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Once a Smuggler…

Rockin’ Ron for “Birthday Boy” Hugh. Today was a Foggy Day in Smugglers’ Town, but that didn’t deter anyone. I skied with my friend and fellow Smuggler Marcus Mudget, who worked at Smuggs from 2000-2014, with a big chunk of that time as Snow Sport University’s Maintenance Manager (he also played Silver Long Johns in a Friendly Pirate Show). His wife Tammy also worked here as the White Room Coordinator. He hasn’t been on skis since he left here 10 years ago, but you wouldn’t know that from how he confidently cruised down the slopes. We took runs on all 3 mountains. His trail pick was Lower Rumrunner, while mine was Lower FIS. Great to ski with you, MARCUS! You know what they say? Once a Smuggler… always a Smuggler.

For Tuesday, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Madonna I. 31 trails will be groomed, including Upper F.I.S. and Smugglers’ Alley. Bring your waterproof gear, there’s a chance of rain (or clear snow as we say in the Snow Report Biz). Ski U later.

Marcus gets ready to ski Madonna and Sterling for the first time in a decade!
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“Activities” on the Slopes

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. My colleagues from the Activities Department, Seth “Carv-ison” Crevison and “Air” Cassidy Koons, joined me for a splendiferous day on the slopes! We skied and rode all 3 mountains. A groomed Upper FIS was a favorite, as well as Lower FIS – as Fletch once said, “shake it up and let it FIZZ!” There were also some bumps to be had as conditions softened up on Harvey’s and Bootleggers’. Whilst having lunch on the deck at the Black Bear, we ran into Activities Director Stacey “Hockey Mom” Comishock. It felt like we got the band back together. BTW Activities operates the Tubing Hill and the daily Bonfire in addition to many off-slope offerings like Bingo, Karaoke, Gaga Ball, Family Phew’d, Winter Carnival, and MORE.

Anywho, today was great, but… tomorrow is looking… how do I put this… ugly. Showers and windy conditions are in the forecast tonight and tomorrow. So, check back here and on the Trail Report for updates. Ski you soon.

“Air” Cassidy! Flights leaving daily from Birch Run Terrain Park.
Me and My Shadow. Seth carving it up on Upper FIS.
Snowboard and Skis—can’t we all get along? Seth and Cassidy (Activities Supervisors) are on the Midway trail with Madonna Mountain in the background. See the photo below.
The Midway trail in the near background, as viewed from Upper FIS on Madonna Mountain. See the photo above.
Cassidy hitting the bumps on Bootleggers’. Photo by Seth Crevison.
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Greetings from Mr. Groomer!

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Mr. Groomer and his cohorts are always hard at work keeping up our supply of corduroy! Thank you for grooming 32 trails/133 acres (including Upper FIS) for today’s skiing and riding pleasure. Today’s forecast is sunny and breezy, with highs of 47 degrees at the base and 43 at the top. 6 lifts will be operating, including Madonna I, and 42 trails will be open (more trails may open as conditions soften). Surfaces are machine-groomed and variable. Ski U soon.

Good morning from Morse Mountain! Check out the optical illusion of the grooming machine as a Lift Chair.
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Morse / Report / Uphill Info / Shanty

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. I had a fun morning on Morse Mountain helping shuttle kids on Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift for Snow Sport University. It’s great to see them progress in their on-snow abilities! In between groups, I got to catch up with my friend and co-worker Stacy “Webmaster” Maynard, who was also shuttling. Then, I snuck a run on Snow Snake… YES!

REPORT: Tomorrow’s forecast is sunny and breezy, with highs of 34 degrees at the base and 29 at the summit. We plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains, with 7 Lifts operating and 72 trails open. 34 trails will be groomed – that’s 132 acres of freshly groomed terrain. We’ve received 21 inches of new snow in the past 5 days. We’ll be making snow tonight on Sterling Mountain on Bootleggers’ and Thomke’s.

UPHILL ACCESS: Morning uphill on Sterling will be closed on Wednesday, but Madonna will be open. NEW! Evening uphill on Madonna and Sterling will open starting Wednesday night, February 21. The evening uphill schedule is as follows: Madonna on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 6 to 8 pm, closed Sunday. Sterling on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 6 to 8 pm, closed Sunday. Morse is open from 5 to 10 pm daily except Thursday. Remember to check the snow report daily for any changes before you go, as there may be closures at times when weather disrupts grooming schedules. Check here for more specific guidelines on our uphill policy.

Boot, scoot, and boogie UPHILL, or as Hugh says, “use the Shoe Leather Express.”
Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift and the Magic Learning Trail.
Check out the Ski Shanty video by Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate on YouTube/@SmuggsTV. It’s a sea shanty about skiing pirates that namechecks Smuggs trails and features Smuggs staffers Hugh “Snowman” Johnson, Caleb “Mr. Rizz” Kessler, Angie “Dispatcher Extraordinaire” Shorey, Jason “Nemo” Niemi, and Seth “Carv-ison” Crevison. The video was produced by Thaddeus Homan of Smuggs TV. The song was inspired by long-time Smuggs Guest Kim Riegel.
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Boom Boom GROOM!

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Let’s do the numbers: ALL 8 Lifts, 71 of 78 trails, 34 groomed trails – totaling 135 acres, and 21 inches of SNOW in the past 5 days… it all adds up to FUN! Today’s forecast is partly sunny skies with highs of 23 degrees at the base and 19 at the summit. So grab your coat, grab your hat, and hit the slopes in seconds flat. Ski U soon!

Grooming Lower Morse Liftline.
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Snow Snake

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Snow Snake is a hidden treasure of sorts, being an intermediate trail on Morse Mountain, which caters to beginners. It winds around the mountain like a … snake! It also has some steep, pulse-pounding pitches. I always have fun skiing this trail!

The forecast for tonight into Wednesday is a chance of snow (yes, please) and blustery. Tomorrow’s high temps are 18 degrees at the base and 9 degrees on top. Due to snowmaking on Upper Chilcoot, Madonna I will again be closed. 6 Lifts will be operating, but they will have a delayed opening of 9 am. All 29 open trails – featuring terrain for all abilities – will be groomed – that’s 120 acres of corduroy. Ski U soon!

These two kids from the Philadelphia, PA area, get ready to rip it on Snow Snake!
If you’ve conquered all the green trails on Morse Mountain, you might be ready for Snow Snake – swirling, twirling turns, and steep pitches.
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Groom! Groom!! Groom!!!

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. All 29 of our open trails have been groomed for today, including Smugglers’ Alley, Birch Run, and Log Jam. Due to snowmaking on Upper Chilcoot, Madonna I will be closed. We’ll have 6 lifts operating, including Madonna II, and terrain for all abilities. Ski U soon.

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Smuggs Families… Canadian Style!

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. I got to ski with some good friends from the Toronto area today. For over 18 years, they’ve been visiting Smuggs in a group of 4 families (or more). Because of college and work, this trip turned into a boys-only week. They tell me they’re behaving. So, we missed seeing Kate, Cynthia, Ciaran, Maeve, Skyler, Julie, Jane, Michelle, Brad, Rory, and Fin. Those who I did ski with are name-checked below.

We had 57 trails open for all varieties. My trail pick was Upper FIS, which was nicely groomed. I also skied 3 miles non-stop: Upper Chilcoot > Waterfall > Ruthie’s > Curley’s > Meadowlark. For Wednesday, we plan to have 6 lifts operating with 58 trails open. Ski ya soon!

Canadian Club: Darren, John, Sean, Kevin, Asher, and Colum getting ready to ride the Madonna I Lift. In the background, you can see the Black Snake and Snake Bite trails on Sterling Mountain and the “chin” on Mount Mansfield.
When the trees are caked with snow like this, my friend Haylee calls them Dr. Suess Trees.
Asher on the cutover trail from Upper FIS to Lower Doc’s.
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Mostly Sunny Skies!

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Mostly sunny skies with temps in the 20s are in the forecast! 6 lifts will be operating, including Madonna I, and 59 trails will be open. 30 trails have been groomed for today, including Upper FIS. What are you waiting for? It’s time to hit the slopes at Smuggs!

Groomer zoomin’ on Morse Mountain.
Moon over Madonna Mountain.
Groomer confab at the Village Lift.
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We are Smugglers! We are Family!!

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.