Okemo Mountain
5.8 miles, 2,080 ft of climbing, 6.8% average grade.
A ski-resort climb with real teeth: the access road out of Ludlow tilts to double digits almost immediately and holds them, with a very steep middle mile that decides the race. You climb under the lifts and across the trails you'd ski in January, topping out near the summit lodge with the Green Mountains rolling away south.
Highlights
- Double-digit average grade with a brutal middle mile
- Climbs directly up the ski mountain, under lifts, across trails
- One of Vermont's hardest climbs when it's on the calendar
- Big vertical for its length
Must Know
- Not on the 2026 BUMPS calendar, it has rotated on and off in past seasons.
- The grade is front-loaded and mid-loaded; there's no warmup once you leave the village.
Lodging
Ludlow is a ski town: condos, inns, and the Jackson Gore base hotels at the start line itself.
Food & Views
- Ludlow's Main Street pubs and bakeries
- Views: the summit lodge deck over the Black River valley
Nearby Routes
- Road: the Tyson–Plymouth notch loop past Coolidge's homestead
- Gravel: the CCC roads in Okemo State Forest
- Hike: the Healdville Trail to Okemo's fire tower
- MTB: Okemo's own lift-served park in summer