Author: Rockin' Ron

0

Faces and Places (but I missed the Races)

Posted at 2:41 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. We are totally lovin’ having 100% of our trails open! Hangman’s Drop dropped off the open list in the morning, but re-opened later in the day, as did Freefall from the top. While taking a run through 3 Mountain Glades, with Seth “Carv-ison” from the Activities Department, I lost my phone. Luckily, with a revisit to a certain tree stump, I found it! By then it was time for lunch at the Black Bear Tavern – cheese fries with veggie chili! Apres food, traversing from Madonna to Sterling, I saw the famous, fur-hatted skier Steve and his buddy John on Drifter. We had a nice chat about local history. I wanted to get photos of the Women’s FIS Race on Black Snake, but one of the racers told me I was too late. Some other faces I saw belonged to Angie, Mike, George, Anne, Rachel, Oliver, Sherm, Molly, and Brandon.

Longtime Passholder, former liftie, and Smuggs fixture Steve and his friend John on Drifter. Face it, John, your hat is not as cool as Steve’s.
A Mount Mansfield Academy FIS Racer.
Seth coming out of Red Fox Glades onto Madonna Liftline.
Festively delivered advice on where to put your Season Pass or Lift Ticket.
Seth on Drifter with me and my shadow.
0

Fresh Freshies!

Posted at 6:35 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. 6 glorious inches of new snow on top of Madonna in the past 24 hours, and it’s still snowing! We are 100% OPEN – 78 of 78 trails!! Welcome to all of our Canadian Guests on their Spring Break Week. Enjoy the fresh freshies (I’m from the Repetitive School of Redundancy College).

Fresh snow on the trees, from early this morning.
0

Friends, Family, Falling Snow… FUN!

Posted at 3:52 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. They’re friends, they’re family, they’re here, and they’re having fun!! You’d have fun too if you were here after a week that saw 25 inches of new snow and 76 of 78 trails open. From the tippy top of Madonna Mountain to the highlights of Morse Highlands, it was awesome today. BTW – who is Dog Dempsey?

Who you lookin’ at with a face like that?! Jacob, Haylee, Anna, and Barry having fun on Madonna Mtn.
Haylee navigates through the tropics of Bermuda glades.
Anna’s custom skis. Do you recognize that mountain?
What did one snowperson say to the other snowperson? “Do you smell carrots?”
0

Snow Sports Time!

Posted at 9:22 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. 20 inches of snow in the past week and another 2″-4″ is forecasted for today! 77 of 78 trails are open. A family from Philly, that I’ve known for years, will be skiing the black diamonds and glades on Madonna and Sterling. A family from Long Island, that I met yesterday, will be skiing for the very first time on Sir Henry’s. I think they will all have fun, after all, it’s Snow Sports Time.

Larry Arnold – one of the Legendary Instructors of Snow Sport University – getting ready for today’s class of kids.
0

Skiers’ and Riders’ Buffet

Posted at 7:12 am

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. With 5 inches of powder in the past 24 hours, 23 inches in the past week, and 77 of 78 trails open – it’s a Skiers and Riders buffet! Today we’ll have 6 Lifts operating including Madonna I. See U on the slopes.

Skiers’ and Riders’ SNOW Buffet!
What’s up, Madonna Mountain?
0

Sideways Flakes and Snow Snakes

Posted at 3:31 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. 5 inches of snow today, and 25 inches total in the past week!!! In addition to the steady snow, it was a bit windy, so you might say it was Every Which Way But Loose, or Everything Everywhere All At Once. BTW – Snow Snakes are the rivers of snow blowing across the slopes, and Snow Devils are the mini snow tornadoes. My run of the day was the 3 miler of Upper Chilcoot > Catwalk > Upper FIS > Lower Doc’s > Link > Ruthies > Gary B’s > Midway > Curley’s Cutback > Meadowlark. POWdah!

One of several skiers I saw on Upper Madonna Liftline today.
Lower Doc’s has plenty o’ coverage.
Skis love POWdah!
0

More Families… more FUN!

Posted at 3:53 pm

Rockin’ Ron for Hugh. The Coadys, Hogans, Kuehls, Smarts, and Forrsets live in the same neighborhood in Toronto, Canada. For 16 years, they’ve been coming to Smuggs together – 2, 3, 4, and sometimes 5 families at a time! Can you say “It takes a Village?” Today I took some runs with representatives of 4 of the families. First, it was warm-up runs on Morse. Then we headed to the upper mountains to make turns on Upper FIS and Smugglers’ Alley, both of which were groomed. We had fun, eh.

Kevin Coady, Skyler Hogan, Sean Forrest, and Brad Smart from Toronto, Canada. From the top of the Village Lift with Madonna Mountain in the background.
Meet the new T-Bar shack. The original was damaged in a recent weather event.
Snowmaking on Morse earlier today.
0

Morning Moon making snow

Posted at 7:36 am

Rockin’ Ron for the Legendary Hugh Johnson. Last night and into this morning our trusty Snowmakers were busy on the Lower Morse Liftline and Snow Snake trails. Meanwhile, the ever-popular Grooming Crew was driving and tilling up and down 30 trails to bring us 123 acres of freshly groomed terrain. Hey Expert Skiers and Riders – both Upper FIS and Smugglers’ Alley were groomed! Time to hit the slopes.

Morning Moon over the Village. Snowgun on the right.
Groomer goes zoom.