Smuggs is the second to last Vermont mountain to cross off my to-ski list (leaving only Bromley). As I was driving yesterday morning through a series of Pocono-esque hills and 60s-era suburbs (not what you expect from atmospheric northern VT) from my hotel in Burlington, I was wondering why it gets so little coverage from the online forum crowd. I got my first slap of culture shock when I found myself following a long line of mini-vans driven by soccer moms and dads. Then, with a 2-for-1 coupon in my hand, I sat in front of the ticket window for, no joke, 20 minutes before finding someone to split it with me. Virtually everyone is there on a multi-day family deal, so there's very little daytrip business, I guess. Compare that to the 15 seconds it took me to find someone at Jay to buy a half-price ticket the day before.
While it's all about families at Smuggs (almost suffocating at times, and I'm a parent), the terrain really impressed me: a legitimate 2,600 verts covered by old-school EC trails with lots of character, some steep shots, and skiable trees everywhere. Smuggs reminded me of a bigger version of Magic Mountain, including the outdated infrastructure: old double chairs and an undersized, uncomfortable lodge at the bottom of the main hill. I can deal with slow lifts, but I was scratching my head the entire day trying to figure out how they've not had to face a mutiny from a target demographic that insists on a certain level of amenities (high-speed lifts and a decent day lodge).
Conditions were similar to Jay on Saturday: the trees were soft and the on-piste trails were very crunchy (once again, the rain from two weeks ago did a huge amount of damage). I'd love to go back there when the snow is in better shape.
While it's all about families at Smuggs (almost suffocating at times, and I'm a parent), the terrain really impressed me: a legitimate 2,600 verts covered by old-school EC trails with lots of character, some steep shots, and skiable trees everywhere. Smuggs reminded me of a bigger version of Magic Mountain, including the outdated infrastructure: old double chairs and an undersized, uncomfortable lodge at the bottom of the main hill. I can deal with slow lifts, but I was scratching my head the entire day trying to figure out how they've not had to face a mutiny from a target demographic that insists on a certain level of amenities (high-speed lifts and a decent day lodge).
Conditions were similar to Jay on Saturday: the trees were soft and the on-piste trails were very crunchy (once again, the rain from two weeks ago did a huge amount of damage). I'd love to go back there when the snow is in better shape.
