Dec. 31

Temp: base 25 summit 18.
Wind: pretty calm.
Snow: 6 inches of nice, relatively light snow - carved up by 8:00 a.m. it's nowing still and somewhat wet, but the skiing is excellent!
Other: minimal lift lines as of 9:00 a.m. you can ski right up to the ticket checker. they are making snow on hayride and lift line and national are ungroomed with powder and moguls. skiing in the woods should be real nice with that hard base, just don't get too aggressive and break through the crusty areas. nosedive is groomed and skiing very well. get up there! what are you waiting for?

Dec. 30

Temp: base 28 summit 18.
Wind: winds around 10 mph this morning, then becoming calmer.
Snow: there is some fresh snow coming our way again tomorrow. it's supposed to start tonight and continue through the day tomorrow. up to 7 inches by the time it's done. this should freshen conditions at stowe considerably.

Dec. 29

Temp: base 30 summit 27.
Wind: breezy on the mtn. today with a south wind near 20 mph.
Snow: 3-5 inches in the last 24 hours with a chance of snow continuing through the day.

Dec. 28

10:55 a.m. 5-6 new inches are skiing divine. liftline is groomed, standard is beautiful - packed powder. it's a bit windy on top, but not terrible. lift lines are to the end of the rope, estimated at 7 min. sun is peeking out of the clouds.
7:35 a.m.
Temp: base 25, summit 32.
Wind: blustery and blowing.
Snow: there is some new snow this morning. it's wet, but there isn't much of it so the skiing should be good.
Outlook: the top of the mountain is in the clouds, the wind is blowing hard and it's sleeting - the skiing will be good if you can brave it though. it's warm and the wind is expected to die down as the day goes on. not sure about the precipitation, it could go either way - meaning snow or rain. tonight the chance of snow/sleet is 100 percent and they're calling for 3-7 inches across high terrain.

Dec. 27

10 a.m.
Temp: base 23, summit 27.
Wind: calm.
Snow: they got the grooming right today. skiing is much improved. slightly warmer temperatures have softened a hard layer. the woods, well as you can imagine - not too sweet. skied out, variable...wait for some new snow.
Outlook: we're supposed to get four inches tonight.

Dec.26

8:53 a.m.
Temp: base 22, summit 24.
Wind: calm.
Snow: a combination of frozen to loose granular on the groomers with slicker, harder stuff underneath. kind of a jaw gripping experience. we could definitely use some snow, be it real or fake. luckily, we have an 80, 80 forecast for thursday and friday; that is, an 80 percent chance of precipitation both night. think snow.
Outlook: take joy in skiing with friends and family to overcome the trying conditions up there. either that, or sharpen your edges and let it rip.

The weekend outlook

8:15 a.m.
Temp: base 19, summit 16.
Wind: little wind.
Snow: in the past 48 ours Stowe has received a good 8 inches, but no new snow today. warm temps yesterday have compacted the snow a little and made the surface more dense - very nice for carving. so far, we've had 10 feet of snow and today is just the first day of winter! unreal.
Outlook: there doesn't seem to be a way around it. sunday, forecasters are calling for rain. perhaps up to 3/4 of an inch of it. this is a tremendous bummer, but it won't significantly affect the snowpack. most of it will be absorbed, and it is supposed to switch over to snow on Sunday night.
Monday, there is a 60 percent chance of snow, with a high of 17 degrees. it might be breezy with gusts up to 40 mph.
Christmas day is supposed to be sunny with a high of 22 degrees. yippee!

Temp: base 29, summit 27.
Wind: little wind.
Snow: a light scrim of freshies. flurries. extensive grooming overnight.
Other: very nice skiing; a little visibility due to patchy fog, but the moutain company laid down nice groomed carpet all over the place. the bumps, steeps and trees are still powdery and fun. no crowds.

Dec. 20

Temp: base 25, summit 20.
Wind: not windy, really.
Snow: about 4 inches of velvety new snow fell last night and it's still lightly snowing at the mountain.
Other: the skiing is excellent right now. the quad and gondola are running. it might be the nicest day of the whole week.

Dec. 19

Temp: base 17, summit 15.
Wind: calm.
Snow: a dusting last night with more snow in the forecast for later today. they say up to four inches by morning.
Other: groomers are in great condition, very fun skiing. it's been warmer than it has been in a while, but with snow on the way the air is a bit damp. upper nosedive is closed for snowmaking.

Dec. 18

Temp: base 6, summit 4.
Wind: calm.
Snow: no new snow today, but there's plenty. lots of terrain open today.
Other: the sun was blazing this morning, but it just slipped behind an ominous layer of cloud making it a bit more frigid than it already was.
the groomers are in amazing shape. cold, dry snow is making for arcable skiing and riding. beware the wind-blown powder on nosedive and some of the un-groomed terrain is a little crusty.

Erica MacConnell and Sarah Wilde contributed to this report from the Octagon.

Dec. 17

9:30 a.m.**The mountain triple is now running. other lifts are on hold.**
8:42 a.m.**Lifts are on hold due to high winds at Stowe**
Temp: base 10, summit 2.
Wind: gusty, up to 20 mph or so.
Snow: yes. the storm left a total of just under two feet of decent, not-too-heavy snow. 22 inches, but since the wind picked up overnight expect drifting.
Other: dress warm, because the wind is supposed to pick up, we may even get a few more inches of snow. it's a northwest wind, as he storm pulls away from us. as usual with this kind of storm, the wind will be ripping through the notch.

Temp: base 5, summit -2.
Wind: calm.
Snow: two, or so, new inches of snow this morning with more snow on the way sunday. 100 percent chance. packed powder conditions all over. skiing is very excellent.
Other: the temperatures today are very cold. watch for frosbitten toes and noses. as the storm moves in temperatures are expected to rise, but not too much. that means more light, fluffy snow is on the way!

Dec. 14

Temp: base 26, summit 17.
Wind: none.
Snow: it's lightly snowing at the mountain at 10:18 a.m. and happy people are enjoying 7-10 inches of fresh new powder at Stowe today. That's on top of the 3 inches we got the day before last, making for lovely, powdery PRE-CHRISTMAS conditions. Pinch us, somebody!
Other: Get yourself up to the mountain ASAP!

Dec. 13

Temp: base 5, summit 3.
Wind: gentle puffs near the summit, but calm at the base.
Snow: no new accumulation overnight, but frigid temperatures made for firm conditions on the groomed slopes.
Other: The quad and gondola are running today and the groomers off of each are in great shape. The gondola is the best way to escape the biting cold, but the long groomed out runs like Lord and Northslope off the quad are well worth the cold ride. A down coat, neck warmer and a pair of hot packs for the hands are the way to go today!

Photo by Jesse Schloff

Dec. 12

Temp: base 31, summit 25 F
Wind: wind is blowing from the northwest, strong at times
Snow: 4-6 inches fell last night, but this time instead of light, fluffy dry snow, Stowe got a dose of the heavy, wet stuff.
Other: The quad and gondola are running today. Dress warm, the temperature is expected to fall throughout the day.

Dec. 11

Temp: base 25, summit 16 F
Wind: some gusts, with clam between.
Snow: no new snow today, but warmer temperatures have made the snow more dense than it has been in a while.
Light: cloud cover, but the light is not flat.
Other: the groomers are fun because the snow has more moisture in it and it holds you up when you put whatever you're riding on edge. the trails that haven't been groomed are variable with a mix of soft snow filling in wind-packed moguls. still very fun, it just requires more attentiveness. the forecast is calling for 4-7 inches tonight. the general consensus is: still terrific early-season conditions. think snow!

Dec. 10

Temp: base - 16, summit - 10 F
Wind: none to speak of
Snow: an inch or two of new snow (light and dry) on top of packed powder. western-like ski conditions mountain-wide. really good skiing and riding.
Other: As of 9:45 a.m. the quad was not running. It came to a clunking halt at 8:20 a.m. Riders hustled over the the gondola where they waited for it to open, and took runs down Chin Clip and Perry Merrill. Gondolier was closed with snowmaking.
Some people were stuck on the lift for around 40 minutes, but the lift crew managed to get them off and started work on the lift. There was no word as to how long the quad would be closed for. The Lookout Double was running instead.