New England's Best Overall Area
Written: Dec 15 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Long interesting runs, snow, setting
Cons: Weekend morning crowds
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| __Chris__'s Full Review: Stowe |
Stowe is a combination of the best parts of New England skiing: Vermont's tallest mountain (Mansfield), high speed lifts, long continuous runs and the quintessential Vermont town.
The best part of Stowe is the long, uninterrupted nature of the runs and long, fast lifts. Take a look: the Stowe Gondola, Forerunner HS Quad, Big Spruce double and the Lookout double are all over a mile long and climb about 1700 - 2100 vertical feet. They serve runs for all abilities that go are generally over a mile long and do not have a lot of criss-crossing trails.
This is the key to Stowe.
Most other resorts have one lift that serves the entire vertical of the mountain and the other lifts just serve smaller pods of about 1000 vertical feet (Killington, Okemo, Sunday River). Not at Stowe. It's long run after long run after long run. If you stick to the Quad or Gondola you can get in a ton of vertical.
Stowe also has a lot of other thing going for it.
Snow. It gets among the most in New England. Jay gets the most, but I would expect Stowe is #2. Sugarbush tries to claim they get more, but I would chalk that up to marketing hype. Stowe also preserves its snow better because of its elevation (2000-4000 feet) and its northern exposure (with the exception of Spruce Peak which faces south and can suffer).
Classic Trails
Experts. The front four expert trails have been classics for years. Starr has the steepest headwall. Goat is the longest, narrowest and most challenging. National - steep but widened and manageable. Liftline - frequently groomed. Outside of the front four Stowe is famous for its tree skiing - some is on the map now like Tres Amigos, but look around the Gondola for some thinned out glades. Also, people will hike to the top of Mansfield when there is enough snow and ski some of the tight chutes.
Intermediates. Perry Merrill is perhaps the best cruising trail on the East Coast - 1.5 miles long, 2000 vertical, served by a nice warm Gondola. Lord, Sunrise and North Slope are also great cruisers off the Forerunner Quad but a little more narrow.
Beginers. Toll Road is the classic East Coast scenic way down for 4 miles.
Setting
Stowe is easily one of the most beautiful places in New England. From the top you can see forever - or at least Mt. Washington in NH, Killington, and hundreds of other lesser mountains.
There are some problems with Stowe. The beginner's area on Spruce Peak is located across the access road from Mt. Mansfield (where most of the intermediate/expert skiing is) and requires a shuttle bus ride. The crowds on the major lifts can be quite bad in the mornings when locals, UVM students and vacationers show up. The locals and students seem to leave around lunch. Also, their snowmaking is not quite up to par with Okemo, Sunday River and Killington, but they do get more natural snow than those areas.
Overall, skiing Stowe is a treat. University of Vermont students who can get discounted passes at a few great areas within an hour drive of Burlington (like Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, Smugglers' Notch, Jay Peak) overwhelmingly choose Stowe. You should too.
Recommended:
Yes
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__Chris__
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Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 19 members
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