Tue, Mar 02, 2004
Wildcat Mountain’s 100K Day Raises Over $3,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation®
26 out of 27 Challengers Skied at least 100,000 Vertical FeetPinkham Notch, NH – On Monday, March 1, 2004, a beautiful spring, sunny day, 27 challengers, including 24 skiers, one telemarker, one snowboarder, one teleboarder, and one snowblader converged at Wildcat Mountain to participate in the first ever 100K Day! This day-long event was a test to see who was tough enough to tackle 100,000 vertical feet in one day of skiing or riding— at least 48 runs down the Lynx trail, 2,112 feet of vertical per run, all in one day! This fund-raiser raised over $3,000 for Make-a-Wish Foundation. And 26 of the 27 100K challengers reached at least 100,000 vertical feet!
While 48 runs down Wildcat’s 2,112 foot vertical was the goal of this challenge, Mark (“Homer”) Holmes had set the benchmark of 52 runs down the Lynx Trail shortly after the Wildcat Express high-speed Quad, had been installed. The Wildcat Express gets skiers and riders to Wildcat’s 4,062 ft. summit in just about six minutes, making it unique in giving access to so much vertical in so little time. While some folks were focusing on 100,000 vertical, some were gunning for Homer’s record. 16 challengers made at least 52 runs over the course of the day.
Top prizes were awarded to the top fundraisers for Make-a-Wish. Pamela Jezukawicz took first place, raising $695; Brian Penard took second, with $616; Manfred Raschke came in third, with $605 raised; Greyson Carrier came in forth with $382; and Tommy Caughey took fifth, raising $261.
Pamela Jezukawicz went home with a brand new pair of Ogasaka skis.
Skiing the most vertical over the course of the day was local ski meister Steve Briggs (“Briggsy”) of Jackson, NH, who skied the most vertical with 61 runs (128,832 vertical feet!); Al Toutant (“Big Al”) snowbladed a close second with 60 runs; and Ishikawa Tsutomu (“Tishi”) flew through the Lynx with 59 runs, skiing the third most vertical. Homer made 58 runs this time around, and tied for forth with local Wildcatter Meghan Simone, who took on the Lynx with her Pocket Rockets and is the new record-holder for women skiing vertical at the Cat. World-renowned extreme skier Dan Egan got a late start after driving overnight from Baltimore, but still cruised into vertical fifth place with 57 runs, tied with Josh Manning.
Fourteen year — old Tommy Caughey, another child of the Cat, deserves special mention as the skier who came in the top five as a fund-raiser and in the top ten for vertical feet skied, with 55 runs!
This event was a first ever at Wildcat, and was organized by Wildcat Event Coordinator Erik Spinney. Spinney is new to the Wildcat staff this season, but has been skiing and riding Wildcat most of his life. Spinney looks forward to hosting this event again next year, with thanks to prize sponsors including Ogasaka Ski, Genisoy, Redbull, Miller Lite, and Ken Jones Ski Shop, located in Manchester and Nashua, NH.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® is an organization which “grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to in order to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.” For more information, please visit www.wish.org.
For more details about WILDCAT'S 100K DAY, please CLICK HERE! For PHOTOS of 100K Day please CLICK HERE!
JEEP is the official vehicle of Wildcat Mountain Ski Area.
Mon, Dec 08, 2003
Wildcat Mountain Buried in 4.5 Feet of Snow in 2 Days!
"This has to be the storm of the century," says Tom CaugheyPinkham Notch, NH – It was just another “Winter Storm Watch” or was it?! “This has to be the storm of the century! No one was prepared for this amount of snow so soon, all at once. Initially the storm was predicted to go out to sea,” remarks Tom Caughey, General Manager of Wildcat Mountain Ski Area. “We’re digging out just a fast as we can! The removal of fifty-five inches of snow and eight foot snow drifts is taxing our resources to the max, in terms of both man/woman and machine power. We’re looking to be be 100% open, or close to it, in the next day or so! It’s a great way to start off the season!”
Wildcat Mountain has always been known for its high natural snowfall, long ski season, often into early May, and it’s incredibly beautiful scenery. That is due to it’s location in Pinkham Notch, NH, right next door to Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast. With its own base elevation at nearly 2,000 feet, Wildcat’s annual average snowfall exceeds 200 inches a year. High snowfall and cooler alpine temperatures keep the snow longer, often into early May at Wildcat ---- and as late as August in nearby Tuckerman Ravine, the world-renowned spring skiing mecca located on Mt. Washington. It’s the views from Wildcat of Mt. Washington and Tuckerman Ravine that win Wildcat the number one rating for scenery in the East year after year by SKI Magazine (Oct. 2003).
Wildcat’s summit reaches 4,062 feet and is accessible during the ski season by NH’s fastest high-speed quad chairlift, the Wildcat Express. “The Quad gives skiers and riders a 2,100 foot vertical in just about six minutes,” notes Caughey. “That’s an incredible fact, when you think about it. Wildcat has the most continuous vertical in the White Mountain National Forest.”
Wildcat is also known for establishing the first Two-Fer Day back in 1967. That tradition continues on Wednesdays at Wildcat (2 ski for $52). Wildcat Mountain has hatched many new programs to grow the sport of skiing, including its new program this season where anyone can ski and ride additional consecutive days for just $25 per day. “It’s not really surprising for Wildcat to be carrying the torch in an effort to get people into skiing. Wildcat is celebrating 70 years of skiing the Wildcat Trail this season,” states Caughey. “Wildcat is a tradition, and the reason we all work here is because it’s such a special place.”
Wildcat Mountain is a year-round, family-owned business, located on 100% National Forest land in the heart of the White Mountain National Forest, in Pinkham Notch, NH. In the summer and fall, Wildcat is home to NH’s highest 4-person scenic gondola skyride, and hosts special parties and events all year.
Pinkham Notch, NH – There are big changes on the horizon for the Lion's Den Children’s program at Wildcat Mountain this season with the hiring of a new children’s ski school director. Dan Hogan comes to Wildcat after spending four years in the Children's program at Mad River Glen in Vermont, including one season as the Assistant Children's Director. Before that, Dan taught children's skiing at Wachusett Mountain and Ski Ward in Massachusetts.
Pinkham Notch, NH – During the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters Annual Meeting and Golden Mike Awards Dinner in October, Wildcat Mountain Ski Area was awarded the Golden Mike FIRST PLACE RADIO RETAIL CAMPAIGN AWARD for their winter 2005 radio campaign that aired on radio stations across New England. The campaign consisted of a series of three radio commercials that were written, directed, and starred in by Wildcat Mountain’s Erik Spinney and Brian Chamberlain. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch was the guest speaker of the Golden Mike Awards Dinner. 
Pinkham Notch, NH – Wildcat Mountain is pleased to announce that Alexa Bernotavicz of Intervale, NH, has recently been promoted to the position of Director of Mountain Operations. In her eighth season at Wildcat, the 34-year-old Bernotavicz is no stranger to the mountain, and has progressed her way from working in the Lion’s Den Children’s program literally to the top of Wildcat Mountain! Bernotavicz is the first female Mountain Operations Manager in the history of Wildcat, currently in its 48th consecutive ski season.