Stowe
Written: Oct 01 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Trails, views, town atmosphere
Cons: Hike to lifts, too few natural snow trails
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| billm's Full Review: Stowe |
This is a great place to go when you have a few very aggressive skiers in your group but also have some people who just want to ski a few groomed supertrails and be in a quaint New England Inn by 3.
The classic Front Four trails are still a lot of fun, even if they have been widened and snowmaking has been put in. They have quite a bit of pitch and still have enough turns to be much better than the long straight steep trails like Killington's Outer Limits, which I find a little boring. Some of the steeper trails on the gondola side are also interesting and there are decent opportunities to hike and ski through the trees.
Similarly, the less difficult trails have enough character to keep interest even when you are skiing with those uninterested in Black Diamonds or other more interesting trails. The stellar views of Mt. Mansfield and the surrounding hills are visible from most trails, making this one of the more visually impressive ski areas in Vermont. On mountain food is decent but is the usual overpriced resort fare.
The lift system is decent. There is a high speed quad to the main mountain top as well as a gondola to the "Cliff House" side. The most annoying thing about the lift system is that they did not run the lifts down to the lodge, so you have a bit of a hike up to the lifts for your first run. Not the end of the world, but annoying. The chairs on the Spruce Peak side are a little old, but since they are in the sun I don't find it to be too big of a problem on nice days (which is when you'd want to be over there anyway). Things can get reasonably crowded on weekends, but that is to be expected at virtually any VT resort.
After you are done with skiing, there is still a lot to do. The aforementioned classic New England Inns are ubiquitous, as are solid restaurants, both on the access road and in town. Sitting on a nice comfortable couch with friends in front of a roaring fire is a common (and fun) way to spend an evening after skiing.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
billm
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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