Hugh's Views - Smugglers' Notch Vermont

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Another beautiful day on the slopes

Posted January 29, 2020 at 5:33 pm

**Upper Drifter with the top of Mount Mansfield seen through the clouds**

**Matt McCawley’s class from the Cambridge Elementary School here for their Winter Wellness**

**Ritter knocking off the rime ice from the chairs on the Madonna I Lift**

**Mike McAdoo and Arlo Pouliot winching Upper Drifter. This photo was taken Jan. 28, 2020**

**Bright white trees against the blue sky on Madonna**

I want to thank Mike McAdoo and Arlo Pouliot for their work on Upper Drifter. They used the winch cat to pull snow up Drifter yesterday. They did a great job covering the rough spots near the fence. The wind loves to take the snow and move it away from the fence. The last photo “farming snow” is where the snow usually ends up. The groomers can pull the snow back on the trail and then down around the fence. This method of farming snow is a great way to capture the blown snow.

Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with all 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We now have 69 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 14 to 50 inches. We are presently making snow on Snow Snake, Log Jam, Hibernator, and the base area of the Village Lift. 31 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, including Shuttle, Jolly Rodger, and Wanderer for a grand total of 94 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Currently, it is partly sunny and 5 degrees at the summit of Sterling. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 25 degrees. Log Jam and Hibernator will be closed tomorrow for snowmaking.

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Winter Wellness

Posted January 28, 2020 at 10:08 am

Winter is well at Smuggs – 3 inches of new snow overnight and 11 inches in the past 3 days! Also, Winter Wellness is underway with 4th, 5th, and 6th Graders from Cambridge Elementary School learning to snowboard, ski, or cross country ski for FREE. The program is a partnership led by Cambridge Area Rotary with support from Backcountry Magazine, the Town of Cambridge, the community, and of course Smugglers’ Notch Resort.

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Quality Family Time

Posted January 17, 2019 at 5:33 pm

Hannah on Lower Catwalk with Sterling and Mount Mansfield in the background.

I got to take a few runs with my daughter Hannah this afternoon. She was here with her 5th grade class from Cambridge Elementary School. She has been participating in the Winter Wellness Program. They have all been having such a great time! She has really been enjoying the amazing conditions. She will be back tomorrow and she cannot wait!

Lifts and Trails

Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 7 lifts operating. We have 73 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. 35 trails will be groomed for tomorrow, for a grand total of 141 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Surface conditions are packed powder and machine groomed with average base depths of 24 to 54 inches.

Hannah finds some fresh snow in the trees

Snowmaking

Tonight we plan to make snow on Bootlegger, Thomke’s Express, Upper Pipeline, Chute, Hangman’s Drop, and the Zone.

Todd and his daughter Reese at Morse Mountain today. Reese’s birthday is in the summer, but they wanted to celebrate with a special Father and Daughter ski day. They decided to celebrate the 1/2 year and come to Smuggs today!

Weather

Currently it is sunny and 3 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 0 to 5 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow showers 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible with temperatures between 2o and 31 degrees.