Madonna Mountain

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Sun, Fun and SNOW!

Posted at 3:48 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. 3 inches of snow overnight, and can you believe this… 23 inches in the past 6 days! Plus our snowmakers have been busy on Sterling and Madonna mountains. They move to Morse Mountain tomorrow on Curley’s Cutback, Log Jam, and Hibernator – all 3 of those trails will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

I got to make some turns today with Seth Crevison (aka Carv-ison) of the activities department. We enjoyed the fresh powder, even if it was a little sticky due to cold temps. He told me he’d never been on Shuttle (the trail that connects Drifter to Crossover and Lower Rumrunner), so we had to hit the bumps on those rolling slopes. We saw Adam Howard aka Howie, Editor of Backcountry Magazine on Upper Drifter. From the Madonna I Lift, Seth and I spotted our Snow Reporter Hugh Johnson dropping into Freefall. To quote Hugh “another beautiful day on the mountain!”

Seth on Catwalk below ‘upper’ Upper FIS aka Sally’s Alley. Look at all that snow!
Abominable Snow People Sculptures on top of Madonna.
Snowmaking on lower Upper FIS. Or is it upper Lower FIS?
Madonna I in the sun.
Seth on Upper Drifter.
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On top of Madonna – all covered in SNOW!

Posted at 3:18 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Got my first turns of the season on Upper Chilcoot. It’s easy to forget that there is almost always more snow, usually a lot more, at the top of the mountain. It may not be snowing in your backyard, but we’ve got our share up here and more is on the way. We received 1-2 inches today. The forecast for Wednesday into Thursday is 8-15 inches of SNOW! Can you say woo-hoo?

We plan to be making snow on Upper FIS tomorrow during the day. This may cause visibility issues and Upper FIS may have to close. Just wanted to give you a heads up, but we will have to wait until tomorrow to see. No pun intended.

The mighty Madonna Mtn as viewed from the Midway trail, just below Rum Runners’ Hideaway.
On top of Madonna getting ready to ride down Upper Chilcoot.
The double black trail Liftline on Madonna Mtn.
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Colder temperatures return tonight

Posted at 4:05 pm

It was another great day of spring skiing and riding today. Tomorrow is the first day of spring, but it will feel more like the return of winter. Tonight’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible on top. Tomorrow’s forecast is cloudy skies with a chance of a snow shower and a high of 38 degrees at the base and 30 degrees at higher elevations. Madonna Mountain will be closed tomorrow for grooming operations and we plan to have it open again on Tuesday. Tomorrow we plan to have 5 lifts operating; Sterling, Village, Mogul Mouse’s Magic, Morse Highlands, and Sir Henry’s Glider. We have 29 trails open tomorrow with terrain for all ability levels. 21 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Garden Path, Curley’s Cutback, and Black Snake for a grand total of 90 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable with average base depths of 6 to 40 inches. Birch Run Terrain Park is open with 3 jumps and 6 rails. Currently, it is 29 degrees at the summit of Madonna with light snow and winds of 10 to 15 mph.

Uphill Travel

All 3 mountains are presently closed to uphill travel.

Bootlegger
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Good Morning Riders and Skiers

Posted at 7:16 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Good Morning Riders and Skiers! Today’s forecast is partly sunny and breezy, with freezing rain after 2 pm, and a high near 34 degrees. We plan to have 8 lifts operating and 47 trails open. 31 trails totaling 128 acres, have been or are about to be groomed. See you on the slopes.

The North Hill Auqatics Center view of Madonna and Sterling Mountains.

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View to a Thrill

Posted at 7:23 am

The name is Ron… Rockin’ Ron… for Agent Hugh. Headquarters says today’s forecast is partly sunny skies with a 30% chance of snow showers and a high of 13 degrees. Mountain Operations reports that we’ll have 6 lifts operating including Madonna I and Morse Highlands, and 57 trails open offering terrain for all abilities. 130 acres of trails have been groomed. Your mission is to hit the slopes!

View of Madonna Mountain from Edwards Rd., near ArborTrek and our Disc Golf Courses.
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Spring into action only two days left

Posted at 4:41 pm

The last day of the 2020 / 2021 Winter season is this Saturday, April 10th. We plan to have Sterling Lift and/or Madonna I Lift operating depending on snow coverage. Tomorrow we plan to have Sterling Lift operating with 12 trails open. Bootlegger is open for now from Smugglers’ Alley. We only have intermediate and expert terrain available at this time. Surface conditions are machine groomed and spring conditions with average base depths of 6 to 38 inches. 8 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Black Snake, Practice Slope, and Birch Run for a grand total of 38 acres of freshly groomed terrain. It is currently sunny and 56 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 71 degrees at the base and 62 degrees in the upper elevations.

Uphill traffic:

Morse Mountain now open daily.

Madonna Mountain closed for grooming.

Sterling Mountain open daily 5:30 am to 7:30 am and 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

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Spring roll

Posted at 3:02 pm

It was another great day of spring skiing and riding. I want to thank our groomers for doing a great job on Smugglers’ Alley last night. I had my stiffer skis on this morning and Smugglers’ Alley was my trail of choice. Beautiful corduroy to cruise on! Once the snow started to soften up I switched to a wider, softer ski and went looking for the corn. Patrol dropped the rope on Thomke’s Express and Bootlegger from the work road. I had to ski them and had a blast. I would have to say that my favorite run in the afternoon was Snake Bite. It has not been groomed in a while and it has some nice big soft bumps!

Tomorrow we plan to have the Sterling Lift operating with 15 trails open. We only have intermediate and expert terrain available at this time. Some trails will have a delayed opening until they soften up. 9 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Black Snake, Birch Run, Practice Slope, and Rumrunner for a grand total of 37 acres of freshly groomed terrain. It is currently sunny and 41 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with of high of 61 degrees at the base and 52 degrees in the higher elevations.

Weather dependent, we plan to stay open until Sunday, April 11th. The Madonna I Lift and Sterling Lift may be operating for closing weekend. The forecast for Sunday, April 11th is partly sunny skies with a high of 61 degrees.

Uphill traffic:

Morse Mountain now open daily.

Madonna Mountain closed Wednesday, April 7th for grooming.

Sterling Mountain open daily 5:30 am to 7:30 am and 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

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Winter wonderland

Posted at 4:49 pm

We received 2 to 4 inches of new snow today, 11 inches in the past 2 days, and 30 inches in the past 6 days. Tonight’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible. Tomorrow’s forecast is also calling for snow showers with another 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible and a high of 30 degrees. 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 plan to have 65 trails open tomorrow with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are powder and packed powder with average base depths of 14 to 46 inches. 19 trails will be groomed tonight, including Smugglers’ Alley for a grand total of 92 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Last night we made snow on Black Snake, Birch Run, and Snake Bite.

Madonna Mountain
Upper Madonna Liftline near the Red Fox Glades
Snowboard tracks
Riding Upper Madonna Liftline
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Feeling Festive

Posted at 7:14 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. I’m looking forward to skiing on Madonna Mountain for the first time this year (and this season). Yeah, I’m feeling festive. BTW – all 3 mountains are open with 5 lifts and 13 groomed trails.

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Morning groom

Posted at 6:47 am
Lower Morse Liftline

The temperature fell throughout the night. We had to wait for the temperature to drop below freezing to groom. Our groomers are finishing up Morse Mountain and we plan to open on time. Our groomers will be headed to Madonna and Sterling Mountain next. We plan to have Madonna and Sterling Mountain open soon. Ski Patrol is presently checking trail conditions on Madonna. This report will be updated as soon as possible. Today we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable with average base depths of 14 to 52 inches. Currently it is cloudy and 15 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Today’s forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 34 degrees.