The weather forecasters got it wrong this week and rather than a few inches of snow Sunday into Monday, The Valley’s high peaks saw 14-15 inches through Monday morning and then it snowed off and on through Wednesday, causing Sugarbush’s trail count to soar to the highest in the East and leaving hundreds of people without power, some as long as Wednesday, November 29, as The Valley Reporter went to press.
Schools in the Harwood Unified Union School District were closed Monday, December 27. Travel was dicey and both interstates 91 and 89 were closed due to crashes.
Green Mountain Power restored power to most local customers by Monday night or Tuesday morning. Washington Electric Co-op was still working to restore power to customers in Duxbury (Ward Hill Road, Sunrise Avenue, Route 100, Freeman Hill Road) Fayston (Castle Road) Moretown (Side Road, Bruce Drive, Jones Brook Road, Moretown Mountain Road, Roberts Ramble Road, Hathaway Road, Longley Road, Devils Washbowl Road, Corey’s Drive, Cobb Hill Road, South Hill Road) and eight customers in Waitsfield at the end of South Hill Road.
Mad River Glen received 17 to 23 inches of snow from Sunday through Wednesday morning and general manager Matt Lillard said the resort was watching conditions carefully, but still planning on a December 9 opening day.
At Sugarbush, communications director John Bleh said that the resort had four trails open on Sunday and 26 by Tuesday. Sugarbush is offering top to bottom skiing as of Tuesday and the ropes dropped Wednesday morning on Stein’s, The Mall, Upper Paradise, and Lower Birdland bringing the trail count to 30. Sugarbush is reporting over 2 feet of snow in the last week.
