A Week in Review: The Daily Chronicles of the Loon Mountain Job Share Team (aka Sales Team)
If you have followed this blog, you have read about the multi-tasking sales team at Loon Mountain. Not much has changed since my last job sharing blog post almost a year ago… we’re still at it but we have two new smiling faces on the team- Jon and Emily.
Honestly, I believe they were bred to job share since they were born, what they didn’t know was WHERE they would be honing in on all the skills they have learned in the past 10 years of their existence. We are insanely lucky to have added such awesome folks to the Loon Mountain Job Share Team—and they’re really good at their “real” jobs in the sales office too! Talk about a win-win situation!
In the week leading up to vacation week, the Sales Team could be seen in several departments. You may not have even realized that the folks getting you fitted for rental equipment, selling tickets, or even driving the bus, would be serving you lunch – even ringing you up at the cash register for your amazing meal; that’s us – Team Sales.
Last week our days started early – we hosted over 300 students from the UK and Ireland DAILY (as well as our favorite Cardigan Mountain School on this side of the pond). Andrew was often the one behind the big blue bus driving the international students from their hotel to Loon Mountain for an amazing taste of US skiing and riding. It was often Adam and Jon greeting the eager students, who then made their way to the rental shop where Jon, Emily, and I would be calling out their names for their pre-set rental equipment for the week. After the students made their way through the rental shop, they would be greeted again by Adam, who was busy coordinating their lessons with Casey and the amazing Loon Mountain Snowsports Team. Then they would head out for their two hour morning lesson, and at that time, the Sales Team would retreat back to the office to respond to e-mails, print tickets, and return calls – basically do whatever we could do in the amount of office time we had. Ironically, one of the biggest Hallmark holidays and one of the record days for engagements fell during this week – Valentines Day. Adding to the countless e-mails were several excited newly engaged couples who were interested in hosting their mountaintop destination wedding at Loon Mountain. AWESOME!!!
Following the brief stint spent in the office (and we do apologize for any lag in e-mail response time), we headed directly to the Governors Lodge to man our various stations to help with the lunch rush. Adam and I posted up at the soup station, Jon was the grill expediter extraordinaire, and Andrew was the guy taking in the money. It was like a well-oiled machine. I even got to re-live last season’s pudding cup assembly, pretzel distribution, and fresh-made wrap construction. Although I did have an opportunity to dabble in assembling salads, the push for macaroni and cheese in a bread bowl was overbearing- so much that even the most accomplished soup person (Adam) couldn’t keep up with the demands. Needless to say, it was a great change and really nice to be working with our guests on so many different levels of experience at Loon Mountain. And please don’t worry; we did wash our hands several times after fitting you for boots and BEFORE serving the food…
As we move forward into the coming vacation week, we all have our various tasks and, while our office time is still minimal yet manageable, we are really excited to work with each and every one of our guests on a face-to-face level instead of behind windowless walls.
This week, you will find Jon, Andrew, and Emily selling tickets at either a snowsports desk or a ticket window. Adam will probably be the one behind the wheel of the big blue bus shuttling you from your hotel to the most amazing skiing and snowboarding conditions in the East, and I’ll be perched at the rental shop selling you excellent (and freshly tuned) rental equipment, tickets, and lessons. After the morning ticket and rental rush, Adam will still be behind the wheel of the big blue bus, Andrew will be at a register in the Governors Lodge, Emily could be, well, anywhere, and Jon and I will be in the best-kept secret in Loon Mountain dining- Wanagan’s Slopeside Deli. Jon will be taking your orders and making some of the most intense hot chocolate cups this side of the Mississippi and I’ll be slinging one of the most incredible steak and cheese sandwiches you have ever had. Please, swing on in and say hi. If you mention you read this blog, you might even get an extra handful of the most amazing homemade potato chips with your sandwich. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
Until next post,
Abby Guinan
Sales Manager
Cardigan Mountain School Ski Day a Big Success
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This past Thursday was one for the record books. Thanks to Mother Nature and Austen Hannis, the Cardigan Mountain School Ski Day was choreographed to perfection. Sunny skies, 40 degree temperatures, and 200 of the most well-behaved boys on the planet descended on Loon Mountain in nine buses- and within 30 minutes of arrival, they were all issued lift tickets, rentals, and sent on their merry way to make memories that will hopefully last a lifetime.
At 9:01 p.m. last night, the Cardigan Mountain School Headmaster sent out an e-mail to all students- the date of the ski holiday that is a tradition of both Cardigan Mountain School and Loon Mountain was announced. However, in an attempt to throw the students off, the Headmaster started his e-mail video stating that due to lack of snow, the annual ski day would be cancelled.
Shortly after that statement, he revealed that Loon Mountain still had plenty of snow to host the ski holiday. The dorms erupted in cheer and the kids went to bed psyched knowing classes were cancelled and they would spend the day on the hill- tubing, skiing, snowboarding, lounging around their own slopeside lodge, and swimming in the pool AND eating TONS of pizza – 800 slices of pie, to be exact. You got it, those 200 hungry teenagers politely ate 100 pies AND cleaned up after themselves!!!
I know I blogged about this epic day last year, but I have to tell you, the kids at Cardigan are always such a joy to host at Loon. They are so well-behaved, so thankful, and so happy to participate in a long-standing tradition started by Cardigan many years ago. These students attend Cardigan from as far as California, Florida, China, Spain, you name it. And they get smarter and smarter every year- we had a few students e-mail the info@loonmtn.com address to find out when the ski day was… thankfully, the staff at Loon all recognize the importance of keeping this big ski holiday a surprise and those emails found random replies to throw them off.
You really have to see it to believe how incredible it is to see the nine Cardigan Mountain School buses caravan over the bridge to Loon Mountain- it’s a sight that still, after my seven years of working with this amazing school, gives me a shiver up the spine with sheer excitement. And, less than eight hours later, those nine buses depart- all kids accounted for and happy. We’ll see you next year, Cardigan boys- and no, we won’t reveal the date, no matter how creative you get! Keep up the great work, Cardigan Faculty and Staff- you should be proud of the amazing young men you have at your school!
Until next time,
Abby Guinan
Sales Manager
Mountain Ops Update 2/9/12
By Katelyn Krumperman
From the words of Ralph Lewis, Director of Skiing Operations
Snowmaking will continue into mid February and then we’ll reevaluate and see what the weather is doing. At this point, all snowmaking terrain is open and our main focus right now is to resurface all open terrain and concentrate on grooming.
One of the biggest challenges we have had this winter is dealing with the rain that has been a reoccurance. Fortunately, the rain storms have been followed by cold temperatures so we have been able to recover very quickly.
On the hill, we will be building more moguls, concentrate on getting all of our parks open, and opening a mini-pipe on the West Side. The new trails on South Mountain are very popular and we couldn’t be more pleased with how they came out.
We are looking forward to Fluorescent Nights during February vacation and hoping for more snow in these last couple of months of the season.
Ice is Nice
By Lauren O’Reilly
Every truly devoted skier will at some point encounter the slippery surface we all call ice. However, with the proper skills, even the occasional skier can safely navigate the less than preferred polished surface. A light touch and a balanced stance will work just fine. It doesn’t hurt to have your equipment tuned with polished edges either. Maintain even short to medium radius turns, making sure you curve back up hill after every turn. Skidding is a tactic well-practiced. Just like driving a car on an icy road, approach every turn slow and allow the skis to move forward as they slightly skid around the curve. Take every turn in this fashion and you will find yourself maintaining control and gaining the confidence you need to enjoy this ever-changing mountain environment.
12.25.11 Park Update
12.25.11
Happy Holidays. We now have three parks up and running with a variety of jibs and jumps. We are also pumping snow in both the medium park and the main park. One if not both of those will be coming at you soon.
A Word from the Slopes 12.28.11
From the words of Ralph Lewis, Director of Skiing Operations
After the 1.1 inches of rain that we received last night, we are anxiously awaiting for temperatures to drop this afternoon in order resume snowmaking. We will resurface all open terrain for the next two nights as well as opening additional terrain tomorrow. We will work on opening the remainder of the trails after resurfacing on existing terrain is finished. As long as snowmaking temperatures remain, we will be making snow around the clock.
We are very fortunate to have great conditions and a significant amount of our terrain open at this point. This is all possible because of our snowmaking and grooming team and the investment Loon has made to our snowmaking infrastructure.
Until next week …
Park Update
12.22.11
New DROPLINE Park opens Friday morning with with more jibs and one wicked kicka. The 7 Brothers park is still sharp and 4 features deep. Plus be on the look out for another park in the base area coming soon.
12.16.11
It getting cold out! Snowmaking will be firing up shortly and one of the trails we are going to is our NEW Dropline Park! As long as it stays cold we should have that park online some time next week, stay tuned for a firmer date. Till then enjoy the 2 Top Secret parks!
12.12.11
More features as of 9 am Tuesday morning. They shouldn’t be hard to find. See you out there.
12.8.11
Snowmaking goes back on tonight! Which will hopefully result in more park features for the weekend. For now enjoy the jump and jibs in the Sunset Park! Stay tuned.
12.3.11
Good snowmaking temps and the guns were blazing again last night. Won’t be long before we get some more parks up on the hill. For now the park on sunset is still up and looking good. Stay posted.
Holiday Week Preview
By Katelyn Krumperman
Greetings! How are you? I am much better now that we received seven inches of snow last night at Loon Mountain just in time for the holiday week! Even though we have had a tough start to the winter, we are in good shape as we head into the holiday week at Loon. With 28 trails, 178 acres, and over 12 miles of skiing riding, Loon has the most open terrain in New Hampshire!
Our snowmaking and grooming team has done an amazing job resurfacing and opening new terrain to get that Superior Snow Guaranteed that you love.
Looking for something to do this week? Look no further. Here is a quick run down of what’s going on this week at Loon Mountain.
Saturday, December 24th: Non-denomanational Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in the Governor’s Lodge at 7 p.m.
Friday, December 30th: Family Magic Show in the Octagon Lodge at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 31st: Mo the Balloon Buffoon will be at the Governor’s Lodge from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. making balloon sculptures for the kids and entertaining the younger crowd.
- New Year’s Eve: Ring in the New Year at the Bunyan Room New Year’s Eve Party. Live music by 6 Foot Sunday. This is a 21+ event and there is a $25 cover charge. Reservations are highly recommended.
Snowmaking continues tonight and on top of the seven inches we received last night, the conditions should be pretty stellar out there. Enjoy the last week in December and Happy Holidays from all of us at Loon Mountain.
Loon Opens Today for the 45th Season! 11.20.11
Hey guys!
Another season is upon us. Today is the day you have been anxiously waiting for. We are opening today for the 2011-2012 winter season! Thanks to our fabulous snowmaking and grooming team and some cold temperatures we were able to open earlier than anticipated.
5 trails will be open today from 12-4pm. The East Basin Lift will be open with downloading on the Gondola. The following trail are open; Upper Bear Claw, Bear Claw Ext., Grand Junction, Link, and Upper Picked Rock.
Tickets are $20 today. So come on up to Loon Mountain and enjoy the first day of the season! I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one. Stay tuned for more information and pictures from today.
Katelyn
On the Road … Again
It’s a busy time of year for the Loon Mountain Sales Team and we are spreading our wings all over the globe… well, maybe not ALL over the globe, but we’re still marketing the Resort in three countries in three weeks! Jon, our newest addition to the Sales Team, and I headed to Toronto two weeks ago for a six day stint- four days at the Toronto Ski Show and two full days traveling in our trusty Toyota Minivan. Jon’s first day on the job consisted of 13 hours in the minivan and changing windshield wipers (he’s a pro) and co-piloting the excursion. Since I tend to get car sick, I was the one behind the wheel and tried to keep it entertaining by hitting rumble strips to wake up the back-seat passengers… while successful, I don’t think they were as pleased as I was to have two new folks to chat with from the back seat…
We rented a few condos about 1 mile from the Toronto Ski Show. We thought condos would be much more fiscally responsible and allow us room to spread out- after spending five nights in a hotel room the size of a cardboard box in past years, all I really wanted was a couch and a kitchen. The condos were nice, economical, and although we had great intentions of cooking a family style meal each night after the show, reality hit. We were all so exhausted after 10+ hours on our feet that it took all we had just to change and head out to find a place with a reasonable menu to fulfill our cravings of anything BUT pizza. After we broke down at the end of the show, we did find the energy and time to make an excellent feed for all of us while the guys watched baseball…
This past weekend, Adam returned from two weeks in the UK and Jon returned from his second trip to Canada- the Ottawa Ski Show to be exact. Ottawa is always a fun time and the ski show is hands down one of the best. However, as I write this, I have clothes in the washing machine getting ready for the next voyage- Pennsylvania and New Jersey Ski Council Shows. The same host for our Spring Travel shows is putting these shows on and I really can’t wait to get on the road. Sure, being on the road is tough- you’re away from family and the work load never ceases, but we all do a great job of making the most of the great areas we find ourselves in. Greg and I are spending our one day off in Amish Country and, if you know us, you know how psyched we are!
Following our epic road trip to Amish Country and all areas in between, we return for a day before heading out to one of my favorite ski club events of the year- New Hampshire Ski Club Extravaganza. The NHSC folks are just, well, plain AWESOME and it’s always a good time. Following that show, we head directly to Boston for the Boston Ski Show and the last of the travels for this girl until Spring. Bernie and his team always do a great job and I can’t wait for another spectacular show at the Seaport World Trade Center! If you haven’t planned your weekend yet, be sure to visit BEWISPORTS.COM and purchase your discounted tickets for the Boston Ski Show- with Tommy Moe as an honored guest, tons of specials, discounts and more- you can’t go wrong! And, while you’re there, definitely stop by the Loon Mountain booth and purchase your discounted Frequent Skier Cards or purchase your New England Pass! Hands down two of the best deals in New England Skiing and I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!!! Hope to see you there!!! Sure, you could spend the weekend going to the dump or doing household chores, but there really is not better way to save a ton of dough by attending the Boston Ski Show!!!
Think SNOW!
Abby Guinan
Sales Manager
What’s New at Loon this Winter
By Katelyn Krumperman
I am sure you are all dying to know what is in store for you this winter at Loon Mountain, right? Well, I’m here to tell you what’s new at Loon Mountain this winter.
After investing $20 million in the past five years to add more terrain, uphill capacity and state-of-the-art snowmaking & grooming technology, Loon Mountain continues its committment to providing a great guest experience in 2011-2012.
This season, a capitol investment of $1.4 million went toward 170 new, highly efficient tower guns, and the opening of four new trails – Upper and Lower Twitcher and Jobber – on South Peak, which adds another 16.5 acres of terrain and Dropline. Both trails on South Peak are derived from the logging heritage.
The Burton Progression Park finds a home on Dropline (1 acre), another new trail located at the lower part of Grand Junction. The Burton Progression Park is a great place for new park riders and skiers to become comfortable with park riding and etiquette and Dropline will be the perfect home for it.
Joining the fleet of groomers, another new grooming machine, the Prinoth Bison-X, will join the team in December.
Weather permitting, we will be ready to start making snow on November 1st and we plan to open in early to mid-November. Stay tuned for more exciting news from Loon Mountain and Think Snow! It’s that time of year again.
Mud, Guts, and Glory – 1st Annual Monster Mud Run
By Katelyn Krumperman
Are you competitive? Do you like to challenge yourself? Do you like getting dirty? If you answered yes, to the following questions then the Loon Mountain Monster Mud Run on October 29 is for you!
The Monster Mud Run is a race for the ambitious, for people who like to push themselves to the limit. It is not about running up a hill, it involves obstacles (natural and man-made), as well as a mud pit and more. Feel the vicotory of tackling the Monster, our course of 14 obstacles and rough terrain! Click on the link below to view the terrain map.
To participate in the MMR, you must be 18 years of age. For event details and registration info. please visit, http://www.loonmtn.com/info/summer/Monster-Mud-Run.aspx
Don’t stray too far after the MMR, we are hosting a Halloween Monster Bash in the Bunyan Room starting at 8pm! Wash the mud off and change into your best Halloween costume! Enjoy live music by the Running Gags and a costume contest.
We’ll see you in a coupl of weeks! Happy training!
Artisan’s Gallery Open at Loon Mountain Summit
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By Katelyn Krumperman
Do you like finding unique gifts for family members and friends? Do you like hand carved wooden products? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you should check out the Artisan’s Gallery at the summit of Loon Mountain off of Bear Claw Extension.
Inside the gallery you will find a collection of unique items. From earrings and necklaces to wood carved spoons, the Artisan’s Gallery is a collection of hand made items that you won’t find anywhere else. Hand painted note cards are displayed on the table and paintings hang on the wall. The artist, local Jody O’Callaghan, sits at the table painting.
Interested in buying a hand carved walking stick? On any given day, Jim McHugh, who plays the guitar in the Crunchy Western Boys, can be found outside carving walking sticks.
You will also find hand made hemp necklaces by Sam King who works at the Gondola. Hand made earrings and a local photographers work can be purchased as well.
The Artisan’s Gallery is open 9:30am – 4:00 pm for another two weeks. Enjoy the fall weather and be sure to stop in the gallery and say hi. 
The Leaves They Are a-Changin’
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By Katelyn Krumperman
Patches of sun peek out from the rain clouds and shine down on the tops of the trees. Red, orange, yellow, green, and purple colored leaves illuminate as the sun rays pass over them. Temperatures flucuate from 60 degrees to 50 degrees and cold rain showers pass by; fall has officially arrived at Loon Mountain.
The smell of apple crisp baking in the oven, driving my big wheel through the massive leaf pile my Dad put in the front yard, playing soccer, the crisp cool air, and carving pumpkins are just a few of my favorite memories of the fall growing up as a kid. Don’t get me wrong, I still like jumping in leaf piles but now the fall has a different meaning; winter is right around the corner.
At Loon Mountain we celebrate the fall with beer, German music, and brats at our annual Oktoberfest over Columbus Day Weekend. This year, we will have a few new activities so be sure to check out our website for detailed information. Continuing in the fall festivities, we added two new events to our calendar; the 1st Annual Monster Mud Run and the Halloween Monster Bash in the Bunyan Room. Both events take place on Oct. 29th so be sure to mark your calendars!
Until the snow starts to fly, enjoy the crisp cool air, the smell of applie crisp baking, and leaf piles. We’ll see you soon!
Kilts, Kilts, and More Kilts – 36th Annual Highland Games Recap!
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By Katelyn Krumperman
Scottish flags waved high in the air, bagpipes echoed off the mountain walls, and thousands of people in colored kilts filled the grounds of Loon Mountain. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was in Scotland, not Lincoln, NH. Once again, it was time for the annual Highland Games.
I have always wanted to travel to Scotland and after experiencing my first Highland Games, I want to travel there more than ever. I have never seen so many bagpipes and kilts in my whole life – it was truly an amazing site! From 60 clans to sheephearding and heavy athletic events, the Scottish culture amazed me! I have to admit, I was so enthralled in the culture that I bought a celtic dog collar, a pair of earrings, and the Red Hot Chili Pippers CD.
Despite damage to the main bridge, the 36th Annual New Hampshire Highland Games went off without a hitch and the pedestrian bridge was great for getting people in and out of the games smoothly and organized. It was the highest attended Highland Games thus far and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Overall, it was a very successful weekend.
We’ll see you next year, Sept. 21-23, 2012, at the games! Get your kilt on!
Pedestrian Bridge OPEN to the Public
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By Katelyn Krumperman
Two weeks ago, part of the main bridge to Loon Mountain collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Fortunately, we have been able to redirect traffic to Loon Mountain via the South Peak Bridge in Lincoln. Since then, town, state, and Loon employees have been working around the clock to put up a temporary foot bridge for the 36th Annual New Hampshire Highland Games, Sept. 16-18. The bridge is now OPEN to the public.
Please note, Black Mountain Road has been closed by the town and is expected to open on Wednesday. In the meantime, the town has contacted homeowners about the road closure and Loon has been running a shuttle during the day for affected homeowners. For guests of the Mountain Club on Loon (hotel), there is still parking on site with a short shuttle service for luggage if needed to the lobby.
A BIG thanks goes out to everyone who has helped recover from Irene’s mean path. Once the Games are finished, a two-lane temporary vehicular bridge will be put in place for the upcoming winter season. In the spring, there are plans to rebuild the bridge. Thanks for your support and concern! We look forward to seeing you at the Highland Games this weekend!
Update: Main Bridge Collapses, Loon Open for Summer Activities as Usual
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By Katelyn Krumperman
“It sounded like an earthquake,” said Meg White, assistant manager of the Loon Mountain Adventure Center, who lives at The Village of Loon condos. “It woke me out of bed.”
At 6am Wednesday morning, August 31, 2011, a section of the main bridge to Loon Mountain collapsed. Some remember Gloria … now they’ll remember Irene. Hurricane Irene dumped up to 10″ of rain over the area on Sunday, causing the East Branch of the Pemi River to flood, undermining the bridge abutments and closing Route 112/The Kancamagus Highway east of the Resort.
Thankfully no one was hurt when the bridge collapsed on Wednesday morning. The bridge had been closed on Sunday by the NH Department of Transportation (NHDOT). Engineers were here Wednesday to look at the bridge, assess the damage, and to put a plan in place. An excavator was here during the day redirecting the flow of water under the bridge which was the first step of business.
Despite damage to the main bridge, Loon Mountain is open with all of our summer and fall activities. You can access Loon Mountain via the South Peak Resort bridge, located in downtown Lincoln. The 36th Annual New Hampshire Highland Games will take place as planned, Sept. 16-18.
So do us a favor and tell your friends to come up to the White Mountains this Labor Day Weekend and enjoy its beauty. We are OPEN!
For latest updates on the bridge collapse, please visit http://www.loonmtn.com/info/winter/PressDetails.aspx?page=/collagepages/Press/11_12_Bridge-Update-.aspx.xml
Eventually, the snow must melt …
By Katelyn Krumperman, Marketing Manager
Hello!
How are you? Can you believe another winter season at Loon Mountain has come and gone? With 198 inches in snowfall, we couldn’t have asked for a better winter of skiing and riding at Loon. It was one of the best that I can remember. What about you? What was your favorite part of this winter? Did a certain event stick out in your mind or was it a powder day? Share your stories with us.
The rain has come and gone and the sun is back out. Three more days, THREE MORE DAYS to ski and ride Loon this winter. Why not end on a high note and enjoy spring skiing and riding at it’s finest.
In the end, the snow must melt and a new season must begin … enjoy the last couple of days at Loon and enjoy the spring!
Once the chairs stop turning, don’t be a stranger. We have a lot of cool events happening this summer at Loon Mountain.
We’ll see you soon!
4-4-11 Spring Interning at Loon Mountain, My First Days
Hello everyone! I am Katie, the new Marketing Intern for the spring 2011 season. Some of you may know me from my pervious position at Loon Mountain, working the Gondola. I am in my fifth year of employment at Loon Mountain and the change of departments has been very exciting and has opened my awareness to more of the mountain happenings. My pervious job I got to interact with the guests more and know how special the mountain was to them. Having that information has been a huge benefit while working in the marketing department. The new atmosphere of the marketing department has made it easy to work and learn from my new mentors: Jordan, Katelyn and Gus. Having three mentors that do different jobs in the marketing process is more than I could have asked for. I get to do three different internships in one. My journey so far has been fun, beneficial and had some crazy moments.
The start of my internship felt like it was taking forever. As I watched the days fly by, I couldn’t help but get antsy to start. Finally, one day while I was working the gondola, the big man, Jordan Yanni the Event Coordinator for Loon, came up to me and asked if I could start tonight helping him set up for the On Snow Demo. Having no idea what I was getting myself into, I happily agreed and finished my day at the gondola before heading over to the Governor’s side to assist Jordan.
Working at Loon for five years, I knew Jordan before beginning to work for him. He knew I was familiar with most of the employees and threw me right into the action. This was the first time the On Snow Demo was at Loon Mountain. The On Snow Demo was a demo in which shops from around New England could come and preview all the new products for next year. This is a huge event and most brands were present for it. That being said, soft snow and the threat of rain made for a crazy set up. After about two hours of running around I was finally sent home. Working this night showed me how important it is to have a structured plan and a back up plan for when things or people get out of whack.
The first real day of my internship, I came in to help Jordan with the On Snow Demo. Apparently Jordan thought I could handle things right from the start because we went out to shoot the daily video, where I would watch, and he decided to fall and break his collar bone. After bringing him to First Aid, I was paired up with Gus and did my first video. After about 13 takes I finally “nailed it” and we went back to edit. If you’ve been keeping up with the Loon Mountain video snacks at Loonmtn.com you can clearly see my progression. After a while, Jordan showed back up in the office with an x-ray and an order to go home, of course he didn’t. That night was going to be the first registration I got to experience. It was called A Hard Day’s Night and it was an invitational only freestyle event for both snowboarders and skiers. With Jordan in extreme pain and a sling, Andrew and I got to run registration. Registration went smoothly. After registration, I got to run up the pipe with the judging lists and more release of liabilities for everyone that was on the course. The snowboard event was first and went off with a smash. When it was time for the skiers to go, the lights were necessary, however they kept overheating and leaving the course dark in many places. They still had a great time. After awards were given, we went and cleaned up and everyone including myself enjoyed the Red Bull Apres Party in the Bunyan Room.
The next couple of days, I got to get more acquainted with the “tower staff”. Inside the office are not only Jordan, Katelyn, and Gus but also Bart, Kathy and the terrain park staff. Working with the terrain park isn’t bad because most of them I am good friends with, and they’re not in the office that much. Kathy and Bart are a blast and they’ve been here for a while and have the best stories to share.
By Katie Maltais
Marketing & Events Intern
4/2/11 Mountain Operations Update
By Ralph Lewis
Director of Skiing Operations
Loon Mountain
With the weather changing, we have been very fortunate to have cold nights and nice days that have provided great skiing surfaces over the past two weeks at Loon Mountain.
We have had very little loss of snow coverage due to the unseasonable cold temperatures. South Peak will be closing for the season after this weekend. The closing of South Peak will effect ticket prices.
Our closing date, will be Sunday April, 17th. We are very thankful for a great season and we are looking forward to a busy summer.
Ski and Snowboard Quick Tips: Mastering the Bumps
Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent survey, asking Loon skiers and snowboarders your biggest barriers to improving your on-hill moves. Based on your feedback, we’re launching a new series with quick ski and snowboard tips to address your biggest challenges to improvement, and we’re starting with the most-requested topic – mastering bump skiing.
The bumps are really starting to build, and Loon Mountain has some of the best mogul skiing among New Hampshire ski resorts. Skiing moguls can add a new dimension (bumpy one, that is) to your day on the slopes. Try these quick tips that will introduce you the techniques needed to master the bumps.
First, find a mogul field or other terrain features to play on. Here at Loon, you can usually find mogul fields on Flume, Rumrunner and Rolling Bear. For first timers, I suggest either the bottom portion of the bumps on Flume or Rumrunner. Both trails have escape routes back to the groomed terrain.
The main focus here is to introduce you to the variable surface while you remain balanced over your feet. Ski over an isolated mogul and practice absorbing the terrain by allowing your ankles, knees, hips, and spine to flex as you ride over the top of the bump. As you continue to the back side of the bump, extend your legs to keep your skis on the ground. Imagine a slinky going down stairs. The slinky will get longer as it goes down to the next step, shorter when it lands.
Traverse the mogul field and, as you go over each bump, absorb (flex) as you go over the top, and lengthen (extend) on the back side of each bump. Turn around and traverse in the other direction.
The next time through, stall out on top of the last mogul (you should be completely flexed), pivot your skis in the new direction, and extend your legs once again on the back side. Congratulations! You have made your first turn in the moguls. Gradually shorten your traverse until you are turning on every bump.
This is just the beginning! There are as many ways to ski the moguls as there are mogul fields. Bump it up with any number of Loon Mountain’s qualified snowsports instructors in either a private ski lesson or in one of our bumps workshops.
See you on the slopes!
Lauren O’Reilly
Technical Director
Loon Mountain Snowsports
