Today’s forecast is calling for sunny skies early with increasing clouds throughout the day, a high of 39 degrees at the base and 33 degrees at higher elevations. Currently it is 25 degrees at the summit of Sterling with clear skies. The clouds rolling this afternoon will bring us snow showers tonight and tomorrow. 4 to 8 inches of accumulation possible tonight and another 1 to 3 inches tomorrow at higher elevations. The Madonna 1 Lift will open at 9:30am this morning. Today we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna 1 Lift. We have 73 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 31 trails have been groomed for today, including Upper FIS, Smugglers’ Alley, and Snow Snake for a grand total of 123 acres of freshly groomed terrain.
The Nordic Center is open with 15 km of snowshoeing and 17 km of cross-country trails. The ice rink is presently closed.
This weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Today we have 6 lifts operating. The Madonna 1 Lift is presently on wind hold. We have 29 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 20 trails have been groomed for today, including Rumrunner, Lower FIS, and Garden Path. Surface conditions are machine groomed and variable with average base depths of 8 to 30 inches. Currently it is cloudy and 31 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 15 to 30 mph. Today’s forecast is calling for rain becoming snow showers with a high of 37 degrees at the base and 33 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Temperatures will be falling throughout the day.
The Nordic Center is open with 15 km of snowshoeing and 17 km of cross-country trails. The ice rink is presently closed.
This weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Bud Light.
I skied all three mountains this morning. I started on Morse Mountain and skied over to Madonna. I took a few cruisers and a scenic run down Drifter. I then headed over to Sterling to check out the U14 GS race on Snake Bite and the Practice Slope. They were starting at the top of Snake Bite, so they had speed as they dove down the steep pitch. It was impressive to watch these athletes! This afternoon I switched my skis for a snowboard. I rode Morse Mountain, so I could work on carving. The bottom of Garden Path has a gentle pitch and is pretty wide. This made it easier to carve and not get too much speed. 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 have 67 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 31 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Upper FIS, and Hibernator for a grand total of 125 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 8 to 30 inches. Currently, it is partly cloudy and 25 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for a chance of a snow shower early with skies becoming partly sunny, a high of 30 degrees at the base, and 26 degrees at higher elevations. Temperatures will be falling throughout the day.
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 Bud Light.
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?
Treasure RunSlalom practice Snow shark on Morse Mountain
We received 3 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours and 12 inches in the past 6 days. It is cloudy and 23 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 15 to 25 mph. Temperatures will be rising tonight. We plan to groom all 9 open trails on Morse Mountain tonight. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mixed precipitation early becoming snow with an inch of accumulation possible and breezy. A high of 37 degrees will occur first thing in the morning and then temperatures will be falling throughout the day. We’re expecting a low of 22 degrees at the summit and 26 degrees at the base by 4 pm. Friday night’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible. Surface conditions will be changing throughout the day. Tomorrow we plan to have skiing and riding on all 3 mountains. We plan to have the Madonna II Lift, Sterling Lift, Village Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, Morse Highlands Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We plan to have 20 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 6 to 24 inches. Today we made snow on Lower FIS, Waterfall, and Mulcahy’s Link.
This weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Fiddlehead.
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 we have more trails open. Stay tuned for updates.
Picture perfect daySlalom race on the Practice SlopeFresh tracks on Morse Mountain#smuggsloveRiding off into the sunset
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.
Last night we made snow on Morse Mountain. All 16 trails have been groomed for today, including Smugglers’ Alley for a grand total of 72 acres of freshly groomed terrain. We received a dusting of new snow overnight and 6 inches in the past 3 days. 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 cloudy skies early becoming partly sunny with a chance of a snow shower late in the day a high of 31 degrees at the base and 21 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Today we have Sterling Lift, Village Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider all operating. We have terrain open for all ability levels with 16 trails open. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and variable with average base depths of 8 to 24 inches. Tonight’s forecast is calling for snow showers with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible.
Uphill travel is presently closed on all 3 mountains due to grooming and snowmaking operations. We plan to reopen Morse Mountain to uphill travel at its regular evening hours later this week. Stay tuned for more information.
This weekend the featured beer for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Fiddlehead.
Calling all First Timers! January is National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Start the New Year off right by learning how to ski or ride from one of our many experienced instructors!
Each day of the Learn to Ski or Snowboard experience includes:
Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. The Morse Highlands Lift was open for the first time this season, along with Sam’s Run and Dixie’s Knoll. Sam’s Run is a fun trail that winds itself around Morse Mountain like the Smuggs character it’s named after – Sam the Snow Snake. You can still find Sam’s likeness on the children’s menus at the Morse Mountain Grille. Dixie’s Knoll gentle slope is named after longtime Smuggs ski instructor Dixie Knoll.
Eireann and her sister Marie, from Ontario, having fun on Sam’s Run
We are presently making snow on Midway, Garden Path, and Meadowlark. Currently, it is 20 degrees at the summit of Sterling with flurries and winds of 0 to 5 mph. Today’s forecast calls for cloudy skies with a chance of snow showers an inch of accumulation possible and a high of 25 degrees. Today we have the Sterling Lift and Sir Henry’s Glider operating. We also have the Village Lift and Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift open to mid-station. We have 22 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 6 to 36 inches.
