Hugh's Views - Smugglers' Notch Vermont

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Winter Wonderland

Posted December 27, 2018 at 5:26 pm

Dominic taking in the views from the summit of Madonna for the first time. The Presidential Range in New Hampshire is seen in the distance to his left.

New Snow

We received 2 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours, 10 inches in the past 6 days, and 139 inches this season so far.

Snowmaking

We are presently making snow on Meadowlark and Lower Chilcoot. Snowmaking will continue on these two trails tonight.

Lifts and Trails

Weather permitting tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating. We have 30 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 26 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Lower FIS, Curley’s Cutback, and Black Snake for a grand total of 108 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable with average base depths of 12 to 40 inches.

Summit of Madonna Mountain

Weather

Currently it is partly cloudy and 15 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for a chance of freezing rain from around 7 am till 11 am, then a chance of rain after 11 am with temperatures between 27 and 40 degrees. Temperatures will increase throughout the day tomorrow.

Snowmaking continues on Lower Chilcoot

Sterling and Mount Mansfield seen from the Madonna I lift

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Good Morning

Posted December 6, 2018 at 8:04 am

Sun rising over Morse and Madonna Mountain

We received another 2 inches of new snow overnight bringing our season total up to 102 inches! Today we have the Sterling Lift and Sir Henry’s Glider operating with 32 trails open. We are presently making snow on Lower Madonna Liftline, Lower FIS, Mulcahy’s Link, and Meadowlark. Today’s forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with a chance of scattered afternoon snow showers with an inch of accumulation possible and temperatures between 18 and 30 degrees. The forecast is also calling for another 1 to 2 inches of snowfall tonight.

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Snowmaking moves to Madonna Mountain

Posted December 5, 2018 at 2:40 pm

Fan gun near the base area of Madonna II Lift

We are presently making snow on Lower Madonna Liftline, Lower FIS, and Mulcahy’s Link.

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5 inches of NEW SNOW in the Past 24

Posted December 4, 2018 at 7:05 am

Snowing at the Main Entrance to the Resort on Dec 4th, 6:36 am. Flag at half mast to honor former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. We’ve received 5 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours and it’s still snowing! Snowmaking is also in progress on Lower F.I.S. and Mulcahy’s Link. Speaking of Mulcahy’s Link, it was great to see former Smuggs President Bob Mulcahy at our Employee Rally this past weekend.

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It’s snowing again

Posted December 3, 2018 at 3:43 pm

Rusty riding Thomke’s

We received 3 inches of new snow on top today and 33 inches this week bringing our total snowfall for the season to 91 inches. The temperature was dropping throughout the day, so the snow started out a little wet and got drier. Getting the wet snow first is key so that it bonds to existing snow. The new snow will insulate the existing snow and will protect it as the temperatures continue to fall tonight. Talking about falling temperatures, our snowmakers are ready to light up Lower FIS and Mulcahy’s Link tonight.

Dave gets some snow to fly as he catches air on Thomke’s

Lifts and Trails

Tomorrow we plan to have the Sterling Lift and Sir Henry’s Glider operating with 32 trails open. Sterling is 100 percent open with terrain for intermediates and experts. Sir Henry’s Learning Hill is open for beginners. Surface conditions are variable and machine groomed with average base depths of 14 to 48 inches. 8 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, that’s 25 acres of freshly groomed terrain.

Rusty throwing some snow around on Bootlegger

Events

24th Annual Brewfest, Part 1 is Saturday, December 8th

Vermont has the highest number of breweries per capita. Our BrewFest highlights some of our state’s excellent breweries plus regional favorites and craft ciders. Enjoy samples from Sam Adams, Angry Orchard Cider, Sierra Nevada, Stone, Rogue, and more. If your tastes run closer to home, don’t miss samples from Vermont’s own Citizen Cider, Magic Hat, Boyden Valley, Shed, Otter Creek, Switchback, Woodchuck Cider, Long Trail, Halyard Brewing, 14th Star, Zero Gravity, and Fiddlehead. 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.

Snow covered skis at the Top of the Notch building on the summit of Sterling

Dave gets the grab on Upper Exhibition

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Fun on Sterling

Posted March 1, 2018 at 4:53 pm

Armand finds some nice snow to play in on Treasure Run

I had a good time at Zone Terrain Park and Practice Slope this morning. The Sterling T-Bar was running today and the kids were just making laps. The T-Bar makes it easy to do another run in the course or work on a new trick in the terrain park. Many skiers and riders use the T-Bar to access Birch Run Terrain park also, but always watch for traffic when crossing other trails. I had a great time this afternoon catching up with good friends Armand, Lidia, and Tony. Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 7 lifts operating. We have 44 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Lower FIS will be closed tomorrow for construction of the Flowground Terrain Park.

Lidia skiing by the ice flow on Thomke’s

34 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Upper FIS, Smugglers’ Alley, and Snow Snake for a grand total of 134 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Birch Run, Log Jam, and Zone Terrain Park are all open. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for light snow an inch of accumulation possible with a chance of mix precipitation and temperatures between 28 and 37 degrees.

Dusting of new snow on the roof of the Top of the Notch building

Race training on the Practice Slope