Snow Business: Okemo, Stratton Teaming Up; Jiminy, Bromley and Cranmore Announce Improvements

Here is some preseason news circulating around the snow sports industry this week about resorts popular with Connecticut skiers and snowboarders:

Three of Okemo’s four season pass products go to full price on Oct. 10, 2017.

The four passes are Ultimate, Classic, Midweek and 4.0 College Pass. Prices on all but the 4.0 College Pass increase on Oct. 10. Okemo has sweetened the deal for Ultimate season pass purchasers with a new benefit at nearby Stratton Mountain Resort.

Okemo Ultimate season passholders now qualify for $49 lift tickets at Stratton Mountain Resort during the 2017/2018 ski and snowboard season. Limited to one per day, non-holiday periods only, the special offer is non-transferable, and can only be used by the passholder. Stratton Summit passholders receive this same benefit at Okemo.

For more information on passes, check out www.okemo.com.

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The three Fairbank Group resorts — Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in western Massachusetts, Cranmore Mountain Resort in New Hampshire's White Mountains and Bromley Mountain in southern Vermont — have made a number of enhancements in preparation for the coming winter months.

All three resorts will offer variable pricing this season. Similar to airline pricing, the further in advance skiers and riders purchase a lift ticket, the more they save versus the walk-up day rate. Conditions apply, including no refunds, but visitors able to plan their trips in advance could lock in a discount ticket price ahead of time.

Jiminy already has a a wind turbine, solar array, and co-generation plant on-site, so why not install electric vehicle charging stations?

Tesla-specific and ClipperCreek universal EV charging stations will be installed this season for this who want to take their EV cars to the mountains.

A new 4 million-gallon reservoir will add capacity and to the resort's snowmaking system.

Also new is a Pisten Bully 600E+ groomer, bringing energy-saving diesel-electric hybrid power to the grooming fleet for the first time at the resort.

Jiminy Peak has also completed the installation of LED lights on 21 trails, providing better vision during night skiing with less energy consumption.

Learn more abut the improvements at JiminyPeak.com.

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Cranmore Mountain Resort has certainly evolved since North Conway, N.H., businessman Harvey Gibson opened the mountain for the 1937-38 season with a single rope tow.

The most visible change to Cranmore is the Phase 1 completion of a $50 million base area redevelopment plan — the Kearsarge Brook Condominiums at Cranmore.

Located at the base of the South Slope, the first phase includes 18 residential units. When completed, the project will bring 106 condominiums to the resort and will include new base lodges and facilities, doubling the existing lodge space.

Cranmore's unloading zone was also redesigned as part of the first phase. A new, larger unloading area includes new paving, drop off parking, sidewalks, and improved decorative lighting.

A new Amenities Building located at the base of the resort's tubing park hill, is on track to be completed by Christmas. To be built in two parts, the first segment will include a new outside pool and hot tub area, with an adjacent indoor viewing area and men's and women's changing room.

The pool facility will be reserved for Kearsarge Brook owners on weekends and vacation periods, with a limited number of midweek membership options available to members of Cranmore Fitness.

The second segment of the building will include first level tubing and Mountain Adventure Park ticket windows, an employee room, public bathrooms and a small private fitness area for Kearsarge Brook residents.

The second level will include a restaurant for the tubing park and a large deck. The projected completion date for the segment is two to three years.

A new arsenal of 86 SnowGun Technologies "Sledgehammer" snowguns will use 90 percent of water pumping capacity (versus 50% or less previously), thus reducing electric consumption while producing twice the amount of snow.

Cranmore will continue to offer Tesla charging stations, first introduced in fall 2016.

The resort also announced expanded hours for night skiing — until 8 p.m. on Saturday nights and during vacation periods. Night skiing will run off of the South Quad with more beginner terrain accessible while still having access to the North Slope, South Slope, and the Alley trails.

In addition, Zip's Pub will be serving later into the evening, featuring a newly expanded menu, on Fridays, Saturdays and during vacation periods.

Check Cranmore.com for a series of 80th anniversary-themed celebrations and events throughout the season.

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Bromley has improved its base lodge and sun deck and has added to its rental shop Rossignol Experience 80 skis to its rental inventory of adult high-performance options, along with dozens of extra-comfortable Rossignol junior boots.

Bromley is upgrading its snowmaking artillery with 10 new, high efficiency SnowGun Technologies guns; and fine-tuning its air compressors to make snow more efficiently. The enhanced firepower will allow the resort to make snow on its Learning Zone and teaching terrain starting with opening weekend, planned for Nov. 25, weather permitting. Previously, the snow sports School opened in mid-December.

Learn more about the 2017-18 season at Bromley.com.

Photo Credit: Fairbank Group