Due to severe weather, the Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift will be closed for the remainder of the day. We plan to have the Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift operating tomorrow. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies with a chance of showers, a high of 55 degrees at the base and 51 degrees at higher elevations, windy.
The Madonna I Lift is presently on wind hold. Yesterday Madonna was 100 percent open! We presently have the Sterling Lift operating with 9 trails open with terrain for intermediates and experts only. More trails may open as conditions soften. All 9 open trails on Sterling have been groomed for today, including Smugglers’ Alley for a grand total of 40 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Sterling was 99 percent open yesterday. We have plenty of snow, we just need the surface to soften to have more open terrain. Currently, it is cloudy and 30 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 15 to 25 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies with freezing rain and rain, mostly in the afternoon, and windy with a high of 40 degrees at the base and 35 degrees at the summit.
Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. We started out with 29 trails this morning and that count fluctuated as conditions softened and nearly all the trails on Madonna and Sterling Mountains opened, for a total of 62. I hate to be Debbie Downer or Donnie Darko, but that trail count will again fluctuate, due to the expected freezing rain and wintry mix tonight and into Wednesday. You definitely want to check back for updates. The word of the day – Fluctuations.
Rockin’ Ron Hugh. The Madonna I and the Sterling Lifts will be operating today and 29 trails will be open. We have intermediate and expert terrain available. We also have lots of snow on those upper mountains, so come out and enjoy it! The last day of operations for the Winter 2022-2023 season is this Sunday, April 9th. Bring your Mother and another.
Our grooming staff did another great job last night! They hit the steeps of Smugglers’ Alley and Upper FIS. They also did some natural snow trails like Drifter, Goat Path, Ruthie’s, Jolly Rodger, and Upper Treasure. They will be busy again tonight. We plan to groom 23 trails for tomorrow, including Shuttle, Lower Pipeline, Snake Bite, Thomke’s, Upper FIS, and Drifter for a grand total of 90 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Tomorrow we plan to have the Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift operating. We have 29 trails open with terrain for intermediates and experts only. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 12 to 50 inches. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for cloudy skies with a high of 46 degrees at the base and 37 degrees at higher elevations. This Sunday, April 9th is the closing day of the 2022/2023 Winter Season.
The Nordic Center is open with 17 km of cross-country trails and 15 km of snowshoeing.
This weekend the Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift will be open from 9 am till 4:30 pm. The weekend is looking good and this will allow us to enjoy the spring conditions longer since it takes a little while for the conditions to soften.
Ben & Jerry’s at Smugglers’ Notch 12:00 noon – 8:00 pm
Free cone day is being celebrated around the world and we’ll be giving away free ice cream. Every time you enjoy a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s, you’re showing us how much you care. We love you too and Free Cone Day is our favorite way to show it!
Today we have the Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift operating. We have 25 trails open with terrain for experts and intermediates only. More trails may be opened throughout the day as conditions soften. 24 trails have been groomed for today, including Upper FIS, Smugglers’ Alley, Thomke’s Express, and Drifter for a grand total of 90 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 12 to 50 inches. Currently, it is partly cloudy and 20 degrees at the summit of Madonna with winds of 10 to 20 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with a chance of rain or snow late, a high of 49 degrees at the base, and 37 degrees at higher elevations. This Saturday, April 9th is the last day of the 2022/2023 Winter Season.
I want to thank our grooming staff for all their hard work today. It did not freeze until late, which delayed the grooming process. They worked on the upper mountains because it froze up there earlier and then came down to Morse to finish. The temperature dropped 40 degrees overnight. I really appreciate that they adjusted their schedule to give us the best surface conditions possible. Tomorrow we plan to have the Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift operating. We have 27 trails open with terrain for intermediates and experts only. Morse mountain is now closed for the season. More trails will probably open throughout the day as conditions soften. We plan to groom 24 trails for tomorrow, including Upper FIS, Drifter, Smugglers’ Alley, and Jolly Rodger for a grand total of 90 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions will be machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 12 to 50 inches. Currently, it is sunny and 19 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with a chance of a shower late in the day, a high of 49 degrees at the base, and 42 degrees at higher elevations. The last day of the 2022/2023 Winter Season is this Sunday, April 9th.
Dick started skiing here at Smuggs back in 1957. At that time Sterling had two poma lifts. The lower mountain poma lift was 2000 feet long. From the top of that poma you then could ride the upper mountain poma lift, which was 3,300 feet long and it brought you to the top of Sterling. The upper mountain poma had a bridge that went over Rumrunner. Dick started patrolling here at Smuggs in 1964. Dick’s father George was also a patroller here at Smuggs. Dick has three sons and 6 grandkids, who all ski. That makes 4 generations of skiers at Smuggs! Dick still works at Smuggs. Last year he started as a liftie and this year he is a lift operator. Dick worked 66 days at the Morse Highlands Lift this year and started skiing here 66 years ago! Dick is also a pool shuttle driver at Smuggs. He will be turning 80 years young this summer. Thank you so much for being a Smuggler and for all that you have done for Smuggs over the years!
Today is the last day of lift operations on Morse Mountain for the season. We have the Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift and Sir Henry’s Glider operating.