Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 3 p.m. the 2009 Night Club Card program kicked off. This program is designed for those who want to ski or board on a flat rate budget where you can enjoy over 52 trails at Liberty Mountain Resort, Whitetail and Roundtop. I arrived at Liberty at 4:30 p.m. There was a small line in group sales department, but since the staff is so efficient the line moved fast. The main ticket window wait time was less than 3 minutes.

Liberty Mountain had 30% more trails open compared to opening day December 6, 2008 and the base had grown another 10 inches. The temperature was 34 degrees. The backside of the mountain had all the double black runs open and 95% of the Blue runs open. The Westside Park was open with plenty of features. Within the next week all three resorts will be at 95 to 100 percent open. The conditions were rated a “B+” on the Skidome rating scale. Within a week the rating should be an ‘A’ rating. No waits at the lifts front or back.

Eastwind, the trail on the left, is under the old lighting system while the right side runs have had new, more efficient lighting installed. Photo provided by Ed Fowler.

The second biggest improvement to night skiing and boarding at Liberty after snowmaking is the lighting. The new lights are energy efficient and produce two and one half times the amount of light compared to the old lighting system, as you can see in the above photo.

If you are looking for less crowded conditions, no lift lines and plenty of room, it is not too late to sign up for the Night Club Card program. If you are looking for information on the Liberty Night Club Card see www.skidome.org or email edfowler@skidome.org.