New Day, New Year

In the thick of a very busy holiday season here at Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, I was treated to an exceptional sunrise this morning on my way to work. Luckily enough, I had my camera with me and was able to capture the image of the sun working its way through the cloud cover of the Connecticut River Valley. This stretch of time has been particularly busy for me and for Okemo, busy in a good way but in a way that does require a lot of energy. So, as has been the case for many years now, I'll be heading off to bed early instead of participating in more conventional New Years Eve festivities. A good dinner with friends and a good night's sleep is all I need, and I'll awake in 2011 looking forward to all that the new year has to offer.

Best wishes to all of my friends, family, colleagues, and guests for a healthy and happy 2011. May your year be filled with powder dreams realized and plenty of time spent playing outdoors in the mountains.

What’s a Cubit?

Let me be unambiguous: conditions at Okemo continue to be quite good, but the weather has been absolutely awful for the last two days. After a great several days of cold weather perfect for making outstanding quality snow last week, we've watched as much of our operations' team hard work has washed down our mountain and out into Vermont's rivers in a torrent. There were white caps in the Black River today, for crying out loud. Thankfully, Old Man Winter returned from his trip to Minneapolis this afternoon, bringing with him some natural snow and more cold weather.

Skiing in the rain is one of the hazards of being an instructor for a living. When even the most die-hard devotees take one look outside and opt instead for playing Parcheesi by the roaring fire, we're out there making it happen for whoever was so unaware of the forecast or who was so unfamiliar with skiing generally that they elect to take lessons in a downpour. The burden falls on the instructors to remain upbeat, to stay focused on the bright side, or simply to fake enthusiasm for the benefit of the guests while dreaming of a dry change of clothes. The truth is that once we're out in it, the snow can be a lot of fun when it's raining so while we may be reluctant to get out there, we enjoy it in the end. It's much like swimming in a cold murky lake – dip a toe in the water, hesitate, count to three five or six times before jumping in, and you later realize that it was far better than you imagined.

Having said all of this, when it rains like it has in the past 48 hours, I always am reminded of Bill Cosby's classic monologue about Noah and the ark. As a kid, my whole family would sit around and listen to the LP recording of it and never tired of asking in a booming, holier-than-thou voice "Noah, how long can you tread water?" Here's a link to a youtube recording of the whole thing. I'm not sure if it's a legal recording or not, I'm not sure who took the time to upload it, and it's just audio and no video, but it's worth a listen. It reminds me how amazingly funny Cosby was and still is, and it always makes me laugh on a rainy day like this one. Enjoy.