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Feb. 20, 2007 Smugglers' Notch, Vermont is a Winter Vacation Wonderland! Three big mountains of skiing and snowboarding surround self-contained Resort Village. The mountains are calling! Smugglers Notch – The Number One Family Ski Resort in America! From the top of Mount Mansfield, you can see the spectacular mountain vistas of Canada, New Hampshire and New York. You can enjoy fresh powder and the very best alpine skiing Vermont has to offer. At the bottom of the mountain, you can enjoy carefully-groomed cross country skiing, snowshoeing or dog sledding trails, play in the Kids Zone, shop in the village or take a swim in one of the indoor swimming pool resorts. Nestled in the heart of the Green Mountains, family-friendly Smugglers Notch in Jeffersonville - surrounded by 3,000 acres of pristine forest – is a very special place indeed. Offering 78 trails spread out over nearly 1,000 acres on three mountains, Smugglers is a unique destination resort. If you’re looking for a great out of the way place to ski with your family, you have to try this magical mountain resort! I have good and bad memories of the mountains, the good being lots of family fun and the bad only because I broke my leg there. That was 38 years ago - and though I still have a scar and a screw in my leg - I guess you could say I put it behind me. The fun and the happy times are far more memorable than one stupid toboggan ride on a freezing cold December morning and a two-week stay in the hospital! But let me assure you, should you find yourself injured on the mountain, the ski patrol is top notch, the medical staff caring, and the near-by hospital very well-prepared for broken bones! You have to drive a little farther to get to Smuggler’s Notch, but that’s the point! Located on the other side of Stowe, it’s only 30 miles from the Canadian border and a world away from New York City. Most of the crowds hit the Vermont border and stop at Killington, Sugarbush, Mount Snow or Pico, beautiful mountains but much more populated. Smugglers Notch attracts a slightly less trendy family crowd, more content to be on a remote mountain than one with a cool reputation. I’ve been going to Smugglers Notch since I was six years old, and still today a lot of people haven’t heard of it. That’s a good thing! I’m sharing all these wonderful tidbits about this mountain resort with you as a favor to my publisher – we don’t like crowds - that’s why we travel to Smuggler Notch! When we first started going there, it was more commonly known as Madonna Mountain, there was no Smugglers in the sense that the village was under construction. We stayed at a little motel called The Highlander. It took many moons to convince my father that the village was the place to be – it was obviously more expensive to stay there – but once he gave in, there was no turning back. What a magical wonderland – when you’re in the village, you ski to and from your front door at your pleasure. It’s easy and it’s pure bliss. With Madonna Mountain rising in the middle, Morse tucked in the left and Sterling to the right, the mountain trio provides a family resort that hard to beat. The mountains are connected by trails, you can ski all day going back and forth from mountain to mountain. With fresh powder almost daily, you will love the skiing and snowboarding on the three big mountains Smuggler’s Notch has to offer. No matter what your skill level, there is terrain to match everyone’s ability. Gentle cruisers will love Morse Mountains’ welcoming trails. Morse is the smallest of the three mountains. It’s all easy fun! It’s high enough to provide a nice skiing experience, but not steep enough to be scary. Sterling Mountain has more challenging trails and accommodates experienced and skilled beginners on some trails to intermediate and advanced skiers on others. (Sterling is the home of the dreaded Black Snake, the trail that iced over that frigid cold December 1968 morning when I broke my leg!) My favorite trail is on Sterling, it winds around the edge, offering a gorgeous view of the mountain vistas. At 3,860 feet, Madonna Mountain is one of the highest peaks in Vermont and the place for the skilled intermediate and advanced skiers. The view is spectacular! Then there’s the East's only triple black-diamond trail, The Black Hole, for the most experience skiers and snowboarders. Trust me, I can’t speak of it personally, I tend to steer away from one diamond let alone three, but those who brave this exciting trail say it is the ultimate! There is also a half-pipe that is up and running with all the fresh powder that they’ve had recently. Snowboarders love this exciting mountain and its ultimate terrain parks. Regardless of your ability or age, Smugglers has a world renowned ski and snowboard school, Snow Sport University. If you’re interested in improving, the revolutionary ski school will help you take your skills to the next level. And you can try out the latest ski or snowboard equipment during your vacation at Three Mountain Equipment. Want to try something a little different on your ski vacation? Why not try cross country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding or snowmobiling! I’ve been snowmobiling many times. I don’t like to go fast, it’s more fun to me to take your time so you can enjoy the sites. Cross country skiing is a fun and gentle alternative to alpine skiing, especially when there is a lot of fresh powder. Smugglers’ offers so much more than just Alpine activities, and it’s so much fun! No matter where you go to ski, if you’re in New England, there’s a good chance you’re going to hit a day when it’s snowing too hard to ski or just too cold for comfort. Sometimes you ski half a day and want to try something else to do. And some families have some children that are old enough to enjoy a full day on the mountain and some that are not – been there and done that – and its nice to be at a place where there are many choices. I’ve spent a lot of time in the pool with the child that got too cold or was too young to ski. Instead of being bitter about it, I enjoyed the pool! Smuggler’s is known for helping families discover the joys of playing outdoors in the winter but they also have many indoor activities, ensuring everyone will have fun on their vacation. Kids of all ages love playing in the Fun Zone, the Family Entertainment and Recreation Center. And, my personal favorite, the indoor pool! We never tried this, but there is also an arts and crafts. Can you pass this up? This is the Smuggler’s Notch report for mid-February: A MAJOR SNOWSTORM is now upon us - we expect 22 to 34 inches of fresh powder by Friday, and as of 11:00 this morning 14 inches of the white stuff has fallen !!! The Smuggs Half Pipe is one of the few open in the East! We plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 7 lifts operating, including the Madonna 1 Lift and 75 of our 78 trails open with terrain for all abilities! The Zone Terrain Park is open with a flat-down rail, a down rail, a down-flat-down rail, a rainbow box, a 11 foot wall ride, a C-box, a S-box, a 16 foot long flat box, two 15 foot tables, a 20 foot table, a 25 foot table, and a 35 foot table!!! The Birch Run terrain Park is open with 24 foot long fun box, 10 foot long flat rail, battleship box, 12 foot long butter box, barrel bonk, and a 10 foot table top! The Morse Highlands Terrain Park is now open with 5 rails, 2 spines, and a table top 
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