The MLK Day snowstorm brought much-needed snow to ski resorts. Vermont ski areas opened more lifts and trails, and skiers and riders rejoiced!
At Smugglers' Notch Resort, for example, the snowstorm helped get the Upper Chilcoot and Catwalk trails open, which led to the season premiere of the Madonna I lift to the summit. On January 18, Freefall, Robin’s Run, Upper Liftline and Upper FIS (expert trails off the summit) were also opened.
The new snow also allows us to explore woods and meadows that previously only had meager amounts of snow. Add some bright sunshine like we had on Saturday, and that makes for a great time out on the snow!
Keep in mind that there are only 34 inches of snow at the stake near the top of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. The average is 45 inches for this time, as averaged over many years of reporting. This means we need more snow for our natural snow ski trails and our backcountry zones.
We're doing mellow ski tours on low-angle terrain until we get more of a base. But it's still super-fun to be in the fluffy white stuff!
We saw snowflakes late Sunday afternoon, and some ski areas kept pumping out the snowmaking. The temperatures look cool or cold for the coming week. Sounds good! Now let's add a little more snow into the mix, Mother Nature!
Did you get out on the snow this weekend? Let us know on our Facebook page!
Keep these pages bookmarked:
- our Vermont snow conditions page
- our Vermont ski resorts page
- our Vermont cross-country ski areas page
And keep getting boostered, masking up and social distancing so we can be done with this !*!$%# Covid spike and get back to "normal" soon!
