SKIING MADONNA MOUNTAIN AT SMUGGLER’S NOTCH
When I got up this morning I was primarily considering going to Jay Peak or Smuggler’s Notch. I was just at Jay yesterday, so I knew how good it was, but Smuggler’s Notch had Madonna Mountain open. I haven’t skied Madonna in nearly two years, and I’ve been itching to get back up there. It’s got the best terrain at Smuggler’s Notch, after all. Madonna will certainly be open a lot more in the coming weeks, but I was blacked out on multiple passes today, so it just made sense.
The line for Madonna I.
Highlander Glade.
We’re in a peak holiday period, but you wouldn’t have known it today at Smuggler’s Notch. The lines were short for both the Sterling Lift and Madonna I, and there was basically no line for Madonna II. All of those lifts, by the way, are slow fixed-grip doubles, so if the mountain had been really busy, the wait would’ve been long. Fortunately, that was not the case.
View from Upper Drifter.
View from Lower Catwalk.
View from Doc Dempsey’s Glades.
View from Upper Chilcoot.
Most of the mountain was open, with 62 of 78 runs and glades available for skiing. I spent most of my time skiing Madonna Mountain. I skied Smuggler’s Notch last week, and in my report I talked about how I thought Smugg’s was underrated in the view category. Well, the views from Madonna today didn’t disappoint. It was a gorgeous day on the mountain.
Playground.
I’m not sure what the name of this trail is.
I didn’t ski a whole lot of groomers today. I was mainly on them just to get to the trees, and then the base. That said, I thought conditions were good with most runs having packed powder. You definitely could find some slick spots, though, in high traffic areas. The trails that were open with just natural snow cover typically skied really well, though you did have to watch out for thin spots and rocks.
Three Mtn. Glades.
The Shire.
Doc Dempsey’s Glades.
Shakedown.
Coverage in the trees was overall pretty good, though there were some thin spots here and there, especially in glades lower down on the mountain like the Moonshiner’s Glade, or Poacher’s Woods on Sterling mountain. My favorite glades today were probably Doc Dempsey’s Glades and Shakedown. The entrance to Doc Dempsey’s was rocky, but after that the snow was pretty nice. This is a glade that’s more of like a cut trail with trees on it. As for Shakedown, I actually struggled through the first part of it. The trees were tight, and there were some thin spots. I’m not the greatest glade skier, so this meant I was being overly cautious with every turn. Eventually, the tight evergreens gave way to nicely spaced trees and I really enjoyed it from then on. The snow was pretty good as well. I’m looking forward to returning to it.
Never Quit Skiing,
Lincoln