Hugh's Views - Smugglers' Notch Vermont

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Mountains of adventure and mountains of fun

Posted March 27, 2024 at 4:03 pm

I enjoyed the spring conditions on all 3 mountains today. It was pretty cloudy this morning, but the clouds broke up some this afternoon. I headed for Madonna later in the day to take in the great views. Temperatures will stay above freezing tonight, so we should have more soft conditions tomorrow. We have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 65 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 24 trails will be groomed for tomorrow for a total of 109 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 8 to 34 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 41 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for cloudy skies, patchy fog, and a chance of a shower, with highs of 41 degrees at the base and 37 degrees at higher elevations.

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Top to bottom on all 3 mountains

Posted March 27, 2024 at 9:09 am

Currently, it is cloudy and 37 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 15 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for a chance of showers, mainly between 11 am and 2 pm, with a high of 47 degrees at the base and 44 degrees at higher elevations. We have 6 lifts operating today, including the Madonna 1 Lift. We have 67 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 24 trails have been groomed for today, including Chilcoot, Log Jam, and Rumrunner for a total of 109 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 8 to 34 inches. Nice soft conditions on all 3 mountains. I found the best snow today to be manmade. The natural snow trails can be a little sticky today. Wear something waterproof and enjoy the spring conditions.

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Sunshine and Spring Snow

Posted March 26, 2024 at 3:00 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. The increasing cloud forecast was not quite accurate for the middle of the day. It was blue skies, sun, and spring snow. Met up with friend and fellow Activities staffer Seth “Carv-ison” Crevison to take some runs. Our first trail pick was Shuttle because it was groomed. We got there via Lower Catwalk. It was a bit of work considering the “grabby” surfaces. The word of the day was “wax.” Anywho, we had fun and a nice lunch on the Black Bear patio. Tomorrow, we should have 70+ trails open, and the forecast is showers and breezy with highs near 50 degrees fahrenheit. Wear the appropriate gear. Ski U soon.

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Good morning skiers and riders

Posted March 25, 2024 at 6:54 am

It’s going to be a fantastic day on the slopes. We received 33 inches of new snow in the past week, and now we have beautiful sunny skies. Today, we have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 75 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 34 trails have been groomed for today, including Ruthie’s, Snow Snake, Hibernator, Smugglers’ Alley, Thomke’s, and skier’s right on Upper FIS. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 14 to 40 inches. Currently, it is sunny and 15 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 36 degrees at the base and 32 degrees at higher elevations. Enjoy the sunshine and wonderful conditions!

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6 inches of new SNOW overnight!

Posted March 19, 2024 at 6:27 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. That’s right, it’s March 19th, and we have more snow! We plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Madonna I. Last night’s projection for open trails was 55, but that count should go up with the fresh snow. 35 trails groomed, totaling 139 acres. Ski U soon.

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Dual Slalom

Posted March 17, 2024 at 3:46 pm

Today was the second day of the George Tormey Challenge. Racing through a course by yourself is one thing, but when someone is next to you racing, it takes things to another level. It pushes you because you can see if you are winning or losing. I had a great time watching this head-to-head competition.

Tomorrow, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 69 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 33 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Hibernator, Smugglers’ Alley, and skier’s right on Upper FIS for a total of 127 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable, with average base depths of 10 to 36 inches. We received 2 to 4 inches of new snow on top in the past 24 hours. Currently, it is partly sunny and 30 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 0 to 5 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow showers 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible with a high of 33 degrees at the base and 23 degrees at higher elevations. We have colder temperatures forecasted for the upcoming week.

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Chance of snow on top tonight

Posted March 14, 2024 at 3:58 pm

Today was wonderful, with sunny skies, light winds, and mild temperatures. I would have to say that Smugglers’ Alley was my trail pick of the day. It was groomed last night to perfection. I also enjoyed a beautiful scenic run on Drifter. Tonight’s forecast is calling for rain to become snow, with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible at higher elevations. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow showers with a chance of freezing drizzle on top of 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible, mix, and rain at the base with a high of 39 degrees at the base and 29 degrees at higher elevations. Tomorrow, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 57 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 29 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including the skier’s right half of Upper FIS, Smugglers’ Alley, and Snow Snake, for a total of 115 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable, with average base depths of 10 to 36 inches.

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Sunny skies and mild temperatures for today

Posted March 13, 2024 at 6:36 am

Currently, we have clear skies and 27 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 45 degrees at the base and 42 degrees at higher elevations. Today, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We plan to have 74 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 35 trails have been groomed for today, including Drifter, Shuttle, Snake Bite, Goat Path, Midway, and Dixie’s Knoll, for a total of 139 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable, with average base depths of 12 to 38 inches.

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21″ New SNOW past 3 days!

Posted March 12, 2024 at 6:31 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. It’s a good day for me to be a Snow Reporter. It’s a better day for the real Snow Reporter Hugh Johnson to have the day off to… SKI! As the headline says 21 inches of new snow in the past 3 days. Today’s forecast is sunny and breezy, with highs of 38 degrees at the base and 32 on top. We have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 7 lifts operating, including Madonna I. We have 74 trails open. Ski U soon.

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Skiing and riding on all 3 mountains

Posted March 6, 2024 at 5:23 pm

We have 43 skiable trails and 38 lift-accessible trails open for Thursday. We plan to have 6 lifts operating tomorrow, including the Madonna II Lift. The Madonna I Lift will be closed tomorrow. 22 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Lower FIS, Log Jam, and Rumrunner, for a total of 94 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 8 to 32 inches. Currently, it is 39 degrees at the summit of Sterling with light rain. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for cloudy skies, a chance of sleet early on top with a high of 43 degrees at the base and 35 degrees at higher elevations. The temperatures will be colder as we get closer to the weekend, with snow forecasted Saturday night, Sunday, and Monday. I’m already doing my snow dance!