OKEMO A POPULAR PLACE.(Sports)

Byline: Buzz Gray Dateline;LUDLOW, Vt.

Ask most skiers to name the Big 3 in Vermont ski areas and you'll likely hear Killington, Mt. Snow and a wide assortment of third places.

While the first two mountains are indeed the biggest, in terms of skier visits per season, few correctly tab Okemo as No.3. In the last 10 years, since Tim and Diane Mueller bought it, Okemo has blossomed from a sleepy day trip into a delicious destination, complete with on-slope condos.

"While many of the downhill centers have been slipping or struggling to hold their own, Okemo has been going straight up," said Tom Meyers of the Vermont Ski Areas Association. "It's easily the biggest success story in the industry."

Okemo attracts 400,000 skies a winter now, third only to mighty Killington and Mount Snow in New Engand. Yet somehow it remains a pretty well-kept secret.

"Lots of cars from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey ride right by us on Route 100 on the way north," said Pam Cruickshank, marketing manager. "But …