NEWS

Stella brings smiles to skiers, ski resorts

Elizabeth Murray
Free Press Staff Writer
John Madden of Shelburne waits for his ski buddy Wednesday morning, March 15, 2017. With Stella still dumping snow throughout Vermont, Madden was heading to Sugarbush Resort with his two daughters.


Ski resorts are reaping the benefits of massive amounts of fresh powder after snow storm Stella dumped feet of snow Tuesday and Wednesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, snow storm Stella passed the accumulation total from a 1969 storm and became the second biggest storm ever for Burlington, according to the National Weather Service.

Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Jay Peak in Jay and Stowe Mountain Resort reported Wednesday having 100 percent of their trails open, while Bolton Valley Ski Resort reported that 100 percent of trails would be open by Friday. All the resorts expect an influx of visitors during the rest of the week and through the weekend.

Burlington has received 30.4 inches of snow as of 11 p.m. , the National Weather Service said Wednesday. About 2 to 5 inches are expected to fall by the day's end, said Meteorologist Marlon Verasamy. The biggest storm ever to hit Burlington was Jan. 3, 2010, where the city recorded receiving 35.3 inches of snow, Verasamy said. The now-third biggest storm occurred on Dec. 25-28, 1969.

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According to Jay Peak spokesperson J.J. Toland, the resort's hotel is full through the weekend. The resort was already at 85 percent capacity because of Ontario mid-winter break this week, but snow storm Stella brought the resort up to capacity. By late morning, the storm dumped about 42 inches of snow at the resort, and Toland said he expected another 8 to 10 inches to fall by the day's end.

Sugarbush Resort skiers needed snorkels Wednesday, March 15, 2017, after nor'easter Stella dumped more than two feet, possibly even three feet in the mountains of Vermont.

"I'm currently on a housekeeping team," Toland said. "This storm has caused the phones to ring off the hook to where we're 100 percent right on through Sunday right now. It's still snowing. ... It's all-hands-on-deck. Our (general manager) is currently cooking burgers and frying french fries. It is 'snowmageddon.'"

Toland described skiing conditions as "chokingly deep," and warned visitors to keep an eye on their children. He said the slopes are "nothing but powder."

"You can't even hear the trail beneath your skis," Toland said. "It's beautiful."

Toland said the storm brings the season accumulation total to 428 inches so far for Jay Peak, and he predicted people would "easily be skiing into May."

"This will set us up for an epic spring," Toland said. "This is tracking to be one of our best winters."

Bolton Valley Ski Resort is expecting this weekend to be one of its busiest weekends this year after the resort received about 44 inches of snow by 3 p.m., said spokesman Tucker Myhre. He said the resort is also busy because of the Ontario vacation week, but he expects to see more visitors Thursday through Sunday.

"The last month has been a dystopia of rain and warm temps, and now for this to come through and pan out like this, it's fantastic," Myhre said.

Myhre said trail groomers were also working to keep up with the large amounts of snow. Snow was falling so quickly during the storm that already groomed trails looked like they had not been touched, he said.

"You were making your own path," Myhre said.

Myhre said he thought driving conditions and the need for childcare with schools closed kept some people away from the resort Wednesday.

Sugarbush Resort had also received about 2 feet of snow as of late Wednesday morning, which has allowed the resort to open its remaining trails to reach 100 percent of its terrain. Spokesman John Bleh, who spoke to the Burlington Free Press after taking a ski run himself on Castle Rock, said he hadn't skied in snow so deep in years.

Bleh said he expects the resort will see a higher-than-usual number of visitors for March.

"It's pretty busy up here, but our estimates are that the weekend will be busy, and the next two days," Bleh said. "We think people will duck out early and take a couple extra days."

At Stowe, about 34 inches of snow had fallen as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, and it was still snowing heavily, said spokesman Jeff Wise. The resort was also booked at 100 percent as many had flocked to the mountain Monday in anticipation of the storm. He said the light and dry snow that fell during the storm is highly desired.

The blizzard warning was downgraded Wednesday morning to a winter storm warning limited to to eastern and southern Franklin, Orleans, Essex, Lamoille, Caledonia, Washington, eastern Chittenden, eastern Addison, and eastern Rutland counties until 8 p.m. Wednesday. The rest of the state was under a winter weather advisory.

Higher terrain was expected to see an additional 6 to 12 inches of snow Wednesday.

Many schools in around the state remained closed, including most schools in Chittenden County.

Most of the state, including Rutland, Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orleans and Essex counties, were still classified as having "difficult" driving conditions, according to 511 Vermont. The rest of the state was classified as having "fair" road conditions.

A National Weather Service alert stated that accumulating snow had generally ended across the region, with just some lingering lighter snow showers or flurries.

"Many roads remain snow covered, with localized blowing and drifting snow," the alert stated. "Leave some extra time if traveling this afternoon into this evening." 

Burlington also extended its parking ban to Wednesday night. 

Air service at Burlington International Airport began to get back to normal around 10 a.m., said Aviation Director Gene Richards. As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, all four departures that had been scheduled before 10 a.m. had been cancelled. The only arrival before 10 a.m. was also listed as cancelled. Richards said his staff worked hard to keep runways clean without using chemicals.

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Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.