself, so I’d suggest checking out menus online or swinging by a place you haven’t been in a while.