Hugh's Views - Smugglers' Notch Vermont

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Let it snow

Posted January 23, 2023 at 8:12 am

44.56°N 72.75°W (Elev. 3343 ft)

Today: Snow likely, mainly before 2 pm. Cloudy, with a high near 24 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible.

Tonight: Snow likely before 4 am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 5 am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 60%. A new snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible.

Tuesday: Snow showers likely, mainly between 11 am and 3 pm. Cloudy, with a high near 25 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches is possible.

We received 4 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours and 13 inches in the past 4 days. Currently, it is 23 degrees at the summit of Sterling with flurries and winds of 0 to 5 mph. Today we plan to ski and ride on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We now have 67 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Sterling Mountain is 100 percent open. 25 trails have been groomed for today, including Smugglers’ Alley, Upper Chilcoot, and Dixie’s Knoll for a grand total of 105 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and powder with average base depths of 8 to 28 inches. Yesterday we made snow on Upper FIS.

The Nordic Center is open with 15 km of snowshoeing and 17 km of cross-country trails. The ice rink is also open.

Next weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Zero Gravity, Powder Jones.

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Skiing and riding on all 3 mountains

Posted January 16, 2023 at 4:06 pm

Smugglers’ Alley with a snowmaking cloud in the valley

Midway with Madonna Mountain in the background

I want to thank our snowmakers, groomers, and patrollers for all their efforts to get more trails open. Today we opened Lower FIS, Father Bob’s off the top, Goat Path, Bootlegger, McPherson’s, Deer Run Glades, Highlander Glades, and Dan’s Ford! Mulcahy’s Link opened from the top of Lower Chilcoot down to Lower FIS. Tomorrow we plan to have Lower Madonna Liftline also open. Our snowmakers are presently busy on Birch Run and Lower Rumrunner. We plan to groom out Lower Rumrunner tonight and have it open for tomorrow. Tomorrow we plan to have the Madonna II Lift, Morse Highlands Lift, Sterling Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, Village Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We now have 41 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 21 out of the 41 open trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Lower FIS, and Dixie’s Knoll for a grand total of 98 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 6 to 24 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 10 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for partly sunny skies early with increasing clouds and a high of 31 degrees.

The Nordic Center is open with 9 km of cross-country skiing, 15 km of snowshoeing, and the ice rink.

This coming weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Labatts.

Uphill travel is open on Morse Mountain from 5 pm to 10 pm Friday through Wednesday. Morse Mountain is closed Thursday evenings due to fireworks and Cat Trax Tours.

Madonna and Sterling are presently closed to uphill travel until more trails are open. Stay tuned for updates

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Skiing and riding on all 3 mountains tomorrow

Posted January 11, 2023 at 4:48 pm

It was a beautiful day with clear skies and crisp air. I went skiing in the morning and snowboarding in the afternoon. The 9 inches of new snow that we received in the past 5 days has freshened things up nicely. The new snow groomed into the existing snow and that made a softer surface. I had a blast carving turns on Black Snake this morning with the bright sun at my back. The day started off with the temperature in the single digits, but the sun brought the summit temperature on Sterling to 18 degrees in the afternoon. The still air and sun made it feel even warmer. Tomorrow we plan to have the Madonna II Lift, Sterling Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, Morse Highlands Lift, Village Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We will have 20 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 19 out of the 20 open trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Dixie’s Knoll, and Lower Chilcoot for a grand total of 84 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 6 to 24 inches. Last night we made snow on Lower Chilcoot and Mulcahy’s Link. We are presently making snow on Lower FIS, Waterfall, and Mulcahy’s Link. Currently, it is 14 degrees at the summit of Sterling with partly cloudy skies and winds of 0 to 5 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies, and snow showers in the afternoon with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible on top and a high of 31 degrees at the base and 27 degrees at the summit of Sterling.

This weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Fiddlehead.

Uphill access will reopen on Morse from 5 pm to 10 pm starting tonight, January 11th. Please remember it is closed on Thursday nights due to fireworks and Cat Trax tours. Morning uphill on Sterling will remain closed for the short term as we get through the next adverse weather cycle but we hope to get it online soon. Evening access on the upper mountains is still pending our ability to get more trails open. Stay tuned for updates.

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Top to bottom on all 3 mountains

Posted March 28, 2022 at 2:51 pm

We received 4 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours and 14 inches in the past 4 days. Tomorrow we plan to have 5 lifts operating; Madonna I, Sterling, Village, Mogul Mouse’s Magic, and Sir Henry’s Glider. We have 49 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 28 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Upper FIS, and Snow Snake for a grand total of 118 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and packed powder with average base depths of 8 to 42 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 2 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 10 to 20 mph. Tonight’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies with a chance of scattered snow showers with a high of 24 degrees at the base and 15 degrees at higher elevations.

Rest in Powder Mark “Arch” Archambault. You were one of kind and will be deeply missed!

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Spring conditions

Posted March 24, 2022 at 3:36 pm

We experienced many types of weather today with sleet, freezing rain, rain, windy conditions, and even partly sunny skies. I had a blast today on Snow Snake. It was groomed last night and was skiing great! The trail was nice and flat with soft creamy snow on top. Snow Snake has steeper pitches, multiple turns, and neat contours, which made it more challenging than some of the other Morse Mountain trails. This also makes it more fun. It was one of my favorites as a kid and I still love it today! Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Madonna I and Morse Highlands. We have 34 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 31 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Upper FIS, and Snow Snake for a grand total of 126 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 6 to 40 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 29 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 20 to 30 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for a chance of rain at the base, rain and snow at higher elevations. A high of 45 degrees at the base and 37 degrees at higher elevations for tomorrow with lighter winds than today.

Uphill Travel

All 3 mountains are presently closed to uphill travel at this time.

View from Garden Path below the Village Lift

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Wide open spaces

Posted March 23, 2022 at 4:08 pm

Currently, it is partly sunny and 33 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 0 to 5 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for freezing rain, sleet, rain, and gusty winds with a high of 35 degrees. Windy conditions could affect some lift operations tomorrow. Please check the report in the morning for the most up-to-date information. Weather permitting tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating. We have 34 trails open with terrain for all ability levels.

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What a day!

Posted March 13, 2022 at 1:52 pm

We received 7 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours, 19 inches in the past 2 days, and 199 inches this season so far! It was the perfect storm with wet heavy snow to start, that stuck to everything. The temperature dropped as the snow piled up. The colder temperatures produced some beautiful fluffy powder to finish off the storm. This new snow allowed us to open 35 trails in the past 2 days. I want to thank our patrollers for all their hard work to open all those trails! Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Madonna I and Morse Highlands. We now have 68 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 35 trails will be groomed for tomorrow for a grand total of 138 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are powder and packed powder with average base depths of 16 to 54 inches. Currently, it is partly sunny and 11 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 15 to 20 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies with a chance of a snow shower early and a high of 42 degrees at the base and 29 degrees at higher elevations. I’m looking forward to playing in all this wonderful snow again tomorrow!

Drift at the top of Doc Dempsey’s Glades

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Sun dog

Posted March 10, 2022 at 5:09 pm

Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Madonna I and Morse Highlands. We have 35 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 33 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Upper FIS, and Snow Snake for a grand total of 131 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and loose granular with average base depths of 12 to 48 inches. Birch Run Terrain Park is open and will be groomed for tomorrow. Currently, it is sunny and 29 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies with a chance of snow late in the day with a high of 38 degrees at the base and 32 degrees at the summit. There is snow in the forecast for Friday night and Saturday with over a foot of new snow expected!

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Good morning

Posted March 7, 2022 at 9:18 am

Today we have skiing and riding on all 3 mountains. The Madonna II Lift will have a delayed opening until 10 am due to grooming. The Madonna I Lift will be closed today due to surface conditions and we plan to reopen it tomorrow. We have 24 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. All 24 trails have been groomed for today. Surface conditions are machine groomed and loose granular with average base depths of 12 to 48 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 28 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for snow, freezing rain, and rain with a high of 36 degrees.

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Making memories

Posted March 2, 2022 at 9:03 am

Yesterday was the last day of school break and it also happened to be my day off. My daughter Hannah and I came up to do some runs in the afternoon. On the lift ride up Madonna, we talked about where we were going to ski. I suggested that we ski something that Hannah has not skied yet. Hannah is 13 years old and has been on the slopes of Smuggs her whole life. Finding somewhere she has not been may be a challenge. I love to explore and with 3 mountains Smuggs has so much to discover. We skied back-to-back runs that Hannah has not skied on both Madonna and Sterling. We had a wonderful afternoon filled with fresh turns and big smiles. Hannah told me “The next time that I’m not sure if I want to go skiing or not I’m going to remember today!”

Today we have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including Morse Highlands and Madonna I. We have 68 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Freefall is open from the traverse on Upper FIS. Upper Madonna Liftline is open from Catwalk down to the work road. Robin’s Run is open for now and may not last all day. 31 trails have been groomed for today, including Upper FIS, Black Snake, and Hibernator for a grand total of 128 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 16 to 50 inches. Currently, it is 8 degrees at the summit of Sterling with flurries and winds of 5 to10 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 23 degrees at the base and 17 degrees at higher elevations.