July 16, 2009 - Stratton Mountain, Vermont

It’s July and you know you have a skiing and riding problem if…

• You just got off the golf course thinking how much better it would be if there was snow on the ground.

• You’re keeping track of the rain fall and hypothetically talking about “if it was colder”.

• You spend a large portion of your day looking for sick deals on ski and snowboard equipment and apparel.

• You religiously read the Farmer’s Almanac citing “the favorable outlook” to anyone who will listen.

• Your idea of a hike on the mountain involves bringing a handsaw.

Face it, you have a problem and while we can’t speed up the seasons, here’s a rundown of some things to populate your dreams as you look forward to this winter at Stratton.

• Tubing - Back after a short hiatus, tubing is back and bigger and better than ever in 2009. The new lift serviced Coca Cola Tubing Park will be located on Big Ben in the Sunbowl area providing thrills for individuals of all ages. This behemoth will have four lanes and stretch up to 750 feet long.

• Freestyle Terrain - After a strong season that saw the reemergence of Stratton as an industry leader in freestyle terrain, the mountain is working to make its parks and pipes more diverse, more innovative, and more fun in 2009/2010. A few of the biggest changes to be seen this year will be the relocation of Stratton’s Advanced Terrain Park from East Byrneside to the home site of the US Open Snowboarding Championships on Sunriser Supertrail in the Sunbowl. Another addition is the creation of a full length Jib Park on Lower Middlebrook which will make this historically fun run of rollers even better with more features to hop on, in and over.

• Mogul Progression - Who said small children and beginners can’t get a feel for the moguls? Continuing on the mountain’s progressive progression theme, “Mogul Learning Areas” will be built throughout the mountain to serve all ability levels on trails such as White Birch, Daniel Webster, and Downtowner. Wanna-be mogulites can now work themselves up to the mountain’s iconic bump runs like Bear Down and World Cup.

• Glades - “Cleaning up” Stratton’s extensive network of gladed trails is a priority for the mountain ops crew this summer. Extensive thinning and pruning of underbrush will be the major focus in glades such as Test Pilot, Vertigo, Kidderbrook Ravine, Shredwood Forest, Moondance, Diamonds in the Rough, Cabin Fever and Emerald Forest for the upcoming season.. We are also working on providing some natural “freestyle” features in some of select gladed areas.

• GPS - Find the kids, track vertical feet, see top speed with the new Flaik GPS tracking system. Included within Jr. Ski School programs for kids 12 and under, Flaik responders will give parents and instructors a greater piece of mind. Also, available for daily rental, Stratton skiers and riders may use the Flaik tracking system to re-live their day on the slopes in a whole new way.

If you have a skiing and riding problem, the doctor recommends kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying the remainder of a beautiful summer in Southern Vermont. A great season at Stratton will be here soon enough.