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Men’s FIS Open GS Race

It was very impressive to watch these amazing athletes take on Black Snake, Snake Bite, and the Practice Slope. The steepness of Snake Bite can be intimidating, especially when you are already cruising and coming over the top. It’s quite challenging mentally and physically. 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 74 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 33 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Upper FIS, Smugglers’ Alley, and Snow Snake, for a total of 131 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable, with average base depths of 12 to 38 inches. Today was a gorgeous day on the slopes, and tomorrow is going to be just like it! Currently, it is partly sunny and 40 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 0 to 5 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for partly sunny skies with a high of 50 degrees at the base and 40 degrees at higher elevations.

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Natural snow and snowmaking

We received 2 inches of new snow today and 80 inches this season so far! We are presently making snow on Practice Slope, Midway, Black Snake, Meadowlark, and Snake Bite. The Practice Slope, Snake Bite, and Black Snake will be closed tomorrow due to snowmaking operations. We plan to have these trails open this weekend. The new snow made a big difference today and will groom in the existing snow nicely. Tomorrow, we plan to have Sterling Lift, Village Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider operating. We will have 12 trails open for Friday, with terrain for all ability levels. All 12 trails will be groomed for tomorrow; that’s a total of 50 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable, with average base depths of 12 to 36 inches. Currently, it is 6 degrees at the summit of Sterling, with flurries and winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 23 degrees at the base and 17 degrees at higher elevations.

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It’s almost that time!

Mountain Operations Manager and Pond Sculpting Guru Mike McAdoo started moving snow today!

Annual Pond Skimming

LOCATION: Sterling Mountain Practice Slope

DATE / TIME: April 1st : 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm

Presented by Zero Gravity.

Elvis, a gorilla, guys in bikinis – you’ll see it all on the Practice Slope during Pond Skimming! Registration for this free event starts at 10:00 am at the Smugglers’ Notch tent in Parking Lot 1 for the first 100 people only. The first skimmer launches toward the pond at 12:00 noon. Prizes awarded for best costume. A “don’t miss” for spectators!

Today we have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 4 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 73 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 33 trails have been groomed for today, including Shuttle, Drifter, Smugglers’ Alley, Jolly Rodger, Snow Snake, and Howie’s Wanderer for a grand total of 133 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 12 to 54 inches. Currently, it is sunny and 24 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for sunny skies early with increasing clouds, a high of 39 degrees at the base, and 31 degrees at higher elevations. Great conditions!

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Race day

Open FIS GS 18 years and older men’s race on Black Snake, Snake Bite, and the Practice Slope. Academy and college racers from around the region.

We are 100 percent open with all 78 trails. Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. 38 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Ruthie’s, Drifter, Jolly Rodger, Smugglers’ Alley, Evaporator, and Snow Snake for a grand total of 147 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Drifter was groomed to perfection today. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 16 to 54 inches. Currently, it is partly sunny and 29 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible and a high of 35 degrees at the base and 29 degrees at higher elevations.

The Nordic Center is open with 17 km of cross-country trails and 15 km of snowshoeing trails.

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Skiing and riding on all 3 mountains tomorrow

Picture perfect day
Slalom race on the Practice Slope
Fresh tracks on Morse Mountain
#smuggslove
Riding off into the sunset

It was a beautiful day with clear skies and crisp air. I went skiing in the morning and snowboarding in the afternoon. The 9 inches of new snow that we received in the past 5 days has freshened things up nicely. The new snow groomed into the existing snow and that made a softer surface. I had a blast carving turns on Black Snake this morning with the bright sun at my back. The day started off with the temperature in the single digits, but the sun brought the summit temperature on Sterling to 18 degrees in the afternoon. The still air and sun made it feel even warmer. Tomorrow we plan to have the Madonna II Lift, Sterling Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, Morse Highlands Lift, Village Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We will have 20 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 19 out of the 20 open trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Dixie’s Knoll, and Lower Chilcoot for a grand total of 84 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 6 to 24 inches. Last night we made snow on Lower Chilcoot and Mulcahy’s Link. We are presently making snow on Lower FIS, Waterfall, and Mulcahy’s Link. Currently, it is 14 degrees at the summit of Sterling with partly cloudy skies and winds of 0 to 5 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies, and snow showers in the afternoon with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible on top and a high of 31 degrees at the base and 27 degrees at the summit of Sterling.

This weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Fiddlehead.

Uphill access will reopen on Morse from 5 pm to 10 pm starting tonight, January 11th.  Please remember it is closed on Thursday nights due to fireworks and Cat Trax tours. Morning uphill on Sterling will remain closed for the short term as we get through the next adverse weather cycle but we hope to get it online soon.  Evening access on the upper mountains is still pending our ability to get more trails open.  Stay tuned for updates.

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2”and Counting!

Taking a cruise down Upper Rumrunner

It’s starting to feel more like winter every day! Two inches of fresh snow fell overnight and our dedicated Mountain Operations Team has been working non-stop these past few days. They are currently putting the final touches on Black Snake and Practice Slope as well as Sir Henry’s and Morse Mountain. We are hopeful that more terrain is expected to open in the coming days.

Keep thinking snow and check in later this afternoon for more details and conditions from the mountain!

Testing the turns on Upper Rumrunner
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Snow on the ‘Slope’

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Our Snowmakers have been taking advantage of the cold temps and making the fluffy stuff on Practice Slope and Black Snake. Pretty soon it’ll be Tea Time at the T-Bar. For Wednesday we plan to have 23 trails open and 4 Lifts operating. Enjoy the snow on the slopes!

Snowmaking on Practice Slope. Photo by Hugh Johnson.
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Mountains of adventure and mountains of fun

Last night we made snow on Meadowlark, the Practice Slope, Lower Morse Liftline, Sir Henry’s Learning, and the base area of the Village Lift. We continued making snow on Sir Henry’s Learning Hill this morning to take advantage of the colder temperatures. Our groomers smoothed out the snowmaking whales and Sir Henry’s was open this afternoon. The weather is going to be a little wild tonight and tomorrow. Tonight’s forecast is calling for snow, freezing rain, and sleet before midnight then turning to rain after 1 am. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies with rain before noon and a high of 57 degrees. Temperatures fall tomorrow night and stay colder for the near future with snow in the forecast for Saturday. Tomorrow we plan to have 3 lifts operating; Sterling Lift, Sir Henry’s Glider, and Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift open to mid-station. We have 10 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 9 out of the 10 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, that’s a grand total of 28 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and loose granular with average base depths of 6 to 32 inches.

Sterling Pond with Mount Mansfield in the background
Howie’s Wanderer
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Spring into action only two days left

The last day of the 2020 / 2021 Winter season is this Saturday, April 10th. We plan to have Sterling Lift and/or Madonna I Lift operating depending on snow coverage. Tomorrow we plan to have Sterling Lift operating with 12 trails open. Bootlegger is open for now from Smugglers’ Alley. We only have intermediate and expert terrain available at this time. Surface conditions are machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 6 to 38 inches. 8 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Black Snake, Practice Slope, and Birch Run for a grand total of 38 acres of freshly groomed terrain. It is currently sunny and 56 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 71 degrees at the base and 62 degrees in the upper elevations.

Uphill traffic:

Morse Mountain now open daily.

Madonna Mountain closed for grooming.

Sterling Mountain open daily 5:30 am to 7:30 am and 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

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Only 3 more days of skiing and riding

The last day of the 2020 / 2021 Winter season is this Saturday, April 10th. We plan to have Sterling Lift and/or Madonna I Lift operating depending on snow coverage. Today we have the Sterling Lift operating with 12 trails open. We only have intermediate and expert terrain available at this time. Surface conditions are machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 0 to 38 inches. 8 trails have been groomed for today, including Smugglers’ Alley, Black Snake, Practice Slope, and Birch Run for a grand total of 39 acres of freshly groomed terrain. It is currently sunny and 41 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 67 degrees at the base and 59 degrees in the upper elevations.