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Stowe 2019/2020

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Hi! Anyone else skiing at Stowe as their home mountain this season?

I didn’t catch opening day, but managed to get two runs this morning on my board. There was a mixed precipitation event last night, so it was mostly boilerplate. Getting off the lift was no fun and I decided to call it early. Definitely not ready to make my way down the currently-open terrain on skis.

Tomorrow we expect a tiny bit of snow, so with luck, the day will go a lot better. And if not, I guess I’m riding the Lookout Double or the Mountain Triple. Woohoo!
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Awesome day at Stowe today!! We were there around 8:30am and the lot was nearly empty. It started getting busier with families around 10-10:30.

The snow was Eastern hardpack, fast and firm but very carvable and not too icy. It sun flurried throughout the morning and it’s still snowing in my neck of the woods (about an hour away in the southwest.) So pretty!
 

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NYSnowflake

Angel Diva
If the conditions are good we plan to ski at Stowe the weekend before Xmas. We were supposed to go over thanksgiving too but the icy conditions caused us to cancel that trip.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
What a view!

Sometimes we forget to really take in the scenery. I took a trail that @Abbi said “looked like a Christmas card.” I stopped to take pictures twice, and also to just breathe it in. For some reason, Okemo got extremely quiet around lunch. It was so empty and silent! I thought they had closed the mountain and forgot to tell me.
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
If the conditions are good we plan to ski at Stowe the weekend before Xmas. We were supposed to go over thanksgiving too but the icy conditions caused us to cancel that trip.

@NYSnowflake, did you mention in a different thread that you’ll be at Stowe this upcoming weekend? I’d be thrilled to meet up!
 

knolan12

Angel Diva
Is Stowe wicked crowded President's Day? I try to avoid holiday skiing, but we have to change the original dates of our trip. It's such a big mountain, I can't imagine it would be too bad, but you never know haha The other option is first weekend of March, which is much cheaper hotel wise, but then I have to wait longer to go hahaha
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
2 years ago it wasn’t crowded at all. Unclear about this year, though. It seems like it’s gotten more and more crowded since its acquisition by Vail.
 

knolan12

Angel Diva
It seems like it’s gotten more and more crowded since its acquisition by Vail.

Gah I only made it once there last season and the lifts got shut down cuz of the wind so I couldn't even tell haha This is helpful to know though!
 

marymack

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
What kind of skiing are you into? Are you on the epic pass or will you be buying tickets? I don't think I would fight the holiday crowds while paying holiday rates to ski at Stowe. I would suggest checking out Bolton Valley. It will be empty by comparison and you can still head over to Stowe if you want to check out the apres scene. You have to be ok with an older lodge and older lifts but i think its a really fun mountain. You could also try a day of snow shoeing or xc skiing while there!
 

knolan12

Angel Diva
What kind of skiing are you into? Are you on the epic pass or will you be buying tickets? I don't think I would fight the holiday crowds while paying holiday rates to ski at Stowe. I would suggest checking out Bolton Valley. It will be empty by comparison and you can still head over to Stowe if you want to check out the apres scene. You have to be ok with an older lodge and older lifts but i think its a really fun mountain. You could also try a day of snow shoeing or xc skiing while there!

I more have a soft spot for Stowe cuz that's where I learned to ski haha We only go for a day cuz the prices are absurd now I'll have to add Bolton to my list of options though! I think we're just gonna go at the end of February and avoid the holiday rates, plus hotels are cheaper too
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
I more have a soft spot for Stowe cuz that's where I learned to ski haha We only go for a day cuz the prices are absurd now I'll have to add Bolton to my list of options though! I think we're just gonna go at the end of February and avoid the holiday rates, plus hotels are cheaper too

TBH I’m on Epic and I’d find it hard to justify buying day tickets if I were not, given the abundance of options in northern VT. Bolton does have a lift ticket special right now though.. if you stay at the hotel at the base, adult tickets are only $40. The downside is that terrain can be severely limited depending on conditions. It’s definitely worth checking out at least once though - it’s a great hill with beautiful views and a cozy, laid-back vibe.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
I love those homey ski hills. I learned to ski at Berkshire East, where the lodge was full of tables the length of the room, and you helped the kid sitting near you find his snow pants under the table and were offered chowder from one of the race mom’s crock pots.
 

knolan12

Angel Diva
TBH I’m on Epic and I’d find it hard to justify buying day tickets if I were not, given the abundance of options in northern VT. Bolton does have a lift ticket special right now though.. if you stay at the hotel at the base, adult tickets are only $40. The downside is that terrain can be severely limited depending on conditions. It’s definitely worth checking out at least once though - it’s a great hill with beautiful views and a cozy, laid-back vibe.

I looked Bolton up after @marymack suggested it and the prices are a steal! haha Our home mountain is Pat's Peak in NH so we don't do the Epic pass (we live south of Boston so easier to get up and back in a day) so usually why we only limit Stowe to a day and spend time in Burlington as well. But since Bolton is on the way from Burlington to Stowe, I think I'm gonna suggest to my husband we sneak in another day of affordable skiing
 

VTsnowflower

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm hoping to ski at Stowe later this week (on a weekday). I've never skied there. Any suggestions for where to head first? What to avoid? What lift/peak should we explore first? We enjoy blues and easy blacks. Also, any advice on good places to stay overnight? (There are some midweek deals out there that look promising.) Thanks!
 

knolan12

Angel Diva
@VTsnowflower We always stay at The Stowehof. The rooms are a little dated, it has a sort of Austrian flair and we love it. The fondue dinner at their restaurant is always very good too :smile: We have always stayed a couple of times at the Mountain Road Resort which was good. No on-site restaurant, though they do do a continental breakfast. A perk is that the shuttle stops there on Mountain Road so convenient if you don't want to drive.

We usually start on the Spruce Peak, but I think you can honestly do either side first. I'm a mellow skiier so I'll let others chime in on the blues and blacks, but my fave is Toll Road and all the variations I can take off of it (or I'll just take it all the way to the end haha)
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Topnotch Resort is my favorite place to stay. There are good cruisers off both Forerunner Quad and the Gondola and excellent advanced terrain off the quad. The Mountain Triple is a good alternative to the quad if the top of Mansfield is too icy or foggy.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
I skied today with Mr. Blizzard's sister, a PSIA 3 who just stopped teaching at Stowe this year. She said that she thinks some of the blues are particularly challenging, "because otherwise we wouldn't have enough blue trails." She knows a lot more about all this than I do, so I would have confidence in her opinion.
 

NYSnowflake

Angel Diva
I'm hoping to ski at Stowe later this week (on a weekday). I've never skied there. Any suggestions for where to head first? What to avoid? What lift/peak should we explore first? We enjoy blues and easy blacks. Also, any advice on good places to stay overnight? (There are some midweek deals out there that look promising.) Thanks!
Starting on the Fourrunner Quad early then hitting the Gondola mid morning and Sunny Spruce/Sensation later is a good plan for midweek. Unless you just want a super mellow vibe and beautiful Lodge then start at Spruce and head to Sensation and Mainstreet headwall for a mellow diamond. At Mansfield, Hayride is a relatively mellow diamond. Nosedive is a bit more challenging.
 
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