HUGH'S BLOG

Believe it or not this guy did land this jump! This photo was taken March 30, 2013. Great spring conditions!

Another great day of spring skiing and riding! Today was the last day that the Morse Highlands Lift would be running for the season. My son Hugh and daughter Hannah just love the Morse Highlands area. It has fantastic beginner terrain, glades, and a terrain park. Another great thing is how kid friendly the lift is. The chairs are low for easy loading and unloading. I want to thank every one who was working at the Morse Highlands today for making our family ski day so much fun!

Great conditions on Upper FIS!

There is just so much going on this weekend! We presently have 77 out of 78 trails open and 6 Terrain Parks open! The conditions are wonderful! Friday, March 29 Après Sport at the Black Bear Tavern Join us at 2:00 pm featuring Goodtime Charlie with jammin' Sam on guitars and vocals. It's a great place to meet other riders and skiers and some of the locals. March 29th & 30th will feature Bud Light. Easter weekend fun - FunZone Bunny Hop Party! - Join us at 7:00 pm in the FunZone where there will be tournaments, races, music, and fun. Play a round of mini golf, slide on the Giant Slide, bounce in the Pirate Ship, and dance with Billy Bob and Mogul Mouse! Fun for all ages! Saturday, March 30 Blast From the Past Race - The Smugglers' Notch Ski & Snowboard Club invites skiers (21 and over) to bash gates and relive their glory days with a qualifying GS course beginning at 9:30 a.m. (two runs; best run of two) followed by a pro-style dual SL course for the top 16 men and the top 8 women. The equipment doesn't have to be "old," just the racers. Hamburger/hot dog barbecue and beverages included in the entry fee of $35. Registration takes place from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.; inspection from 8:15 - 9:15 a.m. Call 802-644-1177 for more information. It's the 20th year of Blast from the Past - come celebrate! Après Sport at the Black Bear Tavern - Join us at 2:00 pm with Goodtime Charlie hosting music, trivia, bar games, and prizes. It's a great place to meet other riders and skiers and some of the locals. March 29th & 30th will feature Bud Light. Easter weekend fun - Smuggs Eggtastic Challenge Are you up for an egg hunt that takes you around the village and back? If so head to the Nordic Center at 3:30 pm on Saturday to get your hunt list. You must return to the Nordic Center by 5:00 pm to redeem any prize slips you might find in your eggs. Please arrive on time in order to participate. Children 12 & under need to be accompanied by an adult. Good luck and Get Hoppin'! 18th Annual BrewFest Part 2 - Sample the finest in craft beers! Participating breweries include Goose Island, Harpoon, Lake Placid, Long Trail, Magic Hat, Otter Creek, Saranac, The Shed's Mountain Ale, and Wolaver's Organic, with music, munchies, and prizes. A DJ spins the tunes and the Resort's Mountain Grille puts on a tasty appetizer buffet. From 6:00 pm — 10:00 pm in the Meeting House. Tickets are available at the door; $18 entry includes 8 samples and souvenir pint glass. 21 and older, please. For information on great rates on BrewFest group lodging packages, please call 800-521-0536. Community Contra Dance - Fancy an old fashioned country barn dance on a Saturday night? Join in the fun of a contra dance; it's very similar to square dancing and great for all ages with Vermont folk artist and educator Mark Sustic as the caller. The festivities will be held from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm in the gym at the Cambridge Elementary School in Jeffersonville. Sponsored by the Cambridge Arts Council. Donations are welcome and appreciated! Sunday, March 31 Easter weekend fun continues! FunZone Easter Jamboree - Join us in the FunZone at 12:00 noon for a dance party hosted by Goodtime Charlie, Billy Bob, and Mogul Mouse with egg and spoon races, and candy. Don't miss out on the hopping good time!

Ski Patroller Arch enjoying the great conditions on Upper Exhibition!

We received 2 feet of new snow in the past 4 days and more is on the way this weekend. This weekend is also the Maple Open House along with the Maple Sugar Festival at the Boyden Valley Winery. For more information on these events or any Smuggs events just go to www.smuggs.com/pages/winter/skiride/winter-events.php

We received 4 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours and 22 inches in the past 3 days! The skiing and riding is just fantastic! We have many events this weekend like the Gravity Control Big Air Final at the Zone Terrain Park this Saturday, March 23, 2013! The event starts at noon and registration starts at 10am in the Base Lodge.

This photo was taken by Hugh B. Johnson III on Madonna Mountain!

Upper FIS was groomed last night and Ski Patroller Jon Lange was there to enjoy the corduroy!

Today there was a race on Practice Slope for kid’s ages 14 to 16 years old. They were racing head to head, so there were two courses and a pro jump. Racing head to head adds another dimension! Usually you are just focused on the race gates in front of you. When someone else is racing right next to you, it’s hard not to look over to see how you are doing. You push that much harder when they get a head of you! It is exciting to race in this format and it’s also a ton of fun to watch!

Hannah finds some nice snow at the bottom of Smugglers' Alley!

Darrin demonstrating how to go fast in the race course! I want to thank the Smugglers’ Notch Ski and Snowboard Club for running the Harvey Wesson Local’s Races this year. They have been doing a wonderful job! The races are being held on the Practice Slope and we are able to use the Sterling T-Bar to access the race course. The race start is usually at the bottom of Snake Bite which allows the racers to get up to speed quickly. To get a good time the racers need to nail the gates on the steeper part of the course, so that they can carry their speed on the bottom half of the course. Yesterday Ryan did just that and was a half a second faster than any one else! I know a half a second does not seem like much, but two one hundredths has split three places in races before!

The Birch Run Terrain Park was groomed this morning and it turned out great. I saw many Snowboard Classes having fun on the rails, jumps, and fun boxes. Rick Witham was buffing things very nicely with a shovel and rake. I watched a snowboarder and skier hit the same feature over and over again. They were perfecting different tricks. It was great to see them cheer each other on!

I was taking a run on Sterling Mountain today and saw a snowboard class. They were riding down Upper Rumrunner, Crossover, Treasure, and then to the Birch Run Terrain Park. It was fun to watch how they really worked the terrain. They found every single jump on the side of the trail! They were definitely having a bunch of fun!

The Extreme Skiing Challenge was absolutely amazing today! This event really showcased what Smuggs has to offer when it comes to gnarly terrain. The competition was held on Upper Madonna Liftline from Catwalk down to the bottom of the Headwall. The Headwall is the steepest section of Upper Madonna Liftline just above Mid-Station. Madonna Liftline is my favorite trail, because of its features and steepness! The features include rocks, stumps, mandatory drops, and it also has a double fall line! A double fall line is a trail that slopes in two directions. A ball rolling down a hill would want to follow the fall line. In the case of the Madonna Liftline the ball would not only roll down, but also towards skier’s right. This adds another level of difficultly to the trail. There were 75 competitors that ranged in age from 8 years old to over 50 years old. There were four age brackets and the youngest competitors “10 and under” went first. I was very impressed with Hazel Howard an eight year old, who handled the Headwall like a pro! All of the competitors were brave just to take on the Upper Madonna Liftline, especially with all the pressure of the competition! I want to thank everyone who made this possible! A huge thank you goes out to the Smugglers’ Notch Ski and Snowboard Club; because they were key in the development this event!

It is going to be a wonderful weekend. The forecast calls for sunny skies and mild temperatures. We have a ton of events also this weekend. On Saturday, March 9th we have Benefit Rail Jam: This special Rail Jam benefits the Molly Rowlee Fund, which supports families with children undergoing treatment for cancer. The Rail Jam starts at 2pm in front of the Smugglers’ Notch Ski and Snowboard Club and registration starts at noon. Also on Saturday we have 92.9 Boston - Join Boston's Radio 92.9 Street Team for a full day of fun and games! 9:00 am - 1:00 pm – Music and games on the deck at Green Pepper's – Play mini-corn hole and trivia to win hats, CD’s and DVD’s. Plus, enter for your chance to win a Jeep Wrangler. 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm – Après Sport Party in the Black Bear Tavern, hosted by Goodtime Charlie, TV trivia, music trivia, make your own Tinfoil Hat, Paper Airplane contest and more! Prizes will be awarded by the Radio 92.9 Street Team! Sam Adams will be the featured special. 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm – Après, Après Sport Party in Bootleggers' Lounge hosted by Radio 92.9’s own Amanda C assisted by Goodtime Charlie and the Street Team – trivia contests, card games, corn hole with prizes including concert tickets, DVD’s, CD’s and more! Amstel Light will be the featured special. On Sunday, March 9th we have Extreme Skiing Challenge - This weekend the Smugglers' Notch Ski and Snowboard Club will be hosting the 2013 Smugglers' Notch Extreme Skiing Challenge – an opportunity for junior and adult freeskiers to show their stuff on some of the most difficult terrain Smugglers' Notch has to offer! The course is planned for the Madonna headwall, an ungroomed steep with a double fall line descent filled with cliffs, bumps, trees, chutes, and stumps. Also on Sunday we have USASA Northern Vermont Series Slopestyle Event - The Smugglers' Notch Ski and Snowboard Club is hosting a NVT Slopestyle competition on the Practice Slope. Come watch the best NVT has to offer in this thrilling rail and jump competition straight out of the X Games.

Jay was on Sterling Mountain today with Alisa, Shauna, and Kate!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. Molly and her friend Shayna asked me to join their Level 5 Ski Group today (I've known 11 year old Molly and her family since she was a 4 year old Discovery Camper). Their SSU Instructor Chris Hoey said it was OK for me to take a run with these Amazing Intermediates. At the bottom of Upper Rumrunner I did a hockey stop and sprayed several of the kids with fresh snow. They all laughed. When we stopped at Rumrunner Variation, Chris did the same thing and Molly received the biggest blast of powder. She asked if we were serious and I said, "there's SNOW kidding around here". Speaking of Mollys, on Saturday, March 9th, Smuggs hosts the 5th Annual Molly Rail Jam. This special Rail Jam benefits the Molly Rowlee Fund, which supports families with children undergoing treatment for cancer. The cost to participate is $25. Register from noon to 1:00 pm at the Smugglers' Notch Ski & Snowboard Club on Sterling. The event begins at 2:00 pm in front of the club. There will be prizes and giveaways.

... from your Smuggs Family & Friends

Alex Martin for Hugh Johnson. Wow! What a day! Had to finish editing a video I am producing this morning – that comes out tomorrow! - so I didn't get out until this afternoon. Since the snow was flying and filling in my tracks, I didn't really mind missing the bounty of this morning's untracked snow. I caught this image while taking some turns on Three Mountain Glades. As I sat there for what seemed like an endless moment locked in time (if you don't plan ahead to meet up with someone in particular, the snow reporter's job can be a very solitary existence) when all of sudden, this young skiier trucked by. I remember thinking she seemed so small in her surroundings, how the tree stood like a colossus next to her. And then, the moment was over... she was gone. Just another day in the life of a ski reporter. Ski Today, Work Today.

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. As you can see from the picture above, we've been getting lots of snow lately and snow is in the forecast at least through Wednesday. As I mentioned in yesterday's edition of Hugh's Blog, Teo Campbell showed me the course for the Smugglers' Notch Extreme Skiing Challenge, which will take place next Sunday, March 10th. The course starts a short distance down from Catwalk on Upper Madonna Liftline, includes all of the headwall, and finishes just above the intersection with Lower Drifter. There will judges at various spots such as Tower 28. Spectators can watch all the action as they ride the Madonna I lift, and there will be a spectator area at Red Fox Glades (easily accessed by getting off at mid-station on Madonna I) where Hugh will be announcing. Teo is very passionate about the sport of skiing and he loves Smuggs for its terrain and character. He grew up at Bromley, spent several years at Squaw Valley, has travelled far & wide, and skiied deep & steep. He wants everyone to know that Smuggs has the most challenging terrain in the East, a fact that sometimes gets overshadowed by our great family reputation. With $2,000 in prizes, world class judges, and super gnarly terrain, Teo has made the 'Extreme' Challenge! Are you going to rise to the challenge?

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. I was the Extreme Snow Reporter today and former Smuggs Patroller/current Smugglers' Notch Freeski Team coach Teo Campbell was my Tour Guide. Teo showed me the Extreme Skiing Challenge Course which goes down Upper Madonna Liftline from Catwalk to Red Fox Glades. Liftline is the famously gnarly <><> double black diamond trail that some think is even tougher than our <><><> triple black diamond trail the Black Hole. Let's just say that I was glad to be with a former Patroller as I negotiated my way down. It's gonna be awesome to see people ski Liftline doing crazy... stuff. Here's some info from Teo about the event: "The 2013 Smugglers' Notch Extreme Skiing Challenge, on Sunday, March 10th is ready to set the bar for big mountain competition in the East. Mother Nature has been delivering snow for the past six days with no end in sight. There will be Rock Star judging from Adam Deslauriers, Utah backcountry legend George Collins, Tahoe cinematographer Joe Dukeman, and Backcountry Magazine cover boy KC Deane. Smuggs (Patrol, Mtn Ops, Marketing) has taken no short measure to make this the event of the season on the most challenging lift accessed terrain in the East. With this kind of excitement the likes of John Egan are negotiating schedules to spectate. High value prizes include skis for the top men and women finishers, to Vew-Do Boards for the Jrs, and loaded prize bags for all top finishers. Preregister at www.snscvt.com. For all you spectators, our very own Hugh Johnson will be on the mic at the finish area, pumping up the volume!

Hey folks! Alex here, standing in for Hugh today – who is busy soaking in the sunshine, showing those Wyoming boys and gals how we do it back East. With significantly lower visibility in the upper elevations today, I decided to hang low with the scoundrels in Birch Run Park and The Zone. Friday is also a race day for locals who compete in the Harvey Wesson Memorial Series.

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. Snow is in the forecast through Monday which will maintain that dream-like quality on the trees! Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the roses, or in this case, smell the fresh mountain air and take in the beauty that's all around. I didn't know this photo would be so ethereal, maybe it's because (quoting SSU's Sherm White quoting somebody) "I'm livin' the dream". You should head up here and make your dream a reality.

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. 5 inches of snow in the past 24 hours and more is on the way. If I was you, I would be here. Do you see what I mean?!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. 19 inches of snow in the past week and 9 more inches of snow by Friday is predicted. The snow is flyin' and you should be here skiin' and ridin'!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. "Hero Snow," "Cruisable & Carvable Corn," or "Pow Packed Wow," no matter what you call it, the snow right now is just plain AWESOME! Today it was hangin' with the Smuggs Crew and takin' some fun runs. Jay makes the pizza at Riga-Bello's Pizzeria, Fletch makes the drinks at the Black Bear Tavern, and Iain and Matt make the music every Thursday at Bootleggers' Lounge (they are the guitarist and bassist respectively for the house band Amozen). Tell you what... WE ROCKED THE MOUNTAIN!!!

We have received 31 inches of new snow in the past 6 days and the conditions are fantastic! I did a 3 mountain tour today, which started with the Madonna I chairlift. I was checking out the tracks on liftline above the work road. It looked too good, so I had to ski it! Upper Madonna Liftline was open from Catwalk down to the work road at the bottom of Robin’s Run. Madonna Liftline is my favorite trail and it did not let me down today. I was enjoying the fresh snow on the work road when my good friend John came flying out of the Black Hole! We had a quick chat about how great the snow was and then decided to ski more of it! We headed for Sterling next and we skied Upper Exhibition which was wonderful! We also really had fun on Harvey’s Hideaway to Full Nelson. I then headed over to Morse to meet up with my son Hugh for the afternoon. I followed him through the trees, off of jumps, through the powder, over the rollers, and on the fun box in the Log Jam Terrain Park!

Today I was lucky enough to get to ski with my daughter Hannah and my son Hugh. We had a great day on Morse Mountain. We started with a run down Snow Snake which was groomed last night. Hannah gave me a ski lesson and showed me how to use my edges on the steeper terrain. We decided to ski over to the Morse Highland area next. The kids love the low angle glades and of course the Log Jam Terrain Park. We took a break in the Morse Highlands Lodge and had a hot chocolate. The kids ran into a bunch of their friends who were also having a great time at Morse Highlands. Another wonderful day of family fun!

St. Mike's College Ski Race Team training GS on Black Snake, Snake Bite, and the Practice Slope.

Snowboard lesson on Sir Henry's Learning Hill

One of the buckles on my ski boots just would not stay closed. My boots have at least 300 days in them and they are tired. My liners are packed out pretty good. I brought my boots to 3 Mountain Equipment to see if they could fix or replace my buckle. Ken Roberts the boot guru a.k.a. “Bert” modified my buckle so that it would work properly. Bert has been boot fitting for many years and has tons of tricks up his sleeve to make your feet happy! I was testing out the buckle when Bert handed me my liner and said “try this”. He had placed some padding on my liner where the modified buckle is. I tried my boot on and I was pleasantly surprised to feel my foot fit tighter in my old boots. He asked me if I wanted more lateral support. I said, “if that makes my boot fit even better then yes.” He then told me to take a seat on his elevated boot fitting bench where he started really working some magic. He applied many different shaped pieces of padding to my liners that he makes himself. He then reheated my liners to blend it all together. I really could not wait to try my new fitted boots out in our local’s race league. In the past two races I have placed fourth and fifth. This week was a very close race with only two hundredths between first and third place! The work Bert did made all the difference and I actually won this week!

Today was one of those ski days that I will not forget! We have some good friends from Canada staying with us this weekend. They have a daughter who is 12 years old and a son who is 14 years old. They both have been skiing here at Smuggs since they got out of diapers and are very good skiers! Today was the first time that my 4 year old daughter rode the Sterling Lift, the Madonna I lift and the Sterling T-Bar! We can now all ski together on the Upper Mountains. The kids just had so much fun! We started with a few intermediate cruiser runs in the morning and by the afternoon we had a couple of experts runs under our belt! Best family ski day ever!!

We received 2 inches of new snow this morning. It was heavy snow that stuck to everything. It freshened up the snow surface very nicely. Today is the local race on the Practice Slope. My plan was to take a few cruiser runs on my race skis to practice. I got to the Upper Parking Lot and every racer I saw had fat skis on. They all said that the skiing was too good and that they would race later. If you can't beat em' join em'! I grabbed my fat skis and had a bunch of fun in the new snow too!

Today I went for a three mountain tour. Upper Drifter opened today, so I headed up Madonna and made it my warm-up run. I had to stop a few times to take in the great views of Sterling Pond, Sterling, the notch, and Mount Mansfield. I also found some nice fresh snow on the side of the trail to play in. I then headed to Sterling for my next run. Our groomers were busy last night on some of Sterling's expert trails like Chute, Upper Pipeline, Full Nelson, and Hangman's Drop. I had a great time on each one, because steep fresh groomed terrain is so much fun! Speaking of fun, my next stop was the World Famous Cookie Race on Sir Henry's Learning Hill. These little skiers and riders have their name announced as they get to race around gates, under hoops, over a teeter totter, and on little fun boxes! To make it even better Mogul Mouse and King Billy Bob Billy Bear are there to cheer on the kids! As a parent the best part is watching these kids having fun as they display their newly learned skills.

Hugh III finds some nice powder on Hangman's. Today was wonderful with the light snow all day and nice temperatures! We received 6 inches of new snow in the past 36 hours. I had a great time on Upper FIS and Doc Dempsey's this morning. Upper Exhibition was also very fun. I also enjoyed Bootlegger, Chute, Full Nelson, Hangman's Drop, Upper Treasure, Hangman's, Black Snake, Birch Run Terrain Park, Lower Exhibition, Link, Lower Madonna Liftline, Upper Chilcoot, Upper Rumrunner, Crossover, Lower Pipeline, Practice Slope, Catwalk, Father Bob's, and Goat Path!

The forecast calls for snow tonight and tomorrow with up to 5 inches of accumulation by tomorrow night.

This is the overall winner of the Northern Vermont 8K Snowshoe Race. I had a wonderful time at the Snowshoe race today. The race has 3 different categories a Kid's half K run/walk, a 3.5 K run/walk, and an 8 K race. My son Hugh did the half K and was pretty proud of himself for running the whole race. The 3.5 K run/walk is for those who want to get outside, get some exercise, and have fun! The 8 K was definitely more competitive. The weather was fantastic with the new snow and sunshine! Thank you to Zeke and everyone who volunteered!

18 inches of snow fell between Thursday night and Saturday morning then beautiful sunshine on Sunday! The forecast for tonight and tomorrow is snow 3 to 5 inches of accumulation possible!

We received 14 to 18 inches of new snow in the past 2 days and 29 inches in the past 6 days! The trail count has been rising with more natural snow trails opening up! The new snow has also improved the snowmaking trails because our groomers tile the new snow into the manmade snow. Tomorrow forecast calls for sun and fun with temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees!

We received a foot of new snow today!

The forecast called for an inch of new snow last night, but we did not receive any. Today’s forecast said that the snow was delayed and that we could receive 1 to 2 inches of new snow this morning. I like to ski when it’s snowing because there is more snow every run! That is what happened today! We ended up receiving 2 to 3 inches of new snow. More snow is in the forecast for the next two days!

There is a reason why they call it the Practice Slope. On one side of the Practice Slope there is race training and on the other side is the Zone Terrain Park. The Practice Slope is split by the Sterling T-Bar. The T-Bar is the key when it comes to practicing! The T-Bar allows you to repeat a race course or try that new trick on the rail again quickly. I watched an eight year old boy who was snowboarding in the Zone this weekend. He was trying out the new rail that was just put in the Zone this past Friday. The rail is a long pipe that is slightly tilted up at the end. This young snowboarder hit this rail every time he went down through the park. I was hanging out taking pictures, so I got to see the progression he made every lap. It took many attempts but he did it! He shot off the end of the rail, stomped the landing, and then made his victory move “Tiger Woods arm pump”!

Essex High School Winter Carnival Races!

The Cookie Race is a wonderful way for the kids to show Mom and Dad just how much they learned in Ski School. There are different courses for Discovery and Adventure to match their ability levels. Mogul Mouse and King Billy Bob Bear are there to cheer on the skiers and riders! The great part of the race is that every child wins and receives a cookie as their reward. The best part is that everyone has FUN!

I ran into my good friend John a.k.a. Dr. John in the Upper Parking Lot this morning. We took a warm up run on Sterling and skied Black Snake to Full Nelson. The snowmaking whales on Full Nelson are pretty big and a ton of fun to play on. We headed for Madonna next and checked out Upper FIS. We had so much fun that we decided to do it again!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. Smugglers' Notch Resort has been voted the #1 Family Resort by the Readers of Ski Magazine for 14 years in a row! This Saturday, February 2nd we celebrate that honor by hosting a Ski Magazine Readers Appreciation Day with a special edition of the Cookie Race, as well as music, fun, and games at the Gazebo. One of the reasons we receive that accolade, is that we are by families for families. Today I was skiing with Noah Hall and his sister Raeden Zavis. They both work here, as do their parents Joanna, and George. I used to mentor Noah when he was in Elementary School, but it was his turn to be the mentor. He was demoing a pair of skis from 3 Mountain Equipment and he was flying down Chilcoot, FIS, and Black Snake. He inspired me to let it rip, and catch some air. How appropriate that we work at America's Family Resort, because I feel like I've known Noah and Rae so long, that we RRR family!

The 17th Annual Heritage WinterFest was this weekend. There were many events held in the Smugglers’ Notch area. I took my daughter Hannah and son Hugh to the fireworks display in Jeffersonville last night. It was really neat to see the full moon and the fireworks together! This morning my son Hugh and I went to check out the Famous Primitive Biathlon held at Sterling Ridge Inn and Log Cabins before going skiing. It was like going back in time with the wooden snowshoes and muzzleloaders. We enjoyed watching the competitors race through the woods and shoot different targets along the way. The sun was shining and the mountains were calling our names so we loaded up and headed for the Upper Parking Lot. We decided to ride the Madonna I lift first to take in all the wonderful views. I love skiing Madonna, but I also enjoy looking at the beauty of Vermont from the Madonna I chairlift!

We have many events this weekend like the Annual Smugglers' Notch Ice Climbing event in the notch, and the 17th Annual Winterfest. On Saturday we have Vermont's own Worth Skis doing a demo at the Base Lodge and Boston's Mix 104.1 Wellness on Wheels at the Gazebo in the Village from 10:00 am till 12:00 noon.

Sean Hayes of our Smugglers' Notch Adaptive Program giving a sit ski lesson on Morse Mountain. I was delivering the snow report this morning when I saw Sean with his lesson. A skier came up to Sean and the gentleman in the sit ski. He said that the gentleman in the sit ski’s name should be "Inspiring", because that is what he is! The skier had seen the sit skier through out the week tearing it up on Morse Mountain! Great job Sean!

It was pretty cold this morning with the temperatures below zero. Our snowmakers were making their own weather, by producing a huge snowmaking cloud on top of Sterling! They were making snow on Smugglers’ Alley, Bootlegger, and Thomke’s Express, Chute, Thomke’s, Hangman’s Drop, Treasure Run, and Upper Pipeline. I had a blast today skiing with my good friend Andy A. from 3 Mountain Equipment. The snow was very edgeable and we were carving up it!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. When warming up between runs, I ran into Tom (from NH via NJ), a long-time Smugglers' Notch-er and Blog Fan. Tom and his FAM were in the Black Bear having age appropriate fizzy drinks. The Black Bear custom is that every drink (such as a Shirley Temple) counts as a run... if you are wearing your ski or snowboard boots. Speaking of fizzy, Upper F.I.S. is known as Fizz, and that is my trail pick. I had my BEST EVER Fizz runs today!!! Last night and this morning the Snowmaking Crew blasted the entire length of Upper F.I.S., creating carva-licious whales covered with snow-tacular powder. Thanks to Fletch, his daughter Lindsay, and their friend Tony for suggesting we shake up the Fizz. Later on, Dave, Eli, and Ken from Patrol told me that Smugglers' Alley should have a similar feel tomorrow - yeah baby! Before this blog fizzles, my iPod moment was "Siberian Khatru" by Yes.

The Burton Riglet Park is a year old! This wonderful addition to Smugglers' Notch has taught many kids how to have fun while learning how to snowboard! The Burton Riglet Park reminds me of recess when I was a kid. Kids are just playing every where you look! The tree house has multiple ramps leading to many different features. There are fun boxes flush with the snow, rollers, quarter pipes, hoops, cones, a mini canon, and more! The 1 Year Birthday party was held at the Riglet Park and to celebrate a wood carving of Mogul Mouse and King Billy Bob Bear were made! Mark Leclair produced these carvings from wood that was cut down on his land here in Vermont. Mark works here at Smugglers' Notch in the Winter. The wood carvings of Billy Bob and Mogul Mouse rode Sir Henry's Wonder Carpet up to the Burton Riglet Park. Everyone had a great time, especially the kids! Mike Chait and his staff did a wonderful job preparing the park for the party! The kids loved the tree house, the features, the hot chocolate, the cookies, the cake, and riding with their friends!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. I got to take a few runs with smuggsphoto.com Photographer Bruce Morrisey. Bruce has taken pictures and videos of Smuggs guests for many years. He was showing me some of the places where he likes to capture that perfect shot of a family. I hope I'm not giving away any trade secrets, but the above photo is one of those places. We had FUN as we zipped around Madonna Mountain, but I felt like we were a couple of posers. He moves people into certain positions for a photo, and I pretend to be a Snow Reporter. From Pics to Picks. The Oscar and Golden Globe nominations were recently announced. Well, I have my own picks for today: Best Run - Lower F.I.S. (skier's right), Best iPod Shuffle moment - Led Zep's "Good Times, Bad Times" as I started a late afternoon run in the sunshine, Best Wishes extended - giving a Birthday shout-out to former Patroller and current Safety Director Kiri Moore from the M-I Lift, and finally, Most Inspirational moment - 9-year old Lily from Virginia excitedly telling me that she graduated from a Level 4 on Morse to a Level 5 on Sterling, and she even skied a few Black Diamonds to boot!!!

Ski Instructor Justin taking his class down Bootlegger on Sterling Mountain. Bootlegger was one of my trail picks today along with Smugglers' Alley and Snake Bite. The conditions were nice and soft. I also had a bunch of fun carving it up on the Intermediate trails!

It was another beautiful day at Smuggs! The sun was out and the conditions were soft. I had a blast today on the steep manmade snow like Upper FIS and Snake Bite! I also enjoyed the soft landing in the Terrain Parks.

Today was the Gravity Control Rail Jam in the Zone! The park was in great shape! It was a little warm today which made the landing nice and soft. I would have to say that my favorite feature was the Never Summer Fun box, which was set up as a canon. The skiers and riders would fly off the end of the fun box and then pull off some amazing tricks! The Rail Jam was a ton of fun today! A big thank you goes to everyone who made this event possible!

Saturday, January 12th Gravity Control Rail Jam - It's time to dust off the shred sticks and throw down some early season tricks. This is the first of three Gravity Control events; come check out what Smuggs has in store! $20 entry fee gets you in to compete for cash and prizes! Registration from 10:00 am - 11:00 am at The Zone Terrain Park and the event starts at 12:00 noon.

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. It is great to get those snowy days that lay such sweet powder on the slopes. Then it is nice to have a day like today with the sun so high in the sky, fresh Vermont air filling your lungs, your skis (or board) dancing on the slopes, and a song singing in your heart. Ah, but I am waxing poetic... maybe I should stick to waxing my skis (haRRRdy haRRR haRRR).

Today we had top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with all 8 lifts operating. Hugh B and I decided to do just that. We skied top to bottom on all 3 mountains and rode all 8 lifts. We also visited 3 terrain parks, one on each mountain. We found some great powder stashes along the way. Hugh B even skied a couple of trails that he had never been on. There is just so much terrain to explore and so much fun to have at Smuggs!

Today was Family Fun Day! I skied with my 4 year old daughter Hannah and 7 year old son Hugh B. on Morse Mountain. It has been a little while since I have skied with Hannah. She has been taking lessons with our Snow Sport University and it shows. Not only has her skiing improved, but she has learned some great safety habits. One of the things she has learned is to stop on the side of the trail, so that you don't block the trail. In Ski School they call it "Parking the Car", when the class stops they line up on the side of the trail. To be safe they add to the bottom of the line and not the top. I want to thank our instructors for making their lessons fun and safe. You do a wonderful job and your efforts make a big difference!

We received 2 to 3 inches of new snow this afternoon! Andy enjoying the fresh snow on one of his favorite trails.

The weather was clear and cold this morning. The snow was sparkling in the sunshine. The tree branches are covered in frost and snow. The 39 inches of snow that we received in the past 9 days has blanketed the mountain. We are also presently making snow on Upper FIS! The Log Jam Terrain Park opened today!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. Twas a bit brisk today, but that's when I like the surface conditions on the slopes. Carvable (is that a word?), fast and FUN! I took a few turns with my friend Brendan. It was his first day on the mountain this season and he skiied like a Rock Star! Hey, there's more than one way to be cool!

I was riding up the Madonna I chairlift this morning enjoying the beautiful views and decided to take a scenic exploring run. First I started with exploring Upper FIS above Catwalk. I was able to access this trail by beginning on Upper Chilcoot and then taking the first left. I am not talking about Catwalk; this trail is narrow and only about 50 yards down Upper Chilcoot. This section of Upper FIS is pretty steep and a double black diamond! I skied down to Catwalk and then decided to take Lower Catwalk. Lower Catwalk starts under the Madonna I lift by the top of Robin’s Run. It’s an intermediate trail with wonderful views of Sterling, Sterling Pond, the Notch, and Mount Mansfield.

The forecast called for 1 to 3 inches of new snow overnight and we got 12 inches! The temperature was pretty cold last night so the new snow was very light and fluffy. My son Hugh B and I were very excited about the all the new snow! One of my favorite trails when I was a kid learning to ski here at Smuggs was Snow Snake. The turns and steeper pitches make it challenging and fun! It is a great stepping stone for skiers and riders who are preparing for the Upper Mountains. Snow Snake has also become one of Hugh B's favorite trails. Snow Snake lived up to its name today. Hugh B was knee deep in glory. He had to straight line many spots to keep his speed up. I don't know who was having more fun, Hugh B floating through deep powder or his dad getting to share this special moment with his son!

Madonna Liftline is open top to bottom! We received 18 inches of new snow in the past 48 hours and 35 inches in the past week! Madonna and Sterling Mountain are both 100 percent open! The skiing and riding is fantastic! I got to take a few runs with my wife today and we had a blast. We did a 3 mountain tour starting with Morse. We skied Midway over to the Upper Mountains and rode the Sterling Lift. Sterling Liftline is also open top to bottom, so we had to ski it! We decided to ride the Madonna I lift next. We then skied Madonna Liftline down to the Black Hole. We found some great powder stashes in the trees. We popped out of the trees around Time Square and decided to check out all the new natural features in Knight's Revenge Gladed Terrain Park. Wow, I could not believe how many features there are! It is new this year and it came out great!

The wonderful view from Upper Drifter on Madonna Mountains with Sterling, Sterling Pond, the Notch, and Mount Mansfield in the background. The weather this morning was clear, cold, and calm. Our snowmakers have been taking advantage of this fantastic weather! They have been making snow around the clock for days on end. There are some huge snowmaking whales on Morse and Sterling! Today we opened Midway, so now you can ski or ride from Morse to the Upper Mountains and back on Meadowlark. We also opened the Morse Highlands Lift today! The forecast calls for up to 14 inches of new snow to fall by Friday! The FUN METER is reading pretty high right now!

Dear Santa, Most people write you before Christmas. I wanted to write you on Christmas morning. I enjoyed the tasty cocoa at the Hot Chocolate Warm Up and the Fireworks when you arrived last night. I like my stockings (from 3 Mountain Outfitters) hung by the chimney with care. I am so happy with all the SNOW under the trees... and on the trails! But most of all I cherish all my family and friends. Gratefully yours, Rockin' Ron P.S. You say "yo-ho-ho" alot, are you a Pirate?

Matt from Maine having fun in the powder on Freefall! 3 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours and 28 inches in the past week. Snowmaking continues around the clock on Morse and Sterling Mountain!

We received 10 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours and 29 inches in the past week! Today we opened Upper FIS, Doc Dempsey's, Black Hole, Freefall, Catwalk, and Moonshiner's Glades! We continue to make snow on Sterling and Morse Mountain.

We now have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains! We have 6 lifts operating including the Madonna I lift and 33 trails open! We are presently making snow on Sam's Run, Dixie's Knoll, and Black Snake! The forecast calls for 1 to 3 inches of snow today and another 1 to 2 inches of snow tonight!

4 inches of new snow overnight, 8 inches in the past 2 days, and 12 inches in the past 3 days! More snow means more open terrain! We have been opening natural snow trails on Madonna and Sterling. We plan to open Madonna to the summit this weekend! Our trail count has been increasing daily! There is also snow in the forecast for this weekend with 2 to 4 inches of accumulation possible. The forecast also calls for some good snowmaking temperatures this weekend!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. 3 to 4 inches of wet, heavy snow blanketed the Resort! It's the kind of snow that is fun to ski, and it's the kind that adds nicely to the base. Yea, it's the kind of snow that makes the trees look like those in a Dr. Seuss book, as my friends Haylee and Jade from Philly are wont to say. Speaking of people outside Vermont, lots of folks come from all over to be at Smuggs, why just this week I've encountered Smuggs guests from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ontario, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, Colombia, my friends the Harpers from Scotland, Denna and Ken from Kentucky, and Charlie from Durham, North Carolina - who I met on my first run of the year on lower Upper FIS. To you all... WELCOME to Smuggs and WELCOME to Winter!

John enjoying the new snow on Smugglers' Alley! There was mixed precipitation this morning in the Village, but it was snowing hard on the mountain. Smugglers' Alley was skiing very nice! The new snow was dense and heavy, so it skied like 4 to 5 inches. It was easy to float on top!

This is one of our new rails. It was made by Smuggs "Gravity Control" Terrain Park Crew member Mike McAdoo. It is all metal and very cool! I love the design and how strong it looks. Mike made two new rails for us this year. They are a great addition to our terrain parks. Smugglers' Alley was groomed last night and it is definitely trail pick for me! The groomers did a wonderful job last night and I thank you! I also want to thank our snowmakers for providing us with more snow, which means more terrain!

The Madonna II lift is now open. We have skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 4 lifts operating and 11 trails open. Last night was pretty cold with temperatures around 10 degrees on top. Our snowmakers were busy on Sam's Run, Garden Path, Lower Madonna Liftline, and Link. Snowmaking continued all day long on Morse! We hope to have skiing and riding from the top of Morse by the beginning of next week.

The Saint Michael's College Ski Race Team running gates on Lower Rumrunner. I stopped to watch a few of their athletes going through the gates. The course was slalom, which means short quick turns. The gates are break away, so they have a spring at the base which allows the gate to bend over and stand back up. The only thing that goes around the gate is the skis. The racers wear protection and they hit the gates out of their way!

Snow cat grooming near the Burton Treehouse Riglet Park. The temperatures have been great for snowmaking recently and we are taking advantage of it. We have been making snow on Garden Path, Link, and Lower Madonna Liftline. We plan to have more terrain open this weekend with the Madonna II lift accessing Link and Lower Madonna Liftline.

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. Justin and the Crew are making snow on the aforementioned Lower Madonna Liftline, as well as Lower FIS, and Link - all on Madonna Mountain, not to mention Garden Path and Lower Morse Liftline on Morse Mountain. We hope to open those trails in the near future. Meanwhile, there's plenty o' fun to be had on Rumrunner and Treasure, both of which Fletch and I cruised down today. On the ride up Sterling, Fletch was telling me how much he loves this place. He first skiied here in the late 60's, he's worked here for 22 years, and he skis here on most of his days off. Of course many of our guests know him as the Bartender at the Black Bear. Here's to you Fletch and to all the people who love Smuggs!

We received 2 inches of new snow last night before it turned to freezing rain this morning. The groomed terrain skied very nice with soft conditions. Smuggler's Alley was not groomed last night so it had a thin crust layer. The more it got skied the better it was! I tried to do my part by skiing it run after run, which was really fun because I was trying out some new skis. Our ski shop here at Smuggs 3 Mountain Equipment now has Worth Skis to demo. Worth skis are made here in Vermont. I was skiing on the "Daily Bread" which was a blast in the bumps and I also had a great time laying out some big carving GS turns! You don't have to take my word for it, because you can try them yourself at 3 Mountain Equipment.

Sir Henry's Learning and Fun Park is wonderful beginner terrain! The Magic Carpet makes it so easy to get back up the hill. You leave your equipment on and just stand. After a quick trip to the top you are ready to practice your turns again. Once you master Sir Henry's Learning and Fun Park the Mogul Mouse Magic Lift is ready to take you more beginner terrain and beyond!

The Birch Run Terrain Park is open with 9 features! Today's weather was pretty interesting. It rain a little bit at the base, but it snowed at the summit. Smugglers' Alley has some nice moguls for the experts out there! The new snow at the summit made a nice surface while the bottom half of the mountain was soft and easy to carve.

The Mogul Mouse Magic Lift is now open to mid station!

Today was another beautiful day at Smuggs! We have been making snow since yesterday at noon. The day started out a little cloudy but then turned sunny. We were making snow on some open trails today. The new tower guns are so much nicer to ski near while running. They are a great deal quieter and produce a better snow quality

We are presently making snow on Sterling Mountain!

The temperatures have been falling all day. The forecast calls for snow this afternoon and tonight with up to 3 inches of accumulation possible. I was skiing Sterling today when I saw Tyler H. and Justin A. from snowmaking. They were setting guns up on Crossover. They told me that they were taking advantage of the colder temperatures and firing up the snowmaking system. They were setting snowmaking guns up on Treasure, Lower Exhibition, and Crossover today. They also plan to make snow on Lower Rumrunner and Sir Henry’s tonight!

We have terrain open for all abilities: expert and intermediate on Sterling Mountain, and beginners on Morse Mountain at Sir Henry's Learning and Fun Park.

The Birch Run Terrain Park has more rails! Mike and Rick were working on Lower Birch Run today installing some new rails. Some of the rails Mike made himself and they are all metal! They have a very cool shape and look like a ton of fun. I think they are going to be a big hit! No pun intended.

Ken having fun in the bumps on Alley!

We now terrain open for all ability levels! Sir Henry’s Learning and Fun Park opened today along with the Magic Carpet. We have been making snow around the clock on all 3 mountains! Today was a great family fun day; I got to ski with my good buddy Ken, his family, and my son Hugh B. The kids had a great time on Smuggler’s Alley and the Birch Run Terrain Park. The kids were not the only ones having fun!!

12 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours! Ski Patrol trail checking Smugglers' Alley!

I called snowmaking control this morning at 5am and they told me that there was a foot of fresh snow! They also said that the temperatures were perfect and they had the snow guns blasting! I got to my office as soon as I could and then updated the snow report. Next I was headed out the door and driving to the Upper Mountains. My first run was down Smugglers’ Alley and it was absolutely wonderful! I then skied down Crossover, Treasure, and Lower Exhibition playing in the powder on top of the groomed snow! Ski Patrol started dropping ropes on Thomke’s, Upper Exhibition, Hangman’s, Black Snake, and Lower Pipeline. I was a glorious powder day here at Smuggs!

Today was one of those days where the surface conditions got better as the day went on. It started to flurry around noon today and it just kept on snowing harder. I can not wait for tomorrow morning, so I can get in some deep turns!

The view from the summit of Sterling Mountain.

We now have expert terrain open with Smugglers’ Alley! I heard many reviews about Smugglers’ Alley having great conditions before I was able to get out on the mountain. I could not wait to test the product! I rode up the Sterling Lift and took a left. I only made a few turns down the Alley before I had to let out a “WooooHoooo”! All of the reviews were right on. Our snowmakers did a fantastic job of making some wonderful snow! The snow was soft, edgeable and a ton of fun!

Rockin' Ron for Hugh. It seems like everyone is buzzin' 'bout Smuggs new snow guns. I was talking to Scott from Wyndham about this year's snowmaking improvements and how I was going to write about them on the blog. He fired off that since these are brand new snowguns - they are "Young Guns." I shot back that Smuggs Snowmaking is "#1 with a bullet." All there is really left to say is that 150 more efficient snowguns = More Snow = TONS of FUN!

The forecast called for cloudy skies with a chance of flurries this morning. The weather this morning was hard falling snow with an accumulation of 3 inches. The new snow was light and felt wonderful on top of the manmade groomed snow. It was like Mother Nature hit the refresh button for us. Our world is whiter and our smiles are bigger!

Dalton enjoying the new snow that fell this morning!

The temperatures dropped from yesterday and we received an inch of new snow. The colder temperatures have also allowed us to resume snowmaking operations. We are presently making snow on Smugglers’ Alley and Lower Rumrunner! Tonight we plan to make snow on Lower Birch Run. Mother Nature not only provided colder temperatures, but she also gave us some natural snow! The forecast going forward calls for more natural snow and good snowmaking temperatures! I love to see our new snowmaking tower guns in action! I want to thank our snowmakers for providing us so much fun!

Today was the Opening Day of the 2012 – 2013 Winter Season! The Birch Run Terrain Park was open with a rail, a fun box, and a hit! It was great to see features set up on the first day of the season. The Terrain Park was a popular place with skiers and riders dialing in their next new trick! The talent level looked more like mid season than early season. It was a fun day on the mountain and it felt wonderful to carve up some turns on the corduroy!

The Birch Run Terrain Park will be open on Friday, Nov. 23rd with a rail, a funbox, and a hit! Photo taken Nov. 21, 2012.

I took a hike up Sterling today to see how things were looking for “Opening Day”. On my way up the mountain I saw Rick and Mike from our Terrain Park crew; they were pushing out the snowmaking whales in the Birch Run Terrain Park. I then started up Treasure Run and noticed that the snowmaking whales had been pushed out on Treasure, Crossover, and Upper Rumrunner. I got to the summit of Sterling to find Caitlin from Mountain Operations and John from Ski Patrol moving equipment to get ready for the season. On my way back down the mountain I stopped by the Birch Run Terrain Park. Mike and Rick had installed a rail, a funbox, and a hit, which will all be ready for your skiing and riding pleasure on “Opening Day”! LET THE FUN BEGIN!

The planned Opening Day of the 2012 - 2013 Winter Season is this Friday, November 23rd!

Rays of sunlight in snowmaking plume. Photo taken November 19th, 2012

It feels great to be back in the snow reporting saddle again! I’m looking forward to another wonderful winter season at Smuggs! I was on Sterling Mountain this morning checking out the progress made by our snowmakers and our new tower guns! The new tower guns are more efficient and quieter. They are a fantastic addition to our snowmaking equipment! We plan to open for the 2012 – 2013 Winter Season this Friday, November 23, 2012! Forget about Black Friday; come have a White Friday with Smuggs.

I was at the Cambridge Area Rotary Ski and Board Swap today. Historically, this has been the last Swap before the Season starts. Folks are grabbing some last minute gear because they're Jones-in' to get their first runs on Madonna, Sterling, and Morse. Well, it won't be long now. The next blog you read will be Hugh's.

Just one week to our anticipated Opening Day of Friday, November 23rd, 2012 CE at 8:30 am EST! Rockin' Ron tempin' for Smuggs permanent Snow Reporting Legend - Mr. Hugh Johnson. Its all down to cold temps and low humidity, (aka the wet bulb temp for you Snowmaking afficinados), and that gal o' gals - Mama Nature. So visit 3 Mountain Equipment and get your skis and snowboards tuned, pull out your long undies, and get ready to ROCK the Winter!!!!!!!!!

Morning Snowmaking on Sterling Liftline (photo taken November 14th, 2012)

Hugh will be back in the Snow Report saddle this coming Monday. I was talking to Justin Thoelke, our Snowmaking Operations Manager, and he was quite enthused about his 150 NEW snowguns. He says they are more efficient and use less air. I tell you what, yours truly is enthused about seeing Justin and his crew blowing snow on Upper Rumrunner. I also want to say 'HEY' to our 2-4-U Smuggs/Bolton College Pass holders. Anticipated Opening Day is Friday, November 23rd at 8:30 am.

Ron Carter, Smuggs E-team member and winter back-up blogger extraordinaire for Hugh's Blog (so says Karen Boushie). Rockin' Ron in the Blog Spot for Hugh. The picture above was taken by Hugh after he took the Shoe Leather Express to the top of Madonna Mountain. If you don't know by now, Hugh is a skiing fanatic. About a month ago, this point was once again brought home to me. I was on the phone with Hugh when he was out of state. I asked about the weather where he was and he told me it was raining. Feeling prankster-ish, I exclaimed that it was snowing here. He was ready to book the first flight back to Burlington, when he realized I was joking. I know he was more than a little disappointed. However, I don't think he'll be disappointed by this upcoming season. With $1,000,000 in snowmaking enhancements, and our anticipated Opening Day of Friday, November 23rd just around the corner, what's not to get excited about!

Greg Fatigate, Snow Sport University If you haven't heard, we have been creating a new type of terrain park in one of our Madonna Mountain glades, Knight's Revenge, in between Lower Rumrunner and Lower Madonna Liftline. This terrain park is what we call a "natural" terrain park. So what's that mean? Well, some of the features will be piles of logs that will serve as jumps and rollers. Other features are built from small trees and saplings that were blown down from previous wind storms. Others still are built from locally harvested hemlock from LSF Forest Products of Fletcher. Check out photos of a few of the features below. So far the lower half of the glade has all of its features set. These include several rollers, a couple jumps, some mountain bike-type bridges, several log slides, and a wall ride at the end. All of the features have been secured to the ground, so don't expect them to move. Along the lines of "natural," this park will have no snowmaking in it, so we'll be counting on Mother Nature’s bounty of snowfall. Even with melt-off or low snow periods, many of the features will be usable as all of them start from the ground. What will separate this park from our other parks is that it still maintains its character as a glade. We did not have to cut many trees at all, and most of what was cut was either tiny or dead. The lower half of Knight's Revenge is relatively low angle (read: not steep). Therefore you'll need to keep up momentum and as a result there will be a pretty sweet flow to this park. I'm a lifelong skateboarder and I've tried to bring in some of that aspect to the flow end of the set-up. Recently I've been working on the upper half of the trail. Expect this half (above Link) to have a few more jumps, some killer rails, banks, and rock rides. It's a little steeper up there and therefore we'll be able to do some different things. In the entire glade, expect to have to take several runs through it to figure out how all the goods flow together, and maybe even find a few hidden things. There's a lot of heavy lifting going on, and a good deal of the labor has been tough. Special thanks go out to John Burton and our brush-cutting crew for helping with some pretty tough jobs, Mike Chait of our Snow Sport University for helping me create a few features that could not have been possible alone, Nate Burnor for helping me find some recycle supplies, and our Mountain Operations crew for lending some much needed tools.

Caitlin Shaw of Mountain Ops provides an update... It's been a busy summer in Mountain Operations! Probably the biggest news on the mountain this summer is our snowmaking enhancements. We've purchased 150 new tower guns, and the first order of guns has arrived with more due to be received this fall to install for the start of the 2012-2013 winter snowmaking season. These guns are from 3 different manufacturers and are energy efficient, meaning they need less air to make snow than our current tower and land frame guns. This will allow us to make more snow with the air capacity that we currently have. Speaking of air ... we're also purchasing a second electric air compressor to be installed at the snowmaking shop. This compressor will allow us more flexibility in our snowmaking - we'll now have twice the electric compressed air capacity, which means we can rely a little less on our diesel compressor rentals and the price of buying diesel fuel. We're also replacing the snowmaking pipe loop that covers the top of Morse Mountain to allow for more efficient snowmaking at the summit of the Village Lift and on the Midway Spur. This month we've been freshening up the Madonna 1 Lift with a new coat of paint. We're also working on installing a new drive in Sterling which will allow for better energy efficiency. So if you're out on the mountain in the coming weeks I'm sure you may see all of the work that is going on to prepare for the upcoming winter season. Let's hope the snow flies soon! The additional snow guns are being placed on all three mountains: Practice Slope, Treasure, Lower Exhibition, Upper Rumrunner and Smugglers' Alley on Sterling Mountain; Lower Madonna Liftline on Madonna Mountain; and Lower Liftline and Log Jam on Morse Mountain. In the new terrain park on Madonna in the Knight's Revenge glade, there are about 18 natural features currently in place with more to be installed in the coming weeks. We're excited about this great new playground in the woods; blog entry with more information to come soon!

Summer can be seen as a season for relaxation and spending some quality time around your favorite swimming hole. Well, up here at Smugglers' Notch we've been busy making sure that all of our skiers and riders are as pumped about the 2012-2013 season as we are. With over $1 million in new snowmaking enhancements, and a brand new gladed terrain park in the works, winter is feeling like it's truly on its way. As the traveling events guy, I've been out promoting all the products and upgrades the mountain has to offer. From NYC's Central Park, to this week's Burton 13 movie premiere in Colchester, there's anticipation for the dumping of powder we so greatly deserve. I'm happy to hear that the skiers and riders who proudly proclaim Smuggs as their hometown mountain are stoked to hit the slopes. We kicked off the summer with a weekend in NYC's Central Park, partnering with Burton to give hundreds of kids a taste of our Riglet Park for hopeful new riders ages 3-5. Following Central Park, the next big event took place at Lake Champlain's Maritime Festival. Eighty degree heat and sunshine didn't stop folks from coming by and swapping stories about their favorite runs up at Smugglers' Notch. Next, I headed over to Burton's Annual Summer Sale. The Burton Sale kicked off our pass sales which began on August 13th. The intense heat and long lines didn't deter hopeful shoppers from finding their favorite gear, and picking up their passes and badges on their way out. The release of our brand new 2 for U college pass has inspired a lot of excited college students. I'll be visiting local campuses: UVM, Champlain College, St. Mike's, and Johnson State throughout September and October to represent Smuggs and provide students an opportunity to pick up the new combo Smuggs/Bolton 2 for U for just $249! Come and see me on the road at this weekend's Burton 13 movie premiere on Saturday, September 15th at the Sunset Drive-In theatre in Colchester. The event kicks off at 5:00 pm with appearances and signings from Burton’s Pro Riders. The movie will officially begin at 8:30 pm. If you can't make it there, maybe I'll see you the next week at the Alpine Shop Avalanche Sale - get your gear, get your pass … it's time to think snow!