“Quality over quantity” and “Good things come to those who wait” are the adages that come to mind when describing Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont. With the help of old-school double chairlifts that slow hill traffic to a crawl, powder days can last twice as long. There is no aggressive, hyperactive vibe in the air to rip every pow line as fast as possible. Riders can actually have time to ponder how special their last turns were, instead of all their runs blurring into a single memory. If you miss opening chair, don’t worry, fresh snow won’t be chewed up in the first hour of operation. It’s not an anomaly to find fresh lines in woods right off the lifts.  

Dealing with the doubles can be frustrating at first for people accustomed to high-speed quads. A good way to deal with the Madonna lift, which brings you to the highest point of the resort (3,640ft), is to treat it like long-distance car trip. Bring a backpack with snacks, drinks, a book, a camera (for amazing views of the notch) and maybe a Scrabble app. An extra layer might also be a good thing to pack in case exposure on the long lift rides gives you the chills. A play list consisting of Bob Marley and other reggae greats is highly recommended to keep the mood mellow while adjusting. After a few laps, a rider will get used to the slowness—the sick lines in the trees help break the addiction to high-speed chairs.  

For the more adventurous rider, there’s a well-known side-country run into the actual notch. Access the back bowl by taking the Sterling lift to the top of Sterling Mountain, heading out across Sterling Pond, and hiking up the Sterling Pond Trail. Several different drop-in points are visible from the main trail. Take heed, though—gullies, cliffs and other dangerous hazards can trap those who get greedy for pow (Vermont’s version of Big Foot is rumored to be lurking in them there woods). If there are no tracks going in a certain direction, there’s probably a reason. But getting lost isn’t much of a problem since the woods exit onto Route 108. 

For park rats that want to tweak out all day and don’t have patience for the lifts, Smuggs has you covered. Run laps on the Sterling T-bar, which brings you to the top of a park filled with kickers and rails. If you get tired of the marked parks, Smuggs has plenty of natural terrain that can keep the most addicted jibber entertained for days.  

Kids and families can also find good times. The mountain’s layout helps keep beginners away from more difficult slopes, allowing them to safely explore Morse Mountain, which consists almost entirely of green circle trails. It has only two blue squares and one small black diamond. Morse Mountain is also where the main village and condos are located.

When the lifts shut down, there are plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, ski and snowboard shops, and, of course, the Black Bear Pub. It’s said that a beer at the Black Bear is equivalent to a run on the hill, so grab a brew and swap pow stories with the locals. If you’re lucky, they might tell you about one of the many hidden pockets of pow-covered birch trees, guarded by spruce trees.