Stowe 2-6-2011

[deadheadskier]

Date(s) Skied: Sunday, February 6th, 2011

Resort or Ski Area: Stowe Mountain

Conditions: 10 inches of dense Powder overnight, windy up top, poor visibility at times

Trip Report:

Woke up in Stowe to 10 inches of heavy dense Pow. Anticipation was high from the night before as I haven't caught a powder day at Stowe the past couple of years I've been up. As a former resident, my trips there are planned around social events (in this case a Superbowl party) as they are around the skiing. Lucked out this time.

A quick call at 6:30 this morning revealed they would be starting the day on windhold except for the triple, but would open up all lifts eventually throughout the day. If you've never been to Stowe on a weekend powder, people line up for the quad often as early as 7AM for the 7:30 opening. I figured I'd get there just a hair later than normal and wait for the Quad. Bad move. I pulled into the lot at 7:20 and the Quad was sending up it's first riders.

I booted up quickly and headed to the ticket window. Only 1 window open outside and 1 inside, both with 30 people at it. I waited almost 25 minutes just to buy a ticket. To me, this is unacceptable for Stowe. They market and price themselves as the elite destination in the east. With that a certain level of service is expected. Everyone in line was furious.

Anyways, 15 minute wait in the singles line and I was on my way.

Started my day out on Lookout. Maybe a dozen or so folks had hit prior, so still plenty of untracked:

Over to Enterprise next where I did score first tracks:

Into Hayride woods next.

I did a few runs in the Hayride/Lookout/Starr woulds area from the double. People are strange. After a 3 minute wait when it first opened, the double was basically ski on. Yet, I'd estimate the line in the Quad at 25 minutes for groups, 15 for singles.

They started testing the Gondola and I was told about an hour until it opened. So, headed over for a couple of runs on Big Spruce. Got back a bit late as the line was stacking up, but only 10 or so minutes before I was on the lift.

Spent the next couple of hours playing out in the notch:

Heading up to one of the gullies out there. Hard to tell from the photo, but it drops off real steep.

Looking back up

Last run of the day was back into Lookout Woods. pretty played out by 1:30PM, but so were my legs from working the heavy snow. It was a powder day no doubt, but definitely tough skiing.

View across the parking lot of the HGTV dream home. As it turns out a friend of a friend will be the listing agent for the property should one of you lucky folks win it. So far there have been 44 million entries. He advised to take the house and sell it as opposed to go for the cash. Claims it will sell for 3 million easy.
This makes sense as a regular where I bartended in Stowe owned the house that was there prior. He sold it to the mountain for 1.8 million for them to tear it down and build the HGTV dream home.

Give the day a solid 9. Even though the snow was heavy, it was pretty fantastic.

 

[billski]

Lucky you! It's great you scored.

You bought your ticket at the Mansfield Soup Kitchen/Ghetto Lodge right? IMO, priority is being given to the whole Spruce peak complex. You probably would have been better off parking at Spruce, getting your ticket inside at the bank of ten cashiers, then take the Transfer Gondi and doing a little hustle over to the quad.

"Hard to tell from the photo, but it drops off real steep." I wish camera companies would do something about this, or at least coach us on how to take a shot with perspective. I think you'd have to be off trail in the woods to get a perspective shot.

p.s., Nice shots. Those smooth lines won't be there by the weekend!

 

[deadheadskier]

That will be my plan next time. Still doesn't make it right. If the Quad is the early lift, guess where everyone is going to start their day on a powder day? The Mansfield base. What they should do is have all of their employees fill up those booths on a Powder day and then have them take the transfer lift back over to Spruce. Put the inconvenience on the staff not the customer.

 

[RootDKJ]

Lucky you! It's great you scored.

You bought your ticket at the Mansfield Soup Kitchen/Ghetto Lodge right? IMO, priority is being given to the whole Spruce peak complex. You probably would have been better off parking at Spruce, getting your ticket inside at the bank of ten cashiers, then take the Transfer Gondi and doing a little hustle over to the quad.

I did this twice while I was there. It's a pretty nice option, close parking, free lockers,

 

[billski]

That will be my plan next time. Still doesn't make it right. If the Quad is the early lift, guess where everyone is going to start their day on a powder day? The Mansfield base. What they should do is have all of their employees fill up those booths on a Powder day and then have them take the transfer lift back over to Spruce. Put the inconvenience on the staff not the customer.

I heard from a little birdie that the Spruce development has not taken off as they had hoped (surprise, surprise), losing money and are deeply discounting their rooms. Consequentially the local inns are suffering significantly, large and small alike. Apparently they also renigged on a promise not to open a restaurant there (I'm surprised they even made such a promise). Bottom line implied is that they are trying to jack up traffic over there and hope the money will come. That said, to me, there is little money in the pockets over at the M. base lodge.

 

[Black Phantom]

That will be my plan next time. Still doesn't make it right. If the Quad is the early lift, guess where everyone is going to start their day on a powder day? The Mansfield base. What they should do is have all of their employees fill up those booths on a Powder day and then have them take the transfer lift back over to Spruce. Put the inconvenience on the staff not the customer.

Do they sell tickets the night prior for the following day?

 

[billski]

Do they sell tickets the night prior for the following day?

Never heard of it, but you never know. You can often buy a liftopia ticket and save $0.01 (or a buck), but you still need to go to a guest services counter some place to pick it up. It only solves the payment issue, but you may have to show ID. The only other spin I can think of is a multi day.

It's too bad the Stowe Points Card (free to ski club members) doesn't have a direct to lift option. You have to go to a cashier for that too.

 

[deadheadskier]

I heard from a little birdie that the Spruce development has not taken off as they had hoped (surprise, surprise), losing money and are deeply discounting their rooms. Consequentially the local inns are suffering significantly, large and small alike. Apparently they also renigged on a promise not to open a restaurant there (I'm surprised they even made such a promise). Bottom line implied is that they are trying to jack up traffic over there and hope the money will come. That said, to me, there is little money in the pockets over at the M. base lodge.

maybe this is true for hotel room rentals. I know first hand from the top that the real estate over there is doing incredibly well.

If the attendance in the Performing Arts Center is an indicator of hotel business, than perhaps they are hurting. Only 60 or so people in the 400+ capacity theater for Stanley Jordan.

All of my friends in town claimed their businesses were having the best season in several years.

Do they sell tickets the night prior for the following day?

I will investigate this for the next time. Still think they should staff better knowing the history of what the Mansfield base does for business on a weekend powder day.

 

[billski]

maybe this is true for hotel room rentals..

That's what I'm talking about, sorry for the misleading info. More acutely it's lodging with accompanying restaurants which depend on the leveraged dining. Most especially the largest ones.

 

[deadheadskier]

Solstice is doing 'okay' from what I gather.

People who know quality food are going to venture out to Hen of the Wood or Michaels. Deer Valley clientele is still going to Deer Valley, not Stowe. That's not to say there aren't uber rich people there as there are, but I think the Mountain would do better by making their F&B outlets more casual and fun.

Fine dining is dead. People want fun, creative, comfortable and affordable. That's the trend in cities, so Stowe should follow that.

 

[ccskier]

Solstice is doing 'okay' from what I gather.

People who know quality food are going to venture out to Hen of the Wood or Michaels. Deer Valley clientele is still going to Deer Valley, not Stowe. That's not to say there aren't uber rich people there as there are, but I think the Mountain would do better by making their F&B outlets more casual and fun.

Fine dining is dead. People want fun, creative, comfortable and affordable. That's the trend in cities, so Stowe should follow that.

Sorry we missed eachother. I also had a good morning there. My legs were shot being day #2 of the year and only lasted until noon and got there at 9. You are totally right Ryan, fine dining is dead. Even look at Topnotch, Norma's/buttertub is all there is now, no more Maxwells.