Stowe

Photo credit: Stowe Resort

Stowe

The self-proclaimed Beast of the East exceeds mere regional boasting. Stowe Resort sports four of the toughest slopes in New England (dubbed the Front Four); its high-speed lifts keep the lines moving and the trails empty; its slopes range from sharp-angle blacks to gentle cruisers; and its glade runs alone make this place worthy of weeklong exploration. Better still, the no-frills atmosphere and down-to-earth amenities mean that there’s little to get in the way of you and the piste.

The resort is divided into two mountains: The majority of the resort's 48 runs criss-cross 4,393-foot Mount Mansfield, the state's tallest peak. Head to the timber-constructed Mount Mansfield Lodge for rentals and lift tickets, then trudge up a short hill to reach the base, where you can choose from three lifts. The Mountain Triple deposits you roughly midway up Mansfield's western ridge, with access to a slew of groomed blues and a couple meandering green slopes. Moving east from the Mountain Triple, the Lookout Double leapfrogs further up the ridgeline, putting a few of the mountain's more serious black runs within reach, along with a wider expanse of blue cruisers. North Slope—the first to open and the last to close, and one of the few with snowmaking—is a delight, especially if the mountain has experienced a dearth of natural snowfall.

To reach the Front Four—National, Lift Line, Goat, and the mogul minefield of Starr—board the high-speed FourRunner Quad. These runs are largely responsible for Stowe's rep as an expert's mountain, and they deliver. The quad also puts you at the top of a meandering green run known as Toll Road, the high entry points to blues. The summit makes for a spectacular observation point—Lake Champlain, the Adirondacks, and Mount Washington are visible on a clear day. The quad also accesses the marked glade runs—Tres Amigos off Hayride, the Lookout Glades, and the glades spreading from Rimrock. And if you can handle a 35-minute uphill trudge, the experienced can reach Mansfield's Chin and drop into glades that typically house the fluffy stuff long after the rest of the mountain has been skied off. From the FourRunner Quad, you can take Rimrock across the valley into the small stretch of slopes fed by the eight-person gondola, including the blue cruiser Perry Merrill, the bump-and-grind Chin Clip, and Gondolier, a smooth blue that ferries most of the skiers and 'boarders who take the gondola.

Spruce Peak, just a short shuttle ride from Mansfield (either from the base lodge or the gondola base), is prime beginner and intermediate terrain. The mountain has only one black—Whirlaway, via the Big Spruce Double—but there are loads of fun blues like Main Street and Smugglers, along with copious glade skiing between the marked slopes. This is an ideal spot for families, and also houses the resort's Children's Adventure Center.

Use the sun as your guide to skiing Stowe—especially if fate deposits you on the slopes on a sub-zero day. Stick to the western slopes of Mansfield in the morning and slowly migrate east. This approach will keep you in the sunlight and also prime your legs for a midday assault on the Front Four. Then, as the sun drops below the western ridge, migrate over to the gondola until the shadows encroach—which signals the time for one last run before taking a quick shuttle over to Spruce Peak, whose south-facing slopes stay bathed in golden sunshine until the lifts stop running.

Stowe is also one of the best places for snowboarding, a groomer’s preference half-based on the legendary Learn to Board program held by the resort in consort with Stowe local and ‘boarding pioneer Jeff Burton. Participants use specially-designed “trainer” equipment and are guaranteed to be able to link turns by the end of the first day, fueling countless lifelong mountain addictions soon after.

Back to: Vermont Skiing

• Ascutney Mountain
• Bromley
• Burke Mountain
• Jay Peak
• Killington
• Mad River Glen
• Mount Snow
• Okemo
• Smuggler's Notch
• Stowe
• Sugarbush