This was my second year at the Okemo Women’s Alpine Adventure 5-Day program, and the first since Okemo was acquired by Vail. Much of the program remains the same, but there were some noticeable differences this year.
For reference, here is my prior report (which also references
@ski diva ‘s prior reports):
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/tr-okemo-women’s-alpine-adventure.22437/
Sunday night diva dinner in Ludlow! Three of us met at Homestyle Hostel in downtown Ludlow for a meal so wonderful that I returned later in the week with a gang of new WAA friends.
@newboots ,
@Abbi and I had a lovely evening catching up and watching the bartenders create magnificent and creative cocktails, while enjoying some of the best food I’ve had anywhere ever. My review on TripAdvisor is titled “Food so nice that I went twice”.
Monday morning, the program began with breakfast at 8 in the Jackson Gore Roundhouse and I was shocked to find the room less than half as full as the prior year. Between changes imposed by Vail and a perfect storm of illnesses and ailments, this year’s attendees stood at 20, with only 2 newbies. The program no longer provides a tuition discount to season pass holders, which means that those who already have lift tickets end up paying the same amount for the 5-day program as those who do not. A number of Okemo residents and long-time WAA attendees chose not to succumb to the double-dipping and decided not to attend this year. Sad.
On the upside, fewer participants meant smaller groups, and this year, I was placed in a group with a wonderful, seasoned instructor, and four other women who skied at about the same level of proficiency. In a group of 6, we could ride the bubble lift together and spent less time standing on the hill during drills. Being in a smaller, well matched group contributed to a wonderful esprit de corps this year… a marked improvement from my experience last year.
Monday’s conditions were wonderful under clear blue skies and we wasted no time getting onto the hill. My instructor, Pat, was a no-nonsense, clear and direct person with a dry, funny sense of humor. We spent the day working on edging drills…sort of in a “theme and variations” style of teaching which I appreciated very much. (I had the Elgar Enigma Variations playing as my personal soundtrack in my head for much of the day.) Edging was definitely the right place to start for me. I had the best ski day I could remember on Monday.
We finished the day with the traditional welcome cocktail hour back in the Jackson Gore Roundhouse, and after a glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres, I went back to my room, had a granola bar and an apple, crashed into my bed and slept like a stone, if stones could smile.
Tuesday was completely different weather – overcast, flat light and light snow throughout the day. Guess what we worked on? More edging in increasingly powdery conditions. I popped in my low light lenses, and loved every single moment of being outside and on the snow. We again practiced edging drills, but in completely different conditions. By the end of the day, I had skied my first “not-quite-moguls-yet” run in deep ungroomed powder and got praise from my instructor for keeping up with her…”good girl for staying on my heels” were her exact words. For someone who is always, always, always the slowest and last to the bottom, this was a very encouraging day. I had dinner in the on-site restaurant with another gal from the program who was there on her own.
Wednesday was yet again completely different. The aforementioned snow continued through the night and by Wednesday morning, there was an incremental 10-12 inches of power on the hill. We hit the lift as soon as it spun and headed out to the main face where Pat knew of a couple of runs that she thought would be untracked. She was right, and again, we worked on edging and smooth turns in the fluffy, lovely snow. I may or may not have hooted in outright joy throughout one entire run that morning.
By lunch, however, I was having foot cramps and could not for the life of me figure out the reason. I ended up stopping one run before the rest of my team, and heading directly to Epic, where the program was scheduled to have lunch together.
This was another change. In prior years, the program hosted a lovely drew-up banquet for program participants and people received their milestone awards for their years of attendance. This was changed to a Wednesday lunch at the Epic restaurant that was not appreciated by the participants. 1) powder day, and we had a 3 hour lunch in the middle of it. 2) by removing the Thursday dinner, this effectively reduced the number of meals covered by the program, and this was viewed as a cost-reduction measure that was not appreciated, since tuition went up, and since passholders were not getting a tuition break. 3) people received their milestone awards, and then had to ski back to the Gore…with their stuff. 4) the service at Epic was desperately slow and poorly timed. One table had finished soup and entrée courses before the last table received their soup, and the entire event went on for TOO LONG. Much grumbling ensued.
I skied back to the Gore after lunch, and barely made it. My feet were in agony. So despite the powder, I left the hill and headed off to the bootfitter. Rob, at Northern Ski Works, spent 3 hours with me, diagnosing the issue. Here’s what I learned: You should never use Drystick heaters in your boots if you have custom insoles. I had heated my boots the night before, and in doing so, warped my custom insoles to the point of pain. Once diagnosed, he created new custom footbeds, and I was on my way. When I stepped out of the store, however, there was a completely whiteout with a surprise snow squall in Ludlow and it took me 40 minutes to get from the ski shop back to the Gore… a whole 4 miles. Unfortunately, I missed the traditional Wednesday night raclette party because of the weather. Again, I hit the bed and crashed.
Thursday was cold. Brilliant clear blue sky and freezing. And you know what we did? Bundled up and went out anyway. The skiing was fantastic, and the mountain was empty. We found places to ski out of the wind and had the place to ourselves. More drills… “stone and feather”, tap up the uphill foot on the traverse, and pole plants were on the agenda. Again on this day I realized that not only was I not the slowest, but I was not the most timid, or timid at all. I was skiing with confidence, on my edges, and keeping up with the instructor. A group of us headed out to Homestyle Hostel for dinner, and had another fantastic meal. Meals are served family-style and the hostess recommended to order 1.5 items per person. With 5 of us, we were able to try most of the menu at it was fantastic. Highly recommended.
The wind shifted on Friday, and we headed over to the South Face at Okemo. Oh my! What FUN. We ran laps there on beautiful groomed and gentle blacks and blues. Whooping and laughter were definitely in abundance.
I had a much better experience this year for a few reasons:
- I knew what to expect, and I knew a few other participants
- I had decided that I would be brave and do whatever the instructor asked us to try
- I have been exercising 5 days a week for the past year and I’m in much better shape than last year
- I have awesome boots and skis that match my ability
I finished the week feeling very empowered and confident, and skiing better than I ever have skied.
If you are looking for a serious ski training program, this is probably not it. But if you are looking for excellent instruction, a chance to make new ski friends, and enjoy the mountain mid-week, this is the program for you.