Adam Ford / Okemo Mountain Resort

On Sunday, Jan. 3, Okemo Mountain Resort dropped the ropes on its Ross Powers Superpipe. Powers was on hand to take the first run of the season through his namesake pipe and sample its increased pitch.

Okemo s Superpipe is named to honor the resort s Snowboard Ambassador and Olympic Gold Medalist Ross Powers. A living legend in the world of parks and pipes, Powers holds more halfpipe titles than any other rider in history. He earned a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. In addition to working with Okemo s award-winning grooming team to offer more terrain variety, Powers operates snowboard camps to benefit the Ross Powers Foundation, a non-profit foundation for athletes with financial need. Okemo is an awesome family resort with a great pipe and terrain parks, said Powers. It s a place where I can train and raise my family. Powers and his wife, Marisa, have two snowboarding daughters, Victoria and Meredith.

The Ross Powers Superpipe is 450 feet long with decks spaced 50 feet apart and walls measuring 18 feet high. It is maintained with a laser-guided Zaugg Pipe Monster and the pipe is serviced by its own lift The Pull surface lift. The debut of Okemo s Ross Powers Superpipe this early in the season is a testament to the resort s renowned snowmaking and grooming proficiency.

At Powers recommendation, The Ross Powers Superpipe, the longest superpipe in the East, increased its vertical pitch by 12 feet this year. That means that the steepness of Okemo s superpipe is now16 degrees allowing the resort to attract high-caliber pipe events and top athletes.

Ross Powers has his sights set on the Olympic rings again this winter this time, in snowboardcross. He will spend the next three weeks competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and hopes to represent the U.S.A. in SBX in Vancouver.

For more information about Okemo Mountain Resort, please call (802) 228-1600, or go online to learn more about Okemo s Parks and Pipe.