I've skied Okemo once or twice over the years and knew what to expect: lots of blue square cruisers and meticulous grooming. Indeed, not only was every trail groomed edge to edge, Okemo's groomers apparently till the snow deep enough to eliminate any trace of ice or hardpack. Wide and free of high spots, gullies and double fall-lines, the trails are inherently suited to both cruising and grooming. Okemo's steepest pitches are probably borderline blue-black at other ski areas. Certainly fun for a day away from the office, the down side is a distinct lack of variety among Okemo's trails.
The Jackson Gore terrain pod had some of the nicest snow and most interesting trails. Since we were skiing on a Friday, crowds were a non-issue, but based on the number of slope-side condos and second homes I saw, I imagine Okemo must suck up many thousands of skier visits on a typical mid-winter weekend.
Four or five high-speed quads allowed us to rack up a decent amount of vertical for the day, at least for an old guy on tele skis. In all fairness to Okemo's terrain, I'd like to try some of the double black diamond trails that were closed due to lack of natural snow. And I'll certainly take a day of cruising the groomers over a day in the office anytime!
When conditions are terrible around the state, Okemo is a nice place to spend a day. Their snowmaking, grooming, and even the machine cut moguls can be a fun way to put some snow time in. I do a lot of my PSIA clinics there because their terrain is so conducive to teaching and learning.
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