Hugh's Views - Smugglers' Notch Vermont

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Add a foot of snow to the photo below

Posted April 5, 2024 at 7:00 am

This photo was taken yesterday morning on Doc Dempsey’s Glades. Another 15 inches of snow have fallen since! 21 inches of new snow in the past 2 days, and we’re not done yet. Today’s forecast is calling for periods of snow with another 2 to 4 inches of accumulation possible and a high of 34 degrees at the base and 28 degrees at higher elevations. Today, we plan to have 4 lifts operating: Sterling, Madonna I, Mogul Mouse’s Magic, and Sir Henry’s Glider. We have 73 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are some the best of the season with powder and packed powder, base depths are 14 to 40 inches. Currently, it is snowing and 22 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 0 to 5 mph.

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Good morning skiers and riders

Posted March 25, 2024 at 6:54 am

It’s going to be a fantastic day on the slopes. We received 33 inches of new snow in the past week, and now we have beautiful sunny skies. Today, we 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. 34 trails have been groomed for today, including Ruthie’s, Snow Snake, Hibernator, Smugglers’ Alley, Thomke’s, and skier’s right on Upper FIS. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 14 to 40 inches. Currently, it is sunny and 15 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 36 degrees at the base and 32 degrees at higher elevations. Enjoy the sunshine and wonderful conditions!

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Winter Wonderland in Spring

Posted March 21, 2024 at 4:05 pm

It was a little windy today, but the conditions were just amazing. We received 6 inches of new snow last night, 2 more inches today, and 34 inches in the past week! Snake Bite was groomed last night, and with 6 inches of new snow on top, it made for some wonderful powder turns this morning. This afternoon I was seeing what I could find off of the Madonna II Lift. Father Bob’s, Goat Path, the top of Bermuda, and the Shire did not disappoint. I was able to get some fresh turns even late in the day. Tomorrow, 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 will be groomed for tomorrow, including Drifter, Thomke’s, and Hibernator, 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. Currently, it is cloudy and 9 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies early with increasing clouds throughout the day, breezy, with a high of 24 degrees at the base and 18 degrees at higher elevations. There is a winter storm warning starting tomorrow night and going through till Saturday night, with a foot of new snow possible.

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Keeps getting better

Posted March 20, 2024 at 4:22 pm

We have received snow every day for the past 6 days. Snow has fallen 8 out of the past 11 days with a total of 47 inches! The calendar says that it’s spring, but we have mid-winter conditions here at Smuggs. The “No friends on a powder day” is not true. I met up with some long-time friends today, and we had an absolute blast. We took turns getting fresh lines in the woods. There was a great deal of hooting, hollering, and, of course, laughing! There is more snow in the forecast for the next 24 hours, and I can’t wait to do it all over again. Tomorrow, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating. We’re expecting some wind tomorrow, so please check the report in the morning for the latest updates. We have 75 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 33 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Dixie’s Knoll, Snake Bite, and Drifter, for a total of 134 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and powder with average base depths of 12 to 38 inches. Currently, it is snowing and 28 degrees at the summit of Sterling. We could see 2 to 4 inches of new snow tonight. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible with a high of 20 degrees at the base and 13 degrees at higher elevations. Bundle up and enjoy all the new snow!

Thank you for the snow, Sean. You are truly missed, my friend!

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More Snow. More Trails.

Posted March 19, 2024 at 3:03 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. 100% of the trails on Madonna and Sterling Mountains were open today, and all but three on Morse, making a grand total of 75 of 78 trails!! 6″ of new snow overnight and 20″ in the past 5 days will do that. Tomorrow, we expect a similar trail count. I enjoyed runs on Upper Chilcoot, Goat Path, and Lower FIS with the Allman Brothers’ Blue Sky in the earbuds.

NOTE: Uphill access on Morse will be closed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights due to snowmaking.

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6 inches of new SNOW overnight!

Posted March 19, 2024 at 6:27 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. That’s right, it’s March 19th, and we have more snow! We plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Madonna I. Last night’s projection for open trails was 55, but that count should go up with the fresh snow. 35 trails groomed, totaling 139 acres. Ski U soon.

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21″ New SNOW past 3 days!

Posted March 12, 2024 at 6:31 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. It’s a good day for me to be a Snow Reporter. It’s a better day for the real Snow Reporter Hugh Johnson to have the day off to… SKI! As the headline says 21 inches of new snow in the past 3 days. Today’s forecast is sunny and breezy, with highs of 38 degrees at the base and 32 on top. We have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 7 lifts operating, including Madonna I. We have 74 trails open. Ski U soon.

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Boom Boom GROOM!

Posted February 20, 2024 at 7:09 am

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!

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Snow in the forecast

Posted February 18, 2024 at 4:57 pm

We could see 1 to 3 inches of new snow overnight. Freefall opened from the top today, and I had to ski it. I could see a sweet drift at the top of Freefall from the Madonna I Lift as I rode past. The drift was on skier’s left, and it was a beautiful spine. I was just jumping from one side of the drift to the other over the spine. Freefall stayed open from the top for most of the day but is now open from the traverse on Upper FIS. The 21 inches of new snow that we have received in the past 5 days has made for some great skiing and riding. Tomorrow, we plan to have top-to-bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with all 8 lifts operating. We have 75 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 34 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Upper FIS, Thomke’s, Snow Snake, Ruthie’s, Garden Path, and Snake Bite, for a total of 137 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and powder with average base depths of 14 to 40 inches. Birch Run and Knight’s Revenge Terrain Park are both open. Currently, it is cloudy and 15 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for a chance of flurries early, then skies becoming sunny with a high of 14 degrees at the base and 5 degrees at higher elevations. Bundle up and enjoy the wonderful conditions!

Getting fresh tracks on Upper Madonna Liftline

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Calm before the storm

Posted February 15, 2024 at 4:47 pm

We could see 5 to 9 inches of new snow tonight! Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for periods of snow mostly before noon, with another 2 to 4 inches of accumulation possible, a high of 22 degrees at the base and 16 degrees at higher elevations. The 5 inches of new snow that we received yesterday made a big difference, so I’m expecting another foot of new snow to be quite amazing! Tomorrow, 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 45 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Last night and early this morning, we made snow on Lower Madonna Liftline and Playground. We plan to have both of these trails open tomorrow. 32 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Upper FIS, Snake Bite, and Hibernator, for a total of 128 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 12 to 36 inches. The new snow should provide some nice powder conditions tomorrow. Birch Run Terrain Park is open with 4 jumps and 4 rails. Currently, it is cloudy and 15 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 15 mph.