Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Two months and over $800,000 later, both of our snowmaking ponds have been repaired. They are full of water and we are ready to make snow once we have cold enough temperatures. Under the leadership of John Hammond and Mike Wing, our team did a superb job of getting us ready for winter following the wrath of Hurricane Irene on August 28th.
Yesterday we ran our three compressors at Lincoln Peak. Two of them were rebuilt over the summer and all ran well. Our new energy-efficiency towers will be arriving this week. And we are holding employee orientation and training classes for our snowmakers and ambassadors over the next several days.
Yesterday's Halloween golf party officially ended the summer season, so everyone's focus is now on winter. If Mother Nature allows, we hope to be skiing and riding at Lincoln Peak on Saturday, November 19th.
Today is the deadline for early-season pricing for college and graduate students. Season pass sales are strong this year, as are lodging reservations for the Christmas holiday period and Martin Luther King weekend. As you know, we fill up fast on holidays so let your friends know that they should make their reservations early.
While we did not get the heavy snow that fell in southern Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut last weekend, we did get enough to make the trails white and get everyone's adrenalin going. It was great to see that Killington opened this past weekend. After the extensive damage that they and the surrounding areas received from Irene, the message is clear: Vermont is open for business and ready for winter.
To get ready personally, I am planning on getting new boots this weekend and having my bindings checked and edges sharpened. Lili, Rumble, Zoe, and I will probably take a hike up the mountain on Saturday or Sunday. The weatherman tells me that we are going to have several days of sun and that is unusual this time of year, so we plan to get what hopefully will be the last view of the Valley without snow cover until next April. The Farmers' Almanac is calling for a snowy winter.
To really get everyone stoked for winter, The Big Kicker party is on Saturday, November 19th at the Big Picture theater. This is a community event to celebrate the forthcoming ski-and-ride season. A week later, Gerry Nooney will once again prepare a delicious Thanksgiving feast in Timbers. Our annual Ski the Valley program will occur the week of December 12th and we are taking reservations for it now.
As I have mentioned previously, we are the east coast sponsor of the Warren Miller films. Don't forget to check out performance dates in your area and tell your friends about it. For those of you in the Boston area, we also will be at the Boston Ski Show which begins November 11th and we hope to see you there.
Think snow!
Win
So what would you expect a former Executive Vice President of Merrill Lynch to do when he retires? Lay low in the islands? Nope. He moves north and works seven days a week right here at Sugarbush. Check out what he's been thinking.
