It's Gonna Get COLD for a while.......

Just checked the weather forecast from four different sites and while they aren't the same......never are........they do all show that we will be cooling down a bit starting tomorrow, New Years Day........in fact, cold enough that we should be able to get some more new snow made at least three nights.........finally.........FINALLY...........

.....snow got soft yesterday but all the trails are in good shape........we pushed snow from 9 pm til 11:30 pm last night in the areas that were rutted and thin..........then went to bed until 3:30 am when we cranked up the cats and did a full groom.........finishing at 6:30 this morning..........then back to bed for a couple more hours of sleep............yawn.......

.....but the trails are lookin good this morning............so it's worth the sleep deprivation.......I think.......

......we open at 10 this morning and have the Family Friendly New Years Eve party tonight til 11 pm..........obviously no snow tubing today or tonight.........but you can ski and/or snowboard on a park pass tonight and have a slice of pizza or hotdog with a soft drink included in your lift ticket......and party favors just before we watch the NYC Times Square ball drop on the big screen in the lodge..........and yes, if you need a lesson we will offer those for free tonight as well.......

......Happy New Year! Come on 2012........give us some snow........

History Lesson

Here is a little history lesson......recent history that is........you don't have to read it all but you will get a real good idea of what the lesson is just by giving these numbers a quick review.

50.....48.....39.....45.....47.......47.......39.......32......45.......33.....37.......53.......40......32.......39......52.....45......42
...41........

......those are the day time highs for Seven Oaks starting with yesterday and going backwards........pretty amazing isn't it?!

....What else is amazing is that we still have all the trails open that we got open over two weeks ago.......and have pretty decent ski conditions........spring like conditions today.........in spite of all these unusually high temps.......

......we talk to other ski resort owners and managers in the midwest.......some are a little better off than we are......but others have had a tougher time than we have.........a couple not open yet, some partially open.......very few completely open......not that misery loves company but it is reassuring that we are doing EVERYTHING possible to give our patrons the very best conditions we can give them........and that the only real problem is the temps we are getting.......

......so with all that said........we are still open.......we still have snow.......and we are ready for New Years Eve on Saturday.......

......hours today, Friday, are 10 am to 9 pm.........Saturday hours are 10 am to 11 pm........Sunday hours are 11 am to 8 pm.........Monday hours are 10 am to 6 pm.........Tuesday we are closed and then start the regular season days open and hours........

.....I am going to go grab some french fries.........talk to you again soon.......

Snow Update

We continue to have warmer than normal temperatures........both during the day and night.........but we still have great ski conditions on the seven of eleven trails that are open. We are really close to having enough snow to open Central Park...........my guess is that it will happen the first of the week...........but maybe sooner.

Temps did drop enough at 6 pm last night that we were able to have seven snow guns running til about 8 am this morning.........not a lot of volume but snow none the less. In the areas we chose to set the guns we covered a pretty sizable area with about six inches of fresh snow. Our strategy was to get some more snow on trails that are already open to ensure we didn't have issues the next four days when we are forecasted to see temps in the mid forties.

With all that said, in spite of a goofy December we have been open every day that we were scheduled to be open and have offered really good conditions..........and most important...........a lot of you have came to Seven Oaks to ski and snowboard...........some for their first time ever............and even though I am not a big fan of these temps........it sure has made very comfortable conditions for everyone........

We will be open from 10 am to 6 pm today, Wednesday and again on Thursday. Friday's hours are from 10 am to 9 pm...........

Snow tubing is NOT off our radar........we will get snow there asap............maybe next week...........but like you, we will have to wait and see..........

Looking forward to our Second Family Friendly New Years Eve Party Saturday night.......hope you can be here...

Be safe........

Christmas Break is HERE!

Here it is already Monday, December 26............hope everyone had a Merry Christmas........and we open today from 10 am to 6 pm.............same hours for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week as well............

Friday we are open from 10 am to 9 pm...........Saturday is New Years Eve and we open regular hours from 10 am to 9 pm .........but.........since it is New Years Eve..........we will be having our family friendly party until 11 pm...........you can find all the details on our web site............

Sunday hours are 11 am to 8 pm..........

No snow tubing yet..........no snow there yet..........but we have 7 of 11 trails covered with snow for those that ski and snowboard...........includes the terrain park open too..........

Here are a couple pics taken this morning...........moments ago.......it's going to be too warm to make snow today..........BUT NOT TOO WARM TO PLAY ON THE SNOW THAT ALREADY EXISTS! Let's have some fun..........

More trails open

After making a lot of fantastic snow yesterday, last night and this morning, we got the lower half of Drop Zone open today with features set, the first half of Willett's Way open and Elwoods Hideout open.

It's coming together..........

A little help from the sky would help!

Merry Christmas

What a difference 2 degrees can make

We saw temps drop first thing this morning so we got all the guns going at 10 am and they are still going as I post..........but.......can they stay on all afternoon?........if the temps raise a couple more degrees we will have to shut them off til they drop again..........but for right now we are throttled back but making snow. Temps are supposed to drop into the teens tonight so it should be good snowmaking.

Open at 4 pm today. Had the Ogden Middle School here today and had a good group here last nite too.

Gotta run to Minnesota to get some snow cat parts...........

see you tonite............oh yeah, we open friday (tomorrow) from 10 am to 9 pm.........what a good way to start Christmas break........

Elwood's and Christmas is close!

With the snow that was made last night, Elwood's Hideout is close to having enough snow to open. We will be making more snow tonight..........which should be enough to open it. Mother nature hasn't been all that cooperative this year so far..........but we are gettting there.........one snowflake at a time.

......And Christmas is only four days away. If you are looking for that last minute gift or a stocking stuffer you might want a Seven Oaks gift certificate or one of our Seven Oaks hoodies, long sleeve T's or a beanie..........

.......We open at 4 pm Wednesday night..........

Merry Christmas

I can't believe it.....

"I can't believe it" was the comment I heard a LOT yesterday and today from people who came to play when they saw the amount of snow on the trails. Yep, it is kinda hard to believe after the tropical weather pattern but we do have a bunch out there.

Derek told me that we needed more snow. I replied that we would partner up.........he was responsible for getting the cold temps and I would be responsible for making the snow........wish it was that easy.

Small but still nice crowds yesterday and again today. Steve.........head snow makin guy........is coming to the office in a while to strategize with Joel on where to set the guns for the first night of snowmaking. Still looks like Monday night.........that's tomorrow.......we should be able to make snow flakes by the thousands........

Went to the Community Methodist Church Christmas Cantada in Ogden this morning before we opened. They did a really nice job. One grand daughter was in the youth choir at the end and she/they did a great job too. Sure can put you in the Christmas spirit........

....We open Wednesday and Thursday of the coming week at 4 pm for ski and snowboard......see you then........

Until then........

Amazing

I know I am biased but I really think it is amazing that we have as much snow as we do, have as many trails open as we do and can access both chairlifts............in spite of the 55 degree days with over one inch of RAIN last week! The snow got rode pretty hard last night so the grooming after we closed was awesome. We did yesterday get a loop of snow opened below Central Park and Elwood's Hideout........with three features in it. Then last night Ken and Nick with help of others got the pipe set..........which will give you a little air......

Finally the forecast looks decent for making snow after this weekend..........which is going to be pretty warm...........won't hurt the snow one bit.........will make for great sking and riding today and again tomorrow. Would appear the first we could get snowmaking turned on again is Monday night.........but EVERY night next week looks like it will be cold enough.

I think two good nights of snowmaking will let us open Elwoods, Willet's Way and Central Park from top to bottom..........and let us get the lower half of the Drop Zone open.........which is where we will relocate all the features........

If all goes well, that is the plan.........Push all the snow made Monday night and Tuesday night on Wednesday morning...........and be ready to open next week on Wednesday at 4 pm.

We'll keep you posted............Merry Christmas!

Groomed and ready for tonight!

Open at 4 pm today. With these pics I don't think I have to say anymore......see you this weekend!

Rain has moved out east to make our neighbors mad now

Finally, the system with all that Gulf moisture has left our state and moved on east. A friend told me last Saturday that none of the ski areas in the state of New York had been able to open yet..........warm temps and rain........so for us to get open last weekend........the same weekend as the past three years........wasn't so bad........

........all the trails have been groomed twice this morning. Snow guns are all set and ready to fire tonight as soon as the temps drop low enough. Not sure it will get cold enough to go 100% wide open but just to get on again will be GOOD........

.......then we plan to push out the snow on the bottom half of the Drop Zone, Elwoods Hideout and Central Park......and set some more features...........even though the upper half of each trail may not have enough snow to get open.........but you can bet we are trying...........

......at least there is no more hurtful days in the immediate forecast..........

......such is life...........such is Iowa........

see you on the slopes tomorrow night...........

Neither you nor I.........

Those of us that like winter sports, don't particularly like the forecast for the next couple of days............but clearly there is nothing we can do about it but wait and watch............

.......looks like we are not going to avoid the rain but as of now it does look like it will be heavier rainfall south of us........good........

.......as much as anything, these warm temps are keeping us from making more snow............we are so close to getting the lower half of Drop Zone open and so close to getting Elwoods Hideout and Central Park open too..........

.........what I see is snow making should be possible Thursday night and Friday night............

.......so hang in there with us and we will all wait and see what exactly happens..........and know that we are poised to get the guns on just as soon as we can............

...see you on the slopes........

It's Saturday Morning - Day 2

Last night was a great opening day. Lot of people anxious to get on the snow again......and they did just that! It was cold but it didn't seem to bother anyone.

We continued to make snow last night and after we closed, in addition to grooming everything, we got Freeway OPEN.......and at noon today we will have both chairlifts running.

One more good night of snow making and we will have Elwoods open and maybe Central Park too. We also got a great start on making snow in the lower half of the Drop Zone.......which will allow us to put more features out.......and get some jumps built.

Once that is all done we will hit the snow tubing park.....

Ken set the pipe last night on the bend of Abbys Alley and it is getting used a bunch......also have three rails out on the lower end of Carters Crossing.

It is a beautiful day for riding and skiing........hope you can make it out.

We are open!!! Here we go 2011-2012 !

Thank goodness the temps dropped and we got open on schedule just moments ago. Made a lot of snow since Sunday night. Abbys Alley, Carters Crossing and the School Yard are open. We have enough snow made today to open Freeway tomorrow. Have a couple rails set for tonite. We are also making snow on the lower half of Drop Zone so we can get some features and jumps in there. Also making snow tonight on Elwoods Hideout........

See you soon.........

Keepin on keepin on

Yep, we are keepin all the snowmaking on.........the snow guns are still gunning snow.........cool.......will start the pushing and grooming early tomorrow morning.

Are you coming to ride this Friday night or Saturday??

It's paying off.......

Building another pond, going thru each snow gun with a fine toothed comb and investing in a newly rebuilt pump has allowed us to really crank out the snow since we turned on yesterday afternoon. As of 3:30 pm today we have gone 24 straight hours at full throttle..........with no let up for the next 24 hours...........and then it still looks like we will go at least another 12 hours.............awesome...........and we haven't even come close to running out of water..........

........it does appear however that I will delay my first day in the snow cat from what I originally thought would be tomorrow.........Tuesday........til Wednesday morning.............

.......gonna let the guns pound on school yard, carters crossing and abbys all night tonight so we are deep on those three runs............then move to the freeway.............

.......I don't know if we can have the Freeway open Friday night or not.............but there is a shot.........and we are going for it............

..........so who is going to make it out Friday night?????? leave me your comments.............

........this Saturday and Sunday look like highs in the thirties.........but snowmaking temps at night..............let's go.........

tic toc tic toc...........getting close to opening day

If you are into snow and into riding and into skiing...........then you gotta like the forecast with the falling temps that start in earnest tonight. Finally going to get some 24, no make that 36 or more continuous hours of snow making........

.............. Really getting pumped about spending some hours in the snow cat on Tuesday, getting the snow leveled out on the SchoolYard and Abbys Alley........I love the process.......it is truly one of my most favorite things to do.

The heavy snow yesterday was to our northwest............the heavy rain was to our southeast............so we are OKAY with it all.............lost a little of our snow but not a show stopper at all!

see you on the slopes in a short five more days!!

Friday morning update

Guns got on about 9 pm last night and the temps continued to drop........we were at maximum capacity at 11 pm and still going strong now.......a lot of snow was made during the night.......the School yard and Abbys Alley are starting to knit together real nice...........about one more night and those two will be in pretty good shape............at least we will be able to get on them with the cats and get the snow leveled out to really know if we need more or not...........

.......then the plan is to move the guns to the Freeway........

......Friday after Five tonite.......with live music, food, cold beverages, good conversation........and the annual sacrifice of skis and snowboard to the snow god.....Ulr......and geez.......based on the forecast it looks like Ulr knows we are going to be doing it based on what is predicted for Saturday weather.......!!

......most of the new Seven Oaks clothing delivered yesterday so Austin will be on hand from 5 to 7 tonight in the sales office if you want to browse through them........

.......did you see the piece on the 10 pm KCCI news last night??........they called at about 4 pm and said they were on their way up to do an interview and shoot some footage in a half hour......and they were here in a half hour..........good update on our snow conditions for everyone........thanks KCCI........Patrick and Spencer for doing that........

we'll be posting to you again soon.........

This Morning.....

Every snowflake is one step closer to opening day! Stay tuned........

Sunday nite and Tonite

Quick update. Got to turn the snow guns on about 1 am this morning and run til the sun came up. Best snow was made the last couple hours when we dropped into the teens in the valley.

Tonite we got the guns on about 6:30 and hope the temps and especially the humidity drop as they are keeping us at about the lowest volume you can run right now and still be making snow. This isn't unusual for the end of November....marginal temps that rise and drop often accompanied by wide humidity swings as well. The guys just babysit the equipment all night long and adjust everything in response to changing temps, humidity and wind.......both speed and wind direction.

......tis the season.........

.....but the outlook appears to be in our favor with temps gradually dropping..

stay tuned..........and I will try to get some pics for the next post.........

Looks for sure.........

........that we will be making snow tonight!! Every weather forecast I checked last night and again this morning would have the temps cold enough tonight to turn the guns on. In fact, when looking at the seven day forecast, the only night that might be too warm to make snow is Monday night. We will have to wait and see. Seems the forecast changes pretty often and the temps in the valley can be a little colder than in town. We are excited.

......Some more of the fence is being put up today, which is generally one of the last things to do before we open.

......I will try to keep everyone updated here on a regular basis from now til we open so you can make your plans accordingly. As ususal, we will focus on the School yard and Abby's Alley and open more trails from there as the snowmaking progresses.

Checked yesterday on the status of the Seven Oaks clothing and it should be on-site Thursday. More on this too as we get closer.

Tuesday night will be on-the-hill training for our new employees and a refresher for those that are returning. What a GREAT group we have on board again this year. Our team is awesome!!

Ready or not, here we go............and we are ready!!

.......See you on the slopes soon........

Oh Man!

Getting excited here as the list of things to do get shorter and shorter ..........leaving only ...........MAKE SNOW. And the weather forecast finally looks like we are going to get going with earnest..........maybe this weekend.......nights only.......but still it will be great to get a string of nights in...........

......are you ready???? Have you tuned the skis, found your winter equipment, got your season pass??? There is still time but if you want to be among the first on the fresh snow, the clock is running.

The complete line of Seven Oaks clothing will be on site late this week. Austin did a good job with some new colors, new looks.......be sure to check it out. Might be the Christmas gift you were looking for.

Sorry this is short but gotta get back to the ISU vs OU game now....... Go clones!

It Is Started

The snow making season officially got underway last night.

We turned on the guns at about 10 pm and ran til temps rose this morning at about 5:30 am. We know the immediate forecast is for temps that will not allow more snow to be made but we wanted to test the system. All the guns that were 100% tuned by Kris and the new/rebuilt snow making pump got tested.

The word is that the volume of water, the pressure of water and the snow making efficience from the guns were all MUCH, MUCH better than last season! Great news.

Got the winter season Seven Oaks clothing ordered and in fact it is being printed starting today. It will be on hand before opening day.......for those of you who want a Christmas gift.......or just can't wait to get the new colors.

Here are a couple pics from last night and one this morning after the sun was up.

I don't care who you are........ya gotta think that's cool......

At the top of Abby's Alley.......

Does this give you the bug???

We'll keep you posted on our progress of making MORE snow!! We need more cold nights......

It's getting closer

The nights are definitely getting colder........more frost........a little lower temps for day time highs......and some snow falling from the sky........all signs that winter is getting a little closer.
And we are 99% ready to get into full swing for the ski, snow board and snowtube season.

Newly rebuilt pump that supplys our snowmaking water is installed and ready. The water lines have been flushed. All the snowguns have been completely gone thru with new nozzles installed. The snowmaking pond is filling. Both chairlifts are serviced. We are ordering new Seven Oaks winter clothing on Tuesday. Yep we are getting closer by the hour.

Last night was the night we interviewed all the applicants that had an interest in working at Seven Oaks this winter. What a great bunch of gals and guys. I estimate there were about 110 or 120 folks present for the presentation and interview process. We had a lot of local people and a lot of DMACC and ISU students as well........and a lot of them had experience working or instructing at other ski areas in the midwest during their high school years. Very cool.

And had a lot of our employees from last season on site as well. That's great!

I will try to now be much more regular with posts throughout the winter season......promise.

I got a feelin this winter is going to be a good one!!!

Playing in the dirt........Again

Last week was fun.......got to play in the dirt again......this time converting the "borrow pit" that was created to get enough dirt for the unload of the Valley View chairlift into another holding pond for snow making water. By my calculations, this pond will hold enough water when filled to give us another full 24 hours of snowmaking up to even 48 hours. That is cool. That could mean earlier open. That could mean more trails open for first day. Any way you slice it, we like it. ......

........Here are a couple pics of the project as it was in process ............

.....Digging down to the clay that gives a good base for the pond and is good material to construct the dam.

It only took two days......

we'll have over a million gallons of additional water.........

and here is the trench that will hold the pipe used to drain the pond when we are ready for more snowmaking water........

Slip Sliding Away

I have not posted for almost a month and the time has simply slid right by. Kris, Ken, Joel and Rick went to the MSAA (Midwest Ski Area Association) summer meetings and trade show in Wisconsin earlier in the month for four days of seminars and product show...........and lots of great conversation with others in the industry after dinner every night. We got back home about twelve hours before the Iowa State Fair started..............so we took turns manning the booth for those eleven days...........twelve hours a day..............and saw and spoke to a lot of you that took the time to stop and visit............and tell us your story about experiences at Seven Oaks.............thanks for that...........

Then with the State Fair done on Sunday night, and tearing down the booth on Monday...........we headed to Iowa State University on Wednesday to set up the booth in the Memorial Union so we could take part in the ISU Welcomefest.

All during this time the river couldn't be more perfect and the temps couldn't be more perfect for floating than it has been the entire month of August and still is today............and we have been busy with campers, bikers and a lot of paintball groups as well. And as you would expect, we have had a whole host of folks using the lodge for weddings and wedding receptions and class reunions and business meetings.

Save the date......Sunday, October 16......is our Annual Season Pass Sale and Swap.......

One last thought, it is great to have our friends home from their respective tours of duty overseas.........welcome home Dave and Mike and Jason.......and THANK YOU for serving!

A Quick Update

Well, where do I start? The past couple of weeks have been busy with full service river floats....temps have been right there where they just beg everyone to come cool off in the water....and the river has been very steadily dropping to the point there are lots of sandbars to enjoy. Not sure when we will get more rain but there is still MORE than ENOUGH water for several more weeks to enjoy a river float......

....had another class reunion in the lodge last Saturday night and another one this coming Saturday night.......but before we get to next Saturday, we have a meeting in the lodge all day tomorrow and three churches from the town of Ogden are holding their ecumenical vacation bible school here all day Wednesday.......for the second year in a row.......

......last Monday we hosted a big company outing in the lodge all day with meals, refreshments and guest speakers......

.....paintball has been very busy even with the temps being what they have been.......and about five more groups have made reservations over the next ten days or so.......

.....have a cross country mountain bike race here Sunday, August 7.......

......several of us also leave Sunday night August 7 for the annual Midwest Ski Area Association Summer Meeting and Trade Show.......this year at Devils Head........near Madison Wisconsin......always a good time to visit and trade stories with others in the ski area business......and to learn what is new in the industry.........but don't worry.......we will have plenty of staff on site to take care of your river floats and paintball games while we are away.........

......get home just in time to open our booth at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday August 11.......stop and see us there too........we are in the same spot as we have been for the past ten years......on the north wall (west half) of the Varied Industries Building........we'll have some sign ups for chances to win some give aways...........

......a reminder to all that this Friday night is our August Friday after Five .........with Big G's Log Cabin BBQ providing the food........music by Billy Club from 7 pm to 10 pm........no cover charge......and the vintage tractor show on the lawn........with no admission fee.........so come on over and enjoy the evening with us........

.....Nick Dell, one of our avid snowboard instructors and all around good guy got his bus license so he can drive one of the shuttle buses for river floats...........but darned if he didn't blow the engine of one of the buses on his first weekend.......hah..........wasn't his fault but I can't resist putting the blame on him!!!!

......still plenty of time to get in some camping, paintball or river float this summer, even though a lot of schools start withing about two weeks or so......and the weather is sure cooperating now........

.......come see us soon

8 PM with Heat Index of 111 degrees

........and I'm guessing that's why so many were on the river today. One of the few places to cool off on days like this. next several days look to be right there too............hot...........but then again it is summer in Iowa isn't it.

Having some conversations now on the rapidly approaching Iowa State Fair.............what our giveaways will be..........who will work the booth each day and night........when to set up........We are in the same location we've been in for the past eleven years............along the north wall in the varied industries building..........be sure to stop and say hello........

......have a class reunion in the lodge Saturday night...........first of three in a row..........then some more wedding receptions and a couple meetings mid week sprinkled in.........

.......see you all soon........

Hot weather

The forecast for the next several days is for highs in the mid 90"s.......so as you can guess the phone is going pretty wild with reservations.........this Saturday is not booked out but getting closer so don't delay in making your reservations........let the fun begin!

Finnnnnalllly it's SUMMER!

It took a while for summer to really get here didn't it........and I hope I am not jinxing the weather by even posting this........probably not.......temps are up there where many like them for this time of year and the sunshine puts a whole new take on life for a lot of people........sure helps my attitude .........

I feel horrible for all the folks along the Missouri River........I go to Nebraska City to see family pretty regularly so I know the area along highway 2. Saw pics on facebook taken at that area and it's major flooding......ugly........we certainly had a belly full of the similar mess in 2008 and 2010 so we can appreciate what they feel on the west side of the state.......

Speaking of facebook.........make sure you check out the Seven Oaks giveaway that was posted yesterday..........who knows......YOU might be the winner........and it is pretty cool to read the comments others have posted and are posting.......

The Independence Day Holiday weekend was busy........all the routine fun on the river was in full force and the campground was busy too. Had a wedding anniversary in the lodge Monday the 4th and it sounds like it went well for them......

Had a paintball group on the books for today, had an online reservation for a group that wants to paintball this morning when we came in and I even answered the phone moments ago........which I never do.......and took another reservation for this evening...........must be paintball day.......

Working today on everything that needs done for the State Fair, which will be here before we know it........speaking of which.......I can not believe the number of schools that resume classes in mid August.........right in the middle of the fair...........and family vacations..........I don't get it!

All the ski trails and tubing hill got their first haircut of the season last friday night........sure looks different when everything gets mowed and it looks good too. Most of it got done friday night during our Friday After Five............had a good crowd here.......and Big G's BBQ did the meal ...........with a lot of compliments.........and had a good turnout of classic and vintage cars for the fourth annual car show .....thanks to our friends John and Sharon Tuttle for doing the organizing for the show...........

okay.........I better get to working more on the state fair stuff..........have a good one and be safe......remember the GOAL.........Get Outdoors And Live!

Mid June Busy Time

When the temps increase this time of year so does the activity here. Paintball groups here yesterday, today, Saturday and Sunday. People floating on the river every day this week and this coming weekend is busy too. Wedding rehersal dinner in the lodge tonight and a large outdoor wedding with reception on site Saturday.

In the meantime we have finished the new barricades (posts and ropes) in the campground to keep vehicles from driving into the camp sites.......had to do it in our minds for safety........don't need some youngster having an accident with a vehicle........I am sure you agree. Our new camp host Josh is doing a good job too.

We have also been discussing what differentiates us from other things people can do with their discretionary time and money .......and came up with this short list.......do you agree?

• We provide outdoor recreation



• Guests are participants and not just spectators



• Many of our activities are unique to Iowa



• Our activities are a means to socializing



• Our activities are mentally and physically healthy



• Our activities are for a diverse age group



• Our activities are beginner friendly



• Many of our activities are a sport for life



• We serve individuals, small groups and large groups



• We are family owned and family operated

And I could have added but didn't cause so many do say this but often fall short........Seven Oaks is a very friendly team that will do everything possible to give our clients a memorable and favorable experience........and I really think we do just that as is expressed time after time from our clients that send us a written comment, an email or stop on their way out to praise one or more of our team members that in their opinion went above and beyond the call of duty.........and of course we like that!

......so as we are rapidly approaching July and August......our BUSIEST months for river floats, don't hesitate to make your reservation as soon as you know a date and how many watercraft you need so you won't hear us say "sorry we are sold out that day"..........seriously it does happen especially on Saturdays........

......see you soon......

It was HOT

Man, the temps did rise this week didn't they.....which had a lot of folks wanting to enjoy the cool river in order to combat some of the heat. We have had people floating every day this week and unlike the Missouri River, we have levels that continue to drop on the Des Moines River. Looks like we should see all the major sand bars exposed by this weekend at the rate the river is falling right now.

I am writing todays blog from Oskaloosa where it has been raining since 3 am this morning. Heard a couple of good rumbles about then so I got up to check the radar and saw it was headed our way down here. Looks like just a little tip of a cell caught Seven Oaks and that was confirmed in this morning's conversation that the rain was almost enough to get the concrete wet.

Speaking of HOT, I think Monday was the warmest it has been this year and warmer than any day we had last year.........so we utilized the day to set about 30 posts in the tent campground to define parking from camping. It was sooooo hot........you didn't have to do much to break into a good sweat.........and when you did physical labor like we were doing it sapped the energy quickly.......but we did hydrate frequently........ahhhhh..........cool water does quench the thirst.......

Tuesday we had a lot of canoes on the water when it was about as hot as Monday.........the paintball group that was scheduled to play cancelled and I couldn't blame them........I have to believe with the clothing most wear during paintball games would have made it pretty unbearable...........being on the river sounds a lot more refreshing.........so they rescheduled for a different day........

Had another company book the lodge for their meeting in July complete with two meals and break out snacks..........it continues to be a busy place..........if I remember correctly Friday night of this week is a wedding rehersal dinner in the lodge then on Saturday a different group is using the facilities for their wedding reception.......

I think it's going to be a great summer to do some full service floats with us. Get your family or friends together and book your date sooner than later so you don't hear us tell you that we are sold out.........okay........and remember it's always more fun with family and friends........

See you soon........

Let the Summer Begin!

As the temps increase for the summer so does the activity here. We will be floating again this weekend and the phone is getting active...........it certainly is nice to see the eight day forecast for day time temps all in the mid to upper eighties........it seems like it has been a long time coming.

Of course last summer really didn't happen with the non stop rains and persistent flooding. What a mess. Glad it is nothing but a distant memory now.

Have our annual Jimmy Buffett night for the theme for the June Friday after Five.......Coal Creek Lounge opens at 5 pm and you can order food beginning at 5:30...........Have Tim from Indianola coming to DJ the event.........he has a big business doing special events with as many as four or five of his units doing gigs on the same night........you'll have to come check him out......I am pretty confident he knows what tunes to play for the Seven Oaks gang.......that's this Friday night June 3........

Hope you all had a safe Memorial Weekend..........first honoring our veterans and second having some fun with family and friends. The weather got better each day with Monday temps right where we want them for the kick off to the summer.......we gathered for a grand daughters NINTH Birthday........great time with family.......few games.........enough food for everyone, plus a few more.......very relaxing......

Did you know Brandie has joined the Seven Oaks team?? She started a couple weeks ago handling a lot of the inside sales and is training for the Seven Oaks Event Coordinator position as well.......She will do a great job........Carol has decided to leave her happy family here to pursue a new career with her own business and Dee has needed time to care for her family for some months......but I think you will see Dee some this summer on weekends when it is really hopping and this winter as well..........and Austin who worked in sales this past winter will be helping in sales this summer too........great team as usual......


Red is out mowing the lawn for the fiftieth time this year already....well maybe not that many times but.........man, the grass is really growing but it looks so good........

Had a really neat wedding reception here last Saturday night and another one this Saturday night......in fact there are like seven more here in June.....a lot of Friday nights and then a different group on Saturday night...........


Here is a shot of the lawn in front of the lodge just before all the guests arrived.......




As usual, the lodge was transformed into another look which was again really cool........here is a pic of the inside ........


.....had the opportunity to visit Jester Park down by Saylorville Lake for my first time two weekends ago for a birthday picnic.........for my wife........and I was pretty darned impressed with the park. Nice picnic areas, shelter houses and our shelter house had a nice view of the lake too.

I think our summer commercials start airing on Channel 8 and Channel 13 next week.......right in line with HOT weather.......which is RIVER weather........whether you CANOE or KAYAK or RIVER TUBE...........Let the Summer begin!

Seven Oaks Patroller Ben Upah Recognized

Last weekend Ben Upah was presented with the highest award that a patroller can get. He was presented with the PURPLE MERIT STAR at the Southern Region awards banquet last weekend in Lake Geneva WI. Fellow patroller Jerry Massengale submitted Ben for the award last winter after finding out that while Ben was on vacation in the summer of 2010 he was accentual in the reviving a 4 year old little girl that had drowned. The little girl is alive and doing well today thanks to Ben. This is why we strive to keep our skills up, you never know when they might be needed. Several fellow patrollers and family members were in attendance including Ben's parents John and Mary Jo, Ben's wife Bev, Patroller Jerry Massengale and his wife Missy.

Congratulations Ben and thanks for doing what you do!!

From one season to the next

Yep, the snow from the 2010-2011 winter season officially all melted late last week.....by now it should be well on it's way to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River! ....so all the winter equipment has been cleaned, painted, stored, put away, removed, and so on.........and paintball is underway........here are a couple pics of a group that played late last week at Seven Oaks....... .....and while the paintball has been in action and the lodge has been used for meetings and the like, the team has prepared all the buses, vans, canoes, kayaks, trailers, paddles, life vests and such ready for the summer river business.........which will begin in earnest in a couple short weeks........you ready? ......we are! ......and today the last of the river tubes are being inflated by Frost and Red.......getting ready for multiple trips down the river when the water temp and air temp increase some more........ we are really happy this year with the water level already.......

......people are making reservations for their river floats now.......call soon to insure you get the dates you want.........

.....see you at Seven Oaks.....

Have you seen Seven Oaks?

Yeah, you probably have but maybe not from 10,000 feet in the air. A friend of my son was flying home to Des Moines a few days ago and was able to spot Seven Oaks due to all the white....snow on the trails. Stood out pretty good. But it continues to melt my friends..

Enjoy the pic.....and yes Jason zoomed in to get this shot......

Is this season finished?

We called it finished as of last Saturday night, March 5......and it probably is ......but like I said some days ago in the blog that we would be done barring a big snow......and we are watching the weather forecast to see what tomorrow and Wednesday brings Seven Oaks for snow........some are calling for 6 to 8 inches..........

....we have a lot of base and a good snowfall on top would be relatively easy to have ready for friday night.....and we have not put anything away yet.....so we are watching........and waiting.........just like you........

.....do you think we should reopen if we get a big snow????

....had another fun Spring Splash last friday night......had several in costumes, DJ on the patio, Tater playing in the lodge......and ......I would guess about 30 to 40 people tried the pond skim.......that is always fun to watch........and I would guess consistent with years past that about 40% were successful in their attempt to skim the entire length.........with another 40% almost making it.......getting just a little wet at the end.........and then there is the last 20% that took a complete dive..........

.......I think the complete dive is what most of the many spectators were waiting for.........a little bit like a car wreck during a race isn't it........

......but the whole thing was fun to watch.......

....wife's nephew from Nebraska with his family and about 25 other friends came friday night and spent the day Saturday ........a bunch of their kids were learning to ski for their first time.....and had success I might add.........I guess one family was not from Nebraska but from Minnesota.....but they still fit in just fine.........good and fun group.......oh, and the oldest son of our nephew tried the pond skim.........he has only skied about three years.......once per year......and the last time was last year...........yep..........he took a dive..........but he felt good about trying it....

......received notice that Seven Oaks will be featured in the spring/summer Des Moines Convention Bureau things to do publication........that's cool........

.....A BIG THANK YOU to all of YOU that came to Seven Oaks this winter to ski, snowboard and snow tube..........and to all our team members that received so many compliments from so many of you..........and to our ski patrol that spent hours on the trails assisting those in need........it was a fun and it was a great season..........again......

......we'll start getting ready soon for the spring and summer activities.........we are talking about ordering the paintballs and making repairs to the paintball fields.........moving picnic tables back to the tent campgrounds..........getting the buses serviced and inspected for the river floats.......get all the river tubes inflated and ready to go .........and so on........

.......so let's watch the weather this week and see what happens.......be talking to you soon.......

School Day or Snow Day

well for Ft Dodge and Paton Churdan it was both for a bunch of students. A day of school.......on the snow.......

....at Seven Oaks, after everyone is fitted with equipment the students are given a lesson and then must to our instructors satisfaction demonstrate they can turn by sking thru the orange cone and coming to a stop at the bottom.........then their ticket is marked which gives them permission to use the lift and the bigger trails........seems to work well and it is great to see so many learn a new sport for life........

.....been getting a lot of favorable comments via email and facebook from a lot of you remarking on the condition and volume of snow on our trails........thanks......it has been a test of all we know to keep it looking like that........here are a few pics from today.......

Pics from two weeks ago

had some pics from two weeks ago that I never got posted.......sorry to those that have been looking for their family on here.......but we got er done!

had a good Late Nite ski last night.......and yesterday was a good day too........several groups here today and tonight..........Spring Spash with Pond Skim is next Friday night........see you there........snow is holding up surprisingly well considering all we went thru weatherwise the past two weeks........not as good as we had most of the season but still skiable......

We helped the flurries

It started dropping snowflakes last night about 5:30 or 6.......and remained steady flurries all night......no real big accumulation from the sky but started making everything white anyway.....so.......we helped it by getting snowmaking running by 9:30 pm last night and shut off this morning at 6 am so we could get the guns moved and get everything groomed for today......

......conditions were good yesterday and will be even better today........should be a great day to be on the slopes........

......I thought to myself as the final passes in the snowcat were being made moments ago what a HUGE contrast from last Sunday with the warm temps and rain and fog.......to transistion to how awesome the trails are today after making snow, pushing out reserves, getting some snow from the sky and grooming the livin daylights out of all the snow.........

......I would say snow tubing is down for the count for the rest of the season barring about a 12 inch snowfall from the sky........which probably isn't going to happen based on the forecast.......but then again the high school basketball tournaments are coming up and several years ago you could count on a major blizzard during those events........

.....based on everybody's forecast that we spent a LOT of time reviewing yesterday, the decision was made to move the Spring Splash ......complete with Pond Skim......to next Friday night.......high temps for the day was forecast to be in the 40's.........wait.......there's more......now everybody is calling for temps to be in the upper 20's next friday........go figure.......

....but Pond Skim we will next Friday night..........should be fun........

.....our ONLY Seven Oaks Late Nite is tonite from 9:30 pm to 1:00 am.........are you going to be here?

....see you on the slopes......

Libby loves Seven Oaks

this photo taken last Saturday night kinda says it all............she is from Chicagoland........

.......her eight year old brother Cole didn't catch on Friday night and was NOT happy about it....in fact he gave up..........but Saturday he decided to give it another try.....with his dad........so I hooked him up with instructor Bob E. and lo and behold Cole was skiing and didn't want to stop when we were closing. Skiing Abbys Alley and Carters Crossing time after time.......always with a smile on his face. It was a wonderful heartwarming experience........for me anyway..........and Cole is now a huge fan of Bob's too......

....... a big Thanks to Bob for his willingness and patience to help this little man learn a sport for life........

....ready to open for a school at 9 this morning.......then reopen at 4 pm as normal........trails ended up pretty darned good last night after grooming a big part of yesterday.........three of the staff rode all the trails while we were grooming and gave us a thumbs up...........

.....talking snow this evening til midnight........that will be a good thing.........we will groom after we close tonight.......

see you this weekend.......the countdown has began..........

A couple pics

Here are a couple shots taken before we shutdown snowmaking yesterday......Tuesday.......morning as the temps rose to a point we couldn't make snow. Also could not get on last night with mild temps.......time will tell if we get to make more before friday........some though are calling for snow Friday into Saturday........

....we will groom everything and push out piles on Thursday........stay tuned...........

Made Snow

It got cold enough yesterday - Monday - that we got the guns on at 4:30 pm and made snow all night long til about 9:30 am this morning. Concentrated on Abbys Alley...........and top of Freeway.......and load at Valley View Chairlift...........but quite a bit drifted into the RailYard......as there was a pretty stiff west and then northwest wind.......

....we'll make snow this week whenever the temps allow...........also see there is some snow in the forecast for Thursday.........

.....we'll remain closed today, Wednesday and Thursday............

......have a school on site Friday morning and we will be open Friday at 4 pm til normal 9 pm close..........

.......I will try to get some pics posted............the only thing closed is Tubing and the top of Drop Zone...........

.....and it looks like it will stay pretty cold for a while..........except for tomorrow..........

......looks better than it did a week ago!

...happy birthday grand daughter.......love you.......

Let's look forward to next weekend

Well it certainly has been a crazy ride this week with the weather and the fight to maintain conditions for all of you that came to Seven Oaks.......but we were successful thru Saturday.......but then Sunday we did have to close and we have also decided to stay closed Monday......Presidents Day........darn it........

.....the temps are supposed to get closer to normal and we will make snow every hour this week that the temps permit........and we can all hope we get some snow as predicted........

......the intent is to open friday night at 4 pm............open Saturday......have the Late Nite Saturday night.....and be open Sunday.........to end the month of February..........

......keep checking back.........blog, voice messages, home page of our web for continued progress and status updates.......

.....thanks and I will close with telling you I am considering another sacrafice to the Snow God so we can ski into March!

Mother Nature can't read!

.........cause if Mother Nature could read, she would have seen my blog entry of rain rain go away.....come again some other day.........but rain is what we got this morning in the wee hours......even had some thunder at 4 am this morning........so...........

......Seven Oaks will have to remain closed today, SUNDAY, February 20............but..........

.......we will get on the snow and groom tonight when the temps fall...........push out some more of our reserve snow piles to cover the thin spots..........rebuild the load and unload ramps at the chair lifts.........with the intent of being open Monday February 21 for Presidents Day.........10 am to 6 pm..........

......and the forecasted temps would look like we will be making snow starting Monday night........and hopefully the next three or four nights.........

......see you soon.......

First......sorry I didn't blog yesterday......we were running hard.......but on to today......

.....here is a quick pic of James and Carrie who drove up from Kansas City this morning to ride at Seven Oaks......and they were kind enough to stop long enough that I could get a quick pic.......thanks..........and yep, as you can see......we have snow.......

......had a very well attended and cool Rail Jam last night.......I think it ended up having 48 contestants in the Rail Yard.........Ken and Nick did a great job getting the approaches to all the features tuned up yesterday morning and installed a couple new features for the event......

......rain rain go away........come again some other day........like April 12th or May 9th........or whatever.........so we like you are watching the weather for tonight.......time will tell if we get any rain versus sleet.......I would take the sleet.........if I had a choice......

......THE PLAN.........well here is the plan if it is possible to put a plan together with these swings in weather we have had for about 8 or 9 days..........looks like it will be cold enough at Seven Oaks to make snow Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday night........and we will do just that if the forecast is correct........and everyone is watching the forecast as next Friday gets closer by the hour as most are calling for SNOW covering the state.......hope so........would be nice for our scheduled Late Nite next Saturday night....February 26......

......the high temps on Wednesday and Thursday of last week did melt enough that we were not comfortable trying to open tubing for this weekend.......but we will try to get it operational for NEXT weekend.......I will keep you posted........

.....regardless of what the final weather turns out to be.......get your trip to Seven Oaks soon as we normally don't stay open much past the first weekend of March........

Forecast Change

During these radical weather times, I track the predictions of four weather stations and without exception, all four have changed their forecast for this weekend starting Sunday by dropping their daytime highs by anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees lower than they were all saying yesterday...........thank goodness........who do you trust?

We did decide to remain closed today as we know the snow will survive the 60 or 70 degree temps better if it is not being skied..........and once again I am glad we have all north face slopes.............

All the trails are still covered this morning despite the strong south winds, increasing temps thru the night and never seeing close to the freezing mark yesterday......here is the plan......

Tonight when we see the lowest temps we will have.......whenever that is.........and whatever the lowest temp is.........some say 30 degrees and others say it will be higher..........we are going to get on the snow with both cats and get snow to the unload ramps so they can be rebuilt tomorrow morning....... we will push snow from the reserves to cover any weak spots....... and we will groom. When we open tomorrow at 10 am it should look pretty darned good for you.........

.....now a couple pics......from this past weekend......

......we have a lot of people take advantage of our birthday parties........and while this young lady didn't do that........her husband brought her to Seven Oaks Saturday to celebrate her birthday.......I know the number but won't share it with you........and surprised her by having her parents and his parents and siblings from Omaha already in the lodge.......

Happy Birthday..........and we will hope to see you on the slopes tomorrow.......

Got Snow?? We Do !!

Yep, the temps for this time of year are crazy.......and we have been asked a lot as to how close we are to the end of the season at Seven Oaks ........don't know that.......but do know this......Joel did a partial groom last night after it froze in preparation for this mornings school group from South Hamilton.........and there is a lot of snow on the trails as I write this.


We are confident that the temps will NOT cause us to close this weekend. We are open tonight (Wednesday).......CLOSED tomorrow night - THURSDAY FEB. 17 - THE REALLY WARM DAY.........then open Friday and Friday night with the Rail Jam and another school here Friday night........and a lot of groups coming Saturday. Here is a pic taken at 3:45 pm today........like ten minutes ago.......



...........with all that said......we will not lose our snow before this weekend........temps are going to be cooler on Friday and into the weekend......so we feel as though we will ski through the weekend.........


.......crazy isn't it.........here it is February 16 and we are having this discussion......


.......thanks for his pic Darci.......very cool.......





.....thanks for this pic Elizabeth.....and thanks for coming to Seven Oaks........

Slow melt

Today is predicted to be warmer than Monday and Wednesday is a little warmer yet and finally Thursday is to be the warmest day of the week...........but we are confident that we will still have snow. We did NOT groom Sunday night, nor Monday, nor today.....as we wanted the snow to remain hard for the warm spell.........but tonight after the sun sets and the freeze in the valley is upon us we will groom for tomorrow's school group. With these changing temps it is quite the game we play deciding "to groom or not to groom" and if it is to groom then it becomes when to groom and how deep should we set the tiller......but we are normally right..........no ........I should have said Joel is normally right with his decision.

So this week we have a school tomorrow. Another school on friday. Open early for the final time this season on friday from 10 am to 9 pm for ski and snowboard. Live music in the lodge Friday night. Armed Forces Days starting Friday and ending Monday. And a niece with her family from Chicago coming Friday night for the weekend and another niece from DSM coming with her family on Sunday.

enjoy a few more pics from this weekend......

see you tomorrow night at 4........