Stowe Mid March

[jimmywilson69]

Can you ski stowe on a smuggs ticket? Or are you saying ski up hike over poach a run down and buy a day ticket at Stowe?

That's sounds like something I'd do, but probably wouldn't work so well with my family...

 

[deadheadskier]

No they are separate areas.

I haven't done it in a long time, but the policy used to be they'd allow you one trip back up from the other mountain; they'd punch a hole in your ticket. If you tried to cheat the system, they'd make you buy a full day ticket.

 

[jimmywilson69]

What's the hike like between the two? I have looked at it on google earth, and they are close.

 

[BenedictGomez]

What's the hike like between the two? I have looked at it on google earth, and they are close.

It's very easy. And by very, I mean even a relatively beginner skier can do it.

All you're doing is skiing over Sterling Pond on top of the mountain, so there's a bit of cross country skiing involved, but I doubt it's much more than 1/4 mile it's so close. If you keep your speed up you can make it a good way over before you need to skate. I used to work at Stowe and have a seasons pass at Smuggs so I did this quite a bit.



EDIT: And deadheadskier is exactly right about the policy (at least that's the way it was from 97-03). But since your actual intent is to ski at Stowe and buy a ticket at the bottom, you should be fine. It's a neat experience, and I'm surprised how few people do it. IMO, I think it's just because so few even know they can do it.

 

[jimmywilson69]

Since we are likely to stay in stowe, I may try this.

Should I call Smuggs and ask about it or plead ignorance?

 

[BenedictGomez]

Since we are likely to stay in stowe, I may try this.

Should I call Smuggs and ask about it or plead ignorance?

Sure, honestly is the best policy I guess. But it used to be perfectly legal to do as long as you had access to both mountains, so I cant imagine why it would be different now. You'll come out on top of Sterling Mountain at Smuggs and ski down and buy a Smuggs tic. No big deal. And it really is very easy skiing so I wouldnt worry about your family, it's genuinely green circle (flat) terrain.

 

[RISkier]

I don't know much about the Stowe/Smuggs connection but the Sensation Quad at Stowe does not go as high as the old double. I'm quite certain that going from Stowe to Smuggs you need to hike up. And at least from folks I've talked with I don't think there are any between resort agreements. I know they used to let folks do a lift ride up but I'm not at all sure that's the case anymore. I'm also pretty sure that if you're going to do it you should do it without asking. I'm pretty sure if you ask you'll be told no from both Stowe and Smuggs.

 

[deadheadskier]

Just so we are clear, you would need to buy lift tickets to both areas. The 'one up' option is for coming back, not going to. You can't just show up at the Big Spruce lift and say you are heading to Smuggs. The only way that might be possible is if you pre-bought your Smuggs tickets. Keep in mind, you'd have to hoof it over to the Big Spruce lift as I don't believe there is parking over there anymore.

It is very easy getting too and from both areas. Only possible kink in the plan is if we have a warm March, it might not be save to cross Sterling Pond. I used to do the loop almost daily. My favorite 'BC' skiing is in the Notch accessed from the top of Spruce. We used to play dumb. We'd get in line at Sterling at Smuggs and if they didn't punch our Stowe ticket (actually we had passes so we had to go inside to customer service at Smuggs to get a voucher) we'd lap the Sterling lift until our pass was checked.

 

[riverc0il]

Just so we are clear, you would need to buy lift tickets to both areas.

Quoted for reiteration!

And if you are staying in Stowe, the drive around is not terribly bad. Less than an hour, I think. Smuggs is a great mountain. I like it better than Stowe proper. Lines can be long on busy weekends though. I can think of no better two mountain weekend combo in New England than Stowe/Smuggs.

 

[deadheadskier]

I don't know much about the Stowe/Smuggs connection but the Sensation Quad at Stowe does not go as high as the old double. I'm quite certain that going from Stowe to Smuggs you need to hike up. And at least from folks I've talked with I don't think there are any between resort agreements. I know they used to let folks do a lift ride up but I'm not at all sure that's the case anymore. I'm also pretty sure that if you're going to do it you should do it without asking. I'm pretty sure if you ask you'll be told no from both Stowe and Smuggs.

30 vertical foot hike to access the cut over from the lift realignment now. 2 minutes.

I go to Stowe every year, but haven't done the ski over to Smuggs since winter of 04-05. Then I crossed my fingers that they weren't checking lift tickets and took the Sterling up.

I agree, playing dumb is probably your best bet. Say you read about it on some online ski forum and apparently got some bad information and you left your wallet in your car at Stowe :lol:

 

[jimmywilson69]

30 vertical foot hike to access the cut over from the lift realignment now. 2 minutes.

I go to Stowe every year, but haven't done the ski over to Smuggs since winter of 04-05. Then I crossed my fingers that they weren't checking lift tickets and took the Sterling up.

I agree, playing dumb is probably your best bet. Say you read about it on some online ski forum and apparently got some bad information and you left your wallet in your car at Stowe :lol:

Ha Ha! blame it on the internet.

I also think sking accross the pond in march could be sketchy. Looking at goolge earth, there appears to be two "trails" that appear to connect the two. they are big enough to show up on areial photography, but I assume they could have deep brush on them as well. Is this what you ski?

 

[BenedictGomez]

Ha Ha! blame it on the internet.

I also think sking accross the pond in march could be sketchy. Looking at goolge earth, there appears to be two "trails" that appear to connect the two. they are big enough to show up on areial photography, but I assume they could have deep brush on them as well. Is this what you ski?

It's the left trail on the map (shortest route over the pond) And I assure you this isnt some super-sketchy covert spy operation some people are making it out to be, unless things have drastically changed in the last 6 or 7 years. I used to work weekends at Stowe for 4 seasons and I was always stationed at Spruce.

Back then (maybe it still is?) it was even featured as part of one of the deals between the 2 mountains where Smuggs/Stowe worked with each other specifically for skiers who had a 3 or 4 or 5 day pass but wanted to ski 1 day at the other mountain. It was not a very well-known package, but it was offered. There was never, ever, anyone stationed by either mountain at the 2 access points, because it wasnt "illegal" to begin with. You'd just (as others have mentioned) have to have paid for lift access from each mountain. But you are not going to be stopped by either resort "poaching" the one run to specifically needed to buy the proper ticket once you reach the base. Odds of even being questioned are probably like 1 in 1000.

 

[deadheadskier]

What I was describing was being stopped by the liftie at Big Spruce to get up and over. I don't think the package you are talking about is still available, but I might be wrong.