Sterling

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Another day in paradise

Posted at 10:55 am

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
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Weather rollercoaster

Posted at 9:00 am

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.
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Clouds in the valley

Posted at 4:00 pm
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!
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Nice soft conditions

Posted at 4:53 pm

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

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Thomas, doubt ye not, we have SNOW!

Posted at 4:34 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. As you drive through Jeffersonville and Cambridge, you might think there’s not much snow on the mountain, but au contraire, we’ve got PLENTY O’ SNOW on the Upper Mountains! 2″ in the past 24 hours and 15″ in the past 3 days. Nearly all the trails on Sterling are open – 26 in total, including Upper Pipeline, Black Bear, and Poachers Woods. Temps in the Village have allowed us to start making snow on Morse, so beginner terrain should be available soon. AND… grooming will begin on Madonna on Wednesday night. How’s that suit ya, Thomas?

NOTE on UPHILL ACCESS – due to snowmaking and grooming operations, there will be no Uphill Access on Madonna, Morse, and Sterling as of 4 pm on Wednesday, December 6th. Uphill Access will resume in the near future.

Take a gander at this pile of SNOW, Thomas!
Smuggs Entertainer Jammin’ Sam and Elizabeth. They have a mixed marriage – snowboarder and skier.
Snowmaking on Lower Madonna Liftline as viewed from the Base Lodge deck.
Former Activities Director Marge and longtime ski instructor June “Bug” enjoyed a run through Poachers Woods.
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The sun setting on another great day

Posted at 5:05 pm
The view from the summit of Sterling

22 inches of new snow in the past 4 days made for some wonderful skiing and riding today. Tomorrow, we plan to have Sterling Lift operating with 20 trails open. We have intermediate and expert terrain available at this time, but we plan to have beginner terrain open soon. 6 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, for a total of 25 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 12 to 36 inches. Currently, it is partly sunny and 27 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for a chance of mix and snow, with a little accumulation possible, with a high of 39 degrees at the base and 34 degrees at higher elevations.

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Community Connector

Posted at 10:22 am

I’m sure most of you saw the news from the Stowe Reporter about potential plans to build a gondola connecting Smuggs with Stowe. This is something we’re looking into and are in the very early stages of exploring. We will be transparent with the process and will plan to share any additional information as it becomes available. For all of the updates we have at this time please visit our Community Connector page.

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Fantastic conditions

Posted at 3:42 pm
Upper Chilcoot

Madonna and Sterling are 100 percent open! 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. We plan to groom 35 trails for tomorrow, including Upper FIS, Goat Path, Thomke’s Express, Smugglers’ Alley, Snow Snake, and Lower Morse Liftline for a grand total of 137 acres of freshly groomed terrain. We also plan to groom Upper Treasure and Link to Sterling. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 12 to 54 inches. It is partly sunny and 32 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with a high of 33 degrees at the base and 27 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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Snow in the forecast

Posted at 7:23 am

44.56°N 72.75°W (Elev. 3343 ft)

Tonight: Snow showers likely, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low of around 9 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 28 degrees.

Friday Night: Snow, mainly after 10 pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 22 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches is possible.

Saturday: Snow, mainly before 5 pm. High near 27 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches is possible.

Currently, it is cloudy and 24 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Today’s forecast is calling for snow showers and some freezing drizzle with a high of 38 degrees at the base and 32 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 have 75 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Drifter will have a delayed opening this morning. 34 trails have been groomed for today, including Drifter, Thomke’s, Smugglers’ Alley, Playground, Dixie’s Knoll, and Log Jam for a grand total of 139 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and powder with average base depths of 12 to 36 inches.