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Fresh snow and sunshine

Great conditions
Top of the Notch building on Sterling
Goods in the woods
POW
Sunlight in the trees
Snow Reporter gets into his work!

We received 29 inches of new snow in the past 3 days and the conditions are wonderful! My first run of the day was Freefall and it was so filled in with snow. The wind had moved the snow around a bit, but it was not wind slab. It was one soft drift after another all the way down. You can see the photos from that run in the post below. I caught up with my good friends Eric, Andy, Tony, and Ken after I was finished with the morning report. We played in the trees most of the day looking for powder stashes. We were able to find a bunch of fresh turns for everyone! It was a little cool today, but the sun felt good. Skiing or riding in the trees on a cold day is nice because you can stay warm by making many turns and you are protected from the wind.

We are 100 percent open! Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with all 8 lifts operating. Tomorrow we plan to have all 78 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are powder and packed powder with average base depths of 16 to 54 inches. 29 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Snow Snake, Practice Slope, and Upper FIS for a grand total of 129 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Currently, it is partly sunny and 0 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 15 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for sunny skies with a high of 26 degrees.

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A little fresh snow

Top of the Notch Building at the summit of Sterling
About a half inch of new snow this afternoon

Today was a pretty wild weather day with rain turning to snow and falling temperatures. It was 48 degrees at the summit of Sterling this morning and it has dropped down to 12 degrees this afternoon. The colder temperatures are just what we needed to get our snowguns fired back up. Tonight our snowmakers will be busy on Garden Path, the top of the Village Lift, Magic Learning Trail, the base of Morse, and Meadowlark. Madonna Mountain will be closed tomorrow for grooming and snowmaking. Tomorrow we plan to have 5 lifts operating; Sterling, Village, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, Morse Highlands, and Sir Henry’s Wonder Carpet. We plan to have 21 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable with average base depths of 10 to 46 inches. 20 out of the 21 trails will be groomed for tomorrow. The forecast for tomorrow is calling for mostly sunny skies early with increasing clouds and a slight chance of a snow shower late, a high of 25 degrees.

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Great day on the slopes

Top of the Notch building at the summit of Sterling
Fast and Flannel
Sterling Pond with Mount Mansfield in the background
Snow Sport University Snowboard lesson on Sam’s Run
Smugglers’ Alley

Tomorrow we plan to have skiing and riding on all three mountains with 6 lifts operating, Sterling, Madonna II, Village, Morse Highlands, Sir Henry’s Wonder Carpet, and Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift. We have 23 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable with average base depths of 12 to 48 inches. Tonight we plan to groom 20 out of the 23 trails, including Smugglers’ Alley for a grand total of 86 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Tonight we plan to resume snowmaking on Upper Chilcoot. Currently, it is sunny and 37 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tonight’s forecast is calling for a chance of sleet and flurries less than an inch of accumulation possible with temperatures falling throughout the night. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for partly sunny skies with a high of 26 degrees.

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More new snow overnight

Ski Patroller Stitch cleaning off the deck of the Top of the Notch building
Ski Patroller Mac shoveling snow onto Hangman’s Drop

We received 2 inches of new snow overnight and 7 inches in the past 36 hours! Today we have Sterling Lift and Sir Henry’s Wonder Carpet operating. We have 23 trails open with terrain for all ability levels.

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A little bit of new snow with more on the way

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe received a dusting of new snow today.

Lifts and Trails

Tomorrow we plan to have Sterling Lift operating. We plan to have 30 trails open with terrain for intermediates and experts. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable with average base depths of 18 to 48 inches. We plan to groom 14 trails tonight, including Smugglers’ Alley, Chute, and Jolly Rodger for a grand total of 45 acres of freshly groomed terrain.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWeather

Currently it is 28 degrees at the summit of Sterling with sleet and winds of 20 to 40 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for a chance of rain becoming sleet and snow with an inch of accumulation possible and temperatures between 31 and 49 degrees.  Tomorrow night’s forecast is calling for snow with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible.

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Happy April No Fooling

 

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Summit of Sterling

The month of April has started off very nicely with fresh snow and sunshine!  The cooler temperatures last night made the new snow light and fluffy.  The wind moved the snow around a little and I was able to find some sweet drifts to play in.  The new snow moving around also filled in the low spots and in between the bumps.  The new snow will also be really nice mixed in on the groomers for tomorrow!

 

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The snowpack is so deep our snow gauge is buried

New Snow

We received 4 inches of new snow last night, 5 inches in the past 2 days, and 275 inches this season so far.

Lifts and Trails

Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 4 lifts operating, including the Madonna I lift. We plan to have 61 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are machine groomed and packed powder with average base depths of 18 to 48 inches. We plan to groom 36 trails tonight, including Drifter, Snow Snake, and Bootlegger for a grand total of 125 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Morse Mountain will close after April 7th.

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Are you ready to do some skimming on April 6th? Construction of the pond started today.

Weather

Currently it is sunny and 16 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 15 to 25 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees.

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Sterling Pond with Mount Mansfield in the background

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Top of the Notch Snowshoe Adventure Dinner

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Adventure seekers crossing Sterling Pond

This is easily one of my favorite activities here at Smuggs! The combination of a mountain top adventure, spectacular views, and an amazing meal is hard to beat. The weather last night was absolutely perfect with clear skies, light winds, and comfortable temperatures.  We trekked out on the Long Trail to the lean-to that over looks Sterling Pond with Mount Mansfield in the background. This is one of my favorite spots here at Smuggs. I stayed at the lean-to lookout while the rest of the group headed for Sterling Pond, so that I could get a photo of them on the pond.  I then headed back to the Top of the Notch building to enjoy my delicious meal from the Hearth & Candle, special thanks to our chefs Dave and Nate. I also want to thank our guides P.K., Lisa, Derek, and Ski Patroller Duncan for a wonderful experience!

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Snowshoes lined up by the Sterling Lift

 

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Everyone enjoying their wonderful meal prepared by the Hearth & Candle restaurant in the Top of Notch building

sunset

Sun setting over the Top of the Notch building

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Sunshine. Scenery. Smiles.

 

Black Bear deck

Lunch on the Black Bear Patio with the Cohens. Barry is a big fan of the Hot Chocolate and Anna and Jade like the Chipotle Tomato soup.

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. I spent day 2 skiing with my friends the Cohens from Philadelphia, PA. I met them 15 years ago during their summer week at Smuggs. Then we skied together when they came up the following winter and just about every winter since. We’ve also enjoyed Smuggs events together like the Top of Notch Snowshoe Dinner, Marko’s Magic Shows, and Goodtime Charlie shows. They are proud long-time Smugglers. On my way to meet them I saw another long-time Smuggler, Anna Willis. In the past 8 years, she’s worked in several departments.

Jade

Jade is all smiles as she gets ready to ski Smugglers’ Alley and then Poachers Woods.

Jade Poachers 1

Jade is picking her lines in Poachers Woods. This was our trail pick today.

Anna

Long-time Smuggler Anna Willis has worked at Treasures Child Care, the Country Store, and now she’s a LIFTIE! Not only that, she’s been skiing and riding here for 15 years (that’s over two thirds of her life).

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Just keeps getting better!

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Top of the Notch Building at the summit of Sterling

Snow

We received 12 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours, 2 feet in the past 2 days, and 82 inches this season so far! There are snow showers in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow temperatures will be between 22 and 32 degrees. Surface conditions are powder and packed powder with average base depths of 14 to 40 inches.

Lifts and Trails

The Sterling lift and Sir Henry’s Wonder Carpet will be operating tomorrow with 32 trails open. Sir Henry’ s Learning Hill is open for beginners. This weekend we plan to have the Madonna I lift operating, which will almost double our trail count!

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Matt finds some nice snow on Practice Slope

Events

24th Annual BrewFest, Part 1 is Saturday, December 8th in the Meeting House from 6:00 pm till 10:00 pm. Our BrewFest highlights some of our state’s excellent breweries plus regional favorites and craft ciders. Enjoy samples from Stony Creek, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Angry Orchard Cider, and Truly Spiked and Sparkling. If your tastes run closer to home, don’t miss samples from Vermont’s own Long Trail, Magic Hat, Otter Creek, Shed, Boyden Valley, Citizen Cider, Zero Gravity, and more. More breweries are being added; stay tuned! A DJ spins the tunes and the Mountain Grille puts on a tasty appetizer buffet. 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm in the Meeting House. For information go to our events page.

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Tony having fun in the glades

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Tim playing in the powder

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Bruce getting down on Full Nelson

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Manny loving all the fresh snow