billski
Active member
What a day. It was a good day, albeit pricey, $59 for a weekday lift ticket. Oh well, that's what I get for being a migrant.
I traveled up from Mass, getting off at Rte 91/30 in Bennington, opting for the scenic route. I got behind a UPS truck, which went almost the whole way. No way to pass him. I figured it wasn't a good time to mess with Santa's helper three days before Christmas, so I elected to be a good boy and enjoy the scenery.
I had never been to Stratton before, and had no preconceived notions other than the price. It was a very non-Vermont experience and the resort was unlike any other I've encountered in the Northeast. It was quite a large development - not a scattered one, more integral, a real "resort" regardless of what others call themselves.
On driving up the access road, you come into a literal built-village - a three lane, paved access road with buildings, condos, hotels surrounding you as you enter. It felt corporate. You are routed to a parking lot a bit down the road, where a fairly frequent shuttle takes you right to the base. I like that, just as I like offsite parking at the airport - it really minimizes the amount of lugging equipment you have to do. Could be a challenge with little kids though.
After the shuttle dropped me off and I walked toward the lifts, it felt like the Arlberg (Austria), where the ski villages are an integral part of the lift/lodge system. The Tyrolean theme was suggestive, with the clock tower, the pseudo-coats-of-arms and the white stucco and mountain-lodge-styles.
Clearly the MBAs have been optimizing this area. The logistics were quite efficient, in all operations from tickets, to lifts, to shops, rentals, storage facilities, amount of table space and pathways. It was probably one of the few areas I've been to where they really worked to minimize the hassle factor of skiing.
The place was busy, with many collegiate types escaping early and a suprising number of families.
As I walked to the lifts, I was stricken by the amount of high-end gear I saw. Nearly everyone had new ski duds on and a lot of expensive skis. The other thing that struck me was that most everyone already knew how to ski and did it moderately well. By the end of the day, I had fairly well concluded that most of the clientele were pretty good skiers, but unlike the crowd I hand with, have enough discretionary income not to worry about how much a room costs.
I was alerted to a report of clientele "snooty-ness" prior to arrival, so I kept an eye out for it. It was however, a typical NY-er mentality; Do not speak unless spoken to. (I can say this having been born and raised 20 years in NY). I always made it a point to strike up a conversation with people, partly to see what would happen. In general, it was a pretty friendly lot, fairly engaging conversation. But it was clear when you spoke to them about skiing other areas it was a monied crowd; they mostly talked of Vail, Aspen, etc. etc. Nobody ever mentioned Burke
Another interesting thing is you can tell this place is run by a real full-blown resort corporation. Every worker I met wasn't from around there. And most had only worked there a few years. I never met a "stakeholder" (someone who has worked there for many years or was a part-owner, etc.) the way I do at other areas.
Clearly this was a NY'er's playground, an informal survey of license plates revealed. Most people I talked to were quite conversant regarding the NY transit strike. One fellow was suprised I'd never heard of the former NYC transportation commissioner by name. I told him I was "from away" and left it at that
There was never a lift line. 6-packs to myself, never a line for the gondola. I got so spoiled by the gondola (almost all day - a 7 minute ride) that the time I went to a chair , I took my skis off and was stopped by the attendant before I came to my senses
The view from the top was wonderful. The view of Bromley was the most picturesque and commanding. I found just seeing other ski areas was inspiring. I expect the view of Stratton from Bromley was equally inspiring.
Now to the skiing.
It was a sunny day, temps in the teens - perfect ski day. by noontime clouds had overcome the summit for a couple of hours. It was windy on the Sunbowl side in the am, but by the afternoon it died down, and the surface conditions improved considerably.
Coverage was spectacular for December. (I've never skied in December, but I was impressed.) Pretty much fully open, almost no rocks to be seen. It was pretty windy and windswept on the sunny side of the Mt. in the AM, so I stuck to the Snobowl side. Surprisingly, the blacks were in better shape than the blues. Much more loose powder; draw your own conclusions. An upper-intermediate would have no problem on the blacks. Lots of room to move, only moderate sized bumps, but not brutally groomed. I spent almost all day on the blacks. Black trails I enjoyed the most included upper/lower liftline, upper/lower slalom, upper standard, north American. Stowe has tougher blacks, but you sure can have fun on these Blacks at Stratton - I will take nothing away here.
Kidderbrook - top to bottom was desolate - I never passed a person the whole 2 miles, but it was a tad bit scratchy, not bumped, but great for cruising. A fussy intermediate would not have liked it, by my Superspeeds and I just loved it. It was a GS-er's dream trail.
Best blue trail was Black Bear, which made for a great late in the day cruiser when I was burning out.
Yes there were glades but no go with my equipment.
Guess my naive lack of December skiing caught me by surprise when the upper Mt. lifts closed at 3:30pm. I know, I know, shortest day of the year, etc. That kinda ended my day since the lower half was pretty much greens.
For the beginner, there is plenty of terrain and trails, to keep the days interesting while you learn. I would definitely bring beginners here for multi-days - they could really enjoy themselves. They had a couple greens closed for grooming for the next week's madness. It looked like any brutal grooming they do is saved for the greens.
I was a bit surprised at the low number of intermediate trails. The claim is 31%, but I just didn't see it. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough and the blacks were entertaining.
I stayed away from double-blacks, as I was skiing with my cruisers - Superspeeds. I took on Lower slalom glade though and this old man was pretty pooped by the end.
I can't say enough good things about the Superspeed skis - they were just awesome. I never lost control once.
The snow coverage was great- when I went to complain about this or that, I reminded myself it was only December. If these areas can hang onto their base, we are going to have a great, long season this year.
So the acid test - would I go back? Absolutely. Very challenging terrain enough to keep even a wanderer/explorer like me entertained. And I'd bring the family too. But I'm gonna have to wait for Santa to bring me the winning lottery ticket first.
Some people wondered why I would go there rather than north. Simply put, there are many very good areas worth exploring. I get itchy, I tried Burke last year and really like it. Believe it or not, while I'll be back at BV and Burke with the family this year, I've also plans to visit Magic(VT) and Jiminy(mass) and another place I've never been to - MRG (yes, it's true, even after 36 pins on my hat)
Some pictures are here: http://www.iabsi.com/public/strat/
Postscript
Having a few extra minutes with the lifts closing early, I sauntered down the road to Magic, since I have a $10 bulk ticket in my pocket. I got there at 5pm and it was deserted. Not a soul other than the cleaning crew. It looked like a fun mountain from afar. Snow conditions there were excellent and coverage looked nearly complete. It was pretty cool to see Stratton 8 miles down the road. so much to ski, so little time.
I traveled up from Mass, getting off at Rte 91/30 in Bennington, opting for the scenic route. I got behind a UPS truck, which went almost the whole way. No way to pass him. I figured it wasn't a good time to mess with Santa's helper three days before Christmas, so I elected to be a good boy and enjoy the scenery.
I had never been to Stratton before, and had no preconceived notions other than the price. It was a very non-Vermont experience and the resort was unlike any other I've encountered in the Northeast. It was quite a large development - not a scattered one, more integral, a real "resort" regardless of what others call themselves.
On driving up the access road, you come into a literal built-village - a three lane, paved access road with buildings, condos, hotels surrounding you as you enter. It felt corporate. You are routed to a parking lot a bit down the road, where a fairly frequent shuttle takes you right to the base. I like that, just as I like offsite parking at the airport - it really minimizes the amount of lugging equipment you have to do. Could be a challenge with little kids though.
After the shuttle dropped me off and I walked toward the lifts, it felt like the Arlberg (Austria), where the ski villages are an integral part of the lift/lodge system. The Tyrolean theme was suggestive, with the clock tower, the pseudo-coats-of-arms and the white stucco and mountain-lodge-styles.
Clearly the MBAs have been optimizing this area. The logistics were quite efficient, in all operations from tickets, to lifts, to shops, rentals, storage facilities, amount of table space and pathways. It was probably one of the few areas I've been to where they really worked to minimize the hassle factor of skiing.
The place was busy, with many collegiate types escaping early and a suprising number of families.
As I walked to the lifts, I was stricken by the amount of high-end gear I saw. Nearly everyone had new ski duds on and a lot of expensive skis. The other thing that struck me was that most everyone already knew how to ski and did it moderately well. By the end of the day, I had fairly well concluded that most of the clientele were pretty good skiers, but unlike the crowd I hand with, have enough discretionary income not to worry about how much a room costs.
I was alerted to a report of clientele "snooty-ness" prior to arrival, so I kept an eye out for it. It was however, a typical NY-er mentality; Do not speak unless spoken to. (I can say this having been born and raised 20 years in NY). I always made it a point to strike up a conversation with people, partly to see what would happen. In general, it was a pretty friendly lot, fairly engaging conversation. But it was clear when you spoke to them about skiing other areas it was a monied crowd; they mostly talked of Vail, Aspen, etc. etc. Nobody ever mentioned Burke
Another interesting thing is you can tell this place is run by a real full-blown resort corporation. Every worker I met wasn't from around there. And most had only worked there a few years. I never met a "stakeholder" (someone who has worked there for many years or was a part-owner, etc.) the way I do at other areas.
Clearly this was a NY'er's playground, an informal survey of license plates revealed. Most people I talked to were quite conversant regarding the NY transit strike. One fellow was suprised I'd never heard of the former NYC transportation commissioner by name. I told him I was "from away" and left it at that
There was never a lift line. 6-packs to myself, never a line for the gondola. I got so spoiled by the gondola (almost all day - a 7 minute ride) that the time I went to a chair , I took my skis off and was stopped by the attendant before I came to my senses
The view from the top was wonderful. The view of Bromley was the most picturesque and commanding. I found just seeing other ski areas was inspiring. I expect the view of Stratton from Bromley was equally inspiring.
Now to the skiing.
It was a sunny day, temps in the teens - perfect ski day. by noontime clouds had overcome the summit for a couple of hours. It was windy on the Sunbowl side in the am, but by the afternoon it died down, and the surface conditions improved considerably.
Coverage was spectacular for December. (I've never skied in December, but I was impressed.) Pretty much fully open, almost no rocks to be seen. It was pretty windy and windswept on the sunny side of the Mt. in the AM, so I stuck to the Snobowl side. Surprisingly, the blacks were in better shape than the blues. Much more loose powder; draw your own conclusions. An upper-intermediate would have no problem on the blacks. Lots of room to move, only moderate sized bumps, but not brutally groomed. I spent almost all day on the blacks. Black trails I enjoyed the most included upper/lower liftline, upper/lower slalom, upper standard, north American. Stowe has tougher blacks, but you sure can have fun on these Blacks at Stratton - I will take nothing away here.
Kidderbrook - top to bottom was desolate - I never passed a person the whole 2 miles, but it was a tad bit scratchy, not bumped, but great for cruising. A fussy intermediate would not have liked it, by my Superspeeds and I just loved it. It was a GS-er's dream trail.
Best blue trail was Black Bear, which made for a great late in the day cruiser when I was burning out.
Yes there were glades but no go with my equipment.
Guess my naive lack of December skiing caught me by surprise when the upper Mt. lifts closed at 3:30pm. I know, I know, shortest day of the year, etc. That kinda ended my day since the lower half was pretty much greens.
For the beginner, there is plenty of terrain and trails, to keep the days interesting while you learn. I would definitely bring beginners here for multi-days - they could really enjoy themselves. They had a couple greens closed for grooming for the next week's madness. It looked like any brutal grooming they do is saved for the greens.
I was a bit surprised at the low number of intermediate trails. The claim is 31%, but I just didn't see it. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough and the blacks were entertaining.
I stayed away from double-blacks, as I was skiing with my cruisers - Superspeeds. I took on Lower slalom glade though and this old man was pretty pooped by the end.
I can't say enough good things about the Superspeed skis - they were just awesome. I never lost control once.
The snow coverage was great- when I went to complain about this or that, I reminded myself it was only December. If these areas can hang onto their base, we are going to have a great, long season this year.
So the acid test - would I go back? Absolutely. Very challenging terrain enough to keep even a wanderer/explorer like me entertained. And I'd bring the family too. But I'm gonna have to wait for Santa to bring me the winning lottery ticket first.
Some people wondered why I would go there rather than north. Simply put, there are many very good areas worth exploring. I get itchy, I tried Burke last year and really like it. Believe it or not, while I'll be back at BV and Burke with the family this year, I've also plans to visit Magic(VT) and Jiminy(mass) and another place I've never been to - MRG (yes, it's true, even after 36 pins on my hat)
Some pictures are here: http://www.iabsi.com/public/strat/
Postscript
Having a few extra minutes with the lifts closing early, I sauntered down the road to Magic, since I have a $10 bulk ticket in my pocket. I got there at 5pm and it was deserted. Not a soul other than the cleaning crew. It looked like a fun mountain from afar. Snow conditions there were excellent and coverage looked nearly complete. It was pretty cool to see Stratton 8 miles down the road. so much to ski, so little time.
