Euler
Active member
Date(s) Skied: 12/22/2007
Resort or Ski Area: Stratton
Conditions: Packed Powder, Loose Granular, Some Powder in the Woods
Weather warm (25 f) coudy, foggy
Trip Report:
It was my 40th birthday and it was a spectacular day. My wife and I both had free vouchers from Stratton's online contest, my daughter is a Vermont 5th grader and as such can ski free everywhere in VT, and my 6 year old son cost a whopping $5. We felt pretty smug about our total bill of $5 for four lift tickets as we listened to the others around us get charged hundreds of dollars to ski for the day.
We arrived at 10:30, and found we had to park in a remote lot and take a shuttle bus to the base area. It's a well run system, but with two small kids and thier associated gear it's not too practical. I drove up to the base area, dropped the family and the gear off, then went back and parked and took the shuttle myself.
We had been looking forward to skiing at an area with a Gondola, found the Stratton Gondola to be less than pleasant. There's no rack on the outside of the cabin so all riders must bring all thier gear inside with them and it gets awfully crowded. On the ride up, my daughter said "I thought this was going to be cool, but it's kind of like riding the subway in New York". She had it spot on - the Gondola was crowded, uncomfortable, and the only lift with a substantial line all day. The other lifts had short, well managed lines. Never waited for more than a minute or two to ride the various 6 packs around the mountain.
As for the skiing, it was great. While many put Stratton down as lacking challenge- it was a great place to spend the day with my family. We skiied most of the blue trails. Highlights: The Sunriser "Supertrail" - This trail is really two trails in one and was perfect for my family. It's split down the middle by pods of trees, the trail to the left of the trees had soft, powdery bumps for the kids and myself, while to the right of the trees was groomed flat for my wife. We all had a surface we loved and could stop and say hi below each pod of timber. The other find of the day was the Emerald Forest Glades. Once again my kids led me in to the trees and I really had fun. The glade is well thinned (though not too well) and had lots of powder left in it rather than the icy ruts I've encountered before when I've been led into the trees. I'm going to be on the look out for more low angle glades to play in. We ended the day racing down a deserted Yodeler which was also great fun.
Resort or Ski Area: Stratton
Conditions: Packed Powder, Loose Granular, Some Powder in the Woods
Weather warm (25 f) coudy, foggy
Trip Report:
It was my 40th birthday and it was a spectacular day. My wife and I both had free vouchers from Stratton's online contest, my daughter is a Vermont 5th grader and as such can ski free everywhere in VT, and my 6 year old son cost a whopping $5. We felt pretty smug about our total bill of $5 for four lift tickets as we listened to the others around us get charged hundreds of dollars to ski for the day.
We arrived at 10:30, and found we had to park in a remote lot and take a shuttle bus to the base area. It's a well run system, but with two small kids and thier associated gear it's not too practical. I drove up to the base area, dropped the family and the gear off, then went back and parked and took the shuttle myself.
We had been looking forward to skiing at an area with a Gondola, found the Stratton Gondola to be less than pleasant. There's no rack on the outside of the cabin so all riders must bring all thier gear inside with them and it gets awfully crowded. On the ride up, my daughter said "I thought this was going to be cool, but it's kind of like riding the subway in New York". She had it spot on - the Gondola was crowded, uncomfortable, and the only lift with a substantial line all day. The other lifts had short, well managed lines. Never waited for more than a minute or two to ride the various 6 packs around the mountain.
As for the skiing, it was great. While many put Stratton down as lacking challenge- it was a great place to spend the day with my family. We skiied most of the blue trails. Highlights: The Sunriser "Supertrail" - This trail is really two trails in one and was perfect for my family. It's split down the middle by pods of trees, the trail to the left of the trees had soft, powdery bumps for the kids and myself, while to the right of the trees was groomed flat for my wife. We all had a surface we loved and could stop and say hi below each pod of timber. The other find of the day was the Emerald Forest Glades. Once again my kids led me in to the trees and I really had fun. The glade is well thinned (though not too well) and had lots of powder left in it rather than the icy ruts I've encountered before when I've been led into the trees. I'm going to be on the look out for more low angle glades to play in. We ended the day racing down a deserted Yodeler which was also great fun.
