Where to ski: Stowe V.T.

Stowe, I can’t say enough about this place but seeing as how this is supposed to be an informative piece of literature I’ll try and keep it short. Stowe, Go. Seriously. Whenever people ask me where to ski, I recommend Stowe Mountain Resort.

How to Ski Stowe Mountain Resort.

Stowe is located on Mount Mansfield the highest peak (4395 ft.) in Vermont. I started going to Stowe when I was about 7 or 8 years old and haven’t stopped since. Leisurely Easter weekends of spring skiing turned into late season point’s races at the Sugar Slalom with free buckets of pickles and troughs filled with fresh Vermont Maple Syrup, drizzled on top of corn snow. Now we’re back to Leisurely Easter weekends, of seemingly endless bump runs and epic tree stashes.

I usually start my day by hopping on the Four Runner Quad and taking a run down Nosedive which starts out as a consistent black and mellows out into a blue. The trail is nice and wide and is a really good way to get the legs warmed up. Depending on the time of year and how much snow there is, I like to jump into the trees a.s.a.p. and the Tres Amigos Glade is a great way to do so. Access to the Tres Amigos Glade is easily found off skiers left on Upper Hayride. If its springtime and there’s still a significant amount of snow left on the natural trails, the mid to lower section of goat can be a thrilling, narrow, New England-style bump run.

If you’re looking for a change of pace or something more mellow, follow Sunrise, a nice meandering blue from the top of the Four Runner Quad. If you’re looking to continue to keep it on the lax side of things, continue down Gultch or Lower Lord, otherwise jump onto Hackett’s Highway, the double black run, underneath The Mountain Triple, where you’ll find a few super fun drops and be sure to get some hoots from some of the UVM’ers lappin’ the park.

Speaking of the park, Stowe knows how to make one, a really good one actually and Tyro is where you’ll find it. Full of killer, creative features from top to bottom there is some serious talent to be found riding through these hits and rails. I have had some of my best spring days in this place building confidence, style and skill. The park is not the only place you’ll find good skiers and riders, Stowe is loaded with winter folk who know exactly what they’re doing, the place has an aura of skill to it for sure.

Over on the gondola is a great selection of blues to choose from. Be prepared, just because it’s a blue does not mean you can’t rip down some of these bad boys, such as Perry Merrill. Also from the top of the gondola is Chin Clip, a windy top to bottom black that is sure to melt some muscle. 

Not everyone is an expert and we all have to start somewhere, so why not Spruce Peak? Spruce Peak is the family oriented hill across the street, made up of mostly blue and green runs. Over the past few seasons Stowe has installed a gondola connecting the two base areas together making it much easier to connect with others when needed. There have also been massive improvements made to the lodging area at the base of Spruce, making for an entirely awesome overall family experience.

If your muscles feel like they went through a meat grinder and you’re legs refuse to make another turn, it might be time to gear up for your après which is a killer time in this land of winter. First up is the Matterhorn, literally the first place you’ll see as you head down 108. If you dare stray away from the blue ribbon, try a Switchback, it’s almost a guarantee they’ll have it on tap. As much of a good place for an après occasion as it is for dinner, The Matterhorn boasts a super fresh sushi bar along with a brick oven for some of the best pizza you’ll come across in The Green Mountain State. Further down 108 is The Rusty Nail, I once caught a killer Allman Brothers cover band here, a nice setting to get after it.

So it’s not the shortest blog I have written, and I could go on, but you should just go…go Stowe…get Stowked.