LUDLOW–Okemo Mountain Resort is re-energizing its commitment to provide skiing and riding guests with superior terrain parks through a partnership with Snow Park Technologies and the introduction of a new on-mountain parks and pipe management team.
Leading the charge is Mark Fiori, an Okemo veteran who left the resort several years ago and returned recently in a new role as Okemo park manager. Fiori worked as a park ranger, groomer, fabricator and assistant park manager between 1999 and 2010. He honed his grooming skills working with several Transworld Top 10 resorts and events–some associated with Snow Park Technologies. His second in command is Dan Schwartz, another decade-long veteran of Okemo’s park crew. New to the team in a marketing and communications role is Jason Bayne, who earned his chops riding eastern resorts, competing and working in retail and doing marketing and sales for some top-rated manufacturers such as Grenade Gnu Snowboards, Osiris, Quicksilver and others.
Snow Park Technologies (SPT), the world’s leading consulting team for special projects on snow, has a long history of designing and constructing courses for events including the ESPN Winter X Games, Dew Tour, Burton US Open, signature events including the Red Bull Double Pipe, and regularly consults with ski areas in the development of many of the top ranked terrain parks in the country.
“We are seeing new growth in Okemo’s terrain parks and imagining new possibilities with the help of an experienced staff and our partnership with Snow Park Technologies,” said Okemo Vice President and General Manager Bruce Schmidt. “There are very big things happening behind the scenes and we found some great talent to grow with us as Okemo takes its terrain parks to the fullest potential.”
Okemo’s terrain parks and halfpipe came about as a result of the introduction and growing popularity of snowboarding. Okemo first started welcoming riders during the 1987/1988 season. Three years later, snowboarding lessons and rentals were offered. The following winter, Okemo introduced its halfpipe, the first in Vermont and, measuring 420 feet, the longest in the East. The Snowboard Park premiered in 1993 and additional terrain parks cropped up in the years that followed.
Okemo has received numerous accolades for its terrain parks. A 2011 Transworld Snowboarding resort poll gave special props to Okemo in its Top Five East Coast Parks rating, in which Okemo ranked fourth. In the 2011 SKI rankings Okemo made the top Ten for Terrain Parks and Overall Satisfaction. In 2009, Transworld Snowboarding gave special East Coast props in three categories. Okemo ranked second in Top Five East Coast Resorts. Okemo grabbed the second spot in Top Five East Coast Pipes, and took fourth place in Top Five East Coast Parks. For more information visit okemo.com.
