Snow Business: Okemo as Good as It Gets in March 2018

LUDLOW, VT — It's been a wacky winter down in Connecticut, but a recent trip to Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont showed one thing — It's been one of the most consistent performers in the East this season.

And in Vermont, conditions are just fine.

The trip last week represented the second of two seasonal extremes — one in December and one in March. December was spectacularly stellar with a Okemo throwing down a solid base early, making a weekend with the Jackson Gore Inn serving as a base camp one of the best in recent memory.

The first week in March was no different, if not better.

With six people in a group over varying ages and ability levels, the temptation to spend a good chunk of the morning on the South Face double blacks and the personal favorite Stump Jumper, a single-black cruiser, had to be resisted. The decision was thus made to concentrate on the northern three-quarters of the mountain and it was a good one.

Two runs at the main base area were imperative to get the legs of newbie skiworthy. That was OK, because with the novice terrain park Hot Dog Hill right smack in the middle, no one is ever bored.

It was the first ride on the Sunburst Six orange heated six-passenger bubble chair for four of the six and that was a treat unto itself. It wound up serving as the catalyst for the discovery that, the green trails connecting the main summit to the Solitude and Jackson Gore areas probably featured the best snow. They are all a meandering option to give younger skiers and riders a big-mountain feel without unnecessary angst.

A trip to the Jackson Gore base area would not be complete without a run on the Timber Ripper mountain coaster and a snack at the Waffle Cabin.

It was back to the main base area an d lunch via a wrap-around tour of Okemo on the Mountain Road.

After lunch was spent back over at Hot Dog Hill.

With nearly 2 feet of snow from Wednesday's storm and nearly 40 over the past week, Okemo is sporting base depths of 36-to-50 inches over its 121 trails.

Check out the conditions:

What, then, is the conclusion? it's simple — Okemo is primed for a good experience in March specifically and, in general, a solid spring season. The snow doesn't lie and the snow is certainly there.

Check out more about the resort here.

Photo Credit: Lauren Poulin; Video Credit: Okemo Mountain Resort.

Chris Dehnel is a Patch editor and past-president of the Eastern Ski Writers Association. He has been writing about snow sports for more than 15 years. His Snow Business column runs regularly during the winter season.