Okemo Debuts Halfpipe To Complement Four Terrain Parks

Okemo’s halfpipe made its 2019/2020 season debut on February 4. The halfpipe, located on Okemo’s Lower Sel’s trail, is now open to skiers and riders and serviced by The Pull, a T-bar surface lift.

The Okemo Halfpipe measures 400 feet in length. It features a 14 degree pitch, vertical walls that measure 13 feet, and a span of 46 feet between decks.

Despite challenging weather patterns and inconsistent temperatures for snowmaking this season, Okemo’s operations team pulled out all the stops in order to provide skiers and riders with the terrain variety they have come to expect.

“The month of January had its ups and downs, weather-wise, but the team has really come together and done what we needed to do,” said Okemo VP and GM Bruce Schmidt. “When we have these different types of weather patterns we are forced to look at things differently, and one decision we had to make was about the construction of a halfpipe instead of a superpipe. Okemo has been known for its terrain parks and also for being one of the few, if not only, Vermont resorts though the years to consistently build a superpipe. We do remain committed to building a superpipe again in the future, and this in no way changes our desire to provide some of the best parks and pipe in the East.” 

In addition to the halfpipe, Okemo has built four terrain parks containing 37 creative features. Those parks are: Lower Tomahawk, Crazy Train, Hot Dog Hill and Bounder.

Okemo works with Snow Park Technologies (SPT), a consulting, snow building and event management team for action sports experiences. SPT Groomer Operator Kris Jones arrived at Okemo on Feb. 3 for a seven-day build in Okemo’s terrain parks. 

“We will be focusing on ramping up the Crazy Train Park, rebuilding the Bounder Park and building the area around the halfpipe,” said Okemo Terrain Park Manager Mark Fiori. 

Okemo’s Halfpipe is scheduled to host several events this winter season: Southern Vermont Series Double Halfpipe on Feb. 8, a High School Halfpipe on Feb. 25, and Southern Vermont Series Halfpipe on March 1.