From Mountain Times:
Okemo unveils massive snowmaking improvements ahead of ski season
By Victoria Gaither Pictured (l-r): Greg Cartier, senior snow surface manager, Charles Hibberd, snowmaking manager, and Bruce Schmidt, Okemo general manager, stood in front of new HKD snow guns.
By Victoria Gaither
This past winter season marked 70 years since Okemo Mountain Resort opened to skiers. On Jan. 24, 1956, the mountain opened to four trails and two surface lifts. No doubt a magical time for the Okemo community and for skiers who had a mountain to call home.
In that time, things changed. In 1992, Tim & Diane Mueller took over, adding the first triple chairlift, the first detachable quad, and a $1.2M summit lodge. In 2014, Okemo installed the Sunburst Express, an “Orange Bubbles” six-pack chairlift.
Between the 2014 Sunburst Express lift upgrade and this snowmaking upgrade, there were also two epic lift upgrades at Okemo ahead of the 2021/22 season to help skiers and riders get up and around the mountain faster. We added the Quantum Six, a new high-speed, 6-person lift, and the Evergreen Summit Express (also with an orange bubble), a high-speed, 4-person lift.
Then, in 2018, Vail Resorts acquired Okemo.
Okemo has hit another major milestone in the mountain’s history: a massive snowmaking investment and upgrade.
General Manager of Okemo Mountain Resort, Bruce Schmidt, said, “We are excited about this project, and it’s a great step forward for Okemo from where we were. Snowmaking and grooming have always been such a huge part of what we do here at the resort. I think this project being part of the capital for this year says a lot about our company and where we’re focused.”What Schmidt is talking about is one of the biggest snowmaking upgrades ever at Okemo.
The multimillion-dollar investment brings Okemo’s snowmaking up to date.
Crews are currently installing 700 + HKD snowmaking guns that create artificial snow, replacing 15 diesel-fueled compressors with two high-efficiency electric units, adding 9 variable frequency drive motors to Okemo’s pump station and upgrading the summit valve house.
A project that has Charles Hibberd, Snowmaking Manager, and Greg Cartier, Senior Snow Surface Manager, right in the thick of it all.
Hibberd, speaking at a media day event, said, “I have been in the business for 25 years, and to see this type of change come to Okemo is ground-changing and earth-shattering. It’s taken us to a whole new level, and we have always done more with less here, and I feel like now is our opportunity to do more with more.”
An opportunity that skiers and riders will feel come the 2026-2027 winter ski season, said Hibberd, “We will be able to open trails earlier and get back on them quicker after any weather episode, and so the average skier should see a big change in what we are offering to them.”
Greg Cartier, who oversees grooming, snowmaking, the terrain park, and trails, says the mega project is on time, and they are meeting all deadlines. One of the aspects that excites him is “We can make a better quality snow at a higher temperature, less labor on the team, and they should be able to move around a little more freely on the mountain. With more guns, they will not have to spend time moving guns.”
All of this leads to a reduction in emissions. The investment at Okemo is Vail Resort’s single largest opportunity to reduce emissions this year. According to Vail Resorts, replacing 15 diesel-powered compressors with two high-efficiency electric compressors is expected to eliminate approximately 250,000 gallons of diesel fuel consumption annually, significantly reducing emissions associated with snowmaking operations.
Also adding nine variable frequency drive (VFD) motors across the mountain, allowing our pump stations to operate more efficiently by matching output to demand.
Hibberd, not one to want the spotlight, says, Okemo is a special place to work, and everyone is working hard to make this upgrade happen, “Everyone on this mountain is proud. The mountain operations department has been working together to fulfill our dream of getting this upgrade to happen. So they all have come together, and we rely on every single different department to make this happen.”
https://mountaintimes.info/2026/07/22/okemo-unveils-massive-snowmaking-improvements/
