Jeffersonville, VT (Monday, July 29, 2002) - Northern Vermont's Smugglers' Notch Resort has announced several improvements for the 2002-2003 winter season.

Topping the upgrades, so to speak, will be a lowering of the Madonna I chair's summit station. The lift profile has been lowered to screen the chairs from wind, a frequent hindrance to Madonna I's operation. In addition, a new drive motor and hydraulic tensioning top unload station will provide a smoother ride and more comfortable access to the summit. Smuggs states that their desire to preserve Madonna's classic New England trails led to the lift upgrades and
maintenance of the ski/ride experience it serves, rather than to replace the chair with one boasting a greater uphill capacity.

Resort spokesperson Barbara Thomke put things in perspective. "We're spending half a million dollars on the project, so it's a major upgrade, not a little fix."

The project will include dropping the top terminal by ten feet and lowering the towers from mid-station on up in an effort to keep the chairs out of the wind. The top station will become a bullwheel unload, shifting the wheel further from the opposite side of the summit ridge.

Not to be left out, the resort's Sterling Mountain will receive some summer spending as well. A new post and beam warming house will greet skiers and riders on the top of Sterling. The attractive wooden structure with banks of large windows and a cupola for additional natural light will befriend summiters with warmth, views and a place to reenergize. The new Top of the Notch is located on the same footprint of the previous structure.

Smuggler's Notch will lower the lift towers and summit station on the upper half of the Madonna I chair. (Photo: Marc Guido)

A new 5400 sq.ft. Treasures Child Care Center will accommodate Smugglers' youngest guests (six weeks to six years old) from 8:30 a.m. until­ 4:30 p.m. daily, beginning in December 2002. Treasures eclipses the barely 15 year-old current facility by adding many salient features: radiant floor heating, remote access cameras, heated snowmelt walkways, ski-in and ski-out convenience, easy drop off and pick up, and a 4,000 sq. ft. outdoor playground. The center is fully licensed by the State of Vermont and will continue to be staffed by 20 trained and experienced care givers. Babysitting, Parents Night Out and other child care services will be staged from
Treasures.

The Madonna I chair won't be the only thing to be lowered in Jeffersonville this summer. Smugglers' will also lower the age barriers of conventional snowboard camps this season by inviting four and five year-olds to the newly formed Discovery Dynamos Snowboard Camp. Smugglers' states that the resort has seen increased interest by this age group and is responding with a program to specifically cater to this younger set of guests. The all-day camp will mirror the close child-to-instructor ratio of the Discovery Ski Camp (ages 3-5).

Teen Alley will also be added as the resort's second teen center. The facility debuts to serve the 13-15 age group with all the amenities teens have mentioned to the resort that they enjoy: Internet access, Playstation 2, X Box, and video games. Teen Alley will sport couches, a soda/beverages bar with stools, plus music and a dance floor in a club-like atmosphere. And just outside the door is the new Snow Deck Park. Both Teen Alley and Outer Limits Teen Center (for ages 16 and older) are supervised, but rule out parent visits.

Finally, visitors to Smuggs this winter will be greeted by a new rental center and other village amenities. The rental shop will be transformed by doubling the floor space into a new facility called Three Mountain Equipment Rental. The new space will also house increased inventory of Rossignol skis and Burton LTR and Cruzer snowboards, a retail outlet for hard goods, an accessories shop, high-end demo ski and board products, and on-site lift ticket and lesson purchase. The Snow Sports University is moving into new and larger quarters and the Village Operations Center was expanded to increase the range of housekeeping and maintenance services. Capital improvements to enhance the ski and ride experience as well as the total vacation experience at Smugglers' Notch will top $3.3 million dollars this season.