This weekend there will be 120 Young Adult Patrollers here at Smuggs training. There will be four groups that will be rotating between different training locations on all 3 mountains. One of the main training locations will be in the Village, where there will be multiple scenarios set up. They will also be on Madonna II running toboggans.
The Young Adult Patrol Program introduces teenagers to ski patrolling and the NSP. The YAP Program often serves as a training ground for future patrollers. NSP young adult members and candidates must be 15 years old by December 31 of the year in which they begin patrolling, so YAPs are generally 15 years old through 17 (or through their senior year in high school). Young adult patrollers must meet the same patroller training and responsibilities as any other member of the patrol with the same skill set. The NSP imposes no limitations on YAP activities that are not common to all who participate in NSP programs. That said, the NSP YAP Program is not a labor program, and at the local level each YAP Program operates in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and school district policies and procedures relating to youths volunteering their time to participate in ski patrolling activities and providing emergency care and response services, and also operates within the parameters of the program approved by their ski area, including applicable ski area policies and procedures.
Today at Smuggs, we have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 76 out of 78 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 34 trails have been groomed for today, including Ruthie’s, Smugglers’ Alley, and Magic Learning Trail for a grand total of 139 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 16 to 40 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 18 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for partly sunny skies with a high of 33 degrees at the base and 26 degrees at the summits.
The Nordic Center is open with 17 km of cross-country trails and 15 km of snowshoeing. The ice rink is also open.
