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Sugar Plums - Sugarbush Stoke Exchange

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Hello everyone,

Happy solstice, happy holidays and welcome to the official start of winter. Instead of visions of sugar plums though, my long winter's naps are currently filled with dreams of powder turns. We've tried to be really good this year. Please please bring a lot of snow!

Sunshine and soft snow?
Jester has been a sunshine playground.

The ski season has begun slowly so far, but the turns have been consistently good. Sometimes, it has felt like April, other times were like the depths of January, with a full range of conditions from powder to corn.

Get a fresh holiday ski preview with John Egan.

Despite the (currently) meager gifts from Mother Nature, there is much to be thankful for, including having any snow at all. A lot of places, both east and west, aren't open yet or have less to ski. Top-to-bottom is a 2400' descent (soon to be 2600'), with a mix of beginner, intermediate and expert trails spread over six lifts and two base areas. There are several terrain parks open too.

In motion at the first ever NVT USASA Night Rail Jam last weekend.

On the other hand, we've had enough pre-crystalline precipitation to keep only thin cover at best on the natural snow trails. The upper mountain waterbars seem to filling in and holding snow though, so there is at least one blessing in this challenging pattern.

Beginner terrain is open!
The Welcome Mat is open!

The up and down start may be ending. Without drawing too much attention to the forecast and thereby guaranteeing a jinx, there is snow predicted for much of the next five to seven days.

Take a lesson - Have more fun!
Take a lesson, have more fun.

Temperatures look good for continuous snowmaking, too. We already fired up the guns on FIS and Ripcord this morning. As base temps drop, we are moving back into the Gate House/Village area and lower on Mount Ellen.

Organgrinder!
Organgrinder has been great this week.