Your Advice for Skiing STOWE

[thetrailboss]

OK, I don't hear too much in here about Stowe, so I figured I would see if anyone has any advice about skiing there. I have two free ski anywhere cards and I've never been to Stowe. Too expensive otherwise for me to go. But now, I can go whenever I want and bring Ms. Trailboss with me (she likes cruisers and steep groomed stuff).

So where do we go for the day? What runs? Strategies for starting and ending? Apres ski options? Your suggestions and experiences? I love to ski almost everything, so throw it out there :wink:

Thanks in advance!

 

[bvibert]

I've only been there once. The only advice that I can give is to go when there is snow. The saying "There's always snow in Stowe you know" isn't necessarily true... There were only a handful of trails open when I went in early December last year. From what I saw there was alot of nice terrain. I'd definitely like to go back there sometime when there's more snow.

Sorry its not very good advice, but its all I got.

 

[RIDEr]

I go once a year and love the place (twice this year). Anything available on Mansfield has turn offs from the groomers into some great glades runs. The snow has always been great during the holiday weekends.

When staying there, I would recommend the Stowe Inn. Jed and his family have a great Inn with reasonable pricing.

 

[bigbog]

.......

Trailboss, there are a couple?, well at least there's one...good thread over on Epicski.com. Stowe info is also in a "Toughest Trails" thread. I see "American" brought up often(part of Stowe's Front(side) Four).
Sorry...no links, lazy to the max today, had to re-do a program @3am...to suit the whim of some idiot :lol: that pays me for only 20hrs... Stowe's Front Four are your stereotypical(sp :lol: ) NewEngland steeps, made for narrow waists...ala iXRC family environment, but I also have read quite a few threads on Stowe's tree & powder stashes... I bet someone lurking on AZ knows some of em'...

 

[skibum1321]

If at all possible, I would go midweek. I know that can be said for pretty much any mountain, but Stowe is so much better and less aggravating midweek. Having said that, whenever the quad has long lines, you can usually head to the gondi and have relatively no wait. Or you can take the double which never has a line and goes almost as high as the quad.
I'm not much of a groomer skier but Nosedive is pretty good and Liftline is usually groomed about 3/4 of the width. Chin Clip usually tends to be a bunch of icy bumps, so I don't really know why people love it so much. The blues over by the gondi are pretty good cruisers that you can just rip and there are some pretty decent woods off the sides of them.
Big Spruce used to be a good time with some good snow but now that there is a quad going up there it's going to be ruined .
Are you looking to ski the woods and steep ungroomed stuff at all or are you staying with Mrs. TB?

 

[andyzee]

Chin Clip usually tends to be a bunch of icy bumps, so I don't really know why people love it so much. The blues over by the gondi are pretty good cruisers that you can just rip and there are some pretty decent woods off the sides of them.

There is some real nice tree skiing on the side of Chin Clip. The powder here could get very deep, but it is also very narrow. The blues under the Gondi are excellent cruisers!

 

[thetrailboss]

Are you looking to ski the woods and steep ungroomed stuff at all or are you staying with Mrs. TB?

Little bit of everything...

 

[WWF-VT]

If Ms. Trailboss likes cruisers and steep groomed then start your day at the Midway (Gondola) base lodge. Perry Merrill and Gondolier are two top to bottom long runs that are a great way to start the day. A trip down Cliff Trail to Lower Nosedive will get you down to the Mansfield Four Runner quad. She will like trails like Lord, North Slope, Sunrise and Standard. For a little more adrenaline try Hayride, Nosedive or Centerline. There are always the "Front Four" to conquer. Liftline is much steeper than it looks from the quad.

Not sure what Spruce Peak will be like with the new quad - if you get a powder day get to the summit on Spruce - mimimal competition for fresh tracks.

 

[Lostone]

Yeah, I'm wondering what that quad will do to Spruce. It used to be the only uncrowded area at Stowe. Now...? :-?

I agree with the fact of the cruisers off the gondola being good, long rides.

Also, if you like tough, you have to do the front four.

 

[RIDEr]

MORNING
I would start a warm up down Gondolier. Next, hit ChinClip (some days the trail is full of bumps) and hop into one of the many glades openings not listed on the map.

Finish off Mansfield by heading back up and going down Perry Merrill. The trail always have good snow along the sides with beginner\intermediate riders and skiers pushing off all of the snow.

EARLY AFTERNOON
Hit NoseDive and if enough snow NoseDive Glades. The trails by the FourRunner Quad are great, but are brutal in the morning due to the heavy winds (at least when I am there). The afternoon loosens the trails and are never busy if you play it smart.

Other trails such as Hayride, Centerline and Midway are always a fun ride.

Personally, I haven't had the enjoyment of Tres Amigos Glades or Waterfall... HOWEVER, I hear they're a great rush.

LATE AFTERNOON
Head back to the Gondolier and finish up at the Jose's Cantina for some live music and drink specials.

 

[skibum1321]

MORNING
I would start a warm up down Gondolier. Next, hit ChinClip (some days the trail is full of bumps) and hop into one of the many glades openings not listed on the map.

The trail is usually full of bumps - they just happen to be bumps with very icy troughs. The woods over there are pretty sick though. Be prepared that you will probably end up on 108 and will have to pole it back if you go in far enough.

Lookout is one of the better trails on the mountain and is harder than either Liftline or Nosedive. I wouldn't really classify either one of these as a "must hit". They're wide, crowded skiing. Liftline is usually half groomed except in spring so you and Mrs. TB could go down the same run, which is nice. Goat and Starr are obvious ones to do. I don't really like to talk about unmarked glades in the forum so if you want to PM me I can let you in on some of the other stuff that's not on the map.

 

[Brettski]

Drove up to Stowe last spring.....Stowe has changed a lot since I had been last....meaning a whole lot of development in and around town....

Stowe was the first real Mountain I skiied back in '89, and it was an unforgettable experience...what with the wife (brand new back then) falling of the side of toll road...no, she'll never hear the end of that....but we were still very much beginners back then

Stowe is a must ski Mountain...now if I could just find some discount coupons...

I think they're up to $70.00 a lift now....

ouch

 

[molecan]

Stowe is a must ski Mountain...now if I could just find some discount coupons...

I think they're up to $70.00 a lift now....

Well, on Sunday, December 4th - Ski Stowe for $15. (It is Vermont Foodbank Day there that day)
Bring two canned goods or non-perishable food items and receive a $15 ticket.

For more information, call (800)253-3426 or visit www.vtfoodbank.org
From Stowe's event calendar.
http://www.stowe.com/news/event_calendar.php

 

[JimG.]

TTB, as said before try to hit Stowe on a weekday.

Other than that, skibum and RIDEr summed it up well.
If you get a chance, check out some of the tree skiing...there's plenty of it!

 

[gores95]

I brought my daughter up to Stowe last March (first time for each of us). Absolutely loved it! Stayed at the Golden Eagle Resort which was fantastic and reasonably priced. The Green Mountain Inn is also great but a little more expensive.

If you are looking to save $$, Stowe offers lift discounts to ski club members. If you can make it up to Jay for a day its only an hour or so north and is well worth it. We bought cheap Jay lift tix on eBay believe it or not.

Also check out the Ben & Jerry's factory while you are up there!

Check out my trip report:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/viewtopic.php?t=3930

 

[skibum1321]

I brought my daughter up to Stowe last March (first time for each of us). Absolutely loved it! Stayed at the Golden Eagle Resort which was fantastic and reasonably priced. The Green Mountain Inn is also great but a little more expensive.

If you are looking to save $$, Stowe offers lift discounts to ski club members. If you can make it up to Jay for a day its only an hour or so north and is well worth it. We bought cheap Jay lift tix on eBay believe it or not.

Also check out the Ben & Jerry's factory while you are up there!

Check out my trip report:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/viewtopic.php?t=3930

Well he's living in southern VT, so it's almost certainly not going to be an overnight. Also, Jay is about an hr 45 min north of Stowe.

Ben and Jerry's is nothing spectacular. I went once, just like everyone else. On the way home, the way to do it is to hit Cold Hollow Cider Mill and Cabot. It's a free dinner.