2009 Wrap-Up {Liberty Mountain Resort, Carroll Valley PA}

It's hard to believe that in less than eight hours, we'll be celebrating a new year, a new decade, and a new turn in the page of life and Liberty.

In light of the new year and all the exciting things that happened at Liberty in 2009, we'd like to share some pictures from the past 12 months in a 2009 wrap-up....

In February, Liberty was the East Coast Host to the Burton Women's Super Camp, one of only a few resorts selected to be part of the program every year.

As February ended, we celebrated 80's Weekend, a Liberty favorite. Employees and guests dressed in their best 80's gear to strut their stuff in the 80's Fashion Show. The winner walked away with a $250 gift certificate for the Liberty Mountain Sport Shop.
In March, the terrain park crew put together the 100 Foot Challenge. With a successful ride across the 100 foot rail, Tyler McLeod became the first snowboarder to conquer Liberty's first 100 Foot Challenge.

What's a ski season without Springfest? The 2009 Springfest theme was "Liberty Mountain Hits the Big Screens." Resort departments dressed their areas "to the nines" for famous Hollywood movies.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory...

The Addams Family

Once the season was over, we could concentrate on putting together our new Peak Season magazine. We gave our semi-annual magazine a fresh new look and the first issue was released in May.

The warm months came and the Liberty projects began.

The base area was improved - better view from the Admin offices and more space for on-snow activities and enjoyment.

The outdoor pool received some new fencing and the Alpine Patio was expanded. Great for swimming in the summer and hanging out slopeside in the winter.

The First Class Area bottom chairlift station was raised four feet to improve the loading area for our first timers and beginners.

The Eastwind Quad chairlift on the backside of the mountain was removed and replaced. Improved comfort for our guests!

People of all ages visited the Boulder Ridge Challenge Course for teambuilding exercises and group fun.

The Sales and Food & Beverage staff hit a record number of off-season events, including a TON of weddings. The Boulder Ridge Lodge and Alpine Room were always full of beautiful decorations and delicious food.

One of 2009's most exciting projects was the re-design of the Alpine Room. In an effort to better harmonize the Alpine Room with the Alpine Market and newly rennovated Bakery (mentioned below), warm colors and wood accents were added to the room. Here's a look at the first wedding in the Alpine Room after the finish of the re-design...

Then fall came and Mother Nature delivered the beautiful colors of the season. The ski season was quickly approaching...

The new Bakery was finally finished! The warm colors and wood accents from the Alpine Market and Alpine Room now flow down into the bottom half of our base area lodge.

Snowmaking for the 2009-2010 season offcially began shortly after the first week of December and we were able to announce that we'd be opening on December 12. With continued improvements to the snowmaking system over the warmer months, snowmaking has been a huge success during the last month of 2009.

It wasn't too long after opening day that Mother Nature blessed us with TONS of natural, beautiful snow! On December 19, we received nearly two feet of snow and boy was the mountain giddy! Hopefully Mother Nature will continue to bless us in 2010.

To everyone that visited and worked at Liberty in 2009, we thank you for a wonderful, successful and exciting year. We wish everyone the best in 2010 and cannot wait to see what the future holds. Happy New Year!

Not one, but two! {Liberty Mountain Resort, Carroll Valley PA}

Not one, but two FEET OF SNOW is what received from winter's first snow storm! This past weekend was filled with excited people who were eager to get a taste of what Mother Nature delivered. We had fresh powder everywhere which made for some interesting, yet nice skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing experiences. Here are some pictures from our snow-filled weekend:

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! {Liberty Mountain Resort, Carroll Valley PA}

How many inches of snow did you have at your house this morning? We've got almost a foot of natural snow here at Liberty and it's still coming down! Here's a picture to prove it:

That's over 7 inches of snow just lying on our outside tables! Add 7 inches to the already 16-24 inch base on the mountain and that equals TONS of snow, and lots of good, fresh powder!

So how much more snow are we going to get? Accuweather is predicting accummulation throughout the day until about 1am tomorrow morning. NOAA predicts totals to reach 9 to 13 inches of snow just for today. It's hard to decide which forecast predictions to follow, especially when they all say something a little different. That's when we bring in Andy Beck - Liberty's unofficial in-house meteorologist!

Andy studied Meteorology and Weather Risk Management at Penn State University and just recently joined our Liberty Hotel staff. As a ski resort, we depend very heavily on the weather so when our "trusty" forecasts are hard to believe, we pick Andy's brain to see what he thinks Mother Nature is going to bring.

This picture of Andy was taken at 4:30pm last night (Friday evening). He was patiently waiting for the first flakes to fall...

We talked with Andy last night about our first winter storm and he said "It's going to be pretty good." And by "pretty good" Andy means we're getting lots of snow. Andy believes we'll receive at least 7 to 10 inches of snow from the storm, and based on the ruler picture above, I'd say he's right so far. Andy says that tracking the storm route is key to predicting how much snow we'll receive - the closer the storm is to the coast, the more snow we'll get. Andy added that "even a 20 mile difference could mean 4 more inches of snow."

Andy is predicting the heaviest of the storm to come tonight. "We could see 1 inch per hour rates of snow fall and that's heavy", Andy shared. Can you imagine 1 inch of snow per hour on top of everything that we've already received and will receive as the day progresses? It'll be interesting to see what the rest of the storm brings us...

Thanks for taking the time to share your predictions, Andy! Stay tuned for more winter storm updates. TAKE A SNOW DAY!

The New and Improved Bakery {Liberty Mountain Resort, Carroll Valley PA}

One Liberty project that we are particularly excited about is the redesign of the Bakery. Over the summer, our Base Area Operations Team worked hard to get the Bakery tore down, rebuilt and ready for the new season.

The goal was to get the Bakery to look more like a Starbucks or a Panera. It's probably safe to say "mission accomplished." The Bakery looks totally different - the warm colors and wood accents give the area a relaxing, welcoming feel and definitely harmonize better with the Alpine Market and newly redesigned Alpine Room. We hope our guests get the feel of Starbucks or Panera as they enjoy Bakery goodies and Starbucks coffee. What do you think?

Here's a look at some before and after:

Lots of red and white!

No more red and no more white! Warm, rich colors!

Check out the new Bakery mural and display case!

Happy workers in their new Bakery.

Check out the new seating area in the Bakery! High tables have been placed along the windows so you can enjoy baked goodies, coffee and the mountainside view! This guy's got it right!

The next time you visit Liberty, make sure you pay the new Bakery a visit. It looks totally different and we like it! We hope you like it, too! ENJOY!

'Twas The Night Before Opening Day {Liberty Mountain Resort, Carroll Valley PA}

Well, folks, it's finally here. Opening Day for the 2009-2010 Winter Season officially starts TOMORROW, Saturday, December 12th. From 9am to 10pm, half the trails will be open, half the lifts will be running and snow sport enthusiasts will be jumping for joy.

We've been working very hard the past two days preparing for our big start and things are finally starting to wind down a bit. Before we close for the day and go home to rest for the new season, we'd like to share a little poem, both in honor of the winter season ahead and the Christmas holiday that is present. Enjoy!

'Twas the night before Opening Day, when all through the house

Not a Snowmonster was stirring, not even a mouse.
The skis and boards were hung by the ceiling with care
In hopes that snow sport enthusiasts would soon be there.

The (Liberty) workers were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of snow days danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ski jacket, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a short winter's nap.

When out on Liberty Mountain there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But eight tired snowmakers and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old snowmobile, so lovely and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his Mountain Team they came
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Ron! Now Rusty! Now Jason and Corey!
On Tom! On Scott! On Brad, on John!
To the top of the Alpine Patio! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

Santa sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he frove out of sight,
"Happy Opening Day to all, and to all a goodnight!"