Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Valentine’s Day brought some sweet powder and warm temps. 4 inches of new snow fell on top of Madonna Mountain overnight and temps were between 25-30 degrees. Seth “Carv-ison” and I met at the Base Lodge to take runs on Madonna and Sterling. I was able to introduce him to Highlander Glades, Poachers Woods, Upper Pipeline, and Gary B’s – trails he’d never been on. We ran into Nick from Smuggs TV and took the classic Upper FIS to Lower Doc’s run. What a day to play in the powder! Plenty o’ snow and plenty o’ grins!
Snow-eating grin on Seth on his behind on Upper FIS.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Reservations aka Reso (like Lizzo, but different). L to R: Janet, Heidi, Luz, Maria, and Kristy.
Smuggs TV Cameraman and Producer Nick on Upper FIS.
Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Let’s do the numbers: 3-4 inches of new snow on top of Madonna this morning, 2+ inches in the Village, and 131 acres of freshly groomed terrain!!! Time to take 8 or 13 runs.
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?
Upper FISLooking down Madonna I LiftUpper FISUpper Madonna Liftline
We received an inch of new snow in the past 24 hours, 5 inches in the past 2 days, 20 inches in the past 5 days, and 57 inches in the month of January so far. We are also expecting another 1 to 2 inches of new snow tonight. Upper FIS was groomed last night from Catwalk down to Dan’s Ford. The fresh snow on top of the groomed terrain was a bunch of fun. Upper Madonna Liftline was open from the top down to the Robin’s Run work road. We are presently making snow on McPherson’s, Playground, Snake Bite, and Upper FIS below Dan’s Ford. Some of these trails are closed due to snowmaking. 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 69 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 25 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Smugglers’ Alley, Upper FIS, and Howie’s Wanderer for a grand total of 107 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are machine-groomed and packed powder with average base depths of 8 to 30 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 16 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for cloudy skies early becoming partly sunny, with a high of 11 degrees with temperatures falling throughout the day. Bundle up and enjoy the great conditions!
The Nordic Center is open with 15 km of snowshoeing and 17 km of cross-country trails. The small ice rink is also open.
This weekend the featured beverage for the apres sports parties at Bootlegger’s and the Black Bear Tavern is Woodchuck.
Today: Snow likely, mainly after 4 pm. Cloudy, with a high near 20 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible.
Tonight: Snow, mainly before 3 am, then a chance of snow showers after 3 am. The snow could be heavy at times. The temperature rises to around 29 degrees by 5 am. The chance of precipitation is 100%. A new snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches is possible.
Thursday: Snow showers, mainly after 8 am. Temperature falling to around 18 degrees by 5 pm. The chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches is possible.
Thursday Night: Snow showers are likely, mainly before 1 am. Cloudy, with a low of around 7 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible.
Today we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains. We have 6 lifts operating today, including the Madonna I Lift. We have 71 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 24 trails have been groomed for today, including Smugglers’ Alley, Upper Chilcoot, and Dixie’s Knoll for a grand total of 103 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 6 to 28 inches. Upper FIS is presently closed due to snowmaking. Currently, it is cloudy and 14 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 5 to 10 mph.
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.
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.
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.
Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. Snowmaking on Upper Chilcoot and Waterfall is in progress, which could lead to some good news later this week – stay tuned. Meanwhile, Groomers have been putting the tillers to 21 trails. We’ve received 9 inches of snow in the past 6 days.
While heading to the Perk in the Country Store for my usual Maple Latte with oat milk, I saw the Senior VP and head of Mtn. Ops Mark Delaney grooming the Tubing Hill. He shared the latest mountain news with me. I also saw former Snow Sport University snowboard instructors, and now Patrollers, Alissa and Rob. They were getting ready for Milk Run from the Village Lift. Milk Run is the first run down the mountain, and it’s not with oat milk. Speaking of beverages, Labatts is the beer special this weekend for the Apres Sports Parties in Bootleggers’ and the Black Bear Tavern.
Anywho, looks like a sunny day is ahead, with temps from the high teens to the low thirties, and gentle winds. Sounds like a great time to hit the slopes – ski U later.
Mark Delaney is at the wheel grooming the Tubing Hill for tonight’s tubing FUN!
Alissa and Rob – Snowboarding Patrollers – yes, they do exist!
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.
Nick Anastasi of Smuggs TV enjoying the great conditions
We received an inch of new snow overnight with more on the way. Today’s forecast calls for snow showers with another 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible and a high of 31 degrees at the base and 26 degrees at the summit of Sterling. It is snowing and 19 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 15 to 25 mph. We are presently making snow on Lower FIS and Mulcahy’s Link. We have skiing and riding on all 3 mountains. The Madonna II Lift, Village Lift, Mogul Mouse’s Magic Lift, Sterling Lift, Morse Highlands Lift, and Sir Henry’s Glider are all operating. We have 20 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 19 out of the 20 open trails have been groomed for today, 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.
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.
