Saturdays are for Skiing & Riding

Weekend warriors, ASSEMBLE!

T.G.I.S., right? Everybody knows Saturdays are way better than Fridays. Time seems to freeze and the world is, quite literally, your playground. There's so much to do on Saturday, plus, you know you've still got Sunday ahead of you before the anvil that is Monday gets dropped on you again. On Saturday, everything feels right. So, why not come join us for a little skiing and riding?

Shameless plug, I know, but seriously, you love skiing and riding, we love having you here with us - it's a match made in nature. Don't fight it. Embrace it. And, did I mention that we've seen 3-5" of new snow in the past 48 hours? Or that we've opened another lift and 3 more trails since yesterday? Yeah, that should do it.

Weather:
It's currently 25 degrees here at the base and 22 at the top, and we expect it to stay right around those temperatures through the afternoon before starting to rise a bit this evening. Yesterday turned out to be a little colder than anticipated, but it seems like today should be a bit more mild, and not quite as windy. If you're coming up for night skiing, you should see temps in the high 20s.

How's the Snow:
Honestly, it's skiing quite well. We don't have any natural snow trails open at the moment (because Mother Nature wiped those out last weekend) but we're expanding trail counts and lifts every few days. Snowflake is the latest lift added to our report, running 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. today, which also allows us to open Sprig 'O Pine, Lower Villager and Timberline Lane.

Alta Vista has been excellent all week, thanks to the hard work of our snowmakers early this season, and some of the best snow on the mountain is on and around Big Corner (the hairpin left turn after Alta Vista and Sherman's meet up). Beech Seal is hard and fast, just like a race hill should be, and the Jungle Jib's 11 features were riding very well yesterday with a fresh layer of fluff on top.

What's Going On:
We're going to finish making snow on Butterscotch today, so we expect to have that trail for tomorrow, and keep an eye on Foxy and Lower Foxy as well. They're almost ready to go. It's going to get warm tonight, so the guys will get a well-deserved night off while we let the weather pass. Once that's done, our they'll move up to Spillway and light that up Sunday night. We've got a few new techniques for making snow on Spillway/Hard Luck this year, and we're really pumped to see how they turn out. Look for that trail later next week.

It's also Holiday Week! That means bonfires, free hot chocolate, snowshoe tours, inflatable bouncy thingys for the kids, and our Torchlight Parade and Fireworks Show on New Year's Eve. Grab a seat by James Moore Tavern for the best view of the parade coming down the hill.

We've also got Bolton After Dark, College Days, Corporate Race League and Night Riders starting up soon, so keep an eye out for those events and get up here to enjoy them!

"Tonight's the Night...

... and it's going to happen again. And again. Has to happen."

Night skiing is back this evening, offering up five trails and three lifts for your cruising pleasure. We'd love to add some terrain to this list, so check our Snow Report later on today for an official word on the Jungle Jib. UPDATE: Jungle Jib is open! Yes, we're serious this time. It's took a while. You're sick of hearing "tomorrow, tomorrow." I get it. Now go shred it!

As a special treat for Holiday Week 2013, we're running night skiing every day from now until Jan. 4. Our lifts will remain open until 8pm for the next 10 days. That's a total of 115 hours over the next week-and-a-half, which gives you plenty of time to get up here and boot up for some skiing and riding on Vermont's most extensive night skiing terrain. Our snowmakers are working 'round the clock to expand our terrain, and we hope to get the Snowflake lift running this weekend, which would also add anther trail or two for your perusal.

Stay frosty, my friends.

~Mike

Here comes the Sun (maybe)

Well, the weather last weekend was frightful, but hopefully today will be delightful. Like a perpetually dark Alaskan village, we're ready to see the Sun again.

I said this last week, and it still rings true - I have yet to come to work this winter on a sunny day. Now, about a week ago, that was great news, as it had snowed 18-20 inches with no end in sight. Then, last weekend... well... we all know how that played out.

But today it might happen! I'm looking out my office window and I can actually see blue sky (what's blue sky?) and the sun coming up over the ridge line. I'm excited, because I love my fiery goggle lenses, and I might be able to wear them today. So, hooray for that.

But you don't really care about what I'm wearing today, you just want snow updates! Of course, of course. I'll oblige.

The snow guns are on! It's cold today (single digits) and should stay that way for the next few days. We're lighting up Timberline Line and the Butterscotch Park right now, along with some resurfacing on Beech Seal and Jungle Jib. The plan is to get Beech Seal open either today or tomorrow, and the Jungle Jib should be ready to go by this afternoon. But stay tuned to the Snow Report for official updates on that. We hope to get Butterscotch going without any features later this week, and once we can cover any waterbars and such, Timberline will follow. See? It's not so bad out there.

The even better news is that our snowmaking trails held up quite well, despite all the water we saw this weekend, so we didn't need to do much work on those. Thank a snow maker this week if you happen to see one. Those are the guys bringing us the good news.

We should have a special Holiday episode of Bolton Valley Access for you today, too. So look for that this afternoon.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

~Mike

Back at it on Monday.

Looking ahead to Monday, we plan to open at 9am with 3 lifts and 7 trails. The recent warm and wet weather has not been kind to our natural snow trails. So, for Monday, we'll be skiing on the trails where we've made snow. Those trails have held up relatively well thanks to deeper base depths. The Vista Quad will get you to the top where you can ski and ride on Alta Vista or Sherman's Pass. The Mighty Mite will be open for beginners. Temperatures are expected to be above freezing overnight and throughout the day tomorrow. This will set us up for soft snow with variable and spring like conditions. Lift tickets will be $42 for adults and $32 for youth, college students and seniors. 

The temperatures will drop below freezing on Monday night. That means our snowmakers will get back to work. Their plan is to make snow on the Butterscotch Park, Timberline Lane and Lower Villager. We plan to get those three trails open later this week. Note, when the Butterscotch Park initially opens it will be as a trail with no features. The park crew will be hard at work in the Jungle Jib in an effort to get it open once temperatures drop and the snow firms back up. 

Food and Beverage Options

The power came back on here at around 11am. We will still remain closed for skiing and riding today, but you have a few entertainment and food and beverage options:

• Fireside Flatbread is open and will be open until about 4:30pm for flatbread and drinks. 
• The deli is open until 5pm. 
• We plan to get the James Moore Tavern open by 4:00pm. 
• The Sports Center is also open today until 6pm. 

Closed on Sunday, Dec. 22

Bolton Valley will be closed for skiing and riding on Sunday, December 22. The ice storm is expected to continue throughout the day. As of 8:45 am we lost power and even if we do get power back for some time this morning more power outages are probable. We plan to open again on Monday and will keep you posted later today. If we do manage to get power back, we will try to open the Sports Center for anyone staying in the hotel.

New England Weather is Weird

"I'm never going to listen to the weather guys again!"

I say this to myself every year, and every year I break that vow. It usually only takes a week or so. This season, it happened in December.

Seriously though, what a weird December this has been. It was bitterly cold early on with plenty of sunshine, then it warmed up a bit, only to drop back down to single digits once again. Then Winter Storm Electra hit us with 18-20" of fresh pow pow, and now we're in the aftermath of a 50 degree day and an overnight ice storm. All in the span of a week. It doesn't get any more strange than that, folks.

As I'm sitting in my office at 8 a.m., we still plan to open today, but it will be delayed. There are some downed power lines across the road just after Timberline Base Lodge, and right now, traffic can't pass that point in the road. Ski Patrol and operations staff have opened Timberline Lodge for anyone trying to get up the hill this morning, and crews are on the scene now trying to fix the issue, so don't rush up here this morning, unless you just really miss sitting inside Timberline.

Once the road is cleared, we'll still need Patrol and Mountain Ops to sweep the trails and assess snow conditions before we can make a final decision on what will be open today. Until then, sit tight, enjoy an extra cup of coffee or tea or whatever tickles your fancy, and we'll have more updates for you on the snow report soon.

~Mike