Today was the final day of the 2023 – 2024 season. We had a good turnout for the last hurrah. It was fantastic having both the Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift operating today. I would have to say that Upper FIS was the trail pick of the day. The soft bumps were delightful run after run! I want to thank everyone who came to visit us this season. I also want to thank all of the Smuggs employees for all their hard work in making each season the best it can be. Have a fabulous summer, and I will see you on the slopes next winter.
Spreading joyChris knows how to ski and rideView from Upper ChilcootDressed for the occasion20-year Smuggs family member Andrew and I in Lot #1#smuggslove
We have received snow every day for the past 6 days. Snow has fallen 8 out of the past 11 days with a total of 47 inches! The calendar says that it’s spring, but we have mid-winter conditions here at Smuggs. The “No friends on a powder day” is not true. I met up with some long-time friends today, and we had an absolute blast. We took turns getting fresh lines in the woods. There was a great deal of hooting, hollering, and, of course, laughing! There is more snow in the forecast for the next 24 hours, and I can’t wait to do it all over again. Tomorrow, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating. We’re expecting some wind tomorrow, so please check the report in the morning for the latest updates. We have 75 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 33 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Dixie’s Knoll, Snake Bite, and Drifter, for a total of 134 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and powder with average base depths of 12 to 38 inches. Currently, it is snowing and 28 degrees at the summit of Sterling. We could see 2 to 4 inches of new snow tonight. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible with a high of 20 degrees at the base and 13 degrees at higher elevations. Bundle up and enjoy all the new snow!
Tim loves throwing snow around.You wear it wellMatthew having fun in the treesThank you for the snow, Sean. You are truly missed, my friend!
Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. One of the many things I love about Smuggs is the community that skis and rides here. Guests from out of town, out of state, and out of country, locals, and employees – all feel at home here. I rode the Sterling Lift with M.C. from the U.C. (Underhill Center), I shared jokes with Dale, Darcy, and their friend Bob, I caught up with my Cambridge, VT friends the Gomezes, and I got the latest news from Rachel and Anne at the Black Bear Tavern. Crank up the Sister Sledge!
Today, we had 44 trails open, and we should have a similar trail count tomorrow. I enjoyed the loose granular – it reminds me of Cream of Wheat. I also enjoyed the velocity of the New England Loud Powder. Just about everything was open on Sterling Mountain. Due to snowmaking on Upper FIS, Madonna I will not operate until Friday. Ski ya later.
Link’d In! Mulcahy’s Link with the Madonna II Lift overhead.
The Gomez Family – Doug and Dodi have been coming to Smuggs for 50 years, and their son Dalton (visiting from Montana) has been coming for 29 years. Dalton says we have a better snowpack than they do out west right now.
Upper Rumrunner at the turn-off to Thomke’s.
Mahogany Ridge – one of the more extreme runs at Smuggs. Longtime Black Bear Bartender and local personality Rachel with Bob and the famous musical duo Dale & Darcy.
I had a blast today, skiing as a pirate. We were doing a little filming for the Friendly Pirate’s new song “Sea Shanty.” The song is about skiing at Smuggs. Someone in the Sterling corral even mistook me for the Friendly Pirate. Rockin’ Ron is a snow reporter on Tuesdays to cover my day off. It was fun to switch and have the snow reporter become a pirate! Tomorrow, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 5 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 57 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 26 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Waterfall, Midway, and Smugglers’ Alley, for a total of 104 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable, with average base depths of 14 to 40 inches. Currently, it is foggy and 32 degrees at the summit of Sterling, with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a wintry mix early, becoming snow with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible on top, with a high of 32 degrees at the base and 30 degrees at higher elevations.
This weekend’s apres sport party is with Woodchuck Cider.
Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Worked on a video for Ski Shanty today with Thaddeus and Caleb. It’s a sea shanty about skiing at Smuggs and name-checks the trails Rumrunners’, Bootleggers’, and Smugglers’ Alley. Garrett of the Marketing Department did the artwork. The song was inspired by Smuggs Guest Kim Reigel.
We have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with terrain for all abilities! We plan to have 5 lifts operating tomorrow (including Madonna I), with 65 trails open and 27 trails groomed (including Upper Chilcoot and Snake Bite).
There is a Winter Weather Advisory tonight through Wednesday night that includes snow (2-4″ possible), a wintry mix, and high winds. Due to that weather, all Uphill Access will be closed from Wednesday night through Saturday morning. Tonight, there is Uphill Access on Morse from 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm and Wednesday on Sterling from 5:30 am – 7:30 am.
This morning, I got a text from Caleb Kessler. Caleb is the Social Media Manager here at Smuggs. He had heard the news that the Madonna I Lift was opening for the first time this season and wanted to get some photos. We met up and took a couple of amazing runs on Madonna! We were headed to Upper FIS and stopped to look down Doc’s. It was completely smooth with no bumps and had great coverage. It was really hard to ski by, but we decided to ski Upper FIS and then cut back to Lower Docs. The skier’s left on Upper FIS was wonderful. Lower Doc’s was so much fun with the lower-angle powder to float through. Caleb and I got to the base area of Madonna after our first run, and we were going to go back to our offices, but the line at Madonna I Lift was short. We looked at each other and headed right back to the Madonna I Lift. It was just too good not to do another run!
We are presently making snow on Upper Chilcoot, Mulcahy’s Link, and Lower FIS. The Madonna I Lift will be closed tomorrow through Friday for snowmaking operations. Tomorrow, we plan to have Madonna II Lift, Sterling Lift, Village Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We will have 52 trails open tomorrow with terrain for all ability levels. 22 trails will be groomed for tomorrow; that’s a total of 96 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 14 to 38 inches. Currently, it is partly cloudy and 10 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for snow showers with 4 to 8 inches of accumulation possible, with a high of 19 degrees at the base and 16 degrees at higher elevations. The conditions are fantastic and are only getting better!
Upper FIS Photo taken by Caleb KesslerCaleb and I in the Rime Ice ForestGoods in the woods. Photo taken by Caleb Kessler
Upper RumrunnerLift Operator Chad Kibbe’s custom snowboard with Smuggs trail map on the baseCan you see the top?
Currently, it is foggy and 31 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast for the summit of Sterling is snow showers, freezing rain, and sleet before 1 pm, then snow showers and freezing drizzle after 2 pm. Mostly cloudy and breezy with a high of 31 degrees. Tomorrow’s forecast for the Village is a chance of snow showers and rain before 3 pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 3 pm and 5 pm. Mostly cloudy and breezy with a high of 34 degrees. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch is possible. Tomorrow we plan to have Sterling Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, Village Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We plan to have 16 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 15 trails will be groomed tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley for a grand total of 69 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 8 to 24 inches. Be aware surface conditions may change throughout the day.
Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. 16″ of snow in the past 5 days. 24 trails for all abilities OPEN. The groomers have groomed 14 trails today for your skiing and riding pleasure. Wake up, smell the coffee, put on your gear, and hit the slopes!
Thank you to ALL for a great winter season! Purchase your 2022/23 Season Pass by 5/30/22 for the LOWEST RATES of the year. Season Pass prices start at $299/youth and $349/adult. ONLY available through Memorial Day. Buy NOW here.
Yesterday was the last day of school break and it also happened to be my day off. My daughter Hannah and I came up to do some runs in the afternoon. On the lift ride up Madonna, we talked about where we were going to ski. I suggested that we ski something that Hannah has not skied yet. Hannah is 13 years old and has been on the slopes of Smuggs her whole life. Finding somewhere she has not been may be a challenge. I love to explore and with 3 mountains Smuggs has so much to discover. We skied back-to-back runs that Hannah has not skied on both Madonna and Sterling. We had a wonderful afternoon filled with fresh turns and big smiles. Hannah told me “The next time that I’m not sure if I want to go skiing or not I’m going to remember today!”
Today we have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Morse Highlands and Madonna I. We have 68 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Freefall is open from the traverse on Upper FIS. Upper Madonna Liftline is open from Catwalk down to the work road. Robin’s Run is open for now and may not last all day. 31 trails have been groomed for today, including Upper FIS, Black Snake, and Hibernator for a grand total of 128 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 16 to 50 inches. Currently, it is 8 degrees at the summit of Sterling with flurries and winds of 5 to10 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 23 degrees at the base and 17 degrees at higher elevations.
Snow is pretty deep in some places! Somewhere Hannah has never been
