0

Mountains of adventure and mountains of fun

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.

The view from Upper Drifter
Snow Sport University
The view from Smugglers’ Alley
0

Beautiful clear skies

Currently, it is sunny and 1 degree at the summit of Sterling. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies, breezy with a high of 20 degrees at the base and 15 degrees at higher elevations. There is a winter storm warning starting tonight and going through until Saturday night, with up to 20 inches of new snow possible. Plus, we received 30 inches of new snow in the past week. 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 have 75 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 35 trails have been groomed for today, including Snow Snake, Drifter, Ruthie’s, Log Jam, and Thomke’s, for a total of 135 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and powder with average base depths of 14 to 40 inches. Last night, we made snow on the Magic Learning Trail, Lower Morse Liftline, and the base areas.

The Village Lift
0

Sunny skies and mild temperatures for today

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.

Village Lift
0

Clear, calm, and corduroy

Currently, it is sunny and 24 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 0 to 5 mph. Today’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high of 50 degrees at the base and 41 degrees at higher elevations. We have some snow coming this weekend, starting on Saturday night and going until Monday night. Today, we have top-to-bottom skiing and riding with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 36 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 27 trails have been groomed for today, including Upper FIS, Smugglers’ Alley, and Howie’s Wanderer, for a total of 106 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and loose granular with average base depths of 8 to 32 inches. Today’s mild temperatures and sunshine should produce some nice soft conditions.

Bottom of Magic Learning Trail
0

Clear, calm, and corduroy

Currently, it is sunny and 20 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 0 to 5 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for sunny skies early with increasing clouds, a high of 33 degrees at the base, and 27 degrees at higher elevations. Today, we have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 58 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 28 trails have been groomed for a total of 119 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable, with average base depths of 12 to 36 inches.

0

Another day in paradise

Currently, it is partly sunny and 20 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 15 mph. Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies early with increasing clouds later in the day, a high of 29 degrees at the base and 26 degrees at higher elevations. We have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 5 lifts operating, including Madonna I Lift. We have 67 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Freefall is open from the traverse on Upper FIS. 27 trails have been groomed for today, including Chilcoot, Black Snake, and Midway, for a total of 112 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 16 to 40 inches. We are presently making snow on Hibernator, Log Jam, and Dixie’s Knoll.

Sterling and Mount Mansfield seen from Madonna Mountain
0

Weather rollercoaster

Lift operations will be delayed until noon today due to the wild weather. Currently, it is raining and 32 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Today’s forecast calls for rain becoming snow with an inch of accumulation possible on top with a high of 39 degrees and windy. We received 6 to 8 inches of wet, heavy snow overnight. Even though it is raining right now, this storm will help build up our base. The temperature will slowly fall throughout the day, allowing the moisture to wick out of the snow.

Fresh tracks on the way to work. Photo taken in the Village
You can see the different layers of moisture content in the snow.
0

Clouds in the valley

The view from the top of Smugglers’ Alley

We have one more day of warmer weather before the cold air returns. Currently, it is cloudy and 39 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a chance of fog and rain with a high of 40 degrees. Rain turns to snow tomorrow night, with 1 to 2 inches of new accumulation possible. There may be some delayed lift openings on Saturday morning due to the late freeze and grooming operations. The falling temperatures will allow us to resume our snowmaking operations this weekend. Tomorrow, we plan to have Sterling Lift, Village Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We have 14 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 11 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Sam’s Run, Magic Learning Trail, and Treasure Run, for a total of 48 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable, with average base depths of 10 to 34 inches.

Uphill Update:

We are tentatively planning to have Morse Mountain open on New Year’s Eve from 9:30 pm to 1:00 am for uphill travel. Please be aware of possible snowmaking operations on Midway. We plan to make a final decision tomorrow afternoon.

Be careful; smiles are contagious!
0

Nice soft conditions

I went snowboarding this morning on Morse Mountain. I had a blast doing short radius turns on the fresh corduroy. I switched into my ski gear next and headed up to Sterling. I enjoyed the steep pitch of the Alley and cruiser runs on Rumrunner. Currently, it is foggy and 38 degrees at the summit of Sterling, with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for cloudy skies and a chance of a little rain, with a high of 42 degrees at the base and 40 degrees at higher elevations. Tomorrow, we plan to have Sterling Lift, Village Lift, Sir Henry’s Glider, and Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift all operating. We have 14 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 11 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Garden Path and Treasure Run, for 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.

Smugglers’ Alley