Stratton

[spresso81]

Hello,

I have been skiing for 3 years now and this year I made a trip up to Stratton just in time to catch that April storm which dumped about 18 inches on the trails.

However, nobody on here talks about Stratton. I really had a great time. They had alot of trails and some nice terain. I know that it is not the hardest mountain but it still has some fun stuff.

Anybody else have love for Stratton or it is just to easy for more accomplished skiiers?

 

[thetrailboss]

Spresso: I skied Stratton once in 2006 and enjoyed it. But I was skiing on a free ticket (the "Snow Day" Promo). The lifts were impressive and made for lots of skiing. No crowds per se. Interesting terrain, good cover, good grooming, and a nice operation.

Was the terrain too easy? Maybe. I had a great time and Ms. TB loved the cruising. Those who say that the place are small are probably referring more to the fact that the lifts are so fast that you can cover a lot of ground in a short time. I called the place big myself. Terrain variety may be lacking, but I enjoyed it.

Why aren't others weighing in? Because of the terrain (as you said), but also because of the high day rate, and the attitude of some of their clientele all deter AZer's. That said, a fair number have skied there.

 

[skiadikt]

glad you enjoyed stratton. been a long time since i skied there. we hit the place a lot in my early years, late 70's & early 80's - rarely since then. i remember it as the first place where i was able to ski black runs. occasionally we'd hit it after getting beat up at stowe or killington and it'd be a real confidence booster. it's probably one of the best cruising mtns in the east. great grooming & lift system. but it does lack challenge which why most zoners don't go there. also pricey. many folks complain about the attitude but once you get on the lifts, attitude means nothing. fwiw, i also remember it as being the birthplace of snowboarding.

 

[Geoff]

I grew up skiing the place and had season passes there from 1969 through 1976. Back then, the mountain was nothing but double chairs and they only had snowmaking on the lower mountain. The trails were cut narrow and they made use of every terrain feature. They had very limited uphill capacity so the people were in lift lines instead of trashing the skiing surface. Snowmaking, hyper-grooming, high speed lifts, and chainsaws have wrecked much of the character of the place. Unless you can get into the trees, it's now a pretty boring place to ski.

 

[arik]

yea

I skied there a lot in 2002-3 and then once or twice a year since then.
I always have had a good day there, easy groomed trails, good snowmaking and grooming, nice lifts, nice customer service, comfortable restaurants. One time I went on demo day and got to try out some hot skiis and was given free gloves, decent ones too. There aren't any really challenging trails there, maybe the reason people don't feel more excited about it. I like the North side of the mountain best, the canyon and the view of Bromley.

 

[darent]

the wife and i have skied there a couple of times, both times in 2005 in early december, had excellent fresh snow conditions and the mountain was not crowded. You can challenge yourself there or you can cruise, but it is what I think of as a moderate mountain. we had such a good time we went back, so that says something.

 

[L2RAFO]

Stratton, Vail of the East ( without the back bowls ). Grew up skiing that Gorsucks wannabee mess.

I'm happy you like it, and, when it all comes down to it, what else matters but how any person responds to a particular ski/ride area.

I'm a Whiteface devotee when I'm on the East coast, and you see how much coverage that area gets over here.

Bottom line, as far as I'm concerned, is you drop down where you like, and the hell with popular opinion.

But, to answer one of your questions, I always hated the way they broke up the lift system; that half mountain switchout made me totally bent ( but I haven't been there in a very long while. Maybe they broke down, and actually put one top to bottom ).

Regardless, enjoy wherever, as it won't be long now.

 

[madskier6]

Hello,

I have been skiing for 3 years now and this year I made a trip up to Stratton just in time to catch that April storm which dumped about 18 inches on the trails.

However, nobody on here talks about Stratton. I really had a great time. They had alot of trails and some nice terain. I know that it is not the hardest mountain but it still has some fun stuff.

Anybody else have love for Stratton or it is just to easy for more accomplished skiiers?

Welcome to AZ spresso81. When looking for posts on a particular subject, I find that the Search feature is very useful. I found quite a few Trip Reports involving Stratton when I ran a search.

http://forums.alpinezone.com/search.php?searchid=95693

You'll see that I posted a TR fron Stratton last season. Stratton is one of my least favorite mountains for a variety of reasons but I've always had fun there when I don't have to pay full price. :wink:

 

[MadPadraic]

All in all, I like Stratton. It's main asset is its Southern location. They have some nice trails, an amusing base village, and a Gondola. The main problem I have with it is their use of 6-packs. I hate 6 packs. Also, I found the skiers there much more willing to buzz and knock others over--some people tend to attribute this to the wealthy, spoiled adults, but I think it is an extreme reflex to Stratton's place in snowsports history.

Their grooming impressed me more than Sunapee's last year.

 

[Greg]

Welcome to AZ spresso81. When looking for posts on a particular subject, I find that the Search feature is very useful. I found quite a few Trip Reports involving Stratton when I ran a search.

http://forums.alpinezone.com/search.php?searchid=95693

You'll see that I posted a TR fron Stratton last season.

Unfortunately, search result URLs seem to expire after a period of time. However, you can easily find trip reports from various mountains from the ski area profile page. Go here:

http://skiing.alpinezone.com/resorts/detail.htm?resort=stratton

And click "Search for Forum Member Skiing Trip Reports".

 

[skibum1321]

I never jumped on the Stratton bandwagon. There are a number of reasons why I hate the mountain and most of the same things characterize Southern VT skiing in general (except maybe for Magic, which I've never skied but heard good things about):
1) lack of snow
2) wide trails with absolutely no character
3) lack of steeps
4) lack of good tree skiing
5) overly crowded slopes with gapers all over the place

I have skied there, albeit on a free pass 2 seasons ago and I skied there occasionally when I was younger. Would I go back (even with a free pass)? Not a chance.

 

[MikeTrainor]

I have never skied Stratton. I had a free pass last season but never used it because:

#1 I didn't want to go there on a weekend. To me that would not be enjoyable.

#2 When I took a day off from work I really didn't want to waste it on Stratton.

So I will not play the snow sports game next year some someone who will use the ticket can get it.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I plan on getting a Stratton/Okemo/Sunapee pass this year. I really enjoyed Stratton and Okemo (even thought it was about 60% open at the time )

 

[bigbog]

...;-)

All in all, I like Stratton. It's main asset is its Southern location. They have some nice trails, an amusing base village, and a Gondola. The main problem I have with it is their use of 6-packs. I hate 6 packs. Also, I found the skiers there much more willing to buzz and knock others over--some people tend to attribute this to the wealthy, spoiled adults, but I think it is an extreme reflex to Stratton's place in snowsports history.

Their grooming impressed me more than Sunapee's last year.

....a lot of insecure & unfriendly people with issues seem to pop up throughout the country after the workweek....
and I think they're pretty much everywhere!...not just at Stratton. Although some VT areas attract more than others simply for being a comfortable drive.

 

[big_vert]

....a lot of insecure & unfriendly people with issues seem to pop up throughout the country after the workweek....
and I think they're pretty much everywhere!...not just at Stratton. Although some VT areas attract more than others simply for being a comfortable drive.

True, no doubt, but Stratton attracts a particular NYC gaper group of lawyers and dentists that all have their brand new top-end Volkls or Atomics with matching bootsnthat you know they couldn't bend if they had a tire iron, and Phenix or Bogner oufits that will never, ever, ever see any backcountry, much less actual weather. Their wives strut around the cheesy Village in their new furs all day, then when they get bored of that, they go to Manchester and inflict themselves on the locals.

The terrain is perfect for this crowd, as all the trails are overrated by at least two levels, so this crowd gets their egos stroked all weekend, in advance of being pushy to the restaurant staff for an afternoon beer or dinner.

Posing at the top of the gondola entrance seems to be another specialty, looking out at the great unwashed, and being unaware they just missed two cabs while ensuring their new Maui Jims are perfectly arranged.

True story - in the gondola with a Mountain Hosts who starts a rah-rah session - "what's the best ski area in south VT?" My then 12 -year-old blurts out "MAGIC". You should have seen her face - priceless. One proud dad I'll tell you!

I used to get some comp tickets, but the kids now refuse to go (Okemo too), so I don't bother inflicting it on myself anymore. I can't think there's another place that's so annoying and pretentious on so many levels.

 

[Highway Star]

Yeah, it's the high end gaper crowd on the weekends. It's a good GS mountain, no real steeps, wide trails, fast modern lifts, tall. Lots of good tree skiing, good natural snow, great grooming, snowmaking, some interesting terrain here and there. It's real good on a weekday for powder skiing.

IMHO, probably the best, but most underrated area south of Killington. I think it slightly edges out Okemo, and Mt. Snow overall for different reasons. Magic is great too though.

 

[snoseek]

groomed to death, but not really that flat. no real tough skiing however. i don't see it a big difference between stratton and many other areas in new england (loon, waterville, sunapee ect.), except the crowd. some folks like to cruise and ski terrain parks. nothing wrong with that. i did my free day, it was fun to ski something different for a day.

o.k parking garage bothered me a bit.

 

[Talisman]

fast modern lifts. Lots of good tree skiing.

These two facts make Stratton really fun when natural snow falls and you have a free lift ticket to burn. The Test Pilot glade of off Kidderbrook offers long and varied lines galore.

Magic is also great with new natural snow.

 

[Highway Star]

These two facts make Stratton really fun when natural snow falls and you have a free lift ticket to burn. The Test Pilot glade of off Kidderbrook offers long and varied lines galore.

Magic is also great with new natural snow.

The tree spacing on the natural glades is also excellent - if you have skills, you can ski fresh vitually anywhere there. Not sure what the policy is on that though.

 

[Angus]

hadn't skied there in almost 30 years until this past March and had a great time with new light snow falling all day - http://forums.alpinezone.com/14829-crotched-3-17-stratton-3-18-a.html.

As echoed previously, the mountain isn't particularly hard but the woods were fun and manageable (for someone who doesn't like skiing them) and I found the staff to be very friendly and the skiers to be fine - my son & I overheard some funny conversations riding up on the gondola but who cares that's life. The houses along the ski trails are spectacular.

They do a good job catering to the target audience. For those taking shots, just remember it's a magnet for skiers you wouldn't want on your mountain!