6

Mountain Update

Opening Day

Greetings from Morse, Madonna, and Sterling. The question on everyone’s mind up here is when are we going to open? Mother Nature continues to provide lots of ups and downs and it looks like she’s not done yet. We’re going to get some decent snowmaking temperatures this week and snowmaking will be underway. However, it will be a short window, providing only about 36 – 40 hours of good production temps. After that, we may get another opportunity on Monday the 23rd and then there’s nothing on the horizon until possibly the 29th and 30th. The bottom line is that we will most likely have to delay our Thanksgiving weekend opening. Sometime in the week following appears to be the best we can hope for at the moment, barring any unforeseen weather changes.

When we do open, what will it look like?

We expect early season on-mountain capacity will be limited. Simply put, we can only have so many people here at one time to safely operate. Therefore, only the pass products that allow direct-to-lift access will be accepted on opening day (Season Pass, Bash Badge Plus, Hybrid Pass if midweek). Due to limited available terrain, we have to adjust our comfortable carrying capacity on the hill. 

**Please keep in mind that EVERYONE riding the lift must commit to being in compliance with Vermont’s travel and quarantine policies before they will be allowed through the RFID gate. Pass Holders will receive an email in the coming days with this information to validate your pass. Look for subject: Important message to Pass Holders. We will continue to communicate about this through social media channels.

We’re still working out specifically how we’re going to manage capacity as the season moves along without requiring reservations, and you can expect to hear more about that soon. In the meantime, consider changing up your ski/ride time (that goes for your lift partner, too). The hours of 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and weekends are when we usually have the highest number of skiers. See if you can adjust your schedule to get your runs in earlier or later in the day and/or spend more midweek time on the hill. Embrace change.

We’re striving to open with as much terrain as possible in order to help spread people out. Here are some things we do know that skiers and riders need to be aware of:

  • Masks or face coverings will be required around the base area, while in the lift corral, loading and unloading areas; pretty much everywhere except for when skiing down the hill. Keep your distance from the staff; they’re essential and we need to keep them healthy if we’re going to be able to operate.
  • Dress warmly at all times. On-mountain warming huts will have to be severely limited in capacity or closed to the public entirely. 
  • Think of your vehicle as your personal home base. The Base Lodge capacity is very limited and open only to skiers and riders, however, this season, it is not intended as a place to boot up or get changed. The cafeteria will offer grab-and-go items with table seating available. Green Peppers and the Black Bear will require reservations. One way traffic through the lodge will be in effect, so please follow signs, as this will be different from the past. State requirements dictate that you can only be in the lodge for up to 30 minutes. We ask that everyone remains respectful to these requirements. There will be no gear storage in the lodge. 
  • Lift corrals will be spread out to allow for social distancing. 
  • Partner up. Only people from the same traveling group or families should ride the lift together. Plan to ski/ride with someone you trust that you can ride the lift with.
  • Auxiliary bathrooms will be available at the Base Lodge, Parking Lot 1, and the Village lifts starting in mid-December.
  • Parking Lot 1 access will be gated this year, opening at 7:30 am and closing at 5:00 pm. No reservations required. Tailgate parties are not allowed this season. Sorry, all. 
  • Attestation required. Ski and Ride will be reaching out to all existing season pass and bash badge holders to execute their attestation documents. All other ticket purchasers will be prompted to execute an attestation when purchasing tickets online. The purpose of this is to collect contact tracing information. Smugglers’ will be able to identify when and where folks used the lifts with the RFID data collected at the lift gates. From the State of Vermont: “Resorts must require guests to attest that the guest will be in compliance with the state’s travel and quarantine policies when they use the resort either at the point of sale of a ticket or season pass OR when collecting contact tracing information. Resorts must be able to demonstrate to state authorities that each guest completed an attestation. Attestations must include a warning that failure to comply with the state’s travel and quarantine policy may result in the loss of future skiing and riding privileges.” 
  • Stay in-the-know with mountain updates. Opt-in to our Smuggs text messaging service by texting SNOW to (855) 421-2279 for up to the minute information. Check the Snow Report and Hugh’s Views on the Smuggs website regularly before you come to the mountain. Sign up for the daily snow report at smuggs.com/email-subscribe.

Our Uphill Policy has undergone some changes in light of the many new norms we are experiencing in our daily lives. Our updated policies can be viewed here bit.ly/smuggsuphill

Thank you for your cooperation and let’s all have a great winter!

Smugglers’ Mountain Operations Team

Share this post

Stacy Maynard

6 Comments

    • Only the pass products that allow direct-to-lift access will be accepted on opening day (Season Pass, Bash Badge Plus, Hybrid Pass if midweek). Due to limited available terrain, we have to adjust our comfortable carrying capacity on the hill.

      **Please keep in mind that EVERYONE riding the lift must commit to being in compliance with Vermont’s travel and quarantine policies before they will be allowed through the RFID gate. Pass Holders will receive an email in the coming days with this information to validate your pass. Look for subject: Important message to Pass Holders.

      • Hi Stacy, Does this include Bash Badge holders? From what I have read so far, it does not mention this pass.

        • You are correct. At this time, it is only for Season Pass, Bash Badge Plus, Hybrid Pass that can go directly to the lift and do not need to purchase a ticket of any type. However, please keep watching for updates. We aren’t open yet. Things continuously change.

  1. Hey SMUGGS! I’m praying for the cold! Throwing Ice out the window and putting a spoon under my pillow! SNOW is coming soon!
    LIR

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *